Chapter 2 – The Man

Part 1 – The Drop

Today was a surprise, I had it all planned out. We would enjoy ourselves, eat lunch, and then go shopping. I’d been saving money so we could go out and buy something nice.

We board a complementary shuttle. We’re going to a restaurant I know. I hadn’t been there in years but it has great good and is reasonably priced.

My wife, Lilly, is sitting next to me. She’s not exactly a beauty but to me she’s an angel. I smile gently and hug her. She blushes slightly and looks out the window.

Suddenly the bus tips, I grab Lily. Before us is a black nothing. I hear my Lily’s strangled cry, like her scream froze on her lips.

Just as suddenly as the darkness swallowed us, it spits us out. Lily is trembling uncontrollably next to me. I look around, aside from a few people falling, looks like everyone is fine. Outside is unfamiliar, a dull brown swamp. Just a minute ago there was no rain.

Impossible, even if someone hijacked the bus and put us all to sleep, how would they get the bus up here?

I turn back to Lily, looks like she’s going to cry. I hug her and try to calm her. Panicked voices permeate the air.

The bus driver gets off briefly but returns with a grim expression. While he was off, someone tried to start the engine but it failed. I check my phone, no service. Seeing this, my wife starts crying freely, as though all hope is lost.

Why, how did that happen? I’m not the type who gets scared easily but this is something completely different. Some people are begging, praying, yelling. If this continues, someone will get hurt.

Before I can do anything, something happens. A young girl suddenly pushes through and jumps off the bus. I try to stop her, but she’s in a state of panic and fights back. A boy runs to help me but I yell at him to stay back.

A loud scream distracts me and the girl manages to slip through my grasp. I try to give chase, but the boy suddenly grabs my arm, I shake him off and give chase. Suddenly I hear screams.

More screams, I hesitate and the girl escapes my view. I turn and I see a monster dragging someone off.

I shout and try to make myself look bigger like you’re supposed to with a bear, but I doubt it did anything. I grab the boy and carry him to someone and he’s shoved back into the bus. The monster is actually the head of a herd of smaller monsters. It’ll be hard to deal with it.

I board the bus and do a quick search and realize something is wrong.

Lily was missing.

Part 2 – Breaking Through

Those monsters, they took Lily! I storm off the bus and sprint towards the larger beast. It has someone pinned down and is poised to eat. As the jaw descends, the person throws up their arms and it tears off a chunk. My blood turns ice cold.

I barrel my way through the crowd of smaller creatures and solidly punch the monster from below the jaw.

The beast gives a cry of surprise and stumbles back. I grab Lily’s hand and drag her up. I’d like to tie up her wound but we’re surrounded. I’m not given the chance to check the severity of Lily’s wounds anyway.

I’m beset by the beast’s underlings almost immediately. I get bitten on the arm but they’re easy to throw off. However they bought the leader enough time to regain its composure.

This is bad, it would be better to run, but Lily is frozen in fear. I’d have to carry her.

I make my decision.

I turn, sweep Lily up and run. I can hear the monster’s cries. Suddenly the bus looks really far away. Can I carry Lily all the way?

Something slams into my back and I fall face first. Lily screams as she flies out of my arms and falls to on the ground.

I roll over and bring my arms just in time to face the beast. I slam my arms down on the jaws, clamping them shut. The beast shakes its head to free itself and I scramble onto my feet.

The beast tries to attack me with its teeth but I dodge it. I wrap my arms around its neck and exert all of my strength to push it over.

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Surprisingly, it falls over despite the obvious size advantage. However, I also slip and I’m immediately beset by a smaller creature. I smash it into the ground and stomp on its small head. I don’t think that killed it though.

I turn to grab Lily.

Only to see one of the creatures latched to her neck.

The creature turns its head, tearing apart her throat. Shining red blood gushes from the wound and her mouth. Her eyes are wet with tears, and even when they’re dilated with fear, they find and stare into my eyes.

I can only watch in agony. Watch her fall.

I couldn’t do anything.

I can only stare into her dying gaze, her eyes blaming me for everything.

Part 3 – Loss

I lose myself to angry and I start grabbing and throwing everything I can get my hands on.

The beast that killed Lily, I twist its head so hard that it’s at a strange angle. The large beast charges at me and I grab it and push it down. If I had I rock or heavy object, I would have brought down on its head and smashed it until it stopped moving.

However I didn’t have a weapon, and in my anger, I at least realized that. I grab a nearby rock, half submerged in slimy mud. I drag out with strength I didn’t know I had. It’s a large rock, bigger than my head.

I race towards the beast just as it regains its footing. I raise the rock up high and it bring it down with such force that I lose my balance. The beast doesn’t even have time to cry out as the rock caves in its skull.

Or at least it should have.

The beast has an extremely thick skull and it doesn’t break like I thought it would. It does, however, make it confused and stumble.

I ignore the smaller creatures and grab the beast’s head in my arms. With a burst of strength I shove the beast onto the ground and start bashing down it’s skull with the rock.

I ignore the blood, the cries, the screams, the injuries. I keep bringing down that rock. While its eye is reduced to a water mess, its skull does not cave in. Suddenly the monster tosses me off and rights itself.

It glares at me with its remaining eye. It considers me a threat and we start circling.

Suddenly a loud sound and rumbling distracts me. I unconsciously turn my head towards the bus. It costs me dearly, the beast charges and sends me flying.

My hands grasp at air as I fly through the air and over a cliff. I see a black creature, larger than the one I was fighting. It has knocked the bus onto its side and is terrorizing the other passengers.

I see all this in an instant as I fly off that cliff.

I fall, looking at that lonely rock far above me.

I fall, looking at that lonely rock far above me.

I’m sorry.

With those thoughts I fall through the foliage for the jungle. I hit something and I start tumbling but I don’t resist. Suddenly I hit something hard, and a dull sting of pain attacks me.

Aw, it’s warm, so warm...

- - - - - - - - - - Author Notes - - - - - - - - - -

I wanted to post this earlier but my internet was blitzing out on me and then my computer imploded on itself every time I tried to access the site. I'll try to get chapter 3 up sometime this week but no promises with how weird my internet is acting. I actually tried to post this chapter 5 times, two failed because my computer imploded, and the other 3 were because of my internet dropping packets left and right.

Anyway, after I post chapter 3, I'm not sure when I'll update again since I'm focusing on my main series. 3 chapters isn't much but it's enough for me to start off, not to mention this was intended to be a side project for me to work on when I' have writer's block.

Thanksgiving is coming up but hopefully I'll find the time to write, or maybe just type out all the notes I have... I have 3 notebooks of notes, though only one of them needs to be typed since two are literally just notes and profiles. Normally typing that would take a day, but knowing me where I revise as I type, I'll take 3 days, and then I have to go back and edit which makes the whole process a week... *cries*