Nothing To Fear ....

Road Hazard

       It reached out , knowing it was mere seconds from its next meal , when everything suddenly went wrong .

       First , it heard the sound of one of the other females stirring , and realized that it needed to hurry , before she woke and alerted the others , bringing them in numbers it wasn't yet strong enough to prevail against . Especially if the one it had noted earlier became involved ; with his power so evident , he was likely a cleric , or a wizard of notable skill . 

       It reached out , intending to take hold of the girl and overpower her , taking what it wanted and fleeing , before anyone could interfere . But when it made contact , it was instead met with searing , incredible pain . It and the girl screamed simultaneously , and at that point its only thought was to get away . It needed  to escape before the humans could overpower and imprison it again , and to find a place to rest , and to rid itself of the burning agony in its hand .

       So it turned and bolted for the nearest opening , uncaring of the fabric and glass in its way as it dove through . It received several cuts from the glass , but disregarded them ; they were insignificant , and would be mostly , if not completely healed by the time it left its hiding place to roam after the next sunset .

       As it landed on the ground , it could hear the sound of the other humans , awake and on the move , coming from the room that it had just fled . It used its preternatural speed to dash across the open , grassy area to a cluster of trees on the opposite side of the roadway .

       When it finally decided that it was relatively safe , that they weren't going to come out hunting it , it finally took the opportunity to examine its injury . It looked in astonishment at the ugly wound that began on the side of its smallest finger and extended to just past the wrist , charred and suppurating , black ichor dripping to the ground . To add insult to injury , the wound had a symbol burned into it , from the accursed neckpiece the girl had worn , which insured that it would never heal properly .

      BITCH ! GODDAMNED FUCKING TWAT ! 

       The words surfaced in its mind , dragged from the remnants of the consciousness of the one whose form it wore . After cursing the girl , in both its hosts tongue and its own , it also cursed itself for falling for such an obvious trap .

       It was obvious , in hindsight , that the conversation the humans had engaged in earlier was designed with the sole purpose of luring it to them , in hopes of recapturing it . That had to be the explaination for the appearance of the magic - wielder . And the presence of the damnable necklace made it clear that either the girl was , herself , also a wizard , or that the man had designated her as his instrument .

       It would have to be cautious , and look for opportunities to take the others , saving those two for the last . If it deprived them of their minions , gaining strength as it did so , then they would not be able to stand against it . Especially when it regained enough of its strength to bring forth minions of its own .

       As it hid in the shadows of the trees , raging at its misfortune , it heard a sound . It listened more carefully , and recognized the low rumbling sound of one of the human conveyances . Its eyes lit up as it realized that this meant that it had another chance to feed .       

       It slipped further into the shadows , watching for the vehicle , awaiting its opportunity .

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       "Shit !" , the driver exclaimed , realizing that he'd overshot the driveway . "Great ! Just fucking terrific ! Now we have to find somewhere to turn around , Sally ." , he said to the rust - colored husky who occupied the passenger seat .