Good evening. This happened back in October of 1991. I run a cattle operation about twenty miles outside of Dalton, been doing it most of my adult life. My family's had that land since the 40s. It's good country. Quiet. The night this happened, I'd just gotten off the phone with my brother. He'd called about borrowing my truck for the weekend. I remember being annoyed about it because he never returns things when he says he will. Anyway, that's not important. It was late. Past midnight. I was getting ready to turn in when I heard the cattle making noise. Not distressed exactly, but... active. You spend enough time with livestock, you learn their sounds. This wasn't right for that time of night.
I went to the window and looked out toward the back pasture. Couldn't see much from the house.. too dark, and the pasture's a good three, four hundred yards out past the barn. But I could hear them. The whole herd, it sounded like. Restless. I stood there for a few minutes, listening. The cattle sounds continued, and then I heard something else. A chirping sound. High-pitched, rhythmic. Almost like crickets, but not quite. The pattern was different. More deliberate, if that makes sense. I figured maybe it was some kind of bird, though I couldn't think what kind would be making that noise at that hour. The cattle were definitely reacting to something.
I pulled on my boots and coat and grabbed a flashlight. Headed out to check on them. The night was cold, temperatures had dropped into the 30s. No wind though. Just still and quiet except for the cattle. As I got closer to the pasture, I could see the herd had clustered together near the far fence line. They were all facing the same direction. Just standing there, completely still now. No more noise from them. That's when I saw it. There was something out there with them. A figure, standing among the cattle. I stopped walking. Stood there at the edge of the pasture, maybe sixty, seventy yards away.
[ Story continues in the full game... ]