Page 106 of The Blackened Blade

I knew they were sick and twisted, that they enjoyed the pain and misery they inflicted on me…butthis?

They had never gone as far as to actually try tokillme before.

This wasn’t a game. This was life or death now. And I needed to get out of here as quickly as I could. But which way?

Just as I’m taking a step toward the treeline in front of me, I hear a rustle in the trees to my right.

I freeze. What are the chances of it being a cute little lost squirrel?

The growl that follows is anything butcute. It grows louder as two large yellow eyes appear from the forest, focused fully on me.

A large form slowly stalks out of the treeline. The creature's body is like a mix between a horse and a wingless wyvern. Its eyes were sharp slits with a long face and crooked sharp teeth. And a strange foam-like substance clings to its mouth, like some rabid beast. It’s too dark to make out its skin's shade, but even from this far, its texture seemed coarse and scaly.

Its mouth opens, a strange howl and rattling sound falling from its mouth as a strange black saliva mixes drips from its razor sharp teeth.

It growls again, its yellow eyes falling back on me and I take that as my sign to start running.

My feet bleed as I race through the forest, rocks and tree roots scraping and stabbing into my soles as I try to create as much distance from whatever creature is now chasing me.

I push my legs harder, my strength not fully returned as I will my body to keep moving and not fall. I wouldn’t give the beast or those bastards the satisfaction of an easy kill.

My anger spurs me on, remembering the blurry faces laughing and smirking above me as I fall unconscious.

Never again will I fall so easily, never again will I let my guard down and so stupidly lose to small fish like them. If I wanted to face and destroy the Facility in the future, I had to be stronger than this and much better than I am now.

I force my legs to keep running, my anger and will giving me more strength, as an eerie growl rattles behind me.

I see a cliff in the near distance. If I didn’t have my full strength or any weapon to kill it with, then I would have to be smarter than it.

Pushing myself harder, my legs and lungs burning with the force as I try to shove the dizziness behind me as I keep moving toward the cliff.

A couple of minutes later, I’m nearing the cliff and racing toward its edge. I run toward the large trees sitting on top of it, when all of a sudden I feel a heavy force slam into the side of me and throw me to the ground. I tumble and roll before slamming straight into the tree, pain searing from my waist and back. There were definitely a few fractured–if not broken–bones there now.

Turning toward the nearing feral beast, I reach around me for anything to use against it.

It lunges toward me as I reach a fallen branch.

Its sharp teeth meet with the wood, just inches from my face as it pushes further into the bark, closing the distance between us. Its foul breath hits my face; like sewage mixed with something that smells like it's been decomposing for days.

I’m pulled back from my thoughts as the beast suddenly rears back, gripping the branch in its mouth, trying to pull me with it. Digging my feet in, I try to stop it from taking me with it, glancing to the tree above me, and to the cliff just a few feet beyond that.

I look back toward the beast.

Gathering the remainder of my strength, I quickly release the branch, letting the creature slightly stumble back as I use the tree behind me to kick off. I jump up, reaching toward its low hanging branch. Catching it, I swing forward, leaning my full weight into it as I push out and toward the creature now rushing at me.

My feet connect with the beast, the force of my full weight making it tumble back sideways and towards the cliff's edge.

I drop from the tree and run towards it, jumping into a fly kick to finish the creature off.

It shrieks and howls before tumbling back and falling off the cliff, the steep drop and jagged rocks below killing it instantly.

Stumbling backwards and toward the trees, my legs grow weaker and I’m no longer able to stand. I sag down to the ground, a heavy breath leaving my chest as I lean back against the nearest tree. That was too close.

This feeling, being weak and almost helpless again…I couldn’t allow this to happen a second time.

I take a few deep breaths, calming my racing heart as I look out toward the cliff.

After resting for a couple of minutes, I slowly pull myself back up and lean against the tree. As I straighten myself, a loud rattling howl rings out from the treeline in front of me, where two familiar yellow eyes appear.

---