The scream was guttural, tearing at the sender's throat. I could instantly tell that all of this person's energy was going into his calls for help. Even so, it was only just able to break free from the cacophony caused by the rapids. It was deep night, stars glistening. I cocked my head, keen to catch any further noises. There was splashing. I rose to my feet and ran over to investigate.
By the time I made it to the river bank it was already clear. The trails left behind by the crocodile monsters were still fresh, leading me to the water. I could see new bubbles froth and churn as the beasts raced towards their meal. It was first come first served out here. I squatted down and then jumped high in the air, scanning the river below for the unfortunate victim. It wasn't long before I spotted him, he was lucky and had managed to cling to the rocks by the calm pool of water, but I could see the dark shadows lurching at him beneath the surface.
He was at the curved rock, clinging desperately, using the last of his strength, trying to claw his way into the safety of the pool. His nails were cracked and broken, peeling away and leaking blood over the rock, dribbling into the water. The beasts became even more frenzied. He tried to pull his other hand out of the current and onto the rock, but as he got it into the air I knew it was hopeless. The arm was mangled beyond repair, having clearly taken the brunt of the impact from his tumbling. I could see the bone and it was cracked to the point of fragmentation.
I landed in the soft sand and then took a running leap to his position. As I landed on the rock, the first of the wiry limbs shot out the water, like a harpoon bolt, aiming straight at his hand gripping the rock. I heard the slap and saw the rock break with the impact. The man was dislodged, the swirl of water pulling him away. I watched his face. He knew he was going to die. By now he too could see the shapes closing in on him, not because his eyesight had improved, but because there were so many of them.
The froth turned a sickly yellow as the monsters battled each other to reach the tasty snack. Just as the first enormous mouth broke through the surface, intent on swallowing him whole, I struck out with my right foot. It was the first time I'd used my full strength to strike one of these creatures and the results were far beyond my expectations. The mouth blew apart into a spray of yellow mist, completely unable to contain the kinetic force coursing through it.
For the second time that night, the man was caught completely off guard. He had been focused on the water, not seeing me land next to him. He looked up, stunned. The shock was too much for him, he froze. I darted forwards, just catching his ankle before he was swept away. "Idiot!" I yelled. He looked at me, still dazed. I lifted him into the air, dangling over the top of the water, which seemed to shake him back to his senses.
"Wha... wha..who?" He mumbled. I pulled him over the rocks and reevaluated the current situation. The beasts were clearly wary of me; they had stopped their wild thrashing and circled the rock. They recognised me as the other monster that lived in this area. A few had tried to attack me before, but they simply became one of my meals. The night went still.
"What do we do now?" The man asked, standing up next to me. I could smell the blood running down him. His legs were shredded, large chunks missing. What did remain was deeply cut and bleeding.
"You're going to break a few more bones." I grumbled. Before he could process what I meant I had already grabbed hold of him. He slapped at my arms weakly. I've been tickled harder. I jumped and threw him, sending him flying like a rag doll. His limbs sprawled outwards; he managed to tuck them in before he hit the bank. A cloud of sand blew in the air, hiding his body. My actions were quicker than the beasts could catch on but now they were completely enraged. I sneered as they piled at me.
Tens of rubbery arms came whipping at me, but with a simple spin I was able to smack them all away. Some were torn off, flying far into the distance. A forerunner was stupid enough to try come at me first, mouth gaping. My blood was pumping properly now. My vision turned red, the mouth opened. It was the first time I had faced so many opponents and the feeling filled me with a savage joy. My nails extended and my senses heightened to their limits. I hadn't felt this way since I had regained control. I changed. I was a predator.
Their blood had a strange tinge to its smell. Like Sulphur. I sensed it pumping around, carrying the energy needed for their attacks. I could now tell that there were thirty of them altogether, but the ones at the back were young, hoping only for a few scraps. Ha! It was time to show them what it meant to challenge me in my territory. I howled as I charged at the pack.
My eyes were largely useless in this fight. There was too much of their blood spaying through the air. It was like fog, thick and heavy - but delicious! It only made me more excited. Each punch sent a head exploding. Occasionally I would grab hold of what guts I could, tearing them out and stuffing them down my chest mouth. It gurgled joyfully, finally able to relish in the banquets it desired. I picked one of the out the water, claws digging into its throat, and pulled it before me. I smiled at its struggles, then stuffed it whole into the mouth. I was ecstatic.
I felt the creatures retreat. It had only been a short encounter, but ten of them had already died. The fish in the calm pool were feasting on the scraps that fell to them. I roared, delighted at my power. I felt the attacking monsters regroup. I felt my teeth start to change. I ran my tongue over their tips, feeling the sharp points. Huh? This had never happened to me before. My head had always remained mine, never disfiguring. I stopped to think, but by the time I realised how dangerous it was to stop during a fight, it was too late.
The creatures were smart. Their tactics changed and they struck the rock I was standing on. It crumbled like an old biscuit. The water was cold.
The limbs dragged me further down, wrapping me up. I was shocked at the fall; the water that surged over my face blinded and disoriented me. I felt a great anger well up within me. It built like water in a dam. How dare they? How dare they attack me? This was my territory. It was only by my mercy that I allowed them to live here, yet they dared to hunt my prey, to attack me! A low growl rippled through the water. The limbs pulling me down tensed and I felt the weaker creatures at the back dart away.
I tore away at the limbs still holding me. Once released, the current tried to carry me away. But I changed again. My finger became webbed and I secreted slime over my body. My eyes adjusted and I could see underwater just as well as I could above. I latched out to a rock, easily stopping my drifting. I placed my feet against it and then shot myself forwards like a missile. For once I was glad I didn't have to breathe.
My new bones made swimming much easier, the lower density giving me greater buoyancy and control. I breezed past the razor rocks that barred my way back up the river. It wasn't long before I caught back up with the monsters that were hurriedly swimming away. I sliced past the ones at the back, splitting them straight in two. I diced my way forwards, goring all that I passed.
The ones at the front looked back. I could smell their fear. They were like the man now, desperately trying to escape, but knowing that they stood no chance. Now they realised their inferiority. Their fear only goaded me to go faster. The hunt was exhilarating. With each stroke I came closer to them.
When I pulled myself out the water I was quite far up the river. My clothes were now saturated yellow. They reeked of blood. I smiled, drawing in a deep breath. I held my hand before me, watching as the webs folded away. I was indomitable. Nothing could stop me. I roared.
***
"Wake up."
The man groggily opened his eyes. They went wide when they managed to focus on me. He groaned in pain as he tried to move. I had already tied him down, using some bones to act as splints on his arms and legs. Some fatty tissue was wrapped around his neck as a brace.
"You need to eat. You're starving."
I put a piece of the fish to his mouth. He trembled, but as the juice rolled over his lips he couldn't help but bite at the piece.
"It's been a few days. None of your squad have come to find you yet. Are they alive?"
He just blinked at me.
"Hey, is there any point waiting here? Are people looking for you?"
"Who are you?" His voice was cracked.
"I'm Rav."
"Why are you here?"
"I was sightseeing."
"Sightseeing, here?" I didn't know how much of that night he remembered. If memories were kept in blood, he would be a simpleton by now. The grass around him had turned black from the blood he had spilt. I pointed at the pile of bones nearby. He flicked his eyes over to look.
"Are your other hunters dead or alive?"
"Dead," he mumbled.
"What happened? Why were you in the river?"
It seemed seeing the number of bones reminded the man of how strong I was. If I had wanted to kill him I could have done so long ago - or just left him in the river.
"We were hunting in the third zone. We were about to qualify for our gene enhancements. I'm part of the Reptile kingdom. We were ambushed,." he paused, drifting away in thought. "Those f*ckers! It must have been those religious fanatics, Gods Chosen! They had those wings on their uniforms. They killed Jay and Parmale. I ran and jumped into the river."
"Your name?"
"Huh? Oh, right. I'm Folie."
"You need to eat, Folie. I've done what I could to help you, but I'll need to get you back to the city. You need medical attention. At the moment you've lost too much blood, you'll bleed out if I make the journey now."
He tried to nod. I fed him another few pieces of fish.
I moved camp that evening. After the blood-bath no creature dared to approach me, but I feared that monsters from the third zone might be drawn over to this side. I found a calm section up the river I followed to get here, settling down in a woodland patch nearby. Folie was easy to carry over this distance, but his incessant bleeding was starting to give the nearby wildlife their courage back. I sat in on a branch, a stream of sunlight glowing on my head.
I was watching a group of ants crawling on the ground. They were all working in unison, carrying various bits of food back to their nest. Their great feast was courtesy of my leftovers. Folie had spent the first night here wincing. The ants had bitten him, leaving him covered in tiny punctures. I had tried to practice speaking by talking to him more, but he only regained consciousness for a small amount of time each day. He needed all his energy to stay alive.
I watched a particularly big ant, pincer at and then lift a chunk of meat onto its back. I felt the hot rush run through my mind, showing the image of the ants biting at Folie. "Haha, I take it you don't like Folie much then Sare?" A memory of me being slapped by the orphan master surfaced. Then it returned to the ant image, but now zoomed in right on the ant head. That was it! Sare you genius!
"Folie, Folie!" I cooed softly "wake up." I stood directly over him, staring down at his face. "There, there. Now. This is going to hurt!" I could see the shadow-warped grin on my face reflected in his terrified eyes. As the ant head chomped onto his tender skin, he shrieked.
It was scorching hot at midday when I caught sight of Hope city in the distance.
"We're here," I told Folie.
He immediately broke into tears, his joy and relief streaming down his face.