Black Hills (Excerpt) by M. J. Cross

- The Hunter Who Couldn’t Stop-

John Birdsong, known by many other names depending on his relationship with the person calling him, sped down Interstate 18 and Route 385 in his blue Ford pickup. Bites had been taken out of the fender by rust, and the door of the truck bed was missing. The A/C had been broken for years, but John hardly sweated from the summer wind. The cabin was rushed with a hot breeze that pulled his long white hair away from his face. As John hit 75 mph, the steering wheel trembled in his hands, and he recalled the cautionary Lakota Sioux legend: The Hunter Who Couldn’t Stop.

It was his grandmother’s favorite story to tell him when he was of school age and too hasty to action. The story scared him into obedience, because the Hunter came to all those who lacked patience. The Hunter was his Boogey Man that lurked in the dark underneath his bed or in his closet.

John grew out of his youthful impulsiveness long ago and aged into a man beyond expectations; a man who outlived friends, relatives, siblings, and his only child; a man whose shiny eyes and monosyllabic nature mystified others; a man who imparted wisdom wherever he went.

While the pavement raced underneath him like a stream of cement, he thought again of The Hunter and the imagines his child’s mind conjured while listening to his grandmother.

The Hunter was as tall as the pine trees that covered the Black Hills. So tall his stride broke distances between him and prey within steps. He had large bear paws for hands, and his smile was as inviting as a wolf’s jaw. Blood dripped from his face as if he bathed in it. Driven mad with insatiable hunger, The Hunter’s eyes would never close, ever vigilant for his next meal.

As John Birdsong’s weathered hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, he pushed the truck to 90 mph. Trees and highway blurred together. His heart rattled in his chest. He feared that there wasn’t enough time. 

imagine by financialtribune.com

 This is an excerpt from an unfinished manuscript i lost motivation in because the protagonist and I couldn't make it work. Maybe I'll give her the actual time she deserves later. If you want more, please comment.