Page 6 of Primal Hunger
Three
Erin
Despite this moment occupying my every waking thought for the past twenty-four hours, and even bleeding into my distorted dreams, nothing could have prepared me for it.
The moment when the sun dips behind the tops of the trees, chasing the horizon, and a navy blanket sweeps across the sky, tucking the town in for the night…it’s magic.
One by one, the lights in the distance blink out of existence, turning the closest buildings into smudges on the dark landscape, barely illuminated by the glow of a full moon. Thegravel lot where we’ve parked is situated higher on a slope and gives us the perfect vantage point.
Tyler and I are huddled in my car, equipped with snacks, blankets, pillows, and emergency supplies. I also have my laptop with its own wi-fi that allows me to stream a live-action view from both night vision cameras to my blog, and we’ve blacked out all the glass except the driver’s side window as an extra precaution.
Now, the only thing to do is wait for something to happen.
My heart slams steadily in my chest, assaulting my ribs, and I’m glad I decided to stay in the car rather than hiding in some bushes somewhere. Every creepy crawly in the woods would hear how hard my heart is hammering—as it is, the blood in my ears beats way too loud, drowning out Tyler’s nervous breathing.
Excitement and adrenaline tangle together inside of me and I drum my hands on the steering wheel with nervous energy.
This is it.
This is what I’ve spent six months waiting for, impatiently begging the minutes and hours to slip by faster so I can have my shot at capturing images of the Grim. Or better yet, so I can see him in the flesh.
I need this win. I need to know the money left from my inheritance was put to good use, the right way.
Vindication for my past failures will erase the guilt scabbed over my heart.
A chill crawls across my skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake, and I take a slow, deep breath.
We’re several yards away from the woods, positioned just right so we have a clear view of the trees through my window, even without the binoculars packed in my bag. A halo of moonlight frames the tops of the trees, frosting the limbs and leaves up high, but it doesn’t penetrate past the first row of tree trunks.
Everything inside the woods is drenched in darkness. The utterly impregnable blackness of true wilderness.
“Spooky,” Tyler whispers, barely audible. “Isn’t it?”
Even though we’re far enough away to be out of earshot, and locked safely inside the car, any noise or sudden movement seems too risky. Adrenaline kicks up in my veins, and my eyes fall to the laptop sitting between us on the console to check the cameras. There’s nothing there but trees and underbrush, and I find myself wishing my savings was a little more hearty to buy a few more cameras.
What if we didn’t space them out enough? What if they’re in the wrong spot entirely?
A notification on the laptop screen proclaims there are now over a hundred live viewers watching the camera stream—nothing record breaking, but a decent turnout—and comments from them appear in a little pop-up in the corner.
My attention catches on a few of the comments as they whiz by.
MnsterFker001:What do you want to bet the Grim is bangable?
EatMyShorts:Waste of timeeee. Cryptids aren’t real.
LolliPOP:Find something safe to do…
MnsterFker001:10/10 would smash
“Relax, Erin,” Tyler says, snapping my attention away from the live chat. He leans his seat back a little further. “You’ve done everything you can. There’s nothing left to do but wait.”
I force an unconvincing smile, my eyes darting outside toward the tree line. I stare a hole through the darkness until my eyes blur and burn.
“I hope so,” I mumble.Otherwise I’ll be waiting another six months to try again.
Who knows what else will change in six months.
Minutes turn into hours without so much as a hint of anything paranormal, and to break up the suffocating silence, I grab the small battery-powered radio I carry everywhere and flip it to our favorite AM talk show, the Paramorning, turning the volume down low.
