chapter 1 BOGGY MONSTER CHASE As usual the As usual the Monster Hunters were slopping around in the shadows A thin cold rain soaked hs their clothes Gabe Brown held the camera close to his chest under his rain poncho and hoped his brother would catch up to them soon Nearby Tyler hunched miserably on a moss-covered log in his raincoat and sneezed Why do we end up in so many swamps Why can’t monsters hang out at the mall Sean stepped around Gabe to lecture Tyler Cryptids nearly always choose locations well away from people People don’t like swamps Because they’re disgusting Tyler said Cryptids like them So do a great many other creatures The swamp is an important migration 4
stop for birds And it’s home to fishers minks bobcats and other mammals Tyler sneezed again They’d all probably like the mall better if they got the chance If we run across a bog monster or a Pukwudgie or one of those pterodactyl things that are supposed to be out here Gabe said maybe Ben will let us take it to the mall That’s another thing Tyler said Why does one swamp need so many monsters An interesting fact about this area Sean said There was a horror movie about it Tyler jumped up That’s not an interesting fact An interesting fact would be how big this swamp is or what kind of tree we’re sitting on Almost 17,000 acres Sean said and red maple which is sometimes called swamp maple Though the important trees in this swamp are the white cedars They’re uncommon in the Northeast Though I would think you’d 5
find horror movies much more interesting than either of those facts I only like horror movies I’m not in As the sound of his friends squabbling washed over him Gabe stared out into the swamp He tried to will his brother to show up Instead what he saw through the trees was big and covered with slime and mud Gabe pulled the camera out from under his poncho determined to get a shot of the bog monster Tyler caught one glimpse of the bog monster and screamed Monster Run
Sean didn’t need any convincing and dashed off through the trees with Tyler right behind him At the sound of Tyler’s scream the monster came crashing toward them coughing and spitting Gabe stood his ground camera pointed at the bog monster Tyler doubled back grabbed Gabe by the arm and practically dragged him deeper into the swamp with the bog monster in pursuit 7
