Baku and his men moved through the dense forest with practiced quiet, their guns pointed in front of them, eyes scanning every inch of the shadowed terrain. The only sound was the crunch of their boots against the dry leaves and the occasional rustle of the wind. Four men, tense and alert, their senses on high. Baku led the way, his massive frame moving with surprising grace for someone his size, while the others followed closely behind, each gripping their rifles with white-knuckled hands.
"Stay sharp," Baku muttered under his breath, his eyes flicking from tree to tree. "If this is an attack, we'll deal with it quick. If it's one of our own fucking around, I'll shoot him myself."
The darkness pressed in on them from all sides, thick and oppressive. The further they ventured, the more the sense of unease grew. Each man felt it creeping into his bones, that primal sense of something being wrong.
Suddenly, the man to Baku's right, a guard named Kuno, tapped him gently on the thigh. Baku halted immediately, raising a fist to signal the others to stop. His eyes narrowed as he followed Kuno's gaze into the gloom.
"What is it?" Baku whispered.
Kuno pointed ahead. "There. Something… something big."
Baku gave a quick nod and signaled to Akida, one of the younger guards. "Go check it out."
Akida swallowed hard, his hands tightening on his rifle before he nodded. He moved forward cautiously, stepping lightly as he approached the object in the shadows. The others followed at a distance, their guns trained on the darkness, ready for anything.
As Akida reached the spot, he stopped dead in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat. His eyes widened as he took in the sight in front of him.
"It's a lion," he whispered, horror creeping into his voice.
Baku moved forward, peering over Akida's shoulder. There, in the dim light, lay a massive lion, its body limp and twisted unnaturally. Its neck had been wrenched so violently that its head was turned nearly upside down, blood trickling from its mouth onto the ground below. The beast's eyes were still open, staring lifelessly into the void.
"What the hell could do this to a lion?" Baku muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Akida shook his head, his mouth dry. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like it."
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from nearby, causing all of them to spin around, rifles raised. The forest, once quiet, now seemed alive with danger. Baku motioned for one of the men to check it out.
Kuno stepped forward, moving cautiously toward the source of the noise. His eyes darted around the trees, his heart pounding. As he approached a large tree, he froze. His face went pale.
"Holy shit…" he gasped, his voice shaking.
Baku and the others moved quickly to join him. As they rounded the tree, they saw it—a body hanging in the branches above. It was the guard who had gone to relieve himself earlier, but now his body was barely recognizable. His arm was missing, torn off at the shoulder, and his body was twisted and broken in ways that shouldn't be possible. Blood coated the bark of the tree, dripping down in thick rivulets.
"Shit," Baku whispered.
Before anyone could react further, there was a sudden thud behind Kuno. The men turned sharply, their rifles snapping to attention.
Standing there, half-hidden in the shadows, was a hulking figure—an abomination of twisted limbs and black with what seemed to be green like veins running all over its body which was covered in golden plates. Its face, or lack thereof was also covered in the same golden armor as the rest of its body, but its mouth opened, revealing rows of gleaming, jagged teeth. A long tongue slithered from its mouth, dripping with saliva.
One of the guards, Eric, was the first to speak, his voice trembling. "What the fuck is that?!"
Before anyone could react, the creature moved with impossible speed, lunging forward. Its massive hand clamped down on Kuno's throat, lifting him off the ground with ease. Kuno's eyes bulged as he choked, his feet kicking uselessly in the air.
The others opened fire, bullets tearing through the trees and ripping into the creature's body, but it didn't seem to care. With a sickening crunch, it crushed Kuno's neck, tossing his lifeless body aside like a ragdoll.
Akida screamed, unloading his rifle into the beast as it turned its attention to him. The creature dodged to the side, moving faster than any animal, and was on Akida before he could react. Its claws slashed through the air, catching him across the chest and sending him crashing to the ground, blood spurting from the deep gashes.
Baku watched in horror as his men were torn apart one by one. Eric tried to run, but the creature leaped onto him, driving its teeth into his neck, tearing it open in a spray of blood. The forest echoed with their screams, each one cut short as the creature brutally dispatched them.
Baku was the last. He backed away, his rifle shaking in his hands as he fired shot after shot, but the creature was relentless. It moved with terrifying speed, dodging every bullet. Then it was on him. Baku barely had time to scream before the creature's claws ripped into his flesh, tearing him apart with horrifying precision.
---
Back in the village, the sound of gunfire echoed through the night, causing a ripple of fear to spread among the captives. The men working in the drug shack exchanged nervous glances, their hands trembling as they continued to process the drugs.
"What's going on?" one of the men whispered to his companion, his voice tight with fear.
"I don't know," the other replied, his eyes darting toward the door. "But whatever it is, I hope it's the soldiers. Maybe they're here to rescue us."
Outside, several guards ran toward the sound of the commotion, leaving only two behind to keep watch over the laborers. The two guards were tense, their eyes wide as they glanced toward the door, unsure of what was happening.
One of the prisoners, a tall man named Njoro, noticed the guards' distraction. His eyes met those of another prisoner beside him, a younger man named Mwangi. Njoro nodded subtly, and Mwangi returned the gesture.
Now was their chance.
Njoro moved first, slowly edging closer to the guard nearest the door, whose attention was focused on the distant gunshots. With his heart racing, Njoro lunged forward, grabbing the guard by the arm and yanking him down. The guard shouted in surprise, but before he could react, Mwangi and two other prisoners rushed forward, slamming into him with all their weight.
The guard struggled, his rifle going off in the scuffle, the bullet tearing through one of the men's necks. The man crumpled to the ground, blood spurting from the wound, but the others kept fighting, driven by desperation and fear.
The second guard raised his rifle, but Mwangi tackled him, knocking the weapon from his hands. The two men fell to the ground, rolling in the dirt as they grappled for control. The guard managed to draw his machete, slashing it across Mwangi's back, leaving a deep, bloody gash.
Mwangi cried out in pain but refused to let go. He grabbed the guard's wrist, twisting it until the machete clattered to the ground. With a final, desperate effort, Mwangi slammed the guard's head against the floor, dazing him long enough for the other prisoners to swarm him.
The other guard, still struggling with Njoro, tried to reach for his weapon again, but the remaining hostages overwhelmed him, kicking and punching with all the strength they could muster. It was a sloppy, desperate fight, but their sheer numbers and determination won out. The guard's cries for help were silenced as Njoro grabbed the rifle and bashed the man's skull in with the butt of the gun.
Breathing heavily, Mwangi looked up, his back bleeding profusely. He glanced at Njoro, both of them barely able to stand but victorious. The hostages, shaken and bloodied, stood in silence for a moment, realizing they had done it. They had overpowered their captors.