The wind shook the forest alive, wailing and singing like a phantom. It grabbed every flower, blade of grass, and tree before letting go. The forest breathed with each gust. Leaves rustled, and branches swayed, creating a symphony of whispers and groans. The sky, a moody palette of grays, hinted at the storm to come. The air was thick with anticipation, the scent of damp earth mingling with pine and wildflowers.
Perched high in the treetops, two hunters surveyed the forest below with keen, practiced eyes. Their worn gear and dark goggles, blending into the foliage.
The leaner hunter adjusted his grip on the crossbow, moving with silent precision. Various tools and weapons were strapped to his belt and vest, ready for any situation.
The bulkier hunter scanned the area through cracked but functional binoculars, a quiver of arrows, and a utility knife at his side.
As the wind carried the scent of their prey, the lean hunter's gaze locked onto a deer grazing below. With a fluid motion, he raised his crossbow, taking careful aim. The forest seemed to hold its breath, the only sound the faint creak of worn leather and wood.
A clap of thunder echoed through the forest. Moments later, the skies opened up, releasing a torrent of rain. The downpour quickly drenched the area, soaking the hunters and the foliage around them. Droplets pounded against leaves, turning the forest floor into a muddy mess. Despite the sudden downpour, the deer remained unfazed, continuing to graze.
"That's weird," muttered Lukas, the lean hunter, puzzled by the deer's calmness amidst the storm. Changing his mind about shooting the deer, even though he wasn't supposed to, he was so hungry that he would take the shot even if it would get him in trouble.
Viktor, the other hunter, lit a cigarette and took a drag. "Not really, if you think about it. You're not gonna stop your meal because it's raining. Besides, when you're an animal, you don't know when it's going to be safe again. You might as well eat up, rain or no rain."
They sat on an old, weathered wooden platform, remnants of some long-forgotten outpost. The planks creaked under their weight, and moss had claimed the corners.
Lukas glanced around and muttered, "How old is this thing?"
As they perched on the platform, smoke rose from their mouths. Lukas asked, "You sure this isn't going to blow our cover, Viktor? I mean, the animals could spot us."
Viktor, the slimmer hunter, took another drag of his cigarette and replied confidently, "Nah, we've been up here plenty of times, munching on chocolate and smoking. If any critter was gonna spot us, they would've done it by now."
Lukas nodded thoughtfully, then pulled out something resembling an energy bar. Before taking a bite, he mused, "There's so much to learn from the hunt, isn't there? How hard is it, really, to shoot a damn animal?"
Viktor laughed. "Hunting is a very complicated trade. You have to give these animals some credit. Even the dumbest deer stands a far better chance of surviving in a forest than the world's smartest man." Taking another puff of his cigarette, he cleared his head.
"But remember why we're here," Viktor remarked.
"Yes, to protect our refugees from the terrible monsters of the world," Lukas teased. "We've been out here for a week and no sign of any. Not a damn thing! So what the hell is even the point of being up here if we're not even gonna see any action?"
Viktor finished his cigarette, expressing his disappointment. "Cheap ass barely lasted a minute." He turned to Lukas. "Come on, it's like you said. If they knew we were up here, they would have killed us by now. So, since the monsters don't know we're up here, we should take the fight to them."
Viktor added cryptically, "The monsters would wait for days, and not because they fear you. It's because they would love to see the look on your face when they rip it off."
Lukas nearly choked on his cigarette and blurted out, "What?!"
"You can forget fighting those things," Viktor said. "Suicide isn't a good enough word to describe going up against them, so you can forget that."
Lukas would probably be sweating if it wasn't for the rain. "What the hell do you do then?" he asked.
Viktor simply replied, "You run. It's the only thing you can do."
Lukas fought for words. "How... how do you know that we're safe then?"
Another simple answer came from Viktor. "You don't, and you never will."
Lukas began to shake. "How can you not know? You're an experienced hunter. Surely you must know something?"
Viktor put a hand on Lukas's shoulder. "I'm a betting man, and in life, you can't really know anything. In my opinion, you can only make bets. I've been betting for 41 years, and I'm still alive. So relax, enjoy life."
Lukas glared at Viktor. "You make it sound so easy." His anger erupted. "They may have treated you awful, but you were never a slave. The soldiers there treated you like a second-class citizen, sure, but at the end of the day, you were human in their eyes. Everyday of my life lived under the tyranny of the vampire. I was forced to live under humiliation and torture. And one day, if you're lucky, you'll be devoured."
Lukas removed his camo face cover, revealing his severely pale skin and a branding on the side of his neck that read 287B. He was a young man in his early twenties, clean-shaven with brown hair and very tired green eyes.
"You lived in a world where you had the right to see the sun," Lukas continued, sighing. "I never did."
Viktor sighed. "You're probably right, kid. But don't ever get political like that. Not out here."
Lukas yelled, "The hell do you mean, not get political?!"
Viktor's expression hardened. "Because, kid, if I didn't like you, and there was a little accident, no one deep in the Alps would come to save you."
Puzzled, Lukas asked, "Why tell me this?"
Viktor laughed, a rough sound in the quiet forest. "Because I actually like you, and I don't want your next partner to kill you." He gave Lukas a friendly slap on the back, his eyes glinting with a mixture of warning and genuine care.
Viktor continued to reassure Lukas. "I still think we're safe. It's been two months now, and they haven't come after us. A few thousand people hanging out in the Alps is something they would have noticed by now, and they would have come for us if they cared about us."
He glanced sorrowfully at Lukas's branding. "If the vampires have their livestock cities, that's even less of a reason to come after us." Viktor rubbed his chin in contemplation. "With all the troubles Germany is having, I think we will be unnoticed for a while."
There was another worry that Lukas had. "Surely there are other monsters in the world. They can always send more."
Viktor assured him, "I wouldn't count on it. The monsters of the world are a lot like people. You'll find most of every kind in certain areas, much like how you'll find most Germans in Germany. And as much as I hate Kaiser's regime, he does, for the most part, keep the other monsters out."
Lukas's stomach began to grumble after Viktor's speech. "You know, those deer might still be there if we hadn't scared them off with our little discussion earlier."
Viktor chuckled. "Well, I'm certain the master hunter here can find them pretty quickly."
Lukas said, "Are we going to hunt these things? It's been forever since we've had deer."
Viktor contemplated for a second and then said, "Why not? It would ease your mind."
Lukas stood up and stretched." Agreed I can probably worry less on a full stomach," he claimed.
The two hunters peered through their scopes, scanning the forest floor for any sign of the deer. The rain had let up slightly, but the underbrush was still thick and wet, making it harder to see. Lukas adjusted his position, trying to catch a glimpse of their prey.
"Anything?" Viktor whispered, his voice barely audible over the soft patter of raindrops.
"Nothing yet," Lukas replied, a note of frustration in his voice.
They continued to scan the area, the tension growing with each passing second. Just as they were about to give up, a sudden noise made them both jump. Leaves rustled, and branches snapped somewhere nearby, the sound unnervingly loud in the otherwise quiet forest.
Lukas steadied his scope, focusing on the direction of the sound. His breath caught as one of the deer slowly shambled into view. Its movements were unnatural, almost eerie, as it crept closer. The deer's eyes were vacant and glassy, its head drooping unnaturally. It looked more like a specter than a living creature.
"What the hell..." Viktor muttered under his breath, adjusting his own scope to get a better look.
Through the scope, Lukas saw every unsettling detail—the deer's matted fur, the shallow, labored rise and fall of its chest, the way its legs moved in jerky, disjointed motions. It seemed unaware of its surroundings, driven by some unseen force. The scope's magnification revealed small, open wounds dotting its body, oozing a dark, viscous liquid.
The forest around them remained eerily still, the usual nocturnal sounds muted as if nature itself was holding its breath. The oppressive silence made the deer's movements even more unsettling. Each step it took seemed to echo.
Lukas's pulse quickened as he watched the deer, his finger hovering over the trigger. Viktor's grip tightened on his rifle, his eyes narrowing as he tracked the creature's unnerving approach.
The deer continued to shamble forward, its legs moving in jerky, disjointed motions. It seemed unaware of its surroundings, driven by some unseen force. The sight of the once-majestic animal reduced to this pitiful state sent a chill down Lukas's spine.
Viktor's grip tightened on his weapon, his eyes narrowing as he studied the creature. "Something's not right," he said, his voice low and tense. The forest seemed to hold its breath, amplifying the tension between them.
Lukas nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from the disturbing sight. "Yeah, no kidding," he whispered back. "What do you think happened to it?"
"I don't know," Viktor replied, his tone grim. "But whatever it is, it's not natural."
The hunters' gazes remained locked on the deer as it continued its eerie progress toward their tree. The deer suddenly vanished. The forest's sounds seemed to fade away, leaving only the unsettling creaks and groans of the surroundings.
Lukas said, "Do you think it's just a figment of our imagination?"
Viktor earnestly gave it a thought. "No, it's too specific, too long. Besides, none of us had anything to drink tonight," he added.
A sharper, closer sound suddenly pierced the silence, jolting both hunters into alertness. They quickly adjusted their scopes, their breaths coming in short, tense bursts.
In the dim light, they saw another deer standing over the corpse of another deer. The living deer sniffed and pawed at the lifeless body, its eyes wide and unblinking, as if drawn to some disturbing ritual. Then a very creepy wide smile on its face. The face was Almost Human the deer suddenly bit into the deer corpse tearing a flesh of meat off of it. I very much enthusiastically chewed and then all of a sudden stopped and slowly looked up to them and with the sudden flash of lightning the creature was gone.
"The hell did it go?!" Lukas yelled. "You have to be fucking kidding me. There's no way this is real."
Viktor, trying to get a hold of the situation, yelled, "Shut up and just look for it!"
The men frantically scanned the area through their scopes. The eerie silence of the forest, now interrupted only by the soft patter of the rain, seemed to magnify their sense of dread. Every rustle of leaves and snap of a twig seemed unnervingly loud, echoing in their ears as they searched for the monstrous deer. The air felt thick and suffocating, adding to the oppressive atmosphere.
Minutes stretched into what felt like an eternity, with no sign of the deer. Lukas's heart pounded in his chest, the horror of what they had seen gnawing at his mind. Viktor's jaw was clenched, his eyes darting from tree to tree, searching for any hint of movement. But the forest remained unnervingly still, its oppressive silence deepening the sense of unease.
"Nothing," Viktor finally whispered, lowering his rifle in frustration. "It's gone."
Lukas exhaled shakily, his grip on his weapon tight and unsteady. "I can't believe it. That was..."
"Hey, boys," a voice suddenly called out from the darkness.
Both men snapped their heads up, adrenaline surging as their eyes widened in fear and confusion. There, in the dim light, they saw it. The deer stood upright on two legs, its head tilted at an unnatural angle. Its eyes glowed with an eerie, otherworldly light, and its body was grotesquely twisted, matted with blood and mud.
The sight was horrifying, more like a twisted nightmare than reality. The deer's mouth opened, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth, and it let out a low, guttural growl that sent chills down their spines.
Lukas and Viktor were frozen, the terror gripping them completely. The deer took a step forward, its movements jerky and unnatural, as if controlled by some malevolent force. The darkness of the forest seemed to press in on them.
The hunters finally broke free from their paralysis, instinct taking over. They raised their crossbows, aiming at the monstrous creature, but their hands trembled, making it difficult to steady their aim. The forest felt even darker, the oppressive atmosphere making it hard to breathe.
Just as they prepared to fire, the deer let out a blood-curdling scream and ran into the shadows, leaving the men standing in stunned silence, the echoes of its cry lingering in the air.
Lukas and Viktor exchanged uneasy glances, the adrenaline still coursing through their veins. They took a moment to catch their breath, trying to process the shocking scene they had just witnessed.
"Do you think it's gone for good?" Lukas whispered, his voice barely audible over the stillness.
"I hope so," Viktor replied, his grip on his crossbow relaxing just a bit.
For a brief moment, the only sounds were the distant calls of night birds and the soft rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze. The forest felt almost peaceful, as if it were trying to lull them into a false sense of security.
Many thoughts went through Lukas's head: How many monsters are there really in the world? How much did they lie to me? Are these things really worse than the vampires? Why did it have to be me? Why does the world keep showing me how cruel it can be?
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a rhythmic knocking at the bottom of the tree. The sound was slow and deliberate, each knock sending a jolt of fear through the men's bodies.
They looked down, their hearts pounding once more. There, at the base of the tree, stood the deer. It raised its head and looked up at them, its eyes glowing with a sinister light. Slowly, the creature's mouth curled into a chilling, unnatural smile.
The creature's eyes glowed ominously, casting an eerie light on the forest floor. Every instinct screamed at Lukas to end this nightmare.
Lukas readied his crossbow, aiming directly at the creature below. "I'm taking the shot," he muttered, his voice tense.
"Don't!" Viktor yelled, his voice sharp with urgency.
"Why the hell not?" Lukas responded, frustration and fear mingling in his tone.
"Trust me, just don't," Viktor answered, his eyes never leaving the deer.
"You really should listen to him, boy," a creepy echo came from the deer's direction, the voice unnaturally distorted, almost like a dying animal.
The deer seemed taller than it should be, its body grotesquely elongated. Its legs were much longer than a normal deer's, ending in hooves that resembled hands. The eyes were hollow, black voids that suggested the creature was anything but alive.
The sight was beyond unnerving, the deer's unnatural form and the echoing voice sending a wave of dread through the hunters. Lukas's hand shook slightly as he kept his crossbow trained on the creature, but Viktor's command and the sinister voice made him hesitate.
The creature spoke, its voice dripping with malice, "This skin is quite annoying. You really have no idea." It then placed its hand on its head. "I was wondering if I could borrow yours. You would be a fitting replacement."
Slowly, from the top of its head, it peeled off the skin like a jumpsuit, the hide slipping off effortlessly. What was left was a skinless figure, pure red muscle exposed like an anatomical model from a medical textbook. The body was that of a woman, but her eyes were those of a predator. Her legs were oddly hinged, giving her an unnatural stance. Long black hair cascaded down her back, and a devilish smile stretched across her face.
She looked directly at Lukas. "I want you, boy, so long as you do what I say. But as for the old man, I don't need him."
Viktor's face paled as he slowly uttered the word, "Skinwalker."
Lukas's eyes flicked to a gun bag lying a few feet away. In the midst of the tension, he made a quick decision. "Screw this," he muttered, lunging for the bag. He unzipped it hastily, his hands finding a flashbang.
He pulled the pin and hurled it toward the creature. The woman sneered, "Looks like they've got some fight in them, boys."
Viktor's eyes widened. "There are more of them!" he yelled.
Both Lukas and Viktor took cover, shielding their eyes just as the flashbang went off. The blinding light and deafening noise filled the air, momentarily disorienting the figure and any of its companions. The forest erupted in chaos, but the two hunters knew they had only seconds to act.
Lukas and Viktor quickly recovered from the flashbang's explosion, scrambling to their feet. Without a word, they dashed to a nearby platform where a zip line was rigged. Viktor secured the line first, glancing back at Lukas.
"Thank God they installed this thing," Lukas muttered to himself, even though he had initially thought it was a stupid idea.
"Go!" Victor urged.
Lukas clipped onto the zip line and shot into the air, the wind rushing past as he flew through the dense trees. Viktor followed right behind, and they landed with a heavy thud on the forest floor. They quickly unhooked themselves and began to run through the underbrush.
"This way!" Lukas shouted, pushing through the thick vegetation.
The forest around them was dark and tangled, with thick trees and overgrown shrubs obscuring their path. The ground was uneven, littered with fallen branches and dry leaves that crushed underfoot. Shadows seemed to move with them, playing tricks on their eyes.
"Watch your step!" Viktor called out, sidestepping a large, twisted root.
Lukas glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of movement. "Do you hear that?" he asked, his voice tense.
Viktor's head snapped around. "Just keep moving. We can't afford to slow down."
The tall trees loomed overhead, their branches casting eerie shapes in the dim light. The chill of the night air settled around them, and every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig made them flinch. Lukas kept pushing forward, his breath coming fast and heavy.
"Almost there," Viktor urged, trying to keep his own breathing steady. "Stay focused."
As they continued through the dense woods, the sounds of the forest—the distant calls of animals and the rustling of leaves—seemed to amplify their sense of urgency. Lukas's pace quickened, the adrenaline driving him forward.
"We need to get to the hideout," Lukas said, glancing ahead at the barely visible path.
"I know," Viktor replied, his voice grim. "Just a little further."
They raced through the gloomy woods, the oppressive darkness pressing in around them. The faint outlines of their hideout began to emerge through the trees, they hoped it was a beacon of safety amid the encroaching night. They pushed forward, driven by the need to reach shelter before whatever was hunting them caught up.
The entrance, partially concealed by the dense forest, came into view. It looked more exposed than they remembered, with debris scattered around and signs of recent damage—a shattered window, a broken door hinge, and claw marks etched into the wood—suggesting a recent struggle.
Victor said, "Damn it, I almost forgot." He nervously laughed. "We have radios. Try to use it."
Lukas, his hand shaking nervously and fumbling as if he were dealing with a live grenade, struggled to put in the batteries. After some tempering, he succeeded.
"Base, this is Lukas. Do you copy? Over." Static answered him. "Base, do you copy? Is there anyone there? Over."
Silence.
They exchanged worried glances and burst through the damaged doors of the hideout. The eerie quiet sent chills down their spines as they stepped inside. The interior was dimly lit, and the signs of a struggle were evident—overturned furniture, scattered papers, and dried bloodstains.
"Hello?" Lukas called out, his voice echoing in the empty space. "Is anyone here? Sarah? Tom? Anyone?"
Viktor checked the rooms one by one, each as empty as the last. "Where the hell is everyone?" he muttered.
"Lena? Jacob?" Lukas continued, his voice growing more frantic. "Anybody?"
The silence was oppressive, each unanswered call heightening their anxiety. Then, from the shadows, a faint rustling sound emerged. They froze, exchanging wary glances.
"We're not alone," Viktor whispered, gripping his weapon tightly.
Lukas, replying to Viktor, said, "No shit."
From the shadows walked Lena, a blonde woman in her early twenties. She had some scars and bruises, a pistol in her hand, and wore an outfit similar to the other hunters. "Thank God you are all right. We need to get out of here," she said, her voice urgent.
"Lena, thank God you're alive. You look hurt. We need to get out of here," Lukas replied, rushing to her side. "You look hurt."
"It's not that bad. I managed. I'm certain these wounds won't matter much when those things come back to tear me apart," Lena said, brushing off his concern.
Viktor curiously examined her, a suspicious look in his eyes. "Echo 41 niner, repeat," he said, his voice steady and commanding.
A very brief look of confusion struck Lena's face before she responded, "Echo 41."
Lukas frowned, scrutinizing her. "You're a little taller than I remember."
Lena's face contorted into an unnatural smile. "Damn, and I thought I was getting good at this," she said, her voice shifting to a menacing tone.
Lukas muttered, "Damn, I truly wish you weren't one of them." He then thought, *Well, I guess I don't have to pay for the first date.*
Before Lena could do anything, two bolts from the men's crossbows pierced her eyes. Her body twisted and grew much taller, and she laughed, the sound echoing eerily through the hideout. "That's not going to stop me," she taunted, ripping the bolts out of her eyes. "Is that everything you have?"
But before she could move, a much larger bolt fired from Lukas's crossbow struck her in the stomach, pinning her against the wall. Her eyes widened in shock as Viktor lit a Molotov cocktail and hurled it at her. The creature was engulfed in flames instantly, and she screamed a horrifying blend of twenty different voices.
"When I get my hands on you, I'll rip you apart!" she shrieked, her voice distorting and echoing with a nightmarish quality as the flames consumed her.
Lena was preoccupied with the flames, giving Lukas and Viktor a moment to act. They spotted a door, sprinted towards it, and barricaded themselves inside. They shoved a heavy wooden table against the door, reinforcing it with a metal filing cabinet and several chairs. They worked quickly, stacking anything they could find to create a makeshift blockade. The sound of their frantic efforts echoed through the room, but soon the noise of the chaos outside faded.
The sudden silence that followed was unnerving, the room enveloped in an eerie quiet. The only sounds were their ragged breaths and the distant crackling of flames. The oppressive silence pressed in on them, making every creak of the floorboards and rustle of clothing seem deafening. Their ears strained to catch any hint of movement outside, each second stretching into an eternity. It was as if the entire world had paused, holding its breath in anticipation.
Then, from the other side of the door, the creature's voice broke the silence, taunting them. "Why are they stopping? They're just kind of sitting there, not moving?" it mocked, the voice distorted, as if someone were being hit in the throat with a sledgehammer while trying to speak.
Another voice joined in, perfectly mimicking Lukas, "I mean, seriously, how hard is it to shoot a damn animal?"
Lukas panicked, repeating, "That's my voice. It's my voice." His eyes darted around the room, wild with fear.
"Calm down," Viktor said firmly, gripping Lukas's shoulder. "It's just a voice. It isn't going to kill you. They're good at imitating voices. This is how they screw with their enemy."
Lukas's breathing was ragged, but Viktor's steady presence anchored him. "Breathe. You're going to get through this," Viktor continued. "Don't focus on them. Let's find some ammo, a way out of here, a radio-something. Keep focused."
Lukas took a deep breath, his panic subsiding slightly. "Yes, sir," he replied, steeling himself.
Together, they began to search the room for supplies, methodically checking drawers, cabinets, and shelves. The creature's taunts continued outside, a constant, unsettling reminder of the danger lurking just beyond the door. Lukas tried to block out the mocking voice, focusing intently on the task at hand. Every creak of the floorboards and whisper of the wind outside heightened his anxiety, but he pressed on.
Viktor hurried over, his eyes narrowing as he inspected the trapdoor hidden beneath a dusty rug. "Good find. Let's see where this leads," he said, his voice steady despite the tension.
Lukas nodded, glancing back at the door. The taunts had become a low, menacing murmur. He felt a shiver run down his spine but forced himself to stay focused. "Cover me while I open it," he whispered.
Viktor took position, crossbow ready, as Lukas carefully lifted the trapdoor. The hinges creaked, echoing loudly in the oppressive silence. A dark, narrow staircase descended into the unknown, a damp, musty smell wafting up from below.
"Let's move," Viktor said, giving Lukas a reassuring nod. Together, they descended into the darkness, the unsettling atmosphere above replaced by an even more claustrophobic one below.
As Lukas made his way down the stairs, each step made a creaking noise, as though he were walking on a giant broken piano. The stairs felt wobbly and unsafe. Lukas thought to himself, *If the Skinwalkers don't kill me, these stairs probably will.*
"Brace yourself," Viktor said. A horrible smell wafted up, assaulting their senses. It was the pungent odor of decay and rot. The only thing Lukas could compare it to was week-old chicken that had been dumped in the garbage. He gagged slightly, covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve.
"God, what is that?" Lukas muttered, trying to breathe through his mouth.
Viktor grimaced. "Just keep moving. We need to find out what's down here."
Viktor knew what was down here but didn't want to tell Lukas. This was supposed to be Plan B, and Lukas wasn't trusted with this information. When Lukas asked, "What the hell is that smell anyway?" Viktor quickly lied, "I believe this is where we dump some of the garbage."
Lukas shot him a doubtful look but didn't press further. "That's some garbage," he muttered, continuing to descend the stairs carefully. Each step groaned under their weight, and the smell grew stronger, almost unbearable.
Viktor tried to ignore the stench, focusing instead on getting them both safely to their destination. "Just keep moving. We're almost there," he urged.
The staircase led to a small, dimly lit room. The sight that greeted them was horrific. The room looked like it had been attacked violently. Blood smeared the walls, and broken furniture lay scattered across the floor. A tattered rug was soaked with dark, dried stains, and the remains of a makeshift bed were torn apart.
"What happened here?" Lukas whispered, his voice trembling.
Viktor thought to himself, *Damn it, there's no place you can hide from them. There's never any place you can hide from them. How long has this place even been gone? How long did they even hold out for?*
Viktor scanned the room, his expression hardening. "They could have been fighting these things for a couple days. The last survivor took refuge here."
Viktor sighed heavily. "For all we know, they might have been fighting here for days. We wouldn't even notice because of these damn silent crossbows!"
Lukas examined Viktor's face. He looked worn out, frustration evident in his clenched fists and tired eyes. Lukas thought to himself, *His eyes are finally starting to look like mine.*
Amongst their walking, they managed to stumble upon a lantern, a bloody handprint smeared on it. Viktor picked it up, pulled out his lighter, and lit the lantern.
The lantern cast a warm, flickering light in the room, pushing back the darkness. Shadows danced on the walls, revealing more of the grim scene. Bloodstains and deep gouges marked the wooden surfaces, and the glint of broken glass and scattered debris caught the light. The eerie glow made the place look even more haunting, every corner now revealing signs of a desperate struggle.
They moved cautiously through the wreckage, the lantern's light casting eerie shadows on the walls. In one corner, they found a pile of belongings—a few personal items, scattered papers, and a small, battered radio. Viktor picked it up, fiddling with the dials.
"No signal," Victor said, frustration evident in his voice. "But it might still work if we get to higher ground."
Lukas nodded, his eyes lingering on the bloodstains. "We need to get out of here. This skinwalker could still be around."
"Agreed. Let's grab what we can and move," Viktor replied. They quickly gathered any useful supplies. As Lukas and Viktor continued to search the room, Lukas glanced at Viktor and asked, "Are you sure they're not wendigos?"
Viktor shook his head. "No, they're not wendigos. Wendigos don't steal skin. These things wear it and look like anything. You've seen what they look like without it."
Lukas shuddered at the memory. "Yeah, I guess you're right. They don't steal the skins of deer."
Viktor's eyes scanned the room thoughtfully. "I think I know an escape route somewhere in the base. It's very well hidden, and I'm one of only two people who knew about it. If we find it, it's a few miles of tunnels. By the time we reach the end, we'll be long out of their scent and sight."
Lukas nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope. "Lead the way, then"
Viktor reloaded his crossbow and said, "Give me a moment to think about our next move." As he did, Viktor thought to himself, *They're taking longer than they should to get to us.*
Lukas then proceeded to ask Viktor more questions to help ease his mind. "Is there anything you can tell me about our flesh-stealing friends?"
Viktor told him what he knew, "Mother made these things based on a very disturbing interpretation of them from a very wrathful native tribe. Some of the worst monsters that have ever been made."
Lukas began to look around a bit more. *Got to keep moving,* he thought, still listening to Viktor. "So, who really created them?" Lukas asked Viktor. "She must have been the ugliest one of them all."
"Well, from the paintings and images I've seen, she looked quite pretty. Really quite old but still beautiful," Viktor answered.
Lukas, not really believing him, said sarcastically, "I bet she was."
He then stopped abruptly, having stepped in a pool of blood—not just a small amount, either. The blood was coming from the only place he hadn't looked: a small door he had assumed was a closet.
Viktor, seeing Lukas's discovery, said, "There's nothing good there, boy. Nothing worth seeing. Don't open it."
Lukas's hand shook as he grabbed the doorknob. He thought to himself, *You know he's right, but I have to know. What haven't I seen at this point? I just... have to know.* He opened the door, revealing a gruesome sight. Hanging like clothing on a rack were human skins, discarded like candy wrappers. There were many of them, mostly people he knew, who were turned into skin suits.
Viktor seized the opportunity to explain, "Wendigos don't steal skin. Skinwalkers do. They can wear any skin they get their hands on and make it look pretty much like anything. And you've seen what they look like without it."
Victor sighed and then said, "I figured you already knew that much. I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
Lukas's face darkened with rage and disgust. "So this is how they get their disguise?" he muttered, his grip tightening on his weapon.
Viktor could barely bring himself to say, "Yes, kid. This is unfortunately how they do it. They can even make the corpses of some skins last for months."
Before Viktor could say more, the door they had barricaded upstairs burst open with a deafening crash. The sound of splintering wood and heavy footsteps echoed through the hideout. The two men froze, their hearts pounding in their chests.
"Get ready," Viktor whispered, positioning himself near the door with his weapon raised.
The lantern's light flickered, casting ominous shadows on the walls as the creatures broke in. A variety of mutated horrors, each more twisted and grotesque
The lantern's light flickered, casting ominous shadows on the walls as the creatures broke in. A variety of mutated horrors, each more twisted and grotesque than the last, flooded into the room. Their forms were a nightmarish blend of human and animal, limbs contorted, and eyes filled with malice. Lukas's breath caught in his throat.
"I think I would rather face the vampires," he whispered to Viktor, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of growls and hisses.