Another day another bust. Third nest this month that was just full of yellow eyed younglings. Well, they won’t be maturing now, that’s for sure. But still no sign of that bluish green eyed alpha. Forest is running out of new areas to explore and it’s not easy moving to a new grid. The police out looking for me isn’t helping me in anyway. I saw police patrolling the streets ask around with a photo of mine when I came down for supplies a few weeks ago. The old photo of me, that is.
Just when I got out of that police station I was being held in, I packed and left my cabin and headed straight into the woods. I’ve been tearing through the ‘Darker Woods’ to find their nests. I figured if I burnt enough of them down the pack leader will show up soon or later. I was right. After a week of burning down nests all over the forest a silver eyed alpha found me. Wasn’t the one I was looking for.
The bastard almost took my right eye. But I managed to save it… most of it. At least I can still see through it. Even if it is a little fuzzy at times. I reckon soon it will lose light completely. Better make the most of it while I still can.
As for that silver eyed alpha… it won’t be coming for my eye again. Not from the hell hole I dropped it in. But after that I couldn’t find anymore nests in that area. The last youngling nest was unguarded. No adults to protect them. Even so the younglings themselves are strong and fast. They could easily claw a hole in you. But, after awhile I guess I just got use to their movement. I still can’t follow their movement speed, but I know their moves and their style. Once you fight enough of them you get to realize that all their movements are very much generic. Unimaginative and bland. They dash at you and claw at you, then drool and then growl… sometimes mimic imperfect imitations of animals.
Sometimes the Younglings would even mimic broken words. Mostly cries for help. Probably the last words of their latest human victims. The mature ‘Red-eye’ adults do it better and sound almost human at times. But the real imitations go to the ‘Silver-eye’ Alphas. They can mimic whole sentences and sound almost genuine. To be honest, they sound like automated voice recordings. They sneak up near you in dark areas or at night, sudden appearances would likely cause the target to lose focus and creates higher chance for them to approach the creature. That’s how they hunt… in the dark, luring prey with broken imitations of their species. They aren’t smart but their instincts as hunters are frightening. After that last nest I failed to locate other new ones in these woods. Getting rid of the Alpha must have done the trick. With the police searching for me and no sign of the creatures, I decided to relocate my hunting ground. I had gridded out the entire mountain range on a map in case I had to do just this. Moving from grid to grid marking out areas I have cleared.
The following day I moved to another forest on the grid I marked and found a small town adjacent to it. My scarred-up face and facial hair disguised me well from the police and wanted posters. They couldn’t make me out. One of them came up to me to show me my own photo to ask questions. Funny, but they’ll figure it out soon or later. I hoped to be out of this grid long before that happens.
I made myself at home in the forest with a makeshift home. Goddamn military training coming in handy in times like this. And I thought it would be all for nothing once I was out. But I guess I’m thankful I have these skills, given the circumstance I am in. And before you ask, I won’t give you details on my military career. I’ll give you this much, I wasn’t in the marines or any kind of special forces… this ain’t that kind of movie… but the military taught me to use weapons effectively and survive. Good enough for me.
I go by ‘Jack’ to the local townsfolk; pretty generic I know. But it was a name that will be forgotten soon so no point brainstorming about it. Anyway, I got down to the town’s gun shop to purchase some ammunition for my hunting rifle and shotgun I brought from my cabin. The shop was owned by a gunsmith, Jacob. He would make small talk whenever I make a visit, guess he wanted to check me up. He was all suspicious at first, they all were. But after some weeks of making regular visits, they warmed up on me. Just enough to keep tabs on the local police activity. The search hasn’t made it up to this place yet. But as soon as they figure I’ve left the area they’ll widen the search. One thing that still bothered me was why there was nothing on the media. No news report or radio calling out for the help of the citizens. It was very quiet. That bothered me. No point wasting my time thinking about things I won’t get answers to though.
As I make it into the gun shop, Jacob sees me and raises a hand. Looking towards me with a nod of approval of sort and recognition.
“Hey there Jack. What can I do you for today?”
“I need some shotgun shells and a box of 308s. Do you have any tactical night scopes?”
“For a 308? I’ll see what I have.”
Jacob looks at me with a stern face with a hint of concern but in turn goes to the back of the store to search for the items. After a short while he comes back with a scope and a box of ammunition.
“This is all I have. It’s not high quality but it will give you night vision.”
“This will do. Thanks.”
I pay for the items and proceed to exit the building. I can see Jacob’s eyes glued to my back in the reflection of the door glass. I ignored it and walked out. Probably going to be like this for the rest of my stay. No matter. I wasn’t looking to settle down or anything. As soon as I get rid of the Alpha here, then I’m gone.
That night, as the forest became darker, I got ready for the hunt. I scoured the area during the day to locate key locations that may have nests. I found traces of the creatures about a couple of kilometers from my base camp. Traces that would have gone unnoticed if you weren’t looking for them. I approach the area I scouted before with caution. From a distance I looked through my rifle scope. Slowly, with a keen eye I look towards the black void that has taken place amidst the forest in the distance.
It’s been maybe 20 minutes or so without any movement. Just the dark void. Just then I see a slight glow in the dark that quickly faded out. I look into the scope, nothing but darkness. I take my eyes off and take a quick glance at the dimly star lit sky and then back into the scope. Refreshed, my eye captures the faint glow in the dark. Two pairs of yellow glows. I wait… and wait… until I see them. A pair of red eyes appear near to the first pair of yellow eyes. I aim between the two red glows in the dark. Sipping the air between my teeth I hold my breath…. Aim … fire…
One gunshot rings through the quiet night sky. Damn, should have got that silencer after all. I look through the scope. Sure enough the two pairs of yellow glowing eyes are approaching my position fast. No sign of the red eyes. I quickly back away from my position and get to my secondary position. Turning around in time to see the two youngling creatures already nearing were I fired my rifle just moments before. Galloping on all fours, the creatures seemed mad. Not that you could really know the difference.
I wait until they had reached just a few feet away. Suddenly the one that was closest to me flinches in pain and falls to the ground. Bear traps that I had set up earlier had snagged it. The other youngling stops in its tracks and glares at me in caution. I look back at it and casually pulls out my double-barreled shotgun. I aim at the creature caught in the bear trap and shoots it in the head. With the head exploded into pieces, the creature drops dead. The other creature back tracks and gallops away. [Yeah, I don’t think so] I quickly reload the shot gun and aim at its feet. As the shot misses the creature jumps away to the side and falls into the trap I dug in advance. Punji stick trap, shallow ankle high holes dug with sharp wooden stakes that impale the feet to render the enemy immobile or slowing it down.
The creature screams out loud in pain. But then it starts to screech a high-pitch screech. [That’s it. Call them. Call them for help.] As the immobile youngling creature cries out for help I cover myself in the ghillie cape I’ve prepared and crouch behind some trees. The creature realizes I have hid out of sight, and starts to look around while still calling out for help.
Soon, from a distance I see shimmering red glows approach from the void. No silver eyes. Disappointing. As the red eyed adults approached the youngling’s position, I got ready. This had to be quick and precise. I pulled out a carefully hidden bottle. It was carefully wrapped and coated with mud to hide the scent. I light the cloth hanging out from it and without thinking twice I threw it at the creatures and then another one for good luck. Screams of the creatures fill the night sky.
Molotov cocktails are effective. Fire does considerable damage to the creatures, weakening them enough to handle them up close and personal. I pull out my axe. I’ve sharpened it the day before. I run towards the still screaming creatures and hack at their heads. Nice and sharp, the axe cuts through them like knife through butter. The fire had softened their thick hides. Don’t ask me why, but fire seems to make them soft and weak.
The second adult creature tries to fight back, taking giant swings at me. But experience had me one step ahead. I quickly Back away from the swings I had anticipated. They’re easy to evade once you know they’re coming. Also, it leaves them wide open for counter attacks.
The momentum of the swing added with the fire damage, pulls the creature forward, making it stumble off balance. I quickly dash forward and lunge towards the stumbling creature. I swing my axe, short clean upper swing that cut through it’s skull. The creature slumps down dead. I shake off the blood, now steaming on my hand and axe blade. I walk towards the now silent youngling creature. It tries to back away from me, limping due to the injury it sustained by the trap. Then with hesitation… it opened its jaws…
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“H…help me…”
“….”
“Help… me … da….”
I didn’t give it time to finish. I cut through its skull like a ripe melon. Damn bastard must have been fed a human prey before I got to it. I take my axe and approach the two dead adults. I roll the first one over and start recovering the bear traps. Supplies are scarce and I try to minimize contact with the local townsfolk. Anything I can use again are retrieved if possible.
Then with my axe I split open its chest. I see the long and deformed ribcage of the creature. I try to cut into it to no avail. Damn… Thought so. Inside the adult creatures are a piece of bone that is different to the others. It glowed silver like. I don’t know the purpose of this piece of bone but it’s small and long. Like a bullet. At first, I thought it was a silver bullet that somehow got into one, but later found out that all of the adults had them. The only problem was the rib cages are damn near impossible to cut through and the rib bones that concealed it was tightly formed to give little space in between. The rib cage bones seemed to be different to the other bones. No idea why. The only reason I found the first one was by chance when I was fighting an alpha. The alpha accidentally clawed an adult while fighting me and it ripped open the chest, killing the adult instantly. Later after I killed the alpha, I looked into the split open adult to see if I can find a weakness that would allow me to kill these things more easily. It was then I found out about the silver bone parts inside them.
I had made a blade out of the alpha’s claws and had been using it to retrieve the bone parts after hunting. I found that the bone dies off into a regular bone piece after the body melts away. But retains its original silver form when cut off from the body with the alpha blade before it decomposes.
Now, you would be wondering why I went through all that trouble to recover these bones. Well, it turns out if you mount these into bullets and fire at the creatures, it kills them instantly no matter where you hit them. Actual silver bullets. They’re one time use though. When it enters a creature’s body it disappears. I wasn’t able to retrieve any of these bullets.
But I found out during my earlier escape I had left the blade at the cabin. I thought of returning to retrieve it but I didn’t want to take the risk. So I thought I’d make a new one. Some weeks back before I came to this grid of the forest, I hunted an alpha in the other grid. The one that almost took my right eye. I killed it and took its claws. But then I realized that it’s claws weren’t the same and I couldn’t cut through the bones of the adult creatures. I realized that the alphas were all different and they had different traits.
So now I was left with the dilemma of whether to forget about it and move on or go back to get the alpha blade. It took me another whole day to make up my mind. In the end I would need the blade and the silver bone bullets to kill the one that took my Sarah… The Target Zero… that’s what I started to denote it as. Anyway, I decided to head back to get that blade.
The next day at dawn, I left for my old cabin. It was an easy two day back track. I was so used to traveling through the woods it surprised me how fast I had reached the cabin. I waited from a distance and spent the night vigilant. Not a glimpse of a shadow in sight. Strange, as I expected some heavy police activity in the area. Guess they figured I wasn’t coming back? It never hurts to be cautious, so I found high ground that looked over the cabin from a distance to scout the premises. Looking down at the cabin I could see that it was empty and there was no one around. No police, no creatures. I’ve already killed off the alpha that was leading the pack in these parts, so I assume it’s safe. But some part of me deep down was cautioning me to stay vigilant.
I waited until high noon when the creatures are more reluctant to come out. The mimicking of other forms are a way for them to roam around under the sun for a short while, but the sun causes them to revert back to their pale rotting form quickly. Too long under direct sunlight in their natural form will cause them to decay and eventually perish. Studying these creatures as I hunted them, made me think if they were some kind of vampire like creatures. Got to admit, as silly as it sounded, it made sense. Ability to change form, weak against sunlight, pale skin… they aren’t bats , that’s for sure. But I quickly dismissed the thought. It didn’t really matter what they were. To me they were just prey for may burning rage and craving for vengeance.
As the sun sore high above I cautiously made my way down towards the cabin and to the front door. There weren’t any back doors to the cabin, so this was the only entry point. I thought it would be a safety aspect when I purchased it, never to realize how much I would miss it now. I carefully assessed the door and made a safe entry into the cabin. Nothing seemed to have been taken since my last visit. Occasional disturbed furniture indicated that they did search the area. I quickly made my way to my secret storage safe to recover the blade. Thankfully they hadn’t found it, or they did but didn’t care to take it with them. Whatever the case, I found the blade. I hurriedly evacuated the cabin with the blade packed in my backpack or I tried to. As I exited the door, I was confronted by four policemen. Damn, how did I not see them? How did they get here so fast and so silently? Was I losing touch? Or was I too caught up in retrieving the blade to hear four men approach the cabin. Too late to cry over it now. Whatever the case was, they found me and I had to make a choice.
“Daniel Berstein! You are under arrest, put your hands on your head, turn around and get down on your knees!”
The policemen pulled their firearms our and were now pointing them at me. What to do. I had to make a choice and make it quick. As I stood there trying to decide on what to do next, the policemen were getting agitated. They were seconds away from pulling the trigger. One wrong move and it would be over.
I looked into their eyes. I see fear and I see anxiety. Strange. They seemed overly cautious and afraid of me. They started to shout, no scream, demanding compliance. I start to open my mouth. I see their eyes fixed on to me like glue… focus is good, but too much focus makes you submissive to suggestions… I looked over ahead behind the policemen and shouted in a concerning voice.
“Detective!?”
Submissive to distraction and sudden surprises. All three policemen turn their heads following my gaze to look back. That split second was all I needed. I quickly back step into the cabin with the door shut in front of me. The policemen realize my ruse and pull the trigger. Bullets impale the door that was not much of a shield. Again, strangely they were overly aggressive. They were ready to kill at moment’s notice. I have to admit that I was tempted to axe my way out. Would have been much easier. But that much I would not go through with. Guess I still had some trace of humanity left in me after all.
I pulled out my can of bear mace. I won’t kill them, but they may wish I did. I listen to the policemen shouting outside to vaguely figure out their locations. There’s one close to the door and other two off to the right, probably covering the one in front of the door.
I counted to three and burst out the front door catching the policemen in a surprise. Me busting through the front door was probably the last thing on their minds. The policeman in front of the door hesitated for a split second and that made all the difference. I wrapped my arm around the nearest guy to subdue him. The other two approached to caution me in letting him go. My other hand holding the bear mace back behind the policeman like a gun holding him hostage. I take a few steps towards the two. They hesitate to back off. Probably thinking to tackle me to get their friend free.
I took a quick glance at their stance, and I slightly pushed the policeman an inch forward and in a flinch reaction the two policemen took a step forward as if to catch the policeman I am holding hostage. And they were suddenly in my range. I pulled out my bear mace to spray on the two men and they cry out in pain. I pushed the hostage towards the other two and continued spraying. All three were effectively neutralized as they collapse to the floor screaming their heads off. I retreat into the woods as fast as I could. As I start running through the forest to get away. I am called from behind by a familiar voice. Frankly, it caught me off guard.
“Mr. Bernstein!”
“Detective… Daren?”
Stopped in my tracks I slowly turned around to face the man that, sure enough, turned out to be detective Daren. The same detective that I met down at the police station before. With a stern voice Daren started to urge me to stand down.
“You are making everything worse for yourself. Please don’t do this. If you run away now you will be hunted and quite frankly, I don’t want that to happen. I’ve done everything in my power to keep this incident local. No news and radio.”
“That was you?”
I thought it was strange. Turns out Daren was behind it all along. But why? Because we made small talk? Because he actually believes I’m innocent? Bullshit.
“Why are you doing this detective? You don’t know me. You don’t know my family.”
“That’s true. I don’t know you or your family.”
“Then why?”
“Because I believe you are innocent.”
Is this guy for real? Does he really believe I’m innocent? After all those evidence that he showed me? After all that interrogation and urging me to confess? Even if it’s true, this is quite excessive to prove the innocence of a man you barely know.
“I don’t believe you detective.”
“Well, I’m all you have. If you run again… and we know what you look like now. It’ll only be a matter of time until we find you. Then I won’t be able to help you.”
“I’ll take my chances…”
I turn around to leave. Seeing detective Daren was reluctant to draw his firearm and talking about next time they find me, it was obvious he had no intentions of shooting me. But just as I was about to make a sprint for it.
“Think about your daughter!”
“I am.”
I casually retort back to the detective without turning to face him. I start to take a step forward but then was stopped midtrack by the detective’s somewhat exasperated shouts.
“You are not! You are not thinking about your daughter! You are thinking about yourself! Your daughter would not want her father to live his life like this. Being hunted as a fugitive. Turn yourself in and we’ll get through this together!”
Got to admit. He had me with those words. And to tell you the truth deep down I was getting tired and worn. I was looking for an excuse to quit. But up until now my daughter was my sole motivation and the center of my burning rage. But would my daughter want this… really?
I slowly turned around to face detective Daren again. I see him grinning. A stupid childish yet pure grin. It made me pull a smirk of a grin in reply. I took a step towards the detective as he puts his hands on his waist in a welcoming manner. I take another step… one more step and I would have surrendered. Until the clouds covered the sun casting a dark shadow upon Daren’s face. Then… I saw it. Those red glowing eyes.
“Damn it…”
I see Daren had erased his grin and now looking at me with a blank expression. No emotion at all. He looked straight at me with those red glowing eyes as I pulled my axe out. In that brief moment I felt a sense of loss. But soon that feeling faded and I was left with disappointment. As the disappointment slowly turned to anger and that anger into rage, I glared at detective Daren… no, the thing that was posing as the detective.
“When was it? Was it the day you took me in for interrogation or was it before then?”
I shouted at the creature disguised as the detective. But there was no reply. I can see the glow intensifying in his eyes. I raise my axe in front of me in an aggressive stance. The detective’s face slowly became distorted and twisted, like a mask it slightly hung loose around its face as if detached. Turning slightly pale the skin became wrinkly drooped in places. Long fingers with sharp nails protruding from its now disfigured hands. A sudden gust of wind raged in between us and with that as a signal, it came galloping on all fours at me with inhuman speed.
But I was used to it. I quickly side stepped to one side to evade the swiping claws. As I evaded the claws I hacked at its arm with my axe. It slices half-way through and the creature pulled back in pain. The axe got lodged in its arm and I couldn’t retrieve it. So I pulled out the blade. I make a dash for it and while the creature was wailing its arms as I stabbed it through the heart. Normally the strong rib cage would prevent any sharp weapons from penetrating through, but the blade was special. The ‘Alpha Blade’ dug deep into the creature’s chest and stabbed into its heart. The creature died instantly and proceeded to decay away. I quickly knelt before it to cut into its chest but was stopped by approaching noises. I looked down at the creature.
“Well, I guess you won’t be coming after me detective…”
I picked up my axe as I left the creature that was once detective Daren and quickly sprinted away catching a quick glimpse of a dozen policemen approaching from the other side. All with glowing red eyes. Damn, looks like the whole town’s police force are those creatures in disguise. This changed everything. These adult creatures didn’t revert back to its pale creature form under the sun and kept their disguise for a prolonged period of time. They talked and acted like real policemen. Daren was too much human. It actually tried to get to me emotionally. Are these some sort of new kind of creatures? I wasn’t sure. But something tells me that the Alpha, Target Zero, had something to do with it. I theorized that these were a part of its pack and that the adults had inherited some of Target Zero’s traits. Looks like I’m running out of time fast.
Because, as the detective Daren disguised creature pointed out, they know how I look like now. I had no choice but to make my move fast. One thing was for sure, the reason they were trying to contain the incident was because they didn’t want too much attention on themselves. A whole pack of creatures using the local police as cover? Insane and disturbing.
Well, it’s going to be a long bumpy road and things don’t look too bright up ahead. No rest for the weary, as they say. Better be on the road. The whole town is not safe.