The Mandela Affection (A Cryptid Chronicle Companion Novel)

Panic Bonus Chapter

Author's Note

In celebration of Amazon Prime Video's newest series Panic, I am thrilled to be teaming up with Amazon Prime Video and Wattpad to write this exclusive chapter that puts my characters from this story into the world of Panic!

I hope this chapter intrigues and inspires you to learn more about Panic. Visit the #PanicWritingContest on Wattpad for the chance to put your creative writing chops to the test and learn more about the show!

To find out more about the contest, prizes, and how to enter, check out the #PanicWritingContest here: wattpad.com/AmazonPrimeVideo

Don't forget to watch the series premiere on May 28th, only on Amazon Prime Video, here: http://primevideo.com/

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Donny Thompson snuck through the corn stalks, using the light of the crescent moon to find his way. A breeze rattled the leaves, which stood a few inches above his head. They should be as high as an elephant's eye by the fourth of July— but it had been a dry spring. When Donny reached the end of the row, he sprinted to the back corner of the barn.

The Spurlock house was dark, not a single light on anywhere. Not in the kitchen, living room, or any of the upstairs bedrooms. Donny wasn't surprised. In fact, he would've been disappointed if the house showed signs of life at three in the morning. However, it didn't make his task any easier. He'd been warned of potential booby traps, ones which could maim or kill. But if he wanted to patriciate in this high-stakes game, Donny would have to get inside Old Man Spurlock's home and steal an item. It didn't have to have any monetary value, winning Panic's $50,000 pot was the real reward.

Donny had stumbled onto Panic when he'd phased to this world looking for potential donors for his rare form of cancer. He didn't find one, but he'd found this game, and with the prize money, he could offer a reward for a donor match. At twenty-eight, he was a little old to be a high school senior, but everyone seemed to buy his act. Maybe they'd seen 21 Jump Street too many times to question his crow's feet. He didn't have too many other options after Brian Hanson jumped to another reality, and his replacement wouldn't let his daughter donate her bone marrow.

A cloud passed in front of the moon, and Donny ran to an open window at the back of the house. The screen was in, but with years of experience of sneaking out of his parent's house, he had no problem silently removing it from its track. To his knowledge, three of his fellow students had already snuck in and gotten out alive, so maybe the rumors weren't true, but he couldn't risk it. Even though Donny could jump to another universe if things got bad in this one, he took whatever injuries he sustained with him. And death. Well, there'd be no do-overs.

Hoisting himself on the ledge, he peered inside. Like from the child's game with the rubber ball, jacks covered the floor, except these jacks had points sharpened like daggers and were long enough to pass through the rubber sole of a tennis shoe. Proud of himself for catching the trap, he jumped over the caltrops. The carpet cushioned his fall, but Donny still made more noise than he would've liked. He waited but heard no sound from upstairs. Good. Hopefully, Old Man Spurlock was still asleep.

Before moving deeper into the house, Donny took in his surroundings using the flashlight from his phone. He was in a living room with an easy chair and side table across from a television. A couch stood on one wall, and on the opposite wall were the stairs leading to the second floor of the farmhouse. Barely visible in the low light, a fishing line was strung from one end of the room to the other. One end of the line was attached to the trigger of a shotgun. For the participants of the game, Donny prayed for it was loaded with rock salt. It would sting like hell but wouldn't be fatal. He cautiously stepped over the line and approached the table, wondering what hidden surprises awaited him. Was there a snare or tar and feathers in Donny's future? So far, the farmer appeared to be a regular Kevin McCallister.

On the table sat a remote control and a TV Guide. Ghost 2 with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore was advertised on the cover, as well as the Oscars featuring Leonardo DiCaprio winning his second trophy for The Revenant. In the bottom corner was an address label with Spurlock's name and address. Awesome. It would make the perfect trophy. Donny took a picture of it with his phone, ensuring his sound was off. Afterward, he retraced his steps back across the room with the TV Guide in hand. He cleared a path through the pointy jacks and slid out the window, fitting the screen back in position.

Donny breathed a sigh of relief. He'd done it. Halfway to the cornfield, he was in the clear. However, from the grain, a giant beast stepped out. It was seven feet tall and covered in shaggy hair. The monster tipped his head back and released a blood-curdling scream. Donny had always wanted to see a sasquatch, but now that one was twenty feet from him, he had second thoughts. The beast was nearly as wide as it was tall. He could easily rip Donny's arm off and beat him to death with it.

Most people would think farmland in Texas would be an unusual spot to find a Bigfoot but not Donny. As an amateur cryptozoologist, he knew they lived worldwide, not just the American Northwest. So a cornfield with plenty of white-tailed deer it could hunt nocturnally made complete sense to Donny. What else would be out at this hour instead of dumb kids in search of a prize?

It took a step towards him. Donny's heart froze, and his bowels threatened to loosen. The sasquatch broke into a run. Donny dropped the TV guide and sprinted back to the safety of the house, knowing he'd never outrun the beast. Footsteps pounded behind him. Donny ran faster. He reached the house, but the monster had stopped and removed his head. It snatched the TV Guide from the grass.

Removed his head?

The moon broke free from the clouds to reveal a fellow student in a full ghillie suit. He held Spurlock's TV Guide above his head and let out a triumphant scream. Lights turned on in an upstairs bedroom. Crap. Donny swore he heard the ratcheting of a shotgun. The student disappeared into the dark. Donny ran after him with no hope of catching him in the maze of stalks. His only thought was on his own escape because there was a real monster after him now.

Donny made it safely into the corn without getting shot, but the chance to win the game was gone. That was all right. There were other worlds. Perhaps in one of those realities, Donny could find what he needed.