The forest welcomed me into its icy darkness.
Every step was pure agony.
Barefoot on the damp earth, I felt twigs and sharp stones digging into my heels.
But that was nothing.
Nothing compared to the pain radiating through my chest.
My fractured rib throbbed with every movement.
With my left hand, I pressed firmly against my side, trying to hold my rib cage in place.
With my right hand, I gripped the cold metal handle of my weapon.
It was my only certainty.
My only anchor in this nightmare.
The silence of the hill quickly faded, replaced by the rumors of the night.
Strange noises began to surround me.
The suspicious rustling of the foliage.
The cracking of dead branches in the distance.
And suddenly…
a massive flapping of wings.
A heavy, powerful whirring that made the air vibrate above my head.
I slowly raised my eyes toward the night sky, hidden between the treetops.
What I saw made me stop dead in my tracks.
Two massive silhouettes were clashing in mid-air.
Flying beasts.
Monstrous.
Bizarre.
Their membranous wings beat the air with fury while they tore each other apart with unbelievable savagery.
Shreds of flesh and drops of dark blood fell from the sky, crashing onto the leaves.
Their cries were sharp, shrill, almost unhuman.
My mind, blurred by amnesia and shock, tried to rationalize the scene.
— It must be…
I paused, short of breath.
— … a giant chicken.
An absurd thought.
Ridiculous.
But it was the only way for my brain not to completely sink into madness.
I looked away and quickened my pace, ignoring the pain tearing through my flank.
I had to flee this place.
I had to find civilization.
But the forest seemed to want to hold me back.
A few dozen meters further, a foul stench took over the scent of humus and burning.
A smell of death.
Of rot.
My stomach contracted violently.
I held my breath and pushed forward a bit more, my weapon pointed ahead.
Then, I saw them.
A pile of corpses.
Human bodies stacked on top of each other, in the middle of a clearing.
There were dozens of them.
Some were in an advanced state of decomposition.
Others were mutilated, dismembered, as if a herculean force had ripped them to pieces.
The faces were unrecognizable.
Blood had soaked the ground, turning the earth into a crimson mud.
— An animal… an animal must have done this, I muttered.
I placed my bloodstained hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up.
My eyes stared at these human remains.
Who were they?
What had happened here?
The panic, which had calmed down, came knocking at the door of my mind again.
If a monster was roaming these woods, I didn’t stand a chance with a simple weapon whose remaining number of bullets I didn’t even know.
Suddenly, a chewing sound echoed.
A wet, sickening sound.
Slurp.
Crunch.
Someone — or something — was there.
Just behind a large oak tree, at the edge of the clearing of corpses.
I froze, my heart pounding wildly in my aching chest.
I pivoted slowly, without making a sound, my weapon extended at arm’s length.
A silhouette outlined itself in the darkness.
It was kneeling on the ground, its back hunched.
It seemed busy.
Busy eating.
Relief crossed my mind for a fraction of a second.
A human.
A survivor.
Someone who could help me.
I approached slowly, lowering my weapon slightly so as not to scare him.
Out of simple politeness, and to signal my presence, I spoke in a trembling voice:
— Bon appétit.
The silhouette froze instantly.
The chewing sound stopped.
For a long moment, silence fell over the forest again.
Then, the response came.
It was not a word.
It was not a polite phrase.
It was a harsh, guttural grunt that seemed to come from the deep throat of a wild beast.
A shiver of pure terror ran down my spine.
“He must be really starving…” I thought, desperately trying to reassure myself.
I didn’t want to disturb him further.
The atmosphere was too heavy, too twisted.
I took a step back, keeping my distance.
— Do you know where I can find other people?
I simply asked.
The silhouette did not turn around.
I still could not see his face.
Leisurely, however, his right arm rose.
A skeletal arm, with fingers covered in a dark fluid.
With a sharp gesture, the individual pointed in a specific direction through the trees.
It was the direction of the town.
— Thank you…, I whispered.
Without asking for anything more, I turned on my heels and resumed my walk, fleeing the clearing of death.
My vision blurred more and more as I moved forward.
The fatigue and blood loss were starting to take their toll.
My legs were buckling under my weight.
But I held on.
After long minutes of agony, the trees finally began to thin out.
The edge of the forest was near.
And there, through the branches, I saw an intense light.
A gigantic glow that set the horizon ablaze.
Like an immense bonfire.
And right in the middle of that light, just ahead of me, a silhouette stood straight.
A man.
I approached, my legs trembling, holding my weapon with both hands so as not to drop it.
My eyes were burning; I couldn’t make out the features of his face yet.
But just as I was about to collapse, the silhouette took a step toward me.
And he addressed me in a calm, steady, incredibly human voice:
— Are you okay?
Can I help you?
At that exact moment, my last strength deserted me.
And the tears began to flow.
I really want to thank all my readers, because you are the ones helping me move forward.
For those who want to help me develop this story into a comic or webtoon format: I honestly don’t have the funds to finance such a project right now.
However, if you are truly ready to partner up on this, I would be more than happy to share the future revenues with you.
If you’re interested and want more information, please leave a comment below.
Thanks and have a great day!