Four

After having killed Steve the janitor, the caveman left the laboratory with one thing on his mind, he needed food.

He closed his eyes and sniffed the air and was shocked to find just how little there was in the way of scent. This place was alien compared to home. Back home, his nose was constantly bombarded with a smorgasbord of luxurious smells.

The hairy man leaned down to his fresh kill and took a long whiff, his nostrils pulsed. He closed his eyes and sniffed again. This time, he picked up the trail of his kill and followed it out of the room and down the hallway, and up the stairs.

He was filled with excitement when he made it up the stairs, because now he could smell life. There was food nearby.

The caveman found his way outside in the pursuit of food. A small furry animal darted away from him, and the caveman took after it.

Just as he neared his meal, he was drowned in bright light. The brakes screeched but it wasn’t enough and the two collided with an almighty crash.

“Oh shit. If I get done drink driving one more time, I’m off to prison. Are you okay man? Hey, are you all good?” The young man jumped out of his car to check on who he’d just hit. “Whoa, you’re huge.”

He made to lean in and check on the guy, but stopped when he heard a warning growl, as if from a bear.

“I just wanna make sure you’re okay. Are you good? Do you want help up?” He stepped back in awe as he watched the giant of a man pull himself up from the road. The driver saw a huge stone axe in the hand of the giant, and jumped back into his car.

“I’m awfully sorry. But I’m glad you’re all good. I’m just gonna go now.” He whacked his vintage red car in reverse and screamed when the axe swung down and sliced into the bonnet of his car. “I said I was sorry!”

The caveman was confused. No blood poured from the strange creature. And his axe, it felt different when it hit the beast. The animal took off as though his weapon did nothing. Had he found some new, unkillable creature? Bewildered, he ran into the darkness.

***

Edith fixed herself a nice pot of tea before going into the yard to check over her to do list for the day. The early morning frost did little to her bare feet, as they were always numb.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Usually, her dog Skippy would already be weaving around her legs the moment she’d walked outside.

“Skippy. Here boy. I’ve got some lovely bones already made up for you.” When that didn’t work, a small panic began to work itself up Edith’s spine.

Edith slowly made her way through her yard; she strained her ears for any sounds.

“Skippy?” Her heart eased as she rounded to corner and found Skippy in his kennel. However, as she approached him, her heart began to race again. He wasn’t responding to her.

She squatted down and leaned in to see her dog shivering and wearing a thousand-yard stare.

“Smoochy-poo, what’s wrong?” She fought with him as she forced her dog out of his kennel. He continued to quake in her arms. “Well, aren’t you being strange this morning.” Edith put Skippy back down.

She scooped up the chickenfeed that sat atop Skippy’s kennel, and stopped dead still as she turned around.

Her chicken coop was a mess. Parts of it had been smashed to pieces. Feathers were scattered on the ground. Blood was spattered all around.

“What on earth?” She dropped the feed and approached the coop.

What remained of the coop exploded into a thousand pieces as a giant, hairy man leapt out of the coop.

Edith and the man locked eyes, and Edith let out an ear-piercing shrill. The caveman screamed in fear, dropped the half-eaten chicken, and leapt over the backyard fence.

***

“Hey, Simon, check this guy out. His hair and beard put you to shame.” Three men sat in a tin shed that was used as a mechanic. Though its outward appearance was bare and its location out of the way, it was the trusted place to go for one of the big motorbike gangs in the area.

“Shut up you.” Of the three, Simon was the biggest. He messed up his hair to hide a bald spot, and though his beard was long, it was wispy. He sat on his oversized bike with his arms crossed.

“Looks a bit strange with the furs. Do you reckon that axe he’s carrying is real?” asked the first voice.

“He’s a big fella though, ain’t he,” said the second.

“Oi, what are you doing here? This is private property,” called Simon. The caveman snapped his attention to them and wandered over.

The caveman showed interest in the bike. He circled it and leaned in close.

“Hey, back off there. I don’t want you breathing on it.” Simon pushed him back. The caveman growled. Simon growled back. The caveman growled again.

The engine of the bike roared into life. The caveman staggered back and the three men in the shed laughed. Simon roared the engine again and the caveman stepped back again.

The caveman knew that sound, it was an animal wanting to fight.

“Must think its some kind of animal,” laughed Simon.

Before any of them could react, the caveman raced in with his axe. With an almighty swing, he planted the weapon into the bike. It sputtered and choked to death. Oil poured to the ground like blood from a wounded beast.

One of the men leapt into action. He picked up his stool and clobbered the caveman in the back of the head. The stool shattered and the caveman barely moved.

“What th-” a mighty, meaty fist backhanded him. His jaw popped and his body flew through the air, and he cracked his head against the wall. He was out cold.

Simon threw a punch but missed. The caveman took a hold of his jacket, twisted, and hurled Simon out like a rubbish bag. Simon’s head crashed into the side of a truck and his body went limp.

The caveman turned to address the third man, but he was already gone.

The hulking brute sniffed around for food and was over the moon when he stumbled upon an absolute feast.