If the Earth was ever going to tremble before an eight year old, it would tremble before Myrna McDaniels and her BB gun. The leaves shook as she stared at them down the barrel in the dark.
Well, she liked to imagine they trembled in the dark of the pre-dawn.
She dropped the gun and turned the flashlight back to the trees looking for the fire-white glow of the coyote. Nothing but the black and green in the weeds and still no sign of the wiley monster. But she was determined to wait until the sun was up or it appeared.
The dew condensed and turned to frost around her bare toes and legs. It crunched behind her precipitating the arrival of her eldest sibling, Orla.
“Any luck?” She whispered as she laid down in the grass with her, spreading a blanket over both of them and infusing her again with warmth.
“Not at all,” Myrna growled, “it didn’t come tonight.”
Orna pretended to sigh, “probably for the best, what’re you actually gonna do with dad’s BB gun anyways? You’re just gonna piss it off and get bit.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Remember the Davis’s kid? The damn thing carried it half way through the woods.”
Myrna shook her head, “No, no, no. I’m gonna get it. Right in the eyes and scare it off so it’ll leave Lady alone!”
Little Lady, the runty goat stumbled out of her lean-to and eyed them vacantly. Mommy was always threatening to turn her into dinner.
Orna sighed, “Rowan said he was gonna reinforce her fence with Dad today right? I’d be more worried about the coyote carrying you off than that goat!.”
Myrna leapt to her feet in indignation. “As if!” She posed as tall as she could, pushing her mane of dark hair out of her face. “See? Look how tall I am. I can’t get carried away by a coyote. And besides, the boy at school said they don’t actually attack humans. Plus! You saw how well I shot at the fair didn’t ya? I can totally hit it in the face and make it run away.”
Orna signed and stood up, grabbing the blanket from where it fell on the ground.
“Still, come inside. If mom catches you out here in your bare feet and nightgown she’ll make you regret it.”
A crack echoed from the trees. Orna stepped into Myrna and started hauling her forward.
“C’mon. Time to go in.”
“But it’s the coyote!” Myrna said, fighting against the death grip Orna had on her shirt.
“Nu-uh, look,” Orna said, pulling the flashlight out of her hands and pointing it to the trees. “See? No white eyes.” She turned back and dragged her towards the house.
“No it is! I swear!” Myrna fought, but Orna was ten years older and stronger and had no problem lifting her off her feet to drag her back to the house. “You’re so unfair!” She wailed in a whisper.
“Get your shoes on, or go back to bed,” Orna growled.
She stomped her feet all the way up the porch stairs, tempted to stop and shoot Orna with at least one BB. But she did what she was told anyway.
The next night, Myrna got up even earlier. She crawled down the stairs, easing away from where the loudest creaks happened. She felt like a snake, even going so far as to stick her tongue out at the cat for emphasis. The BB gun was right where she left it by the back door. Sasha hissed at her as she crept towards it.
“Shush Sasha!” She hissed, but the cat just arched her back and hissed again.
Myrna cracked the back door and eased herself out, running from the cat that had suddenly turned on her.
“So rude,” she whispered through the crack before looking into the deep green and gray of the backyard. Daddy or Rowan had cut the grass, and little Lady was still sleeping peacefully in her lean-to. She turned the flashlight to the trees at the far side, but the beam was too weak to illuminate anything. She clicked the light off and started tiptoeing her way across the yard. It was barely three, the grass was still dry and cool even as the dead clippings tangled themselves in her toes.
When she got close enough, at least as close as yesterday, she shined the light into the trees again.
No white eyes yet.
She settled into the grass, glad she wore a sweater and shorts rather than just her nightgown, and waited.
Moonlight faded, leaving only the chill of the predawn air and the faintest glow from the stars for illumination. She listened for movement over the wind as she drifted in and out of sleep.
The sharp snap of a twig breaking brought her attention back. She shined her light back at the trees, catching the white glow of eyes, looking straight at her.
“There we are,” she breathed.
It emerged from the trees in bits and pieces, larger than any coyote she’d ever seen. She froze, unable to let go of the flashlight or lift the BB gun to shoot at it. It slinked and crept as if its spine was disconnected from its limbs. It paced in the clearing just before the trees, stepping in and out of the flashlight glow.
Myrna’s breath stalled in her throat. She wanted to cover her eyes, but couldn’t even bring herself to blink. A small noise escaped her throat.
It hissed like a cat and arched its back, moving directly towards her now.
“Myrna, I’m here,” Orna whispered behind her. “No! Don’t turn around. Don’t break eye contact. Stare it down.”
“Help me,” she whimpered.
“I’m here. Don’t worry.”
The same blanket as the night before landed on top of her, and Orna dragged her to her feet. All the while, she maintained eye contact.
“You’ll be fine,” Orna whispered, “just get behind me now okay?”
Myrna nodded and stepped behind her, glad to be away from the creature’s penetrating gaze. She pressed her face into Orna’s back and clung for dear life.
“Step back some, I gotta be able to pull the bow back okay?”
The fact that Orna had a bow finally registered.
Myrna’s heart lurched, and she only clung harder. “No, please,” she begged.
“Go on, I got my bow strung but only got three arrows. Here’s what I need you to do, as soon as I send the first one flying, you run like mad to the house and get inside okay?”
“Nu-uh,” Myrna insisted, “I’m not leaving you out here.” She slowly bent and picked up the BB gun. “I got the BB gun, I can help!” Tears welled and threatened to spill over.
“This thing won’t back down to a BB gun, baby. Just do as I say, okay?”
Myrna admitted defeat and set the BB gun in the grass again, her eyes fixed on Orna’s spine.
“All right, get ready,” Orna raised the bow and hissed her “Now!” Before pulling the string back and the arrow wooshed through the air.
Myrna spun and ran. She got halfway when Little Lady came shuffling out of her lean-to.
“Lady!” She gasped and turned towards the fence.
“Myrna, no!” Orna shouted again. When Myrna looked, she saw the Thing had its attention on her again, ignoring Orna and the arrow sticking out of its chest. For a moment Myrna was stunned, watching as black oozed onto the grass and into the air.
Orna embedded another arrow into its side, calling its attention back to her. The Thing crouched, ready to lunge. It shifted as it walked, putting itself between Myrna and Orna. Engulfing Orna’s white aura with the blackness it oozed.
“Scream for dad,” Orna called, “as loud as you can as soon as I loose, okay?”
The blackness swarmed her, stealing her voice and energy. She sat down hard on the ground as her world was consumed with black smoke.
She heard the gentle thump of the arrow as it loosed. She drew in a breath to scream like she promised, but the sound was swallowed as a swirl of air spiraled in on the creature, stealing the blackness from the air until it was gone. Nothing was left but Orna and her bow.
Myrna blinked a few times, registering that it was gone, and her sister was still there. Orna’s knees buckled and she landed hard on the ground, vomiting.
“You,” she growled as Myrna wrapped the discarded blanket around her, “were supposed to go back inside. You are in so much trouble when I tell mom.”
Panic spiked, “Oh no. Please, no. Don’t tell mom. I’ll do anything you say just don’t!” Tears welled and spilled as she pleaded.
Orna studied her for a moment, and sighed. “Fine.” She sat back, wiping her face with the blanket. “I have a condition though.”
“Yeah, anything.”
“I’m going off to school in a week. Promise me you won’t come back here by yourself again. Let Little Lady get eaten if it comes back.”
“But…”
“It’s that or I tell Mom what happened and we have Lady for Christmas for sure.”
Myrna started shaking as she fought not to give into the crying. “You’re so unfair.”
“I don’t care.” She sighed and softened, bringing Myrna into the warmth of the blanket too. “The thing probably won’t be back for months now anyways. But I still want you to promise.”
Myrna reluctantly nodded and buried her face in her sister’s shirt and sobbed.
They waited a moment for Myrna to calm down, and then Orna dragged her back to the house. The porch light flicked on as they reached the bottom step.
“You two aren’t very quiet you know,” their mother said. They both flinched.
Their mom gave them a once-over, and scowled, “now pray tell, what are my savage daughters doing out so late?”