Lizard of the River

 ***

Moonlight cast silver ripples on the still dark water. A lone figure trudged past, oblivious to the swamp's lurking danger. 

Suddenly, a guttural growl shattered the silence. The murky abyss churned as a crocodile surged forth. Razor teeth clamped down, seizing the hapless wanderer's leg. Terror flashed in his eyes, wide with shock. He writhed in the jaws, muffled gasps desperate and haunting. The beast's eyes glimmered with a feral hunger, and darkness swallowed the echoes of his screams.