Creatures Of The Night: The Horror Diaries Omnibus Edition, #3

By Heather Beck

When night falls and the moon shines brightly, creatures emerge to stalk their prey.

Heather Beck presents Creatures Of The Night, an anthology of fangs, claws and jaws.

Werewolf Hunting

Missing people, cries in the night, unidentifiable animal tracks...this isn’t your average hunting lodge.

Eyes Of Red

Cute, smart and funny, Lisa’s new boyfriend would be perfect, if only he wasn’t a vampire.

Night Of The Eel

Something lies beneath the murky waters of Stony Loch, and it’s anything but friendly.

The Pumpkin Patch

When evil pumpkins grow in Scott’s backyard, Halloween turns into a never-ending nightmare.

Call Of The Loon

Camp Loon hides an ancient and deadly curse that befalls anyone who enters the woods.

Caution: Animals Will Bite!

*Creatures Of The Night contains The Horror Diaries volumes 11-15.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Treasure Cove Books
• Release date: Oct 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781519931221

Heather Beck

Heather Beck is a Canadian Author and Screenwriter who began writing professionally at the age of sixteen. Since then she has written eleven well-reviewed books, including the best-selling series, The Horror Diaries, which has sold in six continents. Heather received an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree from university where she specialized in English and studied an array of disciplines. Currently, she is working on the Frostbitten series and has two anthologies slated for publication. As a screenwriter, Heather has multiple television shows and movies in development. Her short films include: Young Eyes, The Rarity, Too Sensible For Love, Circular, and the forthcoming Witch’s Brew. Besides writing, Heather’s greatest passion is the outdoors. She is an award-winning fisherwoman and a regular hiker. Her hobbies include swimming, playing badminton and volunteering with non-profit organizations.

Book preview

Werewolf Hunting

Welcome to Grizzly Bear Lodge. Do you have reservations?

Who would need reservations for this dump?

Bill McNeill, the lodge owner, glared at the two men who stood in front of his desk. Then he began to laugh. It’s good to see you again, he greeted his best customers, Ethan and Mitchell Zimmerman. How are you two doing?

We’re doing fine, Big Bear, Ethan replied.

Bill was often called Big Bear because he looked just like that. He stood tall at six foot four and had dark brown hair with a thick beard.

I hope your rifles are loaded because the game is great around here. For some reason, the deer have been getting closer to the lodge. Of course, you can’t fire your rifles unless you’re three hundred feet away from the cabins, Bill reminded them.

Bill owned two hundred and seventy five acres of land which he used as a deer hunting ground. He’d also built big wooden cabins where his guests could stay overnight and for the off-season.

They’re loaded and ready to rock ‘n’ roll, Mitchell replied as he handed Bill the registration cards for their rifles.

Come over tonight for a game of poker, Bill said, handing back the registration cards after checking them thoroughly. 

We will, Ethan promised. But first we hunt! 

Bill chuckled and waved goodbye as he watched his customers disappear through the open doors.

––––––––

It was still early in the morning and the sun was just starting to rise. Dew covered the grass, making it very slippery. A soft breeze blew through the evergreen trees and chickadees chirped in the background.

It’s so beautiful out here, Ethan commented as they walked in the woods. 

The perfect day for hunting, Mitchell added.

Suddenly, Ethan stopped dead in his tracks.

What is it? Mitchell asked, unable to suppress his curiosity. 

Ethan motioned for him to be quiet. They stood in silence for several minutes but heard nothing out of the ordinary. 

I thought I heard a growl, but it’s probably just the wind, Ethan finally admitted.

It probably was, Mitchell said, giving his brother an unappreciative look. Now can we please look for some real deer?

Ethan and Mitchell walked deeper into the woods. The abundance of thick trees blocked most of the sunlight, making it difficult to see.

There’ll be a dozen deer in here, Ethan whispered.

That’s great, but there’s a problem, Mitchell whispered back.

What’s that? Ethan inquired, lifting his rifle higher as they turned a sharp corner in the woods. 

We won’t be able to get a decent shot because it’s so dark. Let’s head back into the sunlight. At least we can see where we’re going.

Alright, Ethan agreed as he lowered his rifle. Let’s go back.

Ethan and Mitchell had just turned around when they heard rustling coming from behind a nearby bush.

What the...

Ethan put his index finger over his mouth, signaling for Mitchell to be quiet. Then he raised his rifle and crept forward. His breath became shallow as he reached out to touch the shaking bush. His fingertips had nearly touched it when a large animal jumped out from behind the greenery.

Ethan didn’t have a chance to fire his rifle as the animal lunged at him viciously. With its massive hooves, the animal pinned Ethan by the shoulders and then bit him.

After biting Ethan, the animal raised its head and looked straight at Mitchell.

Shakily, Mitchell turned around and ran. He could hear the animal’s heavy hooves scraping the ground as it chased him. It wasn’t long until he could feel the animal’s hot breath on his neck. Finally, Mitchell fell to the ground as the animal pounced on him. His scream echoed throughout the woods.

Needless to say, the Zimmerman brothers never showed up to Bill’s poker game that night.

* * *

Bill tossed and turned that night. No matter which way he lay, he felt a lump in his mattress. He sighed and, giving up on sleep, opened his eyes. He stared at the dark brown ceiling panels and began counting them, hoping it would cure his insomnia. Bill stopped counting as a large cloud blocked the moonlight. Darkness had overpowered the light which streamed through the window just moments before.

Sighing once again, Bill turned around in bed. He looked out the large window and watched shadows from nearby trees sway gently in the wind. His eyes finally started to get heavy as they followed the movement of the trees. Suddenly, a shadow of something other than a tree moved outside the window.

Bill sat straight up, now fully awake. He felt his blood go cold as he saw a silhouette of a large animal. His hands shook fiercely as he slowly made his way out of bed. He walked backwards, keeping his eyes on the animal until he bumped against the door to the living-room.

Spinning around, Bill flung the door open. He ran to the fireplace and grabbed the rifle that always hung above the mantel. Bill held the rifle high as he crept back to his bedroom.

Bill gasped upon seeing glowing red eyes coming from behind the window. His whole body shook and sweat formed around his forehead and beard. His tight, dry throat made a loud sound as he gulped. 

They’re like rubies, Bill thought as he stared into the glowing eyes. Although his racing heart was telling him to hide, his eyes were telling him to proceed forward. Before he knew what he was doing, Bill was walking towards the window in a hypnotized state. 

He’d almost reached the window when the animal let out a horrifying howl. The howl wasn’t one you’d expect to hear from an animal; it was a howl that was mixed with the blood-curdling scream of a man.

Bill watched with a mixture of fear and amazement as the animal lunged forward and scraped at the window. He yelled in pain as he heard long, sharp claws slice through the window.

Acting in fear, Bill raised the rifle and aimed for the animal. His hands trembled as he pulled the trigger. He heard the bullet pierce through the window, followed by the howl of the animal.

Stepping closer to the window, Bill saw the animal running into the woods. He let out a nervous sigh and then fell back on his bed. He stayed in that position the whole night, sitting tensely with the rifle in his sweaty hands.

* * *

When the sun rose the next morning, a puffy-eyed Bill walked around the cabin to see the exterior of his bedroom window. The glass was destroyed by a bullet hole and unusually large claw marks. As Bill’s eyes drifted towards the ground, he noticed massive wolf paw prints leading into the woods. He also noticed a small pool of blood that dripped alongside the tracks. 

I didn’t hurt the wolf badly, Bill said in realization. He took one last glance at the window and promised himself he would replace the glass right after he’d found and killed the wolf.

I can’t allow an insane wolf to scare my customers and kill all the deer, Bill kept repeating to himself as he followed the wolf tracks into the woods.

The wolf tracks sank deeper into the mud the further Bill followed them. The wolf had calmed down and slowed its pace. Even the drips of blood had stopped. With the rifle in a ready-for-anything pose, Bill continued to march alongside the wolf prints. 

As Bill turned the corner, he was faced with a very shady part of the woods. He gulped loudly before entering the darkness. Bill’s eyes adjusted to the change in light after a few minutes. He squinted at the ground, making sure he was still following the wolf prints. He didn’t know if he was relieved or not when he saw the deep, muddy tracks.

The sudden noise of a chickadee’s chirp made Bill jerk his head upwards. In doing so, his eyes settled upon some familiar pieces of clothing. He walked towards the clothing to get a closer look and gasped upon seeing two flannel shirts and two pairs of jeans lying on the ground. The flannel shirts looked as if they’d popped open from the front; buttons from the shirts lay scattered near the clothing. The pairs of jeans looked