I stepped carefully through the trees, trying not to make any sound, and after I don't know how many years, it wasn't that hard. My fingers gripped my bow and loaded arrow while the makeshift sword I'd made from a piece of broken helicopter blade, was strapped at my side. How a helicopter got here, I'll never know, and the pilot was dead so I couldn't ask. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway. The few people I'd ever met in this place never remembered how they'd gotten here. I myself had nearly driven myself crazy trying to think past the fog in my mind, but if there was a way in, there had to be a way out which is why, even after all this time, I was still out here looking everyday instead of back in the safety of my cave.
I was used to using nothing but the dull light of what I figured was the sun, to see out here. I remembered that the light of the sun back home was so bright that looking directly at it could cause blindness, but it had been years since I'd seen anything that bright. Day here was like walking in the light of a full moon, and night was a deep black abyss. There weren't even any stars to light up the night. I really missed looking at the stars.
Suddenly, I heard a light crinkling sound, like something large stepping on dead leaves, behind me. I snapped around, my bow raised and pulled taut. At first, I didn't see anything, but I'd made the mistake of shrugging off a sound like that before, and it nearly cost me my life. I stood completely still, with sharp eyes and strained ears, waiting for what I knew was there.
After a few seconds, a dark mass snaked out from behind the trees. It had curled ram horns rounding large pointed ears, three inch teeth set in a wide mouth, and no eyes on a round head attached to a giant cat like body with large muscular legs and a long flexible tail. Large sharp spines jutted out from its back and two bony bat wings lay comfortably along its black, hairy body.
It's two inch claws pierced the ground as it strolled along but not in my direction. It didn't seem to know I was there, but I still didn't move to run away. It may have been blind, but it could still hear me just fine. In a world barely touched by light on a good day, eyesight is pretty much pointless. These creatures relied on hearing and smell to help them, which is why I made as little noise as possible at all times. Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything about the smell. I hadn't found anything with a strong enough oder to mask my own so I just prayed that it left before it smelled me. No such luck.
I mentally cursed as it raised its head, sniffed the air, then turned toward me. My only hope now was to kill it and run and hope that I could get to safety before reinforcements showed up. I pulled my arrow even tighter as the creature took a tentative step toward me, and released.
My aim had been true as the arrow sank into its throat, severing its vocal cords so it couldn't call out for help. Instead it fell back in surprise and gasped harshly, clawing at its own throat trying to remove the arrow but only succeeding in ripping large gashes in its neck. I charged at it with my blade not even stopping as I brought it down on the creature's neck, just using the momentum to vault myself over the enraged beast.
I landed on the other side then spun around, my blade raised for an attack, but there was nothing to protect myself from. The creature was dead, its head laying partially detached from its body.
I took no time to celebrate as I sheathed my weapon, picked up my bow, and took off running through the woods, back to the safety of my cave. I didn't stop running until I reached a spot where a giant tree drew up from among a huge pile of boulders, its roots weaving and twisting around the six hundred pound rocks. I found a small gap between two rocks, just wide enough for me to squeeze through. On the other side I slid through a hole in the ground then climbed down a rope into a small cave poket about twelve feet in diameter. My home for the past few years. Home. Such a funny word for this dark cave I used to hide from the nightmare that was my reality. The creatures outside were much too big to squeeze through the tiny cracks, so it was one of the only safe places around.
