Dare to enter the chilling world of Glenn Riley's "Creepy Crawlies", a spine-tingling collection where the smallest creatures cast the longest shadows. In this gripping anthology, Riley masterfully weaves tales of horror that skitter and scuttle fro...
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"Ugh, my backpack's getting heavy," Amy complained, shifting its weight as she trudged behind her two friends along the narrow forest trail. Morning sunlight filtering through the canopy dappled the ground before them. "How much farther until we reach the waterfall?"
Lily checked the map on her phone for the tenth time. "Looks like only a mile left. Unless you wimps need a break?" she added teasingly.
"Very funny," Amy retorted. "I just need better hiking boots. Right, Nina?"
When her friend didn't respond, Amy craned her neck around the dense thicket of spruce and fir trees obscuring the view. "Nina?"
"Guys, come check this out!" Nina's startled voice rang out from up ahead. Exchanging puzzled glances, Amy and Lily pushed through the shaggy branches to find Nina standing at the edge of a small clearing, her hand over her mouth.
"What's going-" Lily started before gasping sharply. "What the hell?"
In the clearing sat what remained of a campsite utterly destroyed as if by wild animals. Shredded nylon tents sagged on splintered poles surrounded by debris - a battered cooler, some torn backpacks, a sleeping bag spilling guts of fabric.
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But strangest was what covered the area itself - bizarre markings etched deep into the dirt as if by dozens of massive stingers. Splattered around were globs of a glossy, sickly yellow substance.
"Did a bear attack this place?" Amy whispered. She hesitantly crept closer, morbid fascination growing.
Nina followed, frowning. “I don’t think so. Look at how the tents are ripped - it’s like they were chewed through. And these weird scratches...they almost look like writing.”
She crouched beside the closest gouge, nearly three feet long. It angled down sharply before ending in a deep hole. Tracing its shape, Nina’s blood turned to ice as she realized the pattern exactly matched that of an insect stinger.
Straightening with alarm, she scanned their surroundings. The woods here were deathly still and empty of birdsong. Even the sunlight held an ominous cast.
