Title:           Horrors! 5 - A-Huntin' We Will Go
Author:          Mr_Sympathy
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/3HsbYs3r
First Edit:      Tuesday 17th of February 2015 01:21:42 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Tuesday 17th of February 2015 01:21:42 AM CDT

A-Huntin' We Will Go
by Linda J. Dunn
 
Jeremy walked slowly towards his victim.
"Did you get the deer, son?" his dad asked.
Jeremy stared down at the deformed body lying at his feet. "I think I shot a goat."
"Damn!" His dad spat at the ground before stomping over to kick the lifeless form.
"Don't look like no goat I've ever seen. Shit!"
Jeremy almost fell backward as his dad flipped the goat's head around and they both saw the single horn. His dad hesitated only a second before whipping open his fanny pack and pulling out a folding hacksaw.
"Not a word of this to anyone. Ever."
"But, Dad-"
"You heard me," he said, sawing off the animal's right foreleg just below the knee. "Ain't no way we want to get caught with something like this in our possession. I'll finish off these legs and you toss them in the creek back there. We'll leave the guts for the coyotes and I'll carry the rest back to camp."
He tossed the first leg in Jeremy's direction and started sawing again.
Jeremy stared at the thing his dad was working on. Unicorns were supposed to be beautiful, horselike animals. This thing was ugly as sin.
"Got it, Jer?"
Jeremy looked up and blinked. For just a moment, he thought he saw something moving nearby.
"Jer! You paying attention to me or are you off daydreaming again?"
"Huh?" Jeremy looked down and realized there were four leg parts in front of him. "You want me to toss them now?"
"If you can manage."
The sarcasm in his father's voice hurt. Jeremy tried. He really did. Hunting just wasn't his thing. Neither was baseball.
Hockey and football were out too. He'd rather be home in front of the computer.
He picked up the still-warm legs and walked a few feet to the ditch. He tried not to think about it as he pitched the stuff aside, but he felt the still-warm blood trickle down his wrist.
He lost it.
Leaning against the nearing tree, he vomited up everything he'd had for breakfast and then dry-heaved.
His dad walked up beside him and slapped him on the back. "Just wait till we've done this a few times. You'll learn to love it."
Jeremy wiped his mouth with his shirtsleeve as his dad shoved something back at him.
"Here. Stick this in your pack."
"What is it?"
"The horn. I thought you might like to have a trophy."
"Oh, gawd. It was a uni-"
"Shut up. There ain't no such thing. Some kind of mutant. That's all."
"It was a unicorn," Jeremy whispered as his dad picked up the animal's remains. "And I killed it."
He stuffed the horn into his pack and stumbled to his feet. His dad strolled along like they were off for a friendly hike, while Jeremy's feet felt like someone had tied lead weights to them. His stomach tossed and turned and he stopped several times to heave while leaning against trees for support.
As soon as they reached their campsite, his dad dropped the thing near the remains of their last fire. "At least we'll have some meat tonight."
"Huh?"
"You think I'm gonna let this go to waste? Damn bony piece but it's still better than eating out of cans again. Now get me a fire started while I fetch some more wood."
Jeremy stared at his dad while his words sank in. "You mean we're going to eat that uni-thing?"
His dad spat at the ground. "you gone soft on me, boy?"
Jeremy shook his head. "No sir."
"Good! Fix the fire. I'll be back in a few minutes."
But he didn't return. Not that night and never again. The police had no theories and neither did his mom. Only Jeremy knew what happened and he would never tell.
When darkness fell, the woods filled with an eerie music like he'd never heard before. Creatures from his maddest nightmares filed into the camp and carried off the unicorn's remains in some kind of funeral procession. He watched from his tent, terrified of being seen yet unable to turn away. The very last thing he saw was his father at the end of the procession, following the creatures off into the darkness.
The horn is in Jeremy's room now, sitting atop his computer monitor. At night, when the air is still, he can almost hear music far away.
And the horn glows bright gold.