The Winter Creek Beast by CP Bialois Page A

and used whatever they could find as a weapon. Anything not large enough to be wielded like a club became a missile.
    Caleb tried to call for help from those attacking him, but whatever words he tried to speak came out as a guttural roar he never imagined could exist. He wanted to run away, to be at peace, but the building rage within him was relentless. With each strike from one of his former neighbors Caleb felt a piece of himself slip away. 
    Filled with terror at his memories fading with each passing moment, Caleb turned and ran off into the woods neighboring the village. The realization that he was no longer human tore into his heart, bringing a cry of agony from his throat. He wanted to keep running, to find peace, but the building rage refused to relent. By the time he reached the edge of the trees, his humanity was stripped away and buried under his primal hatred and fear of anything not like him. The only image that remained within his mind was that of the old woman and the young one he had just encountered. His only conscious thought was how much they looked alike.
     

 
    Chapter 1
     
    “What do we have here?” Sheriff Jay Lightfeather crouched next to the remains of a hiker discovered a couple of hours earlier. His identity would be a mystery as there wasn’t enough left to positively confirm who it was. Even DNA wouldn’t help, as the weathered bones and fabric from what had been a cotton shirt were too decomposed. He’d send samples off anyway in the slim hope there was something to be found. He owed it to whoever the body once was.
    Removing his black Stetson, Jay wiped the back of his sleeve across his brow. The action did two things: First, it gave him something to do besides look at the scattered remnants of a person and second, it helped him think. It was an old tell most in the town of Winter Creek knew. It also kept him from winning any hands at poker.
    As far as he knew, there hadn’t been any reports of bear or mountain lion attacks for months. That didn’t mean there weren’t any, just that no one survived to report them. Of course, the victim could’ve been someone hiking that fell and broke their leg. The local wildlife would then partake of the easy meal. That would explain the scattering of bones, but there was something more. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on yet.
    “What’s the plan, boss?” Melvin Paul stopped just behind the sheriff. While in his second year in the Sheriff’s Department, his exposure to bodies was limited to the animals he killed while hunting.
    Jay glanced over his shoulder at his deputy. “Did ya call Doc?”
    Melvin nodded. “Yes, Sir. Doc Fredericks and Nate will be here shortly.”
    Jay nodded. He liked the kid and hoped he’d stick with the job instead of leaving town for the promise of something bigger and better. Still, he had no say in the boy’s decision and kept quiet on the topic. “Good. Tell Doc I want a DNA test run. It won’t offer much, but we should cover all our bases.”
    “Alright, boss.” After a brief pause, Melvin scratched the side of his head before continuing, “Any idea what coulda done this?”
    Jay shook his head. “Could’ve been anything from a broken leg to a bear. Ain’t no way to tell.” He silently cursed at finding the remains after they weathered a few weeks. Any tracks or other clues were long gone. “Might as well have never happened.”
    “What’s that, boss?”
    “Nuthin’. Just thinking to myself.” His trained eyes scanned the bushes around the scene in an effort to will any evidence to materialize. When nothing appeared by the time he heard the rest of his expected party arrive, he let out a sigh. At least he hadn’t expected the case to work like in the movies. That would’ve been too easy.
    “A bear attack, Jay?” Doc Fredericks and his assistant, Nathan Pierce, approached with a look in their eyes that said they’d seen too many of these scenes.
    Jay nodded at Pierce as the