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The creature awoke suddenly, it had been asleep for more years than its brain could comprehend.
But now it was awake, and it was hungry. The only message running through its sluggish brain was to feed. It arose and lumbered out into the cave, it must have food.

"Come on Billy, it'll be fine," the girl called as she started into the cave. The boy stood there for a moment uncertain. "I don't know Carissa. This cave is off limits. Sheriff Lowe said so."
"Sheriff Barnes is a bitter old woman," Carissa said, walking back and grabbing Billy's hand, "she doesn't want us to have any fun."
Finally Billy relented and they began to explore the cave. "Wow would you look at this," Carissa said, "there's a whole other section, it must have opened up when we had that earthquake two days ago."
"Lets go explore," she said, Billy balked, "I'm not going in there," he said. "Fine chicken," Carissa said, grabbing the flashlight from him, "I'll just go myself."

Billy stood there for a moment after Carissa went in, her daddy would kill him if something happened to her. Swearing Billy stepped over the rubble, into the newly opened hole.
"Carissa," he called, "we should really go, I have to get you home." He listened for a moment hearing nothing, it was so dark in here he could barely see his hand in front of his face. He turned suddenly when he heard a shuffling noise to the right of him. "Carissa?" He called, nothing, "this isn't funny," he yelled, "you come out right now or I'll leave you." He looked around when he heard the shuffling noise again.
"That's it," he muttered, turning to go, he heard the noise again and turned just in time to see two red eyes, he looked up in mute terror as a big hairy creature lunged at him. He tried to run, but the creature's claws caught him in the stomach. He looked down as his entrails spilled out of his body, than fell over, he tried to crawl out of the cave, managing to crawl back through the hole. The creature jumped on Billy and began to feed, tearing large chunks of flesh out of his back, Billy gurgled once than lay still, the only sound in the cave was the sound of flesh being torn off human bones.

Sheriff Lowe looked up when someone knocked on her door, "what's the matter Frank?" She asked her deputy. "Carissa Knowles and Billy Peters parents just reported that their kids are missing, both were supposed to be home by ten, never showed."
Sheriff Lowe got up, "that's not like those two," she said concerned, "their good kids, not the type to run off."
A town search ensued for the two kids, but nothing was ever found, it was decided that the two must have run off together. But Sheriff Lowe didn't buy that, something wasn't right, she just didn't know what it was.

The creature felt the need again, the need for food. He had fed on the two beings that invaded his cave, but his brain told him that had been awhile ago. He felt the hunger again. It needed to be satisfied.

The man sat in front of a campfire, he had been camping out for about a week. Tomorrow he would return home, but tonight he would enjoy himself. He reached for a cold beer out of the cooler, when he heard a twig snap in the woods. He looked, but didn't see anything, it was probably a deer. He grabbed the beer, opening it and taking a gulp, he stood up about to go into his tent, when he heard another twig snap, this time behind him. He whirled around, just as something heavy knocked him to the ground, he looked up into the face of his worst nightmare. A large hairy creature, with glowing red eyes, the creature's fangs descended on the man and he tried to punch it, the creature grabbed the man's arm in his mouth, tearing it off.
The man howled in pain, as blood spurted out of his ruined arm. The creature's fangs tore into the man's throat as he gurgled, blood running out of his mouth. The man died slowly, the last sound he ever heard was of the creature's noisy breath as it fed.

Sheriff Lowe sat up as her phone rang, she fumbled for it in the darkness, "Sheriff Lowe here," she said as she answered it. "Sheriff this is Frank," the voice on the other end said. "We have a DB down here at Ferries Camps, it looks like some kind of animal attack, but it's nothing I've ever seen."
"I'll be right there," she said than hung up the phone, "what's wrong Lori?" Her husband asked groggily as she got out of bed and got dressed, "animal attack." She said leaning over and kissing him, "I'll be back later Tony," than she rushed out of the house, grabbing her keys from the front table as she ran by.

She arrived at the campground in record time, and Frank was waiting for her at the entrance. "Two hikers found the body," he said as they walked to the scene, "stumbled across it. The identification we found in the tent says that his name is Harold Norst. He was vacationing here."
They arrived at the covered up body, Lori drew back the sheet, than stepped back in horror. "Oh my God," she said, "what kind of animal could've done this?" The corpse's body was so torn up that identification would be a problem.
"Get this to the morgue and have someone call in and get Mr. Norst's dental records," Lori said as she covered up the body. "As soon as we have clear identification, notify the next of kin."

Lori slowly walked around the campsite, she knelt when she came to a footprint in the dirt, "Frank look at this," she called, Frank knelt beside her, "what the hell is that?" He asked, the footprint was bigger than a man's and only had three toes. Lori got out her camera and began to take pictures, "I don't know what animal it's from," she said, "but I know someone who might."

Lori knocked on the office door, of John Redhorse, a crypto zoologist that taught at the local college. "I'm sorry to bother you," she said after he opened the door, "but I have something that I want you to look at," she handed him the pictures of the footprint they had found in the woods.
"We found this near an animal attack," she said, "but it's not like any animal attack, I've ever seen." John looked at the pictures, whitening, he dropped the pictures on his desk and opened up a drawer, he pulled out an old journal bound in leather.
"This is my great, great grandfather's journal," he said flipping it open to a drawing, "a hundred years ago, when this area was still wild, the settlers who lived here were terrorized by a creature. My grandfather found a footprint, just like the one in the pictures, this is the drawing of it."
He showed it to Lori.
"Are you saying that whatever attacked that man wasn't an animal?" She asked, John set the journal down and stared at her, "that's exactly what I'm saying," he said, "the French settlers had a name for it Le Diable Nocturne, roughly translated, The Night Devil."

Lori leaned forward, "how did they get rid of it?" "My grandfather lured the monster into a cave, where he blew powder in it's face, making it sleep. They walled up the cave, to end it's rampage" Lori's eyes widened, "I know why it just started attacking again," she said, "that earthquake four days ago, that woke it up."

Lori got on her cell phone as she and John rushed out to her truck, "Frank," she said, "I want to you gather as many deputies as you can and meet me near the caverns. I know what killed that man." She clicked off the cell, "I hope you have some of that powder," she said as she climbed into the truck, "we'll need it."

Lori and John arrived at the caverns, before anyone else, Lori got out of the truck, taking her rifle out of the back. "I'm going to scout around and see what I can find," she said, "stay here and wait for the others," John nodded, "be careful," was all he said.
Lori slowly walked by the caves, there were about twenty of them in the area, it was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. She became aware of a nauseating odor coming from one of the caves, silently she walked up to the cave, peering in it was so dark she saw nothing but the stench got stronger. She walked into the cave, gasping with horror at what she found, the remains of a teenage boy lay inches from the cave's entrance. She clicked on her cell phone, "Frank," she choked, "I just found the remains of Billy Peters," before she could say more a roar filled the cave, she whirled around as the most horrifying thing she had ever seen in her life, rushed at her. She managed to fire off two shots, before the creature hit her sending her flying against the wall. She hit hard, falling to the ground, the last thing she heard before she lost conscious was Frank yelling her name from the cell phone laying on the ground, than all went black.

Frank raced to the caverns he braked quickly next to Lori's truck, it was empty. He jumped out and turned to the other deputies, "Sheriff Lowe is in one of these caves, hurt possibly dead. We need to find her, men I have no idea what we're up against, but remember shoot to kill."
The other deputies nodded and they began to search the caves, Frank began to be aware of the smell that Lori had mentioned and motioned to the other men, guns ready, they slowly inched into the cave, Lori's cell phone was lying there, next to the mutilated body of Billy, but Lori was no where to be found, "Frank look," one of the deputies pointed at the open end of the cave.
Frank cocked his gun, walking on silent feet toward the hole, he stepped through looking around, a few feet from where he was standing he found the remains of Carissa Knowles, one of the deputies retched and Frank gave him a look, "quiet," he hissed.
He slowly looked around the corner, seeing an odd sight. The creature was sitting on the floor with Lori Unconscious in his arms, he wasn't hurting her, he was rubbing her hair. One of the deputies saw the sight and gasped, causing the creature to jump up, tossing Lori aside like a rag doll and roar.
Frank came around the corner and shot at the creature. It roared again swiping at Franks gun, sending it skittering across the floor. The creature caught Frank's neck with it's claws, decapitating him, as Frank's body fell to the floor, the other deputies began to shoot at the creature.
The creature began to swing it's arms, sending deputies flying, it's claws grabbed one of the deputies, tearing into his body with it's teeth. Suddenly John was there holding a hand out to the creature, it stopped as if it had been frozen. "It is time for you to sleep again," he said emptying some powder out of a pouch, blowing it into the creature's face. The creature snorted, than dropped to it's knees before laying down and falling back into it's disturbed slumber.

Lori opened her eyes, squinting against the brightness, when it finally dimmed, she saw Tony and John sitting beside her bed staring at her in concern. "What happened?" She asked weakly, "where's Frank?" Tony and John looked at each other, "Frank died trying to save you," Tony explained grasping her hand, "he died a hero's death." Lori felt tears well up in her eyes and she brushed them away, wincing at the pain the movement caused. "The creature is now asleep and we walled it up, than used dynamite to seal the entrance forever," John said to her.
"I don't understand why the creature didn't kill me," she began than was interrupted by the doctor coming in. She smiled when she saw Lori was awake, "you are one very lucky woman," the doctor said, "you only suffered minor cuts and bruises, your baby is fine too." She smiled again than walked out, leaving Lori staring at her in amazement.
"My baby?" she whispered in awe, placing one hand against her stomach, John nodded "that's why the creature didn't kill you," he said, "it sensed that you were pregnant and that made it protective." He stood up, walking toward the door, "I'll leave you two alone." He said, closing the door behind him, leaving the two parents alone with the joy of the new life that would soon come into the world.

The earth shook slightly, causing dirt and small rocks to roll down the cave, when the dirt settled, a small crevice appeared in the side.