Author’s Note: I actually had a lot of fun writing this! I also knew where I was going with it! Which is a nice change. Not really sure what to say…er…warning of violence and very minor swearing! Hope you enjoy it.

Swamp Blood
By BlackCat

The night was lugubrious as I sat next to the swamp, pale eyes peering out across its vast expanse. A shotgun sat next to me on the bank, my fingers resting beside it. Midnight had come and gone, but still the bunyip remained hidden. I knew it was there in the swamp, hiding its horrific self from my sight, waiting until I’d left. Or maybe it was just waiting until I let my guard down to attack. But that wouldn’t happen; I wasn’t about to be devoured by a monster.

A rustling caught my attention and I stiffened, slowly turning my head. My held breath left me in a rush when I realized it was only a muskrat, scuffling about in the water. I rolled my eyes, leaning back. I was jumpy tonight.

Suddenly a blood-curdling howl sounded across the swamp and I jumped back just in time to avoid a large flipper slamming down on the damp ground. I snatched my gun, scrambling to my feet and pointing it at the monstrous creature before me. The muskrat, which had just moments ago been splashing merrily in the water, was now a snarled mess within long, yellowed tusks. Dark blood dripped into the water, leaving crimson ripples like oil spills on the surface. I fired, but my shot just missed as the creature slipped quickly back into the depths of the swamp, leaving me shaking and angry.

“Shit!” I snarled, tossing down my gun. “God-fucking-dammit!”

This entire week had been spent waiting for that damn bunyip to show, and when it finally did, I missed! The thing was slowly depleting my herd of sheep, catching the ones that strayed toward the swamp at night. I had no idea how they kept escaping; I’d checked every inch of the sturdy fence, finding nothing. But they still managed to escape, so the only solution was to kill the bunyip.

Squinted eyes took in the shade of the sky, and I sighed, feeling shaky from the short, but terrifying, altercation. Half of the night was already gone, meaning I should get back home; I needed at least a few hours of sleep.

Frustrated, I stooped and grabbed my gun from the ground, slinging it on my back as I trudged past the swamp towards my farm. And although I couldn’t see it, I could feel the bunyip’s glowing eyes watching my departure.

My feet sank into the mud as I edged around a wide patch of cattails, pale eyes warily peering into the plants in case the bunyip was hiding there. Luckily, I got past unscathed and made it safely to a relatively dry bit of ground next to a new part of the swamp. Every night I’d been moving from spot to spot, hoping to find the bunyip’s nest, but had had no luck so far. It was probably in the middle of the wetland, somewhere I couldn’t reach. But I wasn’t about to give up while it was still alive.

Barely three months beforehand, I had inherited my late father’s farm at a rather young age. I was by no means rich, and I only had a few part-time farmhands to help me during the day. Therefore, this loss of sheep was a great blow to me, which is why I had decided to hunt the monster responsible for their deaths. I wasn’t obsequious by nature, so I wasn’t about to bow down to the wishes of some swamp monster.

My farmhands had told me it was a cockamamie idea to go by myself, and had offered their help, but I had refused, not wanting them to risk their lives on my behalf. I wasn’t paying them enough for that.

My callused fingers tapped restlessly against my gun, the only sound other than my quiet breathing in the mausoleum-like swamp. The nocturnal creatures that normally ran around their dank habitat were hidden, self-preservation providing ample motivation to hide themselves from the monster lingering in the muddy depths. I knew that once I had destroyed it, the swamp would come back to life.

Just like the night before, the moon was obscured by a sheet of murky clouds, forcing me to squint for my surroundings to be anything more than a large blob. I could pick out random shapes, but none resembling my quarry. I idly wondered if it would show up so soon after an attack.

As soon as this thought crossed my mind, I heard a soft splash to my left. Senses on overdrive, my fingers tightened around my shotgun as my breath caught in my throat. It was probably just another muskrat.

But in the back of my mind I knew it wasn’t.

What seemed like hours later, but was only mere seconds, a large, dog-like head rose above the murky water, glowing eyes fixing me on the spot. For a moment I was frozen, a stab of fear rushing through me. I had never seen the bunyip so still up close before.

Shaking off my momentary paralysis, I quickly brought up the shotgun and levelled it at the monster. Just like the previous night, my shot missed by mere centimetres as the creature dove back into the water. I barely had time to bring up my weapon again before the chilling cry I’d heard the night before pierced the silence, a lot closer than before. The bunyip launched forward, suddenly appearing from behind the cattails. I just managed to scramble back to avoid being caught and dragged into the muddy water. Another shot was fired, this time clipping the thing on the side of his hideous head. It howled, flinging me to the side with a slimy flipper. I flew through the air, landing heavily on my side. Dizzy, I didn’t have time to reorient myself before I was tossed into the air once again, this time into a bent tree. A sickening crack rent the air, I screamed in pain, clutching my arm as warm blood trickled through my fingers. The next blow rolled me down the bank, landing my body half in the water. There was nothing I could do to stop the bunyip’s torture; I was nothing but an exercise ball to the thing, a plaything to enjoy before devouring.

As I was tossed from side to side, I looked frantically for my gun. I finally spotted it a metre away, half-buried in the mud. A fresh rush of adrenaline shot through me, and I quickly dragged my battered body toward my weapon with one arm, the other dangling useless beside me. Just as my fingers wrapped around the cool metal, another harsh smack caught my side, knocking the shotgun out of my hand and causing it to sail into the depths of the swamp. I didn’t have time to mourn its loss before I found myself on my back, staring up into the dark-furred face of the bunyip. The last thing I saw before darkness overtook my vision was a mouth coming towards me, tusks wide, dripping…

…and hungry.