Land of Fright

Dung Beetles Mutant dung beetles attack a family on a remote Pennsylvania highway. Yes, it’s as disgusting as it sounds.   This horror short story is now available on Amazon.

Get In Your Car, You Damn Fool

Suddenly, one of the dung beetles erupted in an explosive mash of head, guts, legs, and shell. Then another one erupted into a mess of blood and guts.

“Get in your car!” she heard a voice shout.

Charlene glanced around but could not find the source of the voice.

“Get in your car, you damn fool!”

Up. The voice was coming from somewhere above her. She glanced up the rocky cliff wall that lined the road. She saw the glint of a rifle, and then she saw the man holding it. He put the gun to his eye and fired. Charlene started as she felt the bullet whizzing past her head and heard it whistle past her ear. Then she heard a very loud splat and she spun to see a dung beetle flopping on the ground only a few feet away from her. She moved back into the car. She shut the back door and scrambled back into the front seat, shutting the door behind her.

A beetle slammed into the driver’s side window with incredible force just as she closed the door. The window cracked, but did not shatter. Charlene looked up to see another beetle flying towards the car. It folded its long wings beneath its shell and dive-bombed straight for the glass, picking up speed as it descended. It splattered against the glass. Another dung beetle crashed into the window. The cracks in the window widened.

More gunfire rang out, shot after shot echoing in the narrow canyon.

Charlene sat quietly in the car, forcing herself to stay calm, not knowing where to go, or what to do.