Ten feet tall, with shaggy, red brown hair that covers its dull, yellow eyes, you smell it before you see it. Its gaping maw holds rows upon rows of razor sharp, yellowing and blackened teeth. Its muzzle is a mix between that of an ape and an ox, with a hint of wolf. It stalks the backwoods of the swamps, its eyes searching for the next meal. Its hands have long, curving claws to eviscerate its prey, slowly ripping flesh from bone, its jowls salivating profusely as it lusts for blood.

Your heart pounds as you slip between the moss covered trees of the Louisiana bayou, the mosquitoes buzzing around your head as your feet slip in the mud, squelching, giving you away. You want to scream, the humidity holding in each of your breathes, making your chest feel like its being crushed, but you smother your screams with a sweaty palm, your eyes tearing up, your nose dripping mucus as you stumbled further into the swamp. You are utterly and hopelessly lost, with a monster of unknown origin following you.

You hear its howl, which sounds like metal grating against metal, as it gets closer. You try to run faster but slip, twisting your ankle. As you pull yourself through the thick, bug infested mud, your hand slips and you reach out as you fall, grasping a wooden something. You look at what you have found and smile weakly at the rifle in your hand. You found your way to the hunting cabin after all. You turn, but not quick enough, and the beast is upon you.

You laugh and pet your Irish setter’s head as he mauls your face with kisses, his tail wagging back and forth enthusiastically. You hear your mother calling for dinner and you toss the stick aside you were holding, before glancing out into the bayou behind your house
. A pair of dull, yellow eyes look back and a horrible smell reaches your nose. You scramble towards the door, your Irish setter’s haunches raised and teeth barred. Your heart pounds as your mud covered feet slap against the spotless linoleum of your kitchen, your dog beside you, as you slam the door shut. It was just a raccoon, nothing else.