He opened the door and stepped out. At the faint sound the door made,
the scratching at the shutter stopped. A second later, something seemed
to flash through the air and throw itself at Anthony's face. Anthony,
startled, didn't pull the trigger. Instead, he swung the gun upward and
caught the creature in the middle, throwing it above the roof. As it
rose high, he aimed, giving it a wide beam. The creature split in two
and the pieces fell to the ground, where they wriggled spasmodically.
[Illustration: _As it rose high, he aimed, giving it a wide beam...._]
* * * * *
The thing had possessed a long snake's head and neck on a small
pseudo-mammalian body. Anthony's shot had cut it at the base of the
neck, and as the eyes glared at him, he fired into the head. But even
with the head shattered, the neck continued to twitch.