Deep in the forest, Alexander was desperately running for his life. Swiftly weaving and ducking past trees and branches, his feet rapidly beating against the tricky terrain yet cautious to avoid tripping. His breath hastened, heart pounding, lungs greedy pulling in the fresh green air.
Zipping past the trees, Alexander could almost hear the wendigo gaining on him. He could hear the thud, the crunch, the rustle, the trembling of trees with each leap the beast would make. And worst, their gap was closing. Each thud, a death knell sounding his impending doom, and it grew louder and louder with each passing second.
His eyes spied ahead. 'Almost there.' He cried dreading.
Running with all his might, panting heavily. He could feel it, the creature was right on top of him. It could be game over anytime soon.
"Raawr" growled the creature as it lunged at Alexander with razor-sharp claws extended aiming to do more than grab his clothing.
Just as the beast lunged at him, whether it be instinct or sheer luck, Alexander dove forward at that very instant, marginally escaping the ripping razor-sharp claws.
Alexander hit the ground hard but he had bigger problems to worry about than pain, upon impact he immediately rolled and spun to face the creature.
Only to find no one there. He stayed crouched on the ground, breathing heavily, heart pumping, eyes darting around for the creature, his hand urgently scurried the ground searching for something.
The place was quiet but he could hear tiny puffs of breathing, quiet thuds, and crunches moving around him.
The sounds were getting slower, tell tell signs that the creature was about to make its move.
All this while his eyes never left the trees nor did his arm stop frantically patting away at the ground, searching.
Then all sounds stopped. The creature was ready. It was coming.
Dreading what was about to happen. Alexander's arm aggressively tapped away at the ground in a panic.
*Tap*
He felt it. He heard it. He found it. What he was searching for. The long cold shaft.
He smiled. Unfortunately, in his joy, he looked away for just a second, but a second was all this predator needed. He pounced out at him with unhinged jaws and sawlike teeth.
...
Back at the campsite, there was an argument ensuing between Sam and the siblings.
"Why do you not want to go?" Yelled Sam."Do you not want to find your brother?"
"I do, but Alexander told us to wait here." Hailey hesitantly shouted back.
"Alexander? That guy?" Sam asked exasperatedly. "Really? You're still listening to that guy?"
"That guy doesn't know anything about what's happening. Listening to him is going to get you killed." Sam tried to explain.
"No, he asked us to wait, so we'll wait," Hailey said with a little firmness in her voice.
"Don't you understand what happened? He left. When the creature attacked, he got scared and ran. He probably thought he could use you as bait to cover his escape." Spat Sam. "You get it now? He's gone. He left you here."
This time it was Ben who objected, " You're wrong. If he wanted to leave us, he would have run back the way we arrived but he ran deeper into the forest." Ben explained as boldly as he could.
His intrusion stumped Sam for a moment but he quickly recovered. "So what if he went that way or this way? What are you not understanding? No matter what way he went he is not coming back. He's dead." Sam stated in frustration.
Sam paused, taking a deep breath. He spoke calmly but firmly to Hailey and Ben, "If you want to leave this place alive and find your brother, you will come with me."
Ben glanced at Hailey, uncertainty in his eyes. But Hailey scoffed, repeating, "Leave this place alive?"
Then, with cold sarcasm, she added, "Like Roy?"
"Hey, Roy's death isn't on me," Sam shot back defensively.
Like hell, it wasn't," Hailey retorted, her voice sharp filled with emotion. "Anyone with half a brain knows you have to stay alert in the woods—things never go as planned out here."
"And if I knew this, you can damn-well be sure Roy knew this too. If you and your brother weren't too busy trying to look tough and putting down Roy. He probably wouldn't have run out there alone and died."
Her emotional words stung Sam, a pang of guilt jabbed at his heart. His face fell, but with a quick shake of his head, his face hardened again.
He then groaned deeply with frustration. "What? Do you think a normal person can outrun that thing?" "Do you know what most likely happened? That thing has probably already ripped him to shreds and is on its way back h-
*Poww*
A gunshot from deep in the forest interpreted Sam. The gunshot was immediately followed by angry animalistic grunts, bites, and snarls like that of an enraged ravenous beast.
Sam's head snapped in that direction, listening, he could still hear the snarls and bites of the creature. It was as though it was trying to chew or bite at something with aggression.
"What's happening?" Hailey whispered in fear.
"I don't know" Sam answered back equally faintly.
Hailey pulled her brother in closer.
*Poww*
Another shot echoed through the forest like the first. However, this time the shot was immediately followed by a sharp pained cry.
Hearing the cry, Sam scrunched his brows an idea surfaced on his mind. An idea he quickly drowned believing it to be impossible.
After the pained cry followed weak inhuman grunts and whimpers, that seemed to slowly move away, till they could hear it no more.
The forest was once again filled with dead silence like it was devoid of any living creature.
Still unsure of what all the gunshots and cries meant, Sam grabbed at Hailey, "Let's go." He ordered.
Only even after all that Hailey was still against leaving.
"Let go of me!" Hailey gritted as she fought back fiercely.
"Come on you don't... under...stand," Sam groaned trying to get her to stand as he also fought off Ben's unsuccessful attempts to pry Sam's hands off Hailey.
Hailey's hand lashed through the air to Sam deliverying a very sharp, swift, and vicious slap to his face. Sam froze as the slap echoed. He felt the sting spread through his cheek. He stood there frozen his mouth opened in shock.
He stopped everything. He let go of Hailey. He watched her, she looked tense, a little apprehensive but most of all she looked determined.
Sam sighed deeply.
Then he spoke "You know what? I'm done-
Again before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by an approaching snapping of branches, the crunching of leaves. Footsteps.
He swiftly turned, pulling out a pistol from his side and aiming it. In the shadows of the trees, he could see a glowing yellow dot, drifting and swaying in the shade, leaving an ominous yellow streak as it moved through the woods.
Sam held his gun tighter, steadied his pistol, and took aim.
Slowly the yellow dot moved out of the shade into the warm yellow light of the setting sun becoming visible. An odd-eyed man.
Hailey gasped joyfully, "Alexander."
Before them stood Alexander with cold odd eyes, breathing calmly, with Roy's rifle in hand as deep dark red almost black blood flowed from his hand onto the rifle, running along its cracked barrel to the tip before dripping on the soil.
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