Its large body glowing from behind, charges unhindered by the campfire or the tent that was in the way. Its eyes glowing red with a grudge as its pig-like face snarls at me in its charge. The smell of blood from the fallen guards fills my nose as the pressure increases beyond what I've felt in gang fights.
The adrenaline of having a gun to your head but being unable to get out of the way, the final fight or flight as you struggle to survive.
My brain goes on overdrive as I think of options. How my knife wouldn't help me reach anything vital on the monster and how even if it died the momentum would make it crash into the tent Elyn was hiding in half asleep.
In a split second I make the only choice I can think of. I step quickly to the side out of the way of the tent, nearly landing on my ankle wrong causing a small burst of pain as I get my footing. I pull out my knife from the back of my shirt at the same time I side-step, aiming at the creatures face as it charges looking it dead in its bloodshot eyes charging at me following where I moved to.
40 feet, 30 feet.
I wait for the best timing I can find,
20, 15.
"NOW!" I yell as I sling the knife at the monsters face aiming right in the middle hoping to blind it for even a second as I jump and roll to the side. Curling up my body to reduce the impact and pain as I learnt for every gang induction I did out on the streets as gangs fell and rose. I joined many gangs and left many more.
The roars increase as I cover my head and keep rolling, trying to move out of the way as fast as I can and then further to try and leave its reach should it manage to stop. The anger boiling in its roar as it lashes around seeing me dodge, with my head down trying to keep rolling I feel the earth jump once as if it stopped suddenly.
Feeling like will keep chasing me, I got up to dash while looking behind me over my shoulder to see how close and fast it was. All the time searching for the closest tree to somehow slow it down.
I glance behind and see it there its red eyes still looking at me, at the same time I lose my footing as my brain stops and I fall onto my front in a panic.
"It's dead?" I say quietly as I stand up in disbelief blinking a few times unsure of what I'm seeing.
The darkness making it harder to understand what happened as the beast had charged right through the campfire we made but the gurgling stops after a second of it flailing around in its death throes.
Barely managing to compose myself on the floor I stare at it while breathing heavily from the action. I realise I'm smiling, like I had fun, something I never felt back when just hurting people from other gangs. I always loved the adrenaline from fighting but it was never enough, now I think I've found my calling in killing.
Stopping for a second I realise something isn't right.
I finally notice it; my knife, glinting in the moonlight.
Stuck in a tree on the other side of the path, no where near the monster.
I laugh at myself pitifully as a rush of emotions arrives as I'm coming down off the adrenaline, I remember how that knife was never for throwing and that I've never practised throwing it anyway. In a real fight I'd stay in close quarters, not throw away my only weapon. I ridicule myself for being so stupid. I should know better.
As I go to stand up Elyn jumps on top of me silently crying, I can only assume she saw everything that happened.
Taking her with me I retrieve my knife while replaying the whole fight in my head. It charged through the fire and the tent in front of me while glowing. I glance back at the creature remembering how dark the surrounding area was when it died.
The creature lacks a glow, instead as I was spacing out the woman who I spoke to earlier in the day is holding what seems to be a ball of light above her hand as she instructs the warriors who could still move to treat and bury the dead.
"Magic?" My hoarse voice mutters as I keep thinking. I feel a pull on my arm from Elyn as she stopped to stare at the light, luckily it was within arms reach of my knife which I collect before taking her to the woman for a closer look.
I approach cautiously with Elyn dragging my arm as much as I'll let her walk towards a woman with unknown powers and therefore an unknown threat.