Eternal Vows Read Online Free

“Never mind. Let’s just get outta here.”
    “No.” She planted her feet into the ground, just in case he decided to drag her away. “You can go wherever you want, but I’m staying right here. I’m not out here for some nature hike. I want proof, and I’m going to get it.”
    He glared at her. “Can’t you forget about your research for one minute? I’d prefer to live.”
    No way, she thought. I’ve waited years for this moment, this one confrontation, this proof that I’m not crazy. If only my team was here to back me up, but I need to do this with or without them—for me. “I have to see this for myself.”
    A dark, hairy outline rustled in the tall bushes.
    Chills rushed over Sarah. “Whoa! That thing is less than 200 feet away. You still have the tranquilizer gun, Rambo?”
    Frank pulled it from the back of his hip and cocked it. “Yep, right here, but if we get arrested by Ranger Smith for giving Yogi a death sentence, don’t be surprised when I say I told you so.”
    “I’m not gonna kill anything. Maybe you should Google ‘tranquilizer’ sometime, Mr. Investigator.”
    Suddenly, an ape-like creature emerged from the foliage. It stood eight feet tall and was covered from head to toe with long brown hair, matted in places. Its powerful build, broad shoulders, and thick chest cast a shadow on the grass, making Sarah shudder. For years, she’d studied the elusive monster, and finally, she was getting her first real encounter since that fateful day when she’d lost her sister.
    “No! It just…it can’t be,” Frank whispered. “No way! Should I admit myself into the psyche ward now or later?”
    “It exists! I knew it all along,” she said. “One picture, that’s all I need.” With shaking hands, she brought the camera into focus.
    The creature simply stared at her.
    She zoomed in on its face, still wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. It looked like an ape with a flat, wide nose, deep-set green eyes, and a full set of lips. The lips and chin protruded into somewhat of a snout, but nothing like a bear. She snapped the photo, knowing the proof on that film would change the way the world looked at Bigfoot—and at her. I’ll never be a laughingstock again. Zooming out, she took another photo.
    “You got your picture. Now let’s go!”
    “Frank! Calm down. Don’t make any sudden movements, or it might—” Sarah tried to warn, but the creature had already become uneasy.
    Taking slow, measured steps, the primate moved in their direction.
    “Crap!” Frank aimed the tranquilizer gun and fired, striking his target.
    The creature jumped back and let out a long, pained howl, then lurched forward.
    Sarah gasped as Frank tugged her hand. “Move it!”
    Without waiting for him, she sprinted, her heart thumping like a jackhammer. If Frank knows what’s best for him, he’ll freaking follow me. As they darted between trees and splashed through a tiny stream, the air behind them filled with blood-chilling howls. She glanced over her shoulder and screamed when she realized they were being pursued by not one beast, but multiple hairy figures gathering in the distance, darting behind them.
    Suddenly, Sarah’s hiking boot caught on a fallen log, and she tripped and fell with a solid thud on the forest floor. Crawling through the ferns, she peeked out. She didn’t see Frank anywhere. “Frank! Frank?” she whispered. “Where are you?”
    She yanked off her camera and threw it next to her, then lay flat on the ground as the howls grew closer. Loud neighs and the sound of hooves echoed in the air, growing louder by the second. She took a deep breath and peeked through the ferns.
    The ground thundered as scores of men on horses galloped toward her. Whew, rescue! Wherever they’d gotten the horses from, she only hoped they were fast enough to rescue Frank, outrun those things, and get her the heck out of the Bigfoot-infested forest. The curious, scientific part of her yearned to stay