• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • 4
    CommentGo Back
Download
 
At 3:21
P
.
M
.
on a cool Decemberday north of mile marker 63 on I-95just south of Richmond, Virginia,
 Amanda Lethbridge checked herrearview mirror and noticed anunusual figure clinging to the grilleof the Peterbilt truck in her rear.Lethbridge, a thirty-seven-year-oldresident of Richmond, switched tothe right lane to let the truck pass.She caught a glimpse as the truckpassed by at seventy-five miles perhour. The creature had his headbent back and was snapping at in-sects in midair.
100709_GngMtntF.indd 127/10/10 2:17 PM
 
1
GOING MUTANT 
 A week later, on a clear, balmy night in Sara-sota, Florida, Chris Caddick’s cocker spaniel,Meat Loaf, became agitated by something inhis backyard. Caddick stepped outside to in-vestigate. Meat Loaf led his owner to a banyantree where Caddick saw an animal crouchingon a lower branch. Caddick grabbed a broomand attempted to prodthe animal from the tree.In a second, Caddick wasmauled. His two handswere bitten clear to thebone. Hours later, fromhis hospital bed, Caddicktold the investigating o-cer that the animal’s teethwere like “tiny daggers.”Meat Loaf was neverfound.Later that month, out-side Ely, Nevada, a youngwoman named Lucia Rickards left her housearound dusk to look for her cat, Cookie. Rick-ards spotted what appeared to be a small boystanding behind her car parked in the drive-way. Te boy did not see her. Rickards watchedin horror as the boy lifted up her Honda Accordwith one arm, grabbed Cookie from under-neath the Accord, and ate her.Ten, without warning, in Seattle, Washing-ton, Lionel Boldy came within inches of losinghis life. Boldy’s chilling encounter was recordedby the Seattle Police Department in an o cialwitness statement: “I was sitting on my patioeating a pizza and drinking a beer when I heardscratching in the bushes. What I saw frozemy blood. My rst thought was, ‘My God! It’sDracula.’ I could actually smell his breath. Tecreature looked like he would be extremelydangerous if he felt threatened. Tere was noway I was going to threatenit, whatever it was. Hestood there staring at thepiece of pizza I was hold-ing. His eyes were as roundas saucers. I gured hemight be hungry, so I threwa slice to him. He grabbedit right out of the air anddisappeared behind thebushes. I discovered thenext morning he’d spit outthe anchovies.”Te sightings were grow-ing frequent. oo frequent. As the nation grewworried over its fate, the climate changed.Climate warming dropped out of sight. Climatefear took over. Te president scrambled everyavailable agency, including FEMUR (FederalEmergency Mutant Undercover Recovery),which hadn’t been scrambled since the eapotDome scandal of 1922. FEMUR failed to allaythe growing fear. Te situation tormentedreds and blues alike. Glenn Beck cried in primetime. Ten, a night later, so did AndersonCooper. Our country didn’t need this. Not now.
I was sitting onmy patio eating a pizza and drinking a beer when I heard scratching inthe bushes. What I saw froze my blood...
100709_GngMtntF.indd 17/10/10 2:17 PM
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
davidthyssen

Nice, but I couldn't read the yellow pages without highlighting the text.

reply10 / 05 / 2010
Scribd

@simonschuster - this book about the bat boy going mutant is brilliant. Sign us up as believers.

reply10 / 05 / 2010
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...