I did not choose this life. My current profession has been influenced by a deep confusion of events over the past two years. I have been touched by the hand of bad luck, and feel as though I must now walk a path of redemption, which has led me to track down what goes bump in the night.
There’s no academic nature to the work I do, and besides, I wouldn’t know how to properly articulate some of the finer details involved. My research is only for me to know why my wife and daughter disappeared, leaving no trace behind in this world.
Their complete evaporation came on a normal afternoon. I was driving home after my shift at the shooting range where I work. I help veterans like myself cope with the normalcy of civilian life. As I arrived home, I felt as though a strange energy passed through me like a wave of deja-vu, but stronger. It’s hard to describe, but it’s a strong intuition that something has gone horribly wrong.
I entered my home on alert, but not in full operating mode. I looked around and, to my horror, began to notice that the photos we had of our family, only held myself in the frame. This was worse than any drop shock I had encountered, the feeling of disorientation upon landing at the operation site. I pulled my phone out and called my wife immediately. My call was received on the other end by another person, who after questioning immediately hung up on me. I called my wife’s mother to confirm I wasn’t going crazy, but she had no recollection of who I was.
To say that I was confused would be an understatement. It was as if my entire world had been a lie, concocted by something in my mind. I knew that wasn’t true. I had been lucky to not receive any serious mental and cognitive damage from my tour duties, but this really made me think twice. For a moment, I contemplated if my name was really Dane.
After some time pacing around, I began to see if I could locate any sign of their disappearance. I began to rummage through the house ripping up floorboards and tearing cupboards off the wall. I left the place an absolute mess before I went out to the backyard, where I found my first clue.
It was as if someone had taken a flamethrower to the backyard. The grass was charred in a long line about six feet wide. The surprising part of it was that the grass was still hot to the touch. I wanted to continue my investigation, but I noticed something in the bushes.
It had white eyes that seemed to glow like the lights of fireflies. The bioluminescence was difficult to see at first, but once I had my eyes on the target it was hard to lose. It made no sound as it watched me, and I made sure to not make any sudden movements. Soon enough, the beast made its full appearance.
Its head was that of a snake: square at the mouth and wide towards the eyes. It walked on all fours and had an emaciated frame. Its skin was pulled taught around its muscles which flexed and vibrated with each movement. Its hands had five razor-sharp claws that sank into the earth with each step forward. It was probably the size of a full grown Great Dane from mouth to tail.
I made sure to step back with my eyes on the creature. I didn’t know if or when it was going to pounce and I needed to make sure I was ready. I reached to my hip for my sidepiece, but I realized I had taken it off in the house through my ransacking. I couldn’t necessarily pinpoint where it was located, so I had to plan to move to my gun safe in the garage. I could pull out a rifle to blow this thing away.
The two of us continued this dance for some time. In my mind, it was like an eternity staring into the ghostly eyes of this predator. It was waiting for me to break my composure, as I was waiting for it to do the same. It must’ve gotten tired and charged toward me.
I made a mad dash to the house where I slipped in through the back door. The creature threw its entire body into the hardwood cracking it down the middle. A few more tries and it would shatter in two. I made a sprint for the garage.
I narrowly entered the space without that thing grabbing me from the hallway. Its arms were crammed between the open space of the door as I was trying to slam it closed. It kept trying to jam itself inside without a thought. It had a singular goal of taking me down, and I couldn’t let that happen.
I kept my weight against the door and finally was able to shut it for the time being. I lunged for my gun safe, scanned my thumb, and turned the handle. I reached in for the first rifle I could find– my PTR 91. I pulled it out, cocked it, and aimed it right at the door. I waited on bated breath for that thing to break through, but it was silent.
My barrel was aimed directly at the door waiting for that thing to burst through, but it was silent.
The creature went head first into the garage door leaving a dent right in the middle of it. It kept bashing itself back and forth into the steel. I took the time to fire a few shots at the creature. The bullets went right through the door. A shriek rang through the night and then all went silent again.
I went outside and saw some liquid on the concrete driveway. It glowed like the eyes of the beast and went around the entrance back towards the backyard. I followed it to the forest behind, but I didn’t want to leave my home now after those shots went out.
I waited and the cops arrived. They asked if I was alright and I said that there was a bear trying to get in, so I took a few shots at it. They were a bit confused as to why, but soon left me alone leaving it up to the wildlife and parks agency. I am awaiting their judgment, but I had more work to do.
I’ve taken some samples of the burnt grass in my backyard and sent them off to a friend of mine who can test to see what caused their form. We served in the same platoon together, so he’s like a brother to me. It’s been a week or so since the creature appeared, and I have seen no signs of it since. I will begin to track it down, but we shall see where that leads. This is all I have for now. I hope I can make sense of what happened to my family.
| Sgt. Dane Blednick | Monster Hunter |