My trip back to the station wasn’t as easy as I thought. There were more creatures lurking throughout the mountain forest. Too many to be from a single pack and I was right. I encountered multiple alphas that made me realize that several packs have united and are hunting together. This was not how they behaved. They were like any other pack of animals. They moved in a group like wolves and were also hostile towards creatures outside their pack. The alphas seemed to impact the pack that they were leading directly, with behavior as well as distinctive characteristics such as skin markings and claw sizes. Humans are a rare prey so most hunt wild animals and mimic them. Each pack has a certain preference in the prey they hunt and thus the prolonged mimicking of certain specific species of prey would remain as unique traits. Obviously, my target alpha focused on humans as prey. As a result, the pack it was leading must have gained human like traits such as reasoning and fluency in speech.
The more I thought about that incident back at my cabin, the more it became clearer as the puzzle pieces built a picture of what had happened. Prolonged consumption and mimicking of human prey must have gave them some kind of advantage and efficiency towards mimicking humans. They were more natural and converted to their human disguises faster and with more precision. The bastards. It became apparent why they chose to mimic law enforcement on mass. At first, I thought it was to gain access to more prey a steady source. But then I realized that in a small backwater town like this, the police had enough power to control the people directly. They were farming the townsfolk like livestock. It made sense. Their alpha, my target zero, must have gained enough human reasoning to plot such a sickening plan. An Alpha with human cunning? That would have been enough to unite the other more primitive packs.
But all this to hunt for me? Or was there a more sinister plan at work? I wasn’t sure. But I had no time to think about these things in depth. Also, I was running out of supplies fast as I fought through countless waves of creatures, some led by alphas. I tried to conserve as much ammunition as possible as I hacked through the first half of the way to the police station. But soon I was swarmed by a horde of them and found myself ultimately shooting my way through. The countless ambushes and hordes of creatures attacking slowly strained my physical strength as well as my mental stability. Already running on fumes I bit my teeth down and struggled to stay focused. One false move and that would be the end. But I was not about to give up. Not while I drew breathe. As I slowly started to lose sense of reality as well as motor functions in my body everything became more blurred and numb. There was a constant ringing that pounded inside my head. Heavy breathing led to lack of oxygen making it hard to stay focused as I neared my destination.
When I finally did get to the police station, I was low on supplies and drenched in blood from all the creatures that I had hacked away. Tired and aching all over I glanced over towards the police station from a distant elevated position in the forest.
The streets around the station were quiet. No cars to be seen. But then again it was a very quiet town. I made my way down and up to the front door of the police station. I could see through the door windows that the station was completely deserted. All the lights were off and there was no one in sight. Slinging over my shotgun in hand, now with my last two rounds, I Slowly and carefully entered the station. I didn’t want any surprises so I stayed along the walls as much as I could.
The only source of light were dim flickering lights coming from down the corridor that led to the holding cells. Looking around I turned towards the office areas. Almost all the computers were turned on. Cold coffee half full in mugs with unfinished donuts laying around. No one’s been here for a while I could see. They all just got up and left mid-work… or…
Anyway, I could see one office up ahead. The chief’s office, as titled over the glass door window. I slowly headed towards the door and peaked in. Nothing. I opened the door and entered the empty office. Same scene. Cold coffee in mug and an untouched bagel. Looking around the office for a bit I saw a picture on the desk. I picked it up and to look at it. I wasn’t curious about it. I did it without thought, not really expecting to gain anything from it. But then the man in photo, who I guess was the chief, caught my eye. It was him. My target zero… the alpha with those damn bluish green silver eyes. It was masquerading as the police chief. Probably why it was able to swap out the entire police force. I placed down the photo and walked out of the office. I headed right towards the holding area. Something told me that I was meant to head there.
I entered the area to find that the barred entrance doors were all wide open. The flickering lights were dim and emitted just enough light to make out the surrounding area. All the cells were obviously empty… or so I thought. Down the corridor inside some of the cells were bodies. Decomposing bodies in police uniforms. And held inside the last one was a creature hissing and growling at me with yellow glowing eyes. Questions rose as alarms started to go off inside my head. Something was wrong here. Why was it locked inside the cell with the body? Did all the other cells have younglings in them with those bodies? What was going on? Just as my head filled with questions that I may not wanted answer for, I heard a voice.
“Pitiful, aren’t they?”
I quickly turned around with my shotgun raised, ready to shoot. But I couldn’t see anything. But still the voice came from the void of shadows.
“Just mere animals driven by instinct. Not knowing what’s out here in this world.”
“Show yourself!”
I shouted towards the shadows, trying to get the creature to show itself. But the voice just kept going, echoing from the shadows, like a monologue.
“You and I, are we that different apart? What makes a man a man? A soul? Something no one has clearly seen or can prove exists. Or the ability to think and decide on one’s actions and differentiate them as right or wrong based upon moral standards set by society?”
“You can talk pretty but Just because you can think like a human does not make you one, creature!”
I shouted out in disapproval. I would never in a million years, consider these vile creatures anything resembling a human being. They were just a pest that leeches off humans for survival. Consider them human? Absurd and not even funny. But the voice came back in a calm manner that started to get on my nerves.
“Really? Then what makes one a human being?”
Honestly, I couldn’t answer the question. But then again, I wasn’t there to have a philosophical discussion with the creature. But I wanted it to keep talking to figure out where it was hiding. But my moments of hesitance were met by impatience. Though the voice was calm and gentle, the attitude behind it was Impatient and petulant.
“Couldn’t answer my question? Even you don’t know the answer to your own being and you continue to persist in hunting us down and reject our very existence.”
“I don’t care about your existence. I don’t care if you can talk reason and think like humans. You can only exist by killing others. You kill humans! Only animals kill humans.”
I jeered at the voice slowly looking around to pinpoint its origin. But for some reason I couldn’t figure it out and the flickering lights didn’t help. At first, I thought there was some sort of a speaker, and it wasn’t in the area. But it was too clean to be coming from an amp. I continued to speak my mind all the while looking for hints of where the creature may be.
“To me you’re just a parasite that feeds off life around you. Vermin that need to be exterminated! You, a human? Don’t make me laugh!”
There was a moment of silence. I think I struck a nerve. I was hoping to make it mad enough to revert to its primal nature. Just like all the others before. The silence continued, but I could feel the rage and anger in the air. I pissed it off for sure. So, I decided to press it further.
“Cat got your tongue? Or do you even know what that phrase means?”
I called out mockingly. But at the same time, I was readying myself to be pounced by the creature. The moment it shows itself I’ll blow it to pieces. I took a step towards one of the cells and just then a pair of hands jumped out from an adjacent shadow. I quickly turned to my side to fire my shotgun, but my reaction was a second too late. The hands took hold of the shotgun with a strong grip that could not be contested with. I let go of the shotgun instantly and simultaneously pulled out my axe and hacked into the shadow but to no avail. The swing was a miss, and I was splitting through air.
I didn’t linger around. Soon as the swing was determined a miss I jump back away from the shadow and took cover behind a pillar. Looking up something caught my eye. The sprinklers on the ceiling near the flickering light showed signs of corrosion and rust. Bad maintenance or probably was unattended for some time.
“Worth a shot”
I said to myself and pulled out two Molotov cocktail bottles and lit them up. I threw one into the far corner where I fled from and another at the opposite wall. The flames instantly lit up the area, but the creature was nowhere to be seen. The youngling creature started to scream in its holding cell, banging into the cell door trying to get out. The emergency sprinklers did not activate. Humph, must be my lucky day.
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“Not going to save your kin? Now I know you’re nothing but parasitic animals!”
I shouted out behind my cover. My taunting worked like a charm. Because the creature leapt out from one of the remaining shadows in a near corner. It ran towards the cell door. Not galloped but ran towards it. Trying to stay in human form even under the pressure. Admirable, I’ll give it that. I turned to quickly step out behind the pillar to charge at the creature with my axe in one hand and blade in the other. The creature was too fixed on opening the cell door with the youngling it was a few seconds too late in reacting to my attack. Probably more so because it was in human form. Before the creature could get to the cell door my axe made contact with it first. The axe blade hacked into the top of its skull while I continued to swing my other arm around to plunge my blade deep into its chest, cutting through the hard rib cage to stab its heart. Before it could even scream it was dead. But all I saw was the creature reverting to its pale disfigured rotting form as its red glowing eyes lost their light.
“Damn…”
Red. The creature’s eyes where red. It wasn’t the alpha and I was exposed completely. It turned out I was the one baited, damn bastard. In the corner of my eye, I saw another red eyed creature galloping towards me. It was too late to turn around to confront it. In that moment I made the decision to run the opposite direction and jumped over a wall of blazing fire. The fire made by the Molotov cocktail had engulfed a wide area within the holding area by then.
The youngling that was screaming in its cell had burnt to a crisp and the creature that charged at me was unable to follow me over the fire, as it glared at me behind the wall of flames. But with that move I was cornered. I saw a second creature approach me and now I was surrounded. The only thing that was preventing the creatures from attacking was the blazing fire that was also approaching towards me in a rapid pace. During all of this I still hadn’t seen the one alpha that I had come for. This whole thing was a trap. There was little to do and I wasn’t liking my options. From my bag I pulled out a flare gun and tuck it carefully in my coat pocket.
I grip my axe and blade. I faced the one creature that arrived later, fully turned towards it. The other one stayed in its place. It would probably attack me the moment I attack the other one. I gripped at the very end of the axe handle as I stared at the creature. Then with all my strength I threw the axe towards the creature. As I threw my axe at the creature, I ran towards the other creature. I had practiced this move for a very long time and frankly it was my first time using it in action. A gamble move for a desperate situation. But as I said. Must be my lucky day.
The axe split through the air and cut into the creature’s forehead. The creature screamed and stumbled back. It startled the other creature as its eyes followed the other creature stumbling around screaming with an axe to its head. In that moment when it was distracted, I jumped over the fire and swung my blade at the creature with all my might. But the creature had inhuman reflexes and managed to counterattack in that moment. As its claws dug into my chest, I put more strength into the blade. Slicing clean through the creature’s head, the blade had completely carved out half of the creature’s face as it crumbled down and died instantly. It managed to give me a pretty deep cut in the chest, and I was losing a lot of blood. Not so good.
I walked over to the other creature with my axe planted between its eyes. It had also died. As I pulled the axe out from the creature’s head, I see a glimpse of a shadow moving up ahead. I quickly back step away with my axe as I come face to face with a man in a grey suit. Its eyes glowed silver with a hint of bluish green under the shadow that was casted on its face. It was the one. My target zero. It walked towards me slowly as it clapped its hands.
“Well done, Daniel. Those were some impressive moves.”
The bastard seems more human than even before. His casual demeaner and that smirk on its face gave me the shivers. Honestly, it scared me.
“Why Daniel, you don’t look too good. You’d better lay down for a bit.”
With that it took a few steps towards me. To be honest I was tired, and my chest bleed had started to affect me as I couldn’t hold myself still. I took a step back to distance myself from the alpha, but it continued to slowly walk towards me.
“You would be wondering how I could be so much human. Well, I’ll let you in on my secret. Just between you and me. You see before, I was just another animal that lived by my instincts and primal habits. We knew for a long time that disguising as humans were more valuable in many ways than any other animals.”
The alpha’s explanation continued as our slow chase led us out of the now burning holding cell and into the office area. I stayed focused on the alpha as I slowly made my way towards the front door. The entire area was now filling up with too much smoke. It chased after me while matching my pace.
“We had many ways to lure humans to us. Disguising ourselves as dogs seemed to work at first. But in time most were more running away than approaching us. In the end we found that disguising as humans were the most effective. The speech part was hard to mimic, and most could only manage a few words. But that’s all we needed to lure unsuspecting hikers to us.”
Story sounded familiar. Myths and urban legends rotating around superstitious people who liked to tell stories. Never thought of them as much until now. I was coughing and struggling to keep myself from falling. Slowly I was losing strength in my legs and the front door seemed even further than it was. The alpha kept talking as he followed me from behind.
“Some call us monsters and other demons. But these days I guess we are better known as skin walkers. But you see we are no skin walker. One day I was tired of assuming different identities and hunting to maintain this human form. Consuming flesh and blood were not enough. Then I thought on the idea of, what makes a being whole?”
I was almost at the door at this point and was trying hard to stay focused. The smoke that had now completely consumed the station, was not helping. I could still hear the alpha behind me still rambling on about his story.
“Then it hit me. The difference between humans and beasts.”
I turned around to see where the alpha was standing. As I did the alpha raised its hand and pointed to the temple of its head.
“The brain Daniel. Thoughts, memories, consciousness. What makes humans such worthy prey. So, for the first time I consumed human brain. Daniel, it opened up a whole new level of understanding and existence.”
I stopped and looked at the alpha. The brain? That’s what changed them? That’s what they are after… human brains?
“It turned out, Daniel. We were no skin walkers. Our true identities go back thousands of years back and we were feared by people. They called us doppelgangers, some called us spirits. But over centuries of advances in human technology, we were pushed deep into the darker forest, and we could not consume fresh brains. We de-evolved over generations into pitiful creatures of the night that scavenged for mere flesh and blood.”
Doesn’t make sense. Consuming brains was what made the difference? None of them ever consumed human brain in decades of hunting? I doubt it. As I lost focus of the moment the alpha thought it was amusing to see me in such a state. It continued its story, probably for its own amusement. It was enjoying itself.
“I can see you are confused. Why now? You maybe asking yourself. So, did I. As I gained a clear mind and self-developing thought, I made some interesting theories and tested them out. It turns out Daniel, that there was a condition to the evolution. Heightened emotions, Daniel. Human emotions were the key. The more emotional humans become, the brain releases a sort of chemical that our bodies bind to, and we are able to fully mimic Humans. Gain full memories, thoughts and the experiences of the brain’s owner.”
“Emotion… you mean terror.”
I mumbled in disgust. It dawned on me when the alpha talked about heightened emotions. The youngling that was locked inside a cell with a policeman. It wasn’t just to prevent the prey from running away. It was to evoke terror. The terror of certain death and being locked in with a monster without a way of escape.
“I can see from your expression that you’ve figured it out. Yes, emotional distress. Terror, fear, despair and anger.”
I looked at the alpha in both terror and rage. It thought of us as some kind of cattle. Cultivating brains from victims that died in despair. The alpha smirked.
“You Daniel. When I first saw you with your daughter at your cabin. I knew you were the perfect candidate. The one that will elevate me higher up the chain of evolution. Then I saw you again here at the station, I knew I was right. The loss of your daughter and to be blamed for her death. The rage you showed, the unbending will and relentless anger. The sadness you would’ve felt when you saw Jacob dying. But you’ve suppressed them all with composure… beautiful Daniel. The pure emotional cocktail…. exquisite.”
My head was spinning, and I had lost too much blood. I was losing focus and my sight blurred. But I gripped hold of my blade and axe with all my remaining strength. I waited for the alpha to make its approach. The front door that led out to the streets was just a few steps away.
“You are the mix between despair, terror, rage, and composure. Your strong will and unbreakable spirit will be my ultimate feast to ascension.”
“Well, if you want me. Come get me. But I will not make it easy for you.”
“Oh, I am sure you will Daniel. I’m counting on it. Fight me as much as you want. I will fuel your anger. And when you realize the dire truth and finally fall into despair, I will taste my victory.”
The alpha’s demeanor changed. More aggressive and primal. But it kept its human guise, unlike the red eyes of its pack. I’ll have to kill it here and now. Before it could start to breed more like it. The knowledge must die here. I muster up what ever strength I have left. I could probably pull off a couple of stabs and swings at most and it probably knows it too.
“Ready Daniel? This is our last dance.”
“Shut up.”
Suddenly I heard some kind of an explosion coming from somewhere and we were both distracted. In that moment I saw the cracks forming on the ceiling right above us. It was cracking up fast as the fire roared around us. I knew it would be coming down on us any minute. So, I waited. The alpha focused itself on me again. As we both waited for the other to make the first move. Moments seemed like hours as my aching body screamed in pain. In that moment I flinched, and the alpha didn’t miss it. It took a quick step towards me making the charge. But then the ceiling cracked with great roar and came crashing down on to our position. The alpha’s quick reflexes allowed it to back away just in time. But that was the chance I was waiting for. My eyes followed the alpha as my body turned to lunge at it with all my strength. My blade hacking the air as it is directed towards the alpha’s neck.
But the alpha was too fast. It stopped itself mid step and twisted its body to turn towards me as my blade narrowly missed its target. The alpha waved its arms as one slammed into my hand that was holding the blade, causing me to lose my grip on it. But I wasn’t done yet. I swung my other hand with the axe as soon as I figured my initial blade attack would fail. But it too, was caught mid-air. With in-human strength the alpha snapped the axe in half and threw it behind him. Then it grabbed my arms and smirked.
“End of the line Daniel. This was fun while it lasted.”
But I smirked at it. As the stupidest thought ran across my head. Worth a shot I thought to myself. Then without any hesitation I knee kicked the alpha in its groin as hard as I could. I thought if it’s a doppelganger and had mastered its disguise. Why wouldn’t it go all the way? My stupid plan actually paid off as I saw the alpha scream in pain as it fell to its knees. Then I reached behind my waist and pulled out my flare gun.
“That there is terror, pain, and despair in one package. How does that taste?”
With that I fired the flare in its face. The alpha screamed as the flare blasted into its eyes. I made the quick dash to pick up my blade that I’ve dropped and quickly stabbed the alpha in the back. The blade sliced through like knife in butter. I pulled the blade out and hacked into its neck and decapitated the alpha with a clean cut.
As the alpha’s head dropped off its shoulders, it started to change form. But it wasn’t like all the other pale skinned creature I had seen. The alpha looked like a cross mix between the creature and a human being. It was actually evolving into a full human form. Probably what it meant by ascension. It was planning to become fully human. Now I could see it was no dream. If I lost and it absorbed my brain. It might have achieved its goal. The notion gave me shivers. But now I was in trouble. My victory over the alpha had left me empty in strength and determination to live. I had achieved my goal of vengeance. There was nothing left. My will faded quickly as I let myself collapse on the floor of the burning police building. Blood started to pool beneath me from my wounds. But somehow I felt free and at peace.
“Sarah… I’m coming baby. I’ll see you soon…”
All thoughts and determination fled my head and body as I felt myself lose control ad strength to even move. Life was slipping out. I could feel it. Like something was being sucked out of me. But I felt at ease. Time for a long and well deserved vacation, hopefully with my daughter. That sounds good. But then something rang in my ears. Someone shouting? The ringing settled down as I could hear mor clearly now. As the shouting become more clearer, so did my mind and it felt like I was being pulled back into reality.
“IS ANYBODY IN HERE!?”
I struggle to open my eyes as I hear the shouting. Someone was shouting at me. But I couldn’t make out what he was saying. My eyesight faded and I couldn’t stay awake anymore. With that, lights went out and I fainted.