An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley by Brian Keene Read Free Book Online

respond, but then shut it again.
    “Then we’ll bed down,” Morgan continued. “We’ll sleep in shifts and wait it out till morning. Soon as first light comes around, we’ll skin on out of here. That way, we can find another safe spot well before dark tomorrow. Sound fair?”
    Nodding, Stephens plopped his hat back on his head. Gunderson said nothing. His expression was dour. He continued stroking his beard.
    “What’s got your goat?” Morgan asked. “You disagree with the plan?”
    Gunderson looked up, surprised. “Oh, no, boss. Like I said, I think it’s a fine plan. Sorry. I was just thinking.”
    “What about?”
    “Oh, nothing important. I was just looking forward to some fresh meat this morning. I’m just sorry the carcass is gone—no matter what it really was. I reckon even a crazy bear would taste better than our rations right about now.”
    “Well, take your rifle and see if you can scare us up some game. Don’t go too far, though. Stay in earshot. And don’t be gone more than an hour. If you can’t find anything, then we’ll just have to make due. Eating rations ain’t killed us so far. I don’t reckon they’ll harm us for one more day.”
    “Can do.” Nodding, Gunderson trotted off toward the cabin.
    Stephens and Morgan stared a few minutes longer at the tracks. Stephens placed his foot in one of the prints. The impression seemed to swallow his boot whole.
    “I’ll tell you, boss” he whispered. “I’ve got to agree with you.”
    “About what?”
    “Those are some damned big feet.”
    “Come on,” Morgan said. “Enough of this horseshit. We’ve got work to do.”
    They woke Parker and Johnson, and informed them of what had occurred. Incredulous and lethargic, the two men were convinced that the others were all playing a joke on them, so Morgan had Stephens take them down to the site so that they could see for themselves. Clara and Crystal tagged along, as well. When they came back, the women’s faces were pale and nervous, and the men were no longer laughing.
    “Beats all I’ve ever seen,” Johnson muttered.
    “Hell,” Stephens said, “it beats all any of us have ever seen.”
    After a quick, demoralizing breakfast of dry rations, during which none of them spoke much, Morgan put the group to work fortifying their defenses. He instructed Johnson and Parker to begin cutting up logs with the lumberjacks’ tools, and ordered Stephens and the women to haul rocks up from the river. While they did this, Morgan slowly walked the perimeter, studying everything from the layout of the land to the construction of the cabin. Then he went inside the cabin and searched it top to bottom, probing for weaknesses and mentally taking stock of any-thing that could be used as a weapon. When he was finished, he went back out onto the porch and saw that Stephens, Clara and Crystal had already made progress with the stones. A large pile of them had been stacked next to the stairs, and the three were on their way back with more.
    “Come across a big old rattlesnake down there by the water’s edge,” Stephens panted. His clothes and face were soaked, and he was sweating profusely. “Damn thing must have been five feet long if he was a foot. Saw another set of them tracks, too.”
    “Were they coming or going?” Morgan asked.
    “They come across the river this way. I didn’t see any tracks heading back over. In truth, I was more worried about the snake. Didn’t want the girls to get bit.”
    “You kill it?”
    “Yeah.” Stephens wiped the sweat from his brow. “Dropped a big old rock on it. Squashed the fucker flat. Ordinarily, I’d have just shot the fucker, but I figured I shouldn’t be wasting bullets on account of whatever made them big footprints.”
    Morgan nodded. “That’s good thinking.”
    “Thanks, boss!” Stephens seemed surprised at the unexpected compliment. “I sure do appreciate it.”
    “That snake will make for a good supper tonight.”
    Stephen’s expression