Night falls again and I rub my weary eyes to adjust them to the dark. Today is day 23.... or was it 24... I lost count.
Anyway, I've made this cabin my temporary base of operations. The same cabin I bought to spend time with my daughter, Sarah. No lights after dark. It attracts them.
The woods seem to grow quieter as the night passes as the sheer darkness that has engulfed the entire forest denies even the slightest of moonlight that could make all the difference. Same goes for cell service or any kind of electronical equipment they all go haywire. So I return to the cabin for supplies.
Where to start...
I've been wondering through these woods some for some time now, in hopes of hunting down and killing the creature that had taken my only family away from me. My daughter, who was my life and soul. The very reason for my prolonged existence on this God forsaken earth.
Until one day it happened. It came out of these woods, fast and strong.... just as the sun completely faded behind the mountai ranges, like an arrow it dashed straight towards my daughter who was playing in the yard. Maybe I could have blocked its way if I knew a second sooner and maybe I could have wrestled with it.
But I knew I would have been torn to pieces and my daughter would have been taken eventually. So, I'm here.... armed and ready to hunt it down and rip it open as I see the very life scream out of it.
I've been roaming the woods for a long time, scouring every corner of it for signs. 3 days ago I wondered into the darker parts of the woods, where even during the day very little light penetrates through the high and dense cover of trees, keeping it as dark as night. It's always dead quiet as if the forest itself is watching my every move in silence. But then I found it. A hairpin with a blue ribbon attached to it. My daughter's hairpin... I can recognize it anywhere.... It's here… somewhere… I'm certain of it.
I would usually make my way back to the cabin. But this time it was different. I was determined to see the end.
So there I was lying inside a small and shallow pit covered under leaves to camouflage myself to the surroundings. Staying vigilant. Waiting for a move. Waiting for it to come into my sight.
It's been days that really felt like months as I lay completely still with only my eyes moving left and right, trying hard to see through this awful darkness. Only moving as little as I can with absolute discreteness in going about it.
It got hard to stay focused as countless days and hours had considerably drained me mentally and physically. The silhouette of trees and branches seem to dance and move around playing tricks on me. But then... my nose caught a certain smell. A disgusting smell of rotting fish or something even worse. But I knew that smell. It was the smell I had been looking to find. My dying eyes sparked up as I became excited inside. Cautiously I look around to identify the origin of the smell. Straining my eyes to try and see through the veil of darkness.
Then in the corner of my eyes I saw it. Two flashing eyes peering through the darkness. Slowly, ever so slightly moving around. I couldn't make it out for clearly, but I was certain it was the beast. My heart started to race as I rejoiced at the thought of revenge. I was hardly breathing at this point, afraid that it may identify me through my breathing.
The creature slowly moved around, cautiously, and carefully, as if it knew something was amiss. But I stayed very still and waited for the chance to make my move.
I could hear panting and some strange clicking noises coming from the direction of the creature as its dark silhouette kept circling around a certain area. sniffing. But then it looked up. Those glowing eyes headed towards where I lay. It wasn't a coincidence. It was looking straight at me, its glowing eyes fixed towards my position.
Damn, I've been made out. What went wrong? I'd never know. But I knew I was running out of options now. I had to do something before it made a move. With that last thought I sprang up from my hiding place and before the creature could react, I pulled out a flare gun and took a shot towards it.
The red flare stormed across the dark void and hit the creature in the face as it screamed a high-pitched scream. It sounded like a cat screeching or something similar. The red flare lit up its surrounding revealing the hideous monstrosity that was now standing in front of me.
Standing it rose up to almost 2 meters in size and looked like a skinny pale man whose skin was falling off its bones. Pale hanging skin that lit up red due to the flare looking like it was melting. It screamed and crackled and twisted and then....
Looked at me with one glowing eye. Rage was burning inside it... looking at me, no, glaring at me. The flare was dying down fast, and I was losing light. I had to act quickly, or I will be blind in the dark with no time to adjust to it. I quickly pulled out a hand axe and hurled myself towards it screaming my head off in a fit of rage as if a war cry. My own scream echoed inside my head as I continued to lunge towards the creature.
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I swung fiercely with all my might hacking the air as it weaved around with an unearthly flexibility pulling away from my axe. It's wide-open jaws swayed as it moved as if there was no jaw bone and held in place by flesh only. There were parts of its pale skin where tears and breaks revealed muscle and what looked to be bone. A most foul odor of rotting fish or some sort came from it as its one glowing eye fixed on to me.
Under the influence of rage, I had allowed myself to run too close to the creature as it now focused itself to me completely. There was a second of pause and time seemed to have suddenly stopped as we both made eye contact. For that split second, I felt a connection with the creature... a connection linked in pure rage and anger, and I knew, I think we both knew that this would only end with one or the other... one of us dies or both of us dies....
As time made its way back, I turned and ran. I ran as fast as I could beaming towards a large and old tree stump that I had marked as reference of direction. I was sprinting as if burning my soul as fuel. Amidst all that I could hear the loud galloping sound that was charging behind me. I felt a chill run up my spine as I gave all my might, I didn't dare to look back as I knew it would slow me down and that would make all the difference.
As I neared the tree stump of reference I had to think quickly. I leapt to the right as I dug into the pile of dead leaves on the side of the stump. I quickly turned around on my back as I came face to face with the creature charging at me, its mouth wide open with jaws dangling around and one glowing eye that was fixed on to me. Its arms waving in the air like a mad man as it hurled itself towards me.
Its abnormally long arms swung back as the creature lashed it at me. Long nails where slashing like knives as the creature's full swing clawing ripped through my chest. Pain... unimaginable pain almost immobilized me for a moment as blood spilled and agony filled the wounds that had been made by those long sharp claw-like nails.
The creature swung back its other arm as it got ready to lash out in full force again. Its crackling jaws still dangling as moan like sounds squealed out.
As it started to swing back the arm towards me, I pull my arms around. The creature is now in direct facial contact to the end of my two-barrel shot gun at point blank range. The perfect position that was worth the pain inflicted on me. I scream at the creature [dodge this motherf**ker!!] and without giving no more time to move I fired. The shot rang throughout the dark forest as the shotgun pellets hit and teared through the pale flesh as it seemed to explode, splattering its blood and flesh. Covering me in it. The blood mixed with the foul smell of rotting fish felt steaming hot as if it would burn through me.
The sound of the shot still rings in my ear and my head is spinning crazy. The pain in my chest becomes more excruciating by the second as the blood flowed down my chest and pooled under my feet. But then a cool breeze hit me in the face and for a split moment I come to my senses.
I look around. Something wasn't right... the creature... it was nowhere to be seen. It was gone... The forest was still too dark for me to see a clear trace of blood on the damp and muddy forest floor.
I start frantically looking around as the forest seems to run away from my sight and vision has started to dim and blur. Everything is spinning around crazy as I try desperately to stay on my feet. I have lost focus and could not get myself to stand properly. Staggering around I try hard to keep steady gripping tightly to my empty double barrel shotgun.
But then, I hear a whistling sound a most familiar sound that shakes me all over....
I follow the sound further into the forest as the darkness gets even more intense. Blood seeps through my fingers clutching on to the deep wounds on my chest. My staggering steps become heavy as it becomes difficult to breath. Burning sensations like sharp knives cutting into my lungs each time I inhale. I tumble as my eyesight dims even more as they lose light fast.
I hit the dirt as damp woody mud hits me in the face. I... can't get up... my legs shaking and body giving in to the sweet temptation of rest. Eye lids growing heavy... I want to finish this... I want to rest.... let it all go.... finally....
[He...lp me...]
My dying eyes widen as I hear a distant cry for help. I know that voice... its in my head.... it can't be. But in my memory the voice calling out is embedded deep. A memory connected to my very soul. It grabbed hold of me urging me to get up.....
[He...lp me... da..ddy... Help... me...]
Sarah? my beloved daughter? Is she calling out to me? Is she alive? I saw the creature take her... and... yes that's it I only saw it take her. I never saw it kill her. It could be her, no it must be her! I recognize her voice anywhere!! Getup! Getup! GETUP!!
I burst up with newly found strength coursing through my body. I hear the faint cry for help of my baby girl. Yes, daddy is here my dear. Daddy is here! I run forgetting my wounds I run through the dark woods chasing after the voice of my daughter.
I'm getting closer. I'm almost there! I can just about see her, feel her in my arms again. Around that tree and....!! and... and ...
I see her .....dress... her dress covering a pile of bones... bones with rotting flesh still attached. A lock of hair.... light brown hair... Sarah's.
and there I see in the corner of that dark open spot... crying for help in my daughter's voice... a glowing eye and dangling jaw ... and a ripped open hole in its chest... that damn creature... it looked at me ... as it kept calling for help ... in my daughter's voice.
Rage.... uncontrollable rage fills the body and soul. With sudden newfound power and motivation, I step towards it... axe in one hand. It crawls back but can't move too easily...
it bleeds...
it's weak and it's scared...
I can almost smell it...
it's fear... intoxicating scent of fear. It fuels my rage a burning rage that cannot be extinguished!
DIE! DIE!! DIE!!!
I pounce on to the creature and hack away. I hack with all my might and all my raging soul, fueled by this burning rage. Unable to run it raises its arms to protect itself from the fury of my axe as I hack at it with the full force of my wrath. It cuts deep into its arm as it squeals in pain, but I hack at it again. This time I cut into its neck, as blood gushes out like a fountain.
The adrenaline rush fuels me even more as I go for its skull. The full blow to the head cuts deep into its skull as flesh and blood splashes everywhere... with that, the glowing eye loses its glow... and the creature now motionless is finally dead. But I won't take any chances. I hack through the rest of the neck and severe its head off. I pick it up to gaze into its dead face.
Its dangling jaw was half fixed now as if it was re-attached, and I could feel hair on the back of its head... but the most disturbing part was the eye that I thought I hit with that flare.... the eye had regenerated and now resembled that of a human...
it almost looked pretty, Green with a hint of blue... like Sarah's... I drop the head and pull myself towards the way I came.
Body is aching, screaming all over... agonizing pain hits me again as the adrenaline fades and I'm left with nothing but a dying body... bleeding and weak. I slump down against a tree nearby ... I can rest now... I can finally see Sarah... I look towards where I left the creature's body...
then I see them.
Two pairs of glowing eyes... gazing at me through some trees far ahead. Another pair joins side by side. They stare at me for a while and then... like that ... they were gone.
Then it becomes clear to me. What I must do. I pull out my tin can of gin. Half and half.... half in my belly and half on my burning soul. The sheer pain of alcohol spilling upon wound wakens my body once more as I gain new focus. I pick up my hand axe and gaze towards the direction those glowing eyes disappeared from. I pick myself up. I'll need more supplies I thought...
Sarah... baby… can you wait for daddy just a bit longer? Daddy's got to finish something... I'll tell you all about it afterwards....
Well, time to go.