With a deafening roar, the creature was on top of Zack. It was as large as a bear, though it clearly wasn’t one. The bulk of its weight rested on its large, muscular hind legs. The beast had Zack’s shoulders pinned to the ground with rugged talons.

Somehow, Zack managed to find the strength to throw the beast off by squaring a heavy blow to its long snout, which dripped warm, foamy saliva on his neck.

The beast spun into the air, perfectly executing a graceful somersault, despite his rugged appearance. He landed on all fours, crouched like a tiger, ready to strike. As the low-hanging lamp swung directly overhead, Zack caught a single glimpse of its eyes. They looked feral. Hungry. Murderous.

As he listened to the animal’s jaws clack into their most open position, Zack bolted onto his feet and swung his arms forward, unleashing a devastating blast of energy.

The creature let out a howl of clear agony as its entire body went into spasm. Its right arm shuddered spasmodically, then spontaneously blew up. The creature's howl grew even louder as blood splurted all over the ground and his arm disintegrated into thin air.

Zack ran as fast as he ever had or probably ever will.

Charging onto the open field outside, he frantically fought for his bearings as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He heard the wounded monster stumbling to the shack’s doorway.

Maybe it couldn’t see him.

A few steps later, Zack finally admitted to himself that he wasn’t going to be that lucky. Wasting the time to look behind him, he could see that the monster was now only about forty yards away. The thing was closing in on him at an unbelievable pace.

Thirty yards.

Recognizing that there was no way that he could ever outrun him, Zack realized that he still had one chance to outdistance him. He frantically began to tear at the buttons of his flannel shirt.

Twenty yards.

Zack could smell the bloody stench of the monster now. Ripping his last three buttons off, Zack discarded the garment and went to work on the thick leather belt that strapped his wings to his chest. As his feet pumped and his trembling hands fumbled at the buckle, Zack’s blood chilled as he suddenly realized something.

Ten yards.

His restless wings fought hopelessly to free themselves. Directly behind him, Zack could hear the animal galloping. Panicked, he finally opened the belt… only to have the buckle catch on the strap’s final hole. Screaming in frustration, he raised his arms, and tore the belt off over his head.

Gloriously, his beautiful, wonderful wings finally unfurled.

Five yards.

Zack poured into his speed, preparing for takeoff. He could feel the monster’s breath on his legs. His snow-white wings desperately searched for the lift they needed.

The creature pounced.

"Yes!" Finally, his throbbing wings found the updraft and his feet left the ground… just as the beast’s paw grabbed for his ankle!

Somehow, Zack managed to straighten his entire wingspan and was impressed by the unbelievable weight his wings could apparently handle. He banked hard through the trees in a desperate attempt to shake the vicious beast.

"Let go, you creep!" Zack yelled against the rush of gale force wind.

With a deafening roar, the beast clawed at his bare back. Zack cried out in pain and promptly went into a hard tailspin in a final attempt to shake it off before he was torn into pieces.

Pushing his tired body harder than he ever had before, Zack shifted his wings to a ninety-degree angle and pushed himself straight at the moon, directly overhead. He flapped so hard that his wings smashed into each other in an explosion of loose feathers with every beat.

"Let go!" he shouted. Still, the monster held on.

Flying directly up is like climbing the top of the Empire State Building while being forced to increase your speed with each and every step. Higher and higher, faster and faster, it wasn’t long before they were skimming clouds.

Zack’s vision started to blur, and his head throbbed in pain as they entered an altitude where the air was impossibly thin. "I said, ‘let go!’" Shifting his center of gravity, Zack dove straight down, entering a devastating nosedive. The creature gurgled as he was suddenly being swung upwards by the unexpected change in momentum.

This is it! Zack thought. It’s now or never! He flung out his hands in the direction of the beast, and it instantly exploded and disappeared in a blast of fire. Zack cried out as the endoplasmic force threw him back, and for a moment his world was filled with heat, intense light, and the remnants of the beast’s unholy screech.

Zack didn’t remember what went through his head as he felt his weakened body tumble for what seemed like hours before it finally crashed into the open field below.