The Swamps

It's Quiet In The Swamp.

He slowly raised his head, his world temporarily spinning. He looked down at his desk and it's cluttered nature, then to his bottle of booze sitting not too far away. He groaned and grabbed the brown tinted bottle, taking a big drink of it. He sighed, getting up. The floor creaked in protest. He looked around the wooden cabin; it wasn't the greatest, but it was home. His bed sat in the corner, and opposite of it was a walled off kitchen that seemed cleaner then the rest. Curtains were pulled back so his 'bedroom' could be visible to the main dining room and living room. He shuffled to his couch, looking at his box Tv with a droopy and sad expression. His body ached from sleeping at his desk for so long, so he decided relaxing on something more comfortable would be best. He turned on the Tv, and all he got was a static screen. He groaned, getting up and walked over to tune the Tv back to a frequency where he at least got those fishing Tv shows. Once the Tv flickered on, he smiled, and went to go make himself something to eat. He rubbed his hands together, looking around his kitchen and peeked into his fridge. He sniffed, looking at some tubs of now spoiled foods with disgust. He sighed, not bothering to clean up now but rather, 'later,' and went to go get a pack of popcorn. He got out a pan and set it on the stove top. He turned on the gas, lighting the fire and began heating up the pan. He set the package in the pan, and stood back and watched. After half a minute it began to pop and crackle from the bursting kernels inside. He stood there, listening to the ambient noises around his house. The sound of men talking about fishing on Tv, the popcorn popping and crackling, the wind outside the kitchen sink window, and the mysterious noises out in the swamps. He looked out the kitchen sink window, which had their laced curtains pulled back to reveal a deep black dark. Now and then a firefly would expose itself, lighting up everything around it. Some flew around his window, exposing any other night time bugs. He stared.
Quiet.
He kept staring. He began to hear a somewhat alien noise; splashing of water. He assumed a gator, a moose or some sort of animal, but it got closer and closer. He narrowed his eyes, not recognizing the gait as any animal he's heard. "The fuck..." he whispered to himself. He looked to his wall, glancing at the gun mounted upon it with a plaque above it showcasing the head of a buck. He looked back to the window, the void of night still visible. The fireflies glowed now and then, revealing a plant or two ever so often. The quiet splashing was just outside the window, as if it was now trying to be quiet; like it could see him. He stared.
Silence.
The fireflies illuminated in a strobe pattern, revealing its surroundings.
Blink...
Nothing.
Blink...
Nothing.
Blink...
The skull of some sort of bovine creature revealed itself, staring into the window. He jumped, the fireflies light going out and back on.
Nothing.
He rushed to get his gun off the wall, and almost slipped rushing for the shelf stocked with items. He took ammo off the shelf, and began loading his gun. The door to his cabin busted open, bringing in cold air and blowing out nearby candles. He shivered, and rushed to cock his rifle. He aimed, and waited for whatever it was to enter through the door. It was getting quiet. The howling and billowing of the wind entering his cabin chilled him to the bone. It blew at his curtains, rattled light-weight objects and blew out any candles nearby. The door ahead of him revealed swampish waters, and gentle ripples now and then; but nothing more. "...Maybe it's in my head." He muttered to himself, lowering his gun. He had been drinking, so it may be side effects. He didn't know much in terms of 'hallucinations' and this seemed right to him, so he believed so. He sighed, and went to close the door.
Splash.
His brain made a small 'Uh Oh,' and triggered him to react with a startle. In the blink of an eye, the skull of a bovine launched into the house directly at him, and snatched him up inside its jaws. He screamed, shooting at the beast wildly which was never a good idea, but that would be better then dying. The monster screeched, letting go. But not without injuring him severely; the monster had broken a rib, and a part of his spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist to his shoulders. He flailed his arms helplessly, trying to reload his rifle with minimal success. The monster began to shove itself inside, reaching its long, skinny and bony neck to grab him. Eventually it succeeded, and began to drag him out, kicking and screaming. He was plunged into darkness as he was lifted helplessly into the air, the monsters teeth punctured into his back as it held him sideways in its mouth.
It became quiet in the swamp.
The fireflies were lighting up, revealing everything around it.