I separate from my parents bear hug, say my goodbyes and turn to one of my best friends, who already inserted himself into the long line of impatient people waiting to get through security.
Feeling slightly embarrassed in having to skip the line I call out to my friend to make myself and my line skipping seem legit. "hey, Paul wait up"
Annoyed he just turns his head slightly in my direction. "You know that we only have like 15 minutes left until boarding?" I just look at him dumbly, while scratching the back of my head and start to empty my pockets. After getting through security he starts to jog to our Gate and only eases up his expression of stressfulness after we sit in our economy class seats.
"Cane man I appreciate you choosing me to take with you, but damn..next time please carry your own weight. That was way to stressful."
"Stop winging will you" I smile at him and add." Never mind that episode what is your plan after arrival?" A quick look at the tickets and he answers." it will be just past one in England so lets just check into the Motel and walk around a bit until our evening hike?".
I agreed to his planning and so we did just that. After arriving at the Motel called Burbandy's we just casually stroll through the city and bought adapters for our chargers in the local electronic shop as we both seem to have forgotten to take one with us. At our temporary abode we put on some sturdier clothes and take the next bus driving to one of the many bodies of water in the lake district and start hiking to get rid of our energy for a good nights sleep.
We were bickering and joking throughout the whole climb. I was just saying that this was a good idea as sleeping on the flight made my sleep cycle go haywire. Expecting an answer, i turn around just to see my best friend, since I was three years old, slide off of a horn impaling him through his torso. A light thump resounded after he hit the ground and I just stare in horror at the horned monkey being revealed after my now dead friend stops obscuring my view of the abomination, which without sparing me a glance bends down and starts rummaging in the insides of the corps separating me and my nightmare.
"I.." I drop onto my knees and just stare at the spectacle until the monkey rips out a small brown marble out of my friends body, which it stares at until his scrutinizing gaze lands on me. It looks between the marble and me a few times and than starts leisurely walking in my direction with a smile on its face if those now visible black and yellow teeth are any indication. Blood drains from my face as I stand up and try to step backwards, just so that my world starts to spin as I fall on my back and just in time as the creature leaped head or horn first through the spot my torso was at just a second ago. Not wanting to imagine what would have happened had I not moved I heave my self up while slowly and carefully take out my carving knife that was fastened to the underside of my backpack while simultaneously taking said backpack off and holding it in front of my midsection. Again good call I suppose as the air gets pushed out of my lungs. The inertia of its dash throws me into a tree. Not pausing for a breather whilst ignoring the pain I just spare a quick glance at the furry head imbedded into the front of my improvised shield and stab with my knife into the side of its neck severing an artery as I feel something warm starting to envelop my midsection and legs.
After a minute in this position and a rising feeling of safety as its mourning and movement had ceased I grit my teeth and heave the heavy body off of myself. Wiping away the tears and mucus that has accumulated over the last 3 minutes I bend over and vomit as the sight of my mutilated friend is to much for my feeble mind to bear." what the fuck man" I sniffle barely audibly and burry my face in my hands reminiscing in the past not wanting the present to be a reality. after what feels like a very long time I pick myself up and walk over to my first kill.
I just wonder how this could happen and state confused at the horn resembling a hunting knife 3/4 into my bag. I never was very attached or sentimental, but this was too much. I count to ten and try to get my bearings. I mean aside from my life just taking a turn to the worst there isn't even an animal supposed to be bigger than a dog in these woods and than I find a monkey this close to human settlements and a horned monkey at that. Those are definitely not supposed to exist.
'Fantasy' flashes through my mind, which would normally make me happy if not for the current situation. I mean who doesn’t want to be part of something so magnificent. Just why this sacrifice? I'm not so soft as to think that everything would go as I imagined it at some point in my life or even at all. I mean I am seventeen and healed of chuuni. "Paul.." A tear runs down my cheek not even reaching my chin before being wiped away by a sleeve covered in coagulated blood. Not wanting to stay like this I grab my water bottle and clean my mouth of my vomit and try to take back my carving knife, which brakes at the handle. I don’t even care as just then the image of the brown marble surfaces in my mind and I search the place I last saw. Prying open its inhuman hand I find it. A ball pulsing with light or maybe energy if I give any credit to my imagination concerning fantasy. It fits snugly in my hand and feels slightly warm. But just as I was inspecting it I remember where it came from and immediately drop it grimacing.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
A loud howl. I flinch.
Ok time to pack my bags is all that goes through my mind. After taking the implication of that ferocious howl into consideration I grab my friends backpack, that survived the conflict as he carried it over only one shoulder unlike mine which is clearly unusable now and transfer my still intact items to add to my inventory. Some food, two bottle of water, rope, a canteen and other miscellaneous stuff. Just before standing up to move down the mountain I was on I remember the horn, which seems too sturdy and perfect for this situation to pass on and tried breaking it off of its ugly head to no veil but after pulling and using my intact knife as leverage I was able to rip it out of its skull only to to see that it may be good for pearcing but doesnt really have an edge. I contemplated taking my friends trousers as mine have stiffened and feel quite uncomfortable through all the dried blood, but dont bother feeling repulsed of further desecrating my friend. After slicing open the monkeys body with Pauls still intact knife I took a quick peak into its insides as the brown marble got me thinking and just as I thought another marble roughly the same size happens to be trapped between its lungs. Without any remorse I rip the seemingly yellow marble out of the corps, wipe any blood on my hands and the marble on its fur and start backtracking the way We.. I came from.
As silently as possible I arrived at the lake and with such at the bus station where I got off. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, my hands start to shake belying the fact that they took a life with force and without hesitation. Before i drown in self pity I take out my phone and check it for damage. Even so Iphones are not the most sturdy phones out there i couldn't even find a scratch on it that wasn’t there before. With trembling hands the first thing I do is call my parents. Hopeful I held my breath but release it in relief as the familiar voice of my mother picks up the phone.
"...Darling?!"
"Yeah its me mom"
"oh god thank you" I hear her happily raising her voice only for it to drop again in worry as she says." Cane I was just thinking of calling you! Did you see the news? We were just watching it when they talked about absurd monster Stampedes all around the world?!"
"No mom....Paul..we" pulling myself together I complete the sentence with. " were hiking ma. There was this horned monkey and he..."
"..."After a short pause in our conversation I hear her telling me that she was sorry and immediately asked me if I was ok and what happened to the monster. Retelling what happened she advises me to immediately return to society, which seems hard as it is at least 5 kilometers south from here if i can trust my map application. She assures me that my father is alright as well and that they barricaded themselves in our house before making me promise to call the authorities and call her again when I'm back in safety.
I tried calling the police but the line was occupied so I went to Maps and downloaded all relevant maps as i was sure that the net won't be up for long if the world is becoming what i think it is. After that I use my remaining 2gigs of internet to search the web for survival stuff like when and what can I eat, what is the best cause of action after which I tuned into the local radio and continued listening to it while my steps echoed on the concrete.
My uptake on what was broadcasted on the net was that we should not panic and so on as well as stay together and in no circumstances enter any woods or even waters as people have seen a myriad of different dangerous monsters lurking in them. I was continuing to listen to the Radio but ripped out my one earplug and turned around after thinking I heard something scratching on the Asphalt. Not seeing anything I turn back around just to come face to face with two new additions on the formally empty road. Gulping I feel the perspiration starting to appear on my forehead before grabbing the now padded shaft of my newest weapon, which I luckily placed in grabbing distance as I was sure that that one monkey was not the end of it. I see the left one sniffing the air before looking angrily at my at my blood stained clothes. Without hesitation I lift up my former bag which again saved my life as the stone thrown by the right one would have surly punctured my lung as I can feel my forearm crack and grone under the impact. Cursing under my breath I steady my stance as I see the same monkey breaking into a run in my direction. Without another projectile it seems its only option is melee, but as it is just about to reach me I shift out of the way to see it sliding a few meters on the road.
Seems like their claws are making it hard to get a grip on this smooth surface. Wanting to use this to my advantage I ready myself as now the left horned creature dashes at me. After it reaches a good velocity I swing my bag at its head, which it tries to dodge but as its not accustomed to its claws failing in digging into the ground it slips falls and slides belly up right past me. I know that if I want any chance in winning this confrontation I'll have to kill them, because killing has become the bread and butter of this world and my life. These thoughts came and went in an instant and made me jump at and slam my 3" blade into its soft flesh where its heart should be.
As I see death in its eyes I thank my presight in dissecting the previous specimen and turn to the now enraged 3 kill of the day as it just jumps at me. Predicting its path I swing my knife for the third time today as hard as I can at its flying corps nicking its shoulder and plunging right into its neck instantly killing it. I remove their marbles, which I think I will call cores for now? and hurriedly leave the scene of carnage.