In Bierce's short story, the Damned Thing first appears during William Harker's explanation about the circumstances surrounding the death of Hugh Morgan. During a hunting escape, a mysterious and unseen entity moves through the wild oat. While Harker has no reaction, Morgan draws his gun and shoots at the entity. Suddenly, Harker is thrown back by an unseen force and witnesses as Morgan is violently shaken while he cries in agony. Eventually, the Damned Thing kills Morgan but Harker's report is dismissed and it is assumed that a mountain lion had done the deed.