Chapter Three - Party Animal

Chapter Three

Party Animal

By: Adam Bennett

There was an ancient deer-head fixed to the dingy wall. It looked indignant.  The dust that covered the deer’s many-pointed antlers indicated that it hadn’t been the source of any great pride in years; the skin had even fallen to dry rot on the right side, leaving its skull exposed. Streamers drooped over the deer’s snout and a party-hat sat crookedly on the top of its head. A number of other less festive animals were strewn around the room; some of them were local creatures, such as the deer, but other far more exotic beasts were displayed too, the trophies of expensive trips across oceans.

Sid felt a kinship with the sad animals as he stood in their shadow, swirling cheap beer in a plastic cup; he was also out of his element.  Sid wasn’t exactly invited, but he’d caught word that the Knockout Mice were playing, so he had snuck into the lodge frat party. He wasn’t in college, but now he was stuck at a college party, hoping the band would actually show up.

 Sid decided to find the bathroom, more out of boredom than necessity. He slid through the groups of chattering, sweaty, future dropouts, dragging his feet across the waterlogged hardwood. He creaked open a few doors and pushed back a few curtains, discovering more than one busy couple, before he finally spied a hand-written sign taped on the wall, declaring “throne room this way,” adorned with an arrow pointing down an adjacent hall. He continued toward it until he felt a firm hand grip his shoulder.

“Hey buddy, what’s going on?” asked a strong-jawed boy, sporting a few days accumulation of facial hair. He grinned widely at Sid, not letting go of his arm.

Sid suddenly regretted not buying a polo shirt for the occasion; he stuck out like… like a nerd at a frat party. “Oh, just enjoying the party, uh… bro,” he said, doing his best stoned-voice.  The boy pulled him closer, until Sid could feel hot beer-breath blowing through the teeth of a sarcastic smile.

“Listen buddy, I know your slinky-ass doesn’t belong here, and if you don’t leave, right now, I’ll make sure you have real long night.”  While not impressed by the intelligence of the sleazy kid, Sid was still intimidated by the grip on his arm. He decided the party wasn’t worth it.

“Alright bro, I’ll catch you on the flipside, bro-bro,” Sid said, ripping his arm free and sliding back into the sea of bodies.  He slyly scattered a few bang snap fireworks on the dance-floor on his way out; Sid always carried bang snaps and other novelties. Leaving satisfying pops and screams behind him, he walked out the back door.

The view was beautiful outside of the lodge; a valley spread before him in the dark like a satin river. He heard a few more muffled screams in the direction of the lodge and chuckled a bit. Sid watched clouds of his breath disappear into the cold air, and listened to the call of a Great Horned Owl echo through the evergreens. More screams came from the cabin, louder this time. A booming crash, and the splitting of wood made Sid spin around.

The attendants of the party were now sprinting out of the lodge. There were shrieks of pain.  The large bay window splintered apart as a blurred figure burst through it.  In the soft glow of the cabin’s light, Sid saw the figure didn’t have the silhouette of a man.  It stalked toward him, smooth, like a cat on the prowl.

The noise of screams and car ignitions went dull as Sid’s focus sharpened.  He reached in his pocket, but felt nothing that would save him from whatever was approaching him.

The shadow of the animal moved closer.  The profile of its head pierced a beam of moonlight. For a brief moment Sid felt a wave of relief, seeing a deer.  Then the deer turned to look at him. 

The other half of the deer’s head was only bone.  Another step revealed a body that was composed of the dead skins of other creatures. The frozen faces of hunted animals seemed to scream at the atrocity they were part of.

Sid shivered.