Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

Continuation of Story taken from Carter’s Extraordinary Adventures, Published in 1902 by Buckingham Press.

Chum and Winky were now sitting among the crowd of bodies as their ghastly smiles became the last thing I saw. Bruised, cut, and shot, I heard the announcer applauding near the entrance. I spun around and with Quickshot in hand, I pulled the trigger to finally put this devil to rest.

My eyes widened as the gun was empty 

“Wonderful performance!” The ringmaster cheered. “You are now my shining star! But underneath my hypnotic chance, I must show you my pet straight from the Tzar!”

I was suddenly knocked off my feet by a snarling creature. When I arose, a storm had started during the fight and the main tent had started to collapse. From the collapsing wreckage, I saw a monstrosity unlike anything I had seen within the Bayou. Its organs hanging out, blood trailing from its jowls and two deformed bear heads to complete the freakshow. I reached for a bottle where I had fallen and distracted the Bear for just a second to fire a shot off from my rifle to stun it. 

I had never backed down from a fight in my life, but I didn’t want to be torn in half by whatever mad ringmaster created in his spare time. Noticing a hole in the fabric wall surrounding the enclosure, I made a mad dash for my newfound exit. Behind me, I could hear the bear snarl and groan in anger at the intruder role I now posed. The cheerful organ music still played from the collapsing tent as mad laughter echoed through the canyon. Thinking quickly, I reached for my signature bottle of bourbon and wrapped my handkerchief around it. Lighting it and throwing it at the bear to ward it away. The rain would prevent me burning down this freakshow, but my life was more valuable as I made my exit away from the horror show. 

As I arrived back at the safety at Rollinsville, I had heard my fellow hunters talking about the creature I saw within the gulch. It posed a terrifying name: 

Ursa Mortis.