Echo's location

Sam Echo sat in his favorite light blue camping chair. His 4 other friends sat in their chairs around the campfire. They had just finished eating their steak and potatoes they made using their campfire. To Sam, this was the meaning of life. Out in the woods with his favorite people. This is the trip he looked forward to every year.

Sam smiled as he went to take a sip of his beer. When he finished his sip, he noticed movement in the tree line about 50 yards away from their site. He tightly closed his eyes and rubbed them, when he opened them, whatever he saw, if he saw anything at all, was gone. He was full and had been drinking for the last 2 hours Think this is my last beer, Sam thought to himself. He put his beer back into his chair’s drink holder and stretched his arms up in the air and yawned. He saw movement again, this time it was more to his right. Still in the tree line, but closer, about 30 yards. This time however, he could see it.

A wolf? No, that’s no wolf, what is that? Out of the trees a scrawny 4-legged beast unlike any Sam had seen before methodically walked toward the group. A beak 2 feet long, dark feathers, almost raven like pressed and matted against its body. It had no eyes. Just a long beak, and cat like ears.

“what the hell?” Sam said.

A scream rang out as one of his friends, Jen leapt from her chair and tripped over it falling to the ground. The beast turned its face toward Jen, opened its beak revealing razor sharp teeth and let out a blood curdling shriek. Everyone covered their ears and yelled out as the shriek pierced and left a ringing in their eardrums.

Sam kept his eyes locked onto the beast while keeping his ears covered. Jen continued to scream as she scrambled to her feet, the beast crouched on its hind legs, then leapt toward her. Within 2 short bounds it was on top of her. It's beak opening and chomping down on her torso, then her neck. Her screams stopped.

The rest of the group watched in horror as their friend bled out before them. A collection of screams rang out in their campsite. Sam’s other friend Terry ran to his tent to and grabbed his shotgun.

“I'm going to smoke this thing!” said Terry. The moment Terry loaded the first shell into the shotgun, the beast stopped feeding on Jen, cocked its head toward Terry and before he could load another shell the beast bounded toward him and pounced on him before he could take a shot.

John, his closest friend became overwhelmed with shock. He ran over and fell to his knees and began crying over Jen, his girlfriend. The beast, still devouring Terry turned its head again, its right ear pointed at John, fixated on John’s cries. Step after step toward him, swiveling its head pointing each ear at John. It let out another shriek, John cried out; He didn’t see it coming the beast was on top of him. Biting into his neck leaving John's corpse on top of Jen’s.

Sound! It hunts by sound, Sam thought. The last of his group, Shawna stood opposite Sam with the beast between them, who was continually biting and ripping at John. Sam motioned to Shawna, putting a finger to his lips and giving her the “cut it out" signal with his other hand, then pointed to both his ears then at the beast. Confused for a second, she gave Sam a questioning look, then realized what he meant, she nodded fervently.

Shawna didn’t notice her heavy breathing until the beast turned its attention from John and started to slowly walk toward her. She held her breath, as it started to circle her, trying to triangulate her. The forest was silent save for the heavy, plodding steps of the beast, and the occasional crackle of the campfire.

Something moved above the trees behind Shawna causing the beast to look straight up at her. Shawna's eyes widened as it shrieked once again. Tears started streaming down her face, hands now covering her ears. The beast started to take a step toward her, Shawna lifted her foot, and pivoted herself a step out of the away, then carefully set her foot back down on the ground. Sam could see she was starting to shake and lose balance as she continued to hold her breath. The beast took 3 more steps beyond her, until she could no longer hold her breath. Shawna let out a gasp, the beast turned, and shrieked again, then lunged at her torso, ultimately joining her other friends in death.

While Shawna was getting attacked, Sam bolted toward the nearby river hoping that the beast couldn’t swim. Sam ran into darkness the only light coming from the moonlight filtered through tree branches. His steps crunching dried leaves and cracking twigs. He could hear the beast gaining on him. Shrieking, and crashing through limbs and bushes. Sam could see the river just ahead, Beast gaining on him. It was at his heels now, Sam dove headfirst into the river, he swam to the surface and turned to see the beast stopped at the bank.

Sam smiled at his fortune and swam the 20 feet to the other side. He climbed onto the opposite bank, turned around, and watched the beast prowl up and down the bank. Its head cocking back and forth, listening.

Sam laid his on the ground laughing, but that laughter turned to tears. Sam sobbed into his hands. He looked at the beast from across and yelled a deep primal scream at it.

“you son of a bitch!”

The beast stopped looked in Sam’s direction, and walked away from the bank.

“yeah! That's right! Run!” Sam said.

The beast turned back around, then started to run toward the river. Right at the waters edge, the beast leapt eclipsing the moon, and landing right next to Sam.

“No,” Sam said dejectedly. The beast feasted once more.