He sat in the center of the bar, leg propped up on another chair with the bag of ice Mack had provided draped across his thigh. He tried to adjust himself in the chair but groaned and gave up. Jenny had called for an ambulance. It took at least 30 minutes for an ambulance to get to this town.
The crowd of regulars was gathered in a semi-circle as he described the events as he remembered them. A terrifying beast in the woods was what Jenny was picking up. There has been lore in these parts about monsters in the woods, but nobody remembered any real person claiming to have encountered one. Certainly not with a broken leg and broken ribs to vouch for having done so.
"I think he just hit his head in the car wreck," Jenny heard one of the old men whisper to another behind her.
"No way, man. The way he described it is exactly how my grandfather used to talk about them."
"Them?"
"Yeah, the monsters."
"...and that's the last thing I saw," the man concluded. "I just floored it all the way back down here, praying the car would keep running." His truck was parked cattywampus in front of the front door of the bar. Smoke still bellowed out from the edges of the hood.
The sound of sirens echoed in the distance. The man grunted and tried to move again. Hands extended towards his shoulders, encouraging him to be still. Then a loud thud came from the roof of the bar. Everyone gasped and looked up. There was a moment of complete silence.
The crowd of regulars was gathered in a semi-circle as he described the events as he remembered them. A terrifying beast in the woods was what Jenny was picking up. There has been lore in these parts about monsters in the woods, but nobody remembered any real person claiming to have encountered one. Certainly not with a broken leg and broken ribs to vouch for having done so.
"I think he just hit his head in the car wreck," Jenny heard one of the old men whisper to another behind her.
"No way, man. The way he described it is exactly how my grandfather used to talk about them."
"Them?"
"Yeah, the monsters."
"...and that's the last thing I saw," the man concluded. "I just floored it all the way back down here, praying the car would keep running." His truck was parked cattywampus in front of the front door of the bar. Smoke still bellowed out from the edges of the hood.
The sound of sirens echoed in the distance. The man grunted and tried to move again. Hands extended towards his shoulders, encouraging him to be still. Then a loud thud came from the roof of the bar. Everyone gasped and looked up. There was a moment of complete silence.