Jes' scream cut through the thick forest once again, bouncing off the trees and echoing into the night. When she felt its cold breath on her ear, she froze in terror. Still, in a bent posture, the creature of darkness grinned. Its razor-sharp teeth seemed capable of severing a piece of iron.

Silas' escape plan had already failed, and he was left with only one option: to fight.

"Kyle, go!" he barked, giving his friend the signal to attack.

Kyle charged at the creature with a wooden stick in his hand, aiming for its back. But the creature was too quick, vanishing into the darkness with a flicker of movement just as Kyle's weapon came down.

-BANG

Kyle's full-force attack crashed into the forest floor, leaving a small crater.

"I see. So, you're the team leader."

Silas was next, feeling a vice-like grip on his head from behind.

"You know how in war you have to take out the enemy general first, not that it makes any difference here."

This time the creature appeared behind him. He tried to turn around, but the creature's bony fingers tightened around his skull, threatening to crush it.

"Let go, you son of a bitch!" Kyle didn't give up.

He took a deep breath and hurled his makeshift spear at the creature's head with all his might. With a screeching sound, the wooden stick flew with a speed that should have made it impossible to dodge it at this distance, at least that's what Kyle thought. Reality disappointed him.

With a grasping motion, the creature caught the stick with an ease that seemed to mock Kyle’s desperate struggle.

"Is that all you have got?" it taunted, its voice dripping with condescension. "You are really disappointing me."

It assumed a stance resembling that of Kyle throwing a spear, while keeping a tight grip on Silas' head, who seemed to be on the verge of unconsciousness.

"Well, I really appreciate your heroism. It needs to be rewarded."

With a force that seemed to almost break the stick in half, it proceeded to launch its newfound weapon in Kyle's direction.

"I will show you my generosity."

---

Kyle's heart pounded like a thundering drum in his chest as he stood defiantly before the monstrous abomination, knowing that the odds were stacked impossibly against him. The balance of power was so skewed that any rational person would have fled in terror. But Kyle was not one to back down easily. He was the kind of person who would fight tooth and nail, even if it meant facing certain death.

Ignoring the creature's taunts that echoed in the shadows, Kyle focused solely on the wooden stick it wielded like a deadly weapon. His pupils dilated, absorbing every glimmer of light around him, preparing to react swiftly to the creature's movements. His breath quickened, and his muscles tensed in anticipation of the inevitable confrontation.

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Combat was one of Kyle's few strengths, and he had honed his skills through countless struggles. He knew that his battle-hardened fists could deliver a formidable blow, enough to shatter the creature's jagged teeth, if he could only land a hit. He drew strength from his resolve, channeling his pent-up fury and rage, ready to unleash them upon this malevolent being that had emerged from the darkest depths of the earth.

The air trembled with tension, and in an instant, the wooden stick sliced through it with terrifying speed.

-Boom

The air split with a deafening crack as the wooden stick sliced through it with terrifying speed.

Kyle's unwavering will was a small beacon of hope in the desperate situation. Silas held onto that hope, silently praying for Kyle's victory. Kyle was not the brightest, but he was confident in his fighting abilities. All he had to do was dodge the enemy's attack, and they would find a way to turn their destiny around.

With bloodshot, unblinking eyes, afraid of missing something, Silas never lost sight of his friend. However, just when he was contemplating how he could possibly turn their fate around, the harsh reality of life revealed its true face, cruel and unforgiving.

"KYLE, NOOOO!"

Silas's scream of despair tore through the air like a wounded animal. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he witnessed the unthinkable. Kyle's body crumpled to the ground, his upper torso slumping forward. Horror washed over Silas as he saw the gruesome truth – the creature's wooden stick had impaled Kyle with brutal precision.

Kyle's head had been completely obliterated by the force of the impact, leaving behind only a bloodied neck. The ground and trees around him were splattered with the remains of his heroic friend. It was a nightmarish scene that Silas could hardly comprehend, the image forever seared into his mind.

The stick, having claimed its victim, came to a sudden halt as it collided with one of the endless trees in the forest. Its motion stilled, but the horror and pain lingered in the air, an echo of the devastating blow.

"Oh, how magnanimous I am. A painless death is a request not granted to many."

"You damned bastard killed him! I'll tear you to pieces!" Silas screamed at the top of his lungs. His anger, sadness, and guilt superseded his sense of pain.

The flames of hope he had just a minute ago turned into an inferno of rage and hatred that clouded his mind. He kicked blindly at the beast behind him, which didn't even flinch. It was still fixated on the headless corpse and the young girl who crawled to his side.

The girl's face and clothes were covered in blood, not hers, but the result of the earlier struggle. In a daze, she reached out to grasp Kyle's still warm hand. She was the only one who knew what her action meant, to a bystander it looked like she was trying to comfort her fallen comrade.

The creature mused aloud, "Humans and their empathic feelings. Do you feel it only afterward? Such a waste, shouldn't you help your kind before they die? I can never seem to fathom you, humans. Such a fascinating species. But that doesn't change the outcome, you will all return and be part of the earth today."

It began to move. Step by step, it approached the girl. Silas' struggle to free himself from its grip was completely ignored, it dragged him behind it with every step it took.

Slowly, but surely, it approached Jes. She didn't seem to react or even care that the monster that had killed the boy in her arms moments ago was walking leisurely in her direction, nor did she hear Silas' warnings and pleas to flee. Only the bloodied carcass of her former quarrel partner was in her field of vision, in a way she blanked out everything but the two of them.

"Is this a so-called defense mechanism of the human mind? Your kind must be really lucky not to be extinct yet."

"Don't touch her! Let her go... Jes wake up... please run," Silas' desperate attempts to rouse Jes from her stupor were futile.

The creature's sharp nails dug into his scalp, blood trickling down his face. He knew he only had moments before the pain overwhelmed him, but he couldn't afford to pass out. He had already lost one friend, and he refused to lose another.

"Fight me, you damn beast!" he yelled, bracing himself for the worst.

The creature sneered. "Why are you all so eager to die? Does it matter if you welcome death a few seconds earlier or later? You must have realized my intentions by now. As a general, you must indeed witness the brave death of your soldiers."

"Oh, what a generous being I am," it said as if it intended to be complimented on its kindness.

It halted at some distance from the kneeling girl. The creature lifted one of its legs, the sole of its foot facing the sky, in an effortless split.

The small, trembling figure of the girl moved.