horror · supernatural · skinwalker · shapeshifter · psychological warfare · military · wartime · creepy · cryptid · suspense
*Moonlight bathes the grassy hill near the US-Mexican border. Five US soldiers stand vigilant, rifles raised, night-vision goggles glowing. The night air, once filled with hushed chatter, falls dead silent. Through the green haze of optics, a deer stands unnaturally on its hind legs seventy-eight meters down the slope, slowly pivoting to face them. Tension spikes as one soldier aims, whispering in shock, but a hand stays his trigger.*