A howl of pure rage went up from the rest of the hunting pack who had filled the trees and empty spaces all around us. The darkness was alive with the sounds of the huge creatures which surrounded us and my mouth dried out as fear took me hostage.
Coal was back on his feet and I jumped up too, drawing the shotgun from my back and pumping a round into place. Movement on my right caught my attention and I swung the gun around, pulled the trigger and sent another cougar scrambling away from us with a huge bang. I'd forgotten the recoil in my panic and the gun slammed into my stomach, driving the air from lungs.
I coughed, trying to stop the spasms in my abdomen as I pointed the gun at a rustling bush in front of us. I took a shuddering breath and tensed my muscles, ready for the kick this time as I pulled the trigger again.
A screech confirmed I'd hit my target and the leaves of the bush fell apart like a pile of green confetti. A sharp, bitter smell from the shredded foliage reached my nose.
We were surrounded. Shapes moved fluidly in the shadows, far bigger than a man and clearly in the mood for a nice human snack. I caught glimpses of huge white teeth highlighted by the light of the moon.
Constant flashes of gold or tan marked out the creatures' glossy coats amongst the darkened woodland. The snarling faces of the animals were dominated by their enormous mouths. They had small, beady eyes that darted back and forth as quickly as they jumped in and out of sight, and round ears that nestled down on top of their heads. I’d never seen creatures like them and I was pretty happy about that. In fact I’d have been happy never to see them again either. I certainly didn’t want a closer look.
I pumped another round into place, and put my left hand on the hilt of a knife. If those things came at me, I wasn’t going down easy. I’d fight tooth and nail until my last breath and if that wasn’t enough then I planned on giving them a serious bout of indigestion too.
"We need to get through there." Coal pointed ahead where the forest was thick with movement.
"How?" Laurie asked, frowning at the impossible challenge. She had a pistol in each hand now and looked ready to kick some serious ass. I just hoped it would be enough.
“By force,” Coal growled as he pulled an assault rifle from his back and took a step in the direction he’d indicated.
The cougars clearly had other ideas and with a chorus of ear splitting shrieks, they surged forward from every direction all at once.
We lurched together, put our backs to each other and opened fire. The creatures jumped, pounced and twisted, trying to get close to us and managing to avoid too much of our limited ammunition.
Again and again the sound of gunshots rang out. My arms ached from the impact of the recoil but I gritted my teeth with determination, refusing to slow. The creatures danced in and out of sight and it felt like they were toying with us, waiting for us to run out of energy…or ammo.
I pumped my final bullet into place and released a shaky breath as I waited for the next creature to attack.
Movement in the corner of my eye made me look up just as a beast leapt from a bough high above our heads. I pushed backwards with a cry of fright as I raised my gun, making the others move aside as I pulled the trigger.
My bullet hit the target but the creature’s momentum meant its body was still falling straight towards me and I didn't have time to get out of the way. I cried out as it’s solid weight hit me and I collapsed under the weight slamming into the moss-covered ground.
The thing was fucking massive and weighed a damn ton. I could barley summon enough energy to stop its weight from suffocating me let alone get out from beneath it.
A huge set of jaws surged towards my face as I tried to claw my way free and I screamed as I saw my death waiting in that open mouth. I kicked and fought as my heart thundered in panic, my eyes snapping shut at the last moment as death came on swift wings.
A gunshot fired so close to my head that my left ear popped, leaving nothing but a loud ringing rattling through my skull.
Coal stood over me with a fierce look on his face as he raised a foot and kicked the heavy creature off of me and I scrambled out from beneath it with a gasp of thanks.
My shotgun was empty so I tossed it over my shoulder and drew a knife from my belt.
I threw it as a creature darted between the trees ahead of me, but the blade sailed into the bushes as the cougar moved too fast for me to hit. I gritted my teeth and drew another blade, holding it ready but I wasn't able to line up a single target as the animals surged back and forth faster and faster with excitement and anger.
A new sound punctured the night air, breaking through the shrieking and making my heart pound with new fear. The long, low howl echoed through the trees, making the hairs along the back of my neck stand on end.
The attacks against us paused for a moment as heads snapped around to point in the direction Coal had wanted us to take.
“Hold your fire!" Coal shouted a second before Kaloo leapt from the forest, fangs bared, hackles raised and leaving havoc in her wake.
She was magnificent, jumping, snarling and snapping at our assailants. Her long, sleek fur billowed in the wind as she bounded back and forth taking on the whole pack without the slightest sign of fear.
The shrieks and growls changed marginally and the pack's attention shifted away from us to the new threat.
"Move." Coal's arm was on mine and he propelled me back around and sent me flying forward.
We ran again, somehow finding another reserve of energy to push us onward as we dove into the trees.
Coal overtook us, leading the way between the trees and I fought to keep up.