Part 1 here
Part 2 here
Part 3 here
This is not going to be easy to write. The horrifying truth that I had discovered had kept me awake for these past few days. Where to begin. Probably from right after I left the creature that had taken the guise of a one detective Daren, currently most definitely dead in that forest.
I saw a dozen policemen converging onto my location. All with red glowing eyes. I even saw the two men I bear maced in front of my cabin to get away from, their eyes glowing red under the shadow that was casting upon their faces. It was then too clear to even doubt it. The creatures have become more precise and accurate in their mimicking of their victims. They can talk and act like humans and even maintain their disguise over a long period of time. Is it just this particular pack of creatures or is it a natural state of maturing for them that I haven’t seen? Honestly, I don’t know, and I don’t care. One thing I do know is that I must kill them. Kill them all to find that one Alpha that was responsible for what happened to my Sarah. The alpha with the bluish green silver eyes. My target zero.
I ran for hours through those woods, hiding and erasing my trail and scent as I went along. I could feel that they were still looking for me. Their stench filled the air and I could sense them scouring the woods. But by now they would have figured out that the dark woods are no longer a hiding place for them anymore.
I got to get away from here, even further than before. And I had just the right place in mind. An old, abandoned mining ghost town not too far from the town I am currently operating from. I’ll be isolated but so will they. I’ll lure them there and wipe them out.
I headed back to town before the local ‘police’ starts flashing around my facial sketch to alert the town folk. Don’t need to get any of them involved. I got around to Jacob’s gun shop for my last order. Jacob looked concerned. I mean if I saw myself in that state, blood stains and tattered clothes. Not to mention the overall state I was in after running through miles of forest prior to getting there.
“Are you ah…. Alright there Jack?”
Jacob tried to look and talk casually as he put in obvious effort to make a straight face. But still the worry and concern seeped out through his efforts. I also replied casually.
“Yeah, tough hunt. I need some supplies Jacob. I need a lot.”
“What happened? Did you meet a bear or something?”
“Yeah, something.”
Jacob’s look of concern thickened at that reply. He took my request and went behind the store without a word. It took him sometime. When he came back, he had a huge bag in his hands.
“I don’t know what you’re into Jack, but you be careful. I don’t have to tell you that some of these supplies are more than dangerous. You have enough fire power here to go to war.”
“Thanks Jacob.”
I paid Jacob with the cash I had. He insisted I take a few supplies on the house. I thought I was not making any progress with the town folk, but I guess I was wrong. About Jacob at least. I thanked him and was about to exit the shop when Jacob threw a few words at me.
“If anybody comes asking about you. I’ll tell them what I know. Maybe it’ll buy you some time.”
“Thank you. Farewell Jacob.”
Sly old man. I guess I let on a little too much. I can see his slight grin reflecting on the door glass as I exit. If they come looking for me here they’ll be directed to my now abandoned base of operations in the woods. It’ll give me time to set things up over at the ghost town.
It took me half day’s walk to get to the ghost town. Nice and secluded. I started to get to work, no time to rest. Jacob packed me some extra supplies. Sly old man. I figured setting up traps was the only obvious plan to achieve what I wanted. Punji stick traps seemed to be effective as they gallop on all fours. I have enough ammo to fight against a whole company. I’ve made enough Molotov Cocktails to slow them down. All I needed to do was wait.
2 nights went by and nothing showed up. I hadn’t slept a wink until then. I was on high alert. But on the 3rd night, the stress and tired body got the best of me and I dozed off. Stupid mistake. I woke up in the dark to noises outside. Bristling of trees and a weird sensation that crept up my spine. Something was amiss. It wasn’t right and there was an eerie silence enveloping the whole area. There was no moon out tonight and the whole ghost town was flooded with a thick paint of darkness. I did’t like it. There was a full moon that tonight… at least that was the prediction. But I didn’t anticipate the cloudy night sky that had covered the area, even blocking what little light the moon and stars could offer. Everything was perfect for them. This was there chance I guess, the perfect environment to make the move. I was holding up on the second floor of an abandoned house that was located further in from the main road that led into the Ghost town.
I waited in silence, with as little movement as possible. Maybe 30minutes had gone by and I was getting uncomfortable of the stalemate situation. But then I heard it. A boom and a screech. Bright lights poured in from outside and I peered out through the window. Down along the main road that came towards the town center, was a great burst of fire, burning bright red. Inside it was a few creatures screaming and wailing in pain as I see others scamper into nearby shadows and buildings.
“Gotcha.”
They triggered my Molotov cocktail combined trap. I picked up my rifle and aimed out the window. There was a slight breeze that made the burning fire flicker. One deep breath into the chest. Slowly letting the air out. I stop as I catch a creature slowly making its way out a shadow. Holding my breath I aim and fired. This time I had a suppressor to dim the noise. The first shot hits the creature in the head and kills it. I look around while breathing slowly and lightly. Its not like them to hide like this and scope the area. They are more intelligent and careful than any of the other creatures I’ve fought. I was sure now that these are the creatures that were posing as law enforcement. No sign of their alpha. My target zero. Just had to lure it out.
Just then I saw a few more creatures approaching the the house I was in. Guess they made me. I fired a few rounds at the creatures and managed to get a couple. But more creatures joined the charge. I started firing without time to aim with precision. My hail of bullets managed to take a couple more down, but it seemed meaningless then. I put down the rifle and picked up the shotgun. I exit the room I was in and leaned against the wall next to the staircase that led down and straight up to the front door. I peered out the side and down the stairs. I can hear them approach the front of the house. Then, with a loud noise I hear window glasses being broken. They’ve broken through the front windows. But just as soon as I hear then break through it is followed by a loud boom and screams of the creatures being burned to a crisp by my booby traps.
Then I saw the creatures approach the front door. Lured more like. They actually opened the door by turning the doorknob and entered the house with clear signs of caution. Something new every time.
I waited while listening to the creatures rummage around the first floor. Then I hear heavy steps coming up the stairs. The fire from downstairs had emitted enough light to cast a shadow on the wall following the staircase up. I was counting on it. As the shadow of the creature reached the top of the stairs I dash forward and shot my shot gun down the staircase. The Pellets disbursed and tore through the creature in front of me and hits the creatures following it up behind. Hitting them on the chest is not as effective due to their hard rib cage casing the upper torso. The most effective hot spot is the head. Multiple creatures crumble down along the staircase as their heads are shredded by the shotgun pellets.
More creatures appear at the bottom of the stairs and I had already reloaded my double barrel shotgun. They have already learned from assessing the situation and are waiting for me to come down to them. I hear scratching noises coming from outside the second floor window. I’m surrounded. The only way out is down the stairs and out the front door. Its funny but it feels like they’re luring me out towards the front door. Bastards.
I blast my shotgun down the stairs, hitting the one creature waiting at the bottom. It didn’t kill it. I hear it scream in pain as I turn around and quickly make it towards the window of an adjacent room. I look out and see a couple of creatures clawing their way up. Reloading my shotgun. I kick out the old rusty windows and jump out and land on the first floor roof top. I hear the roof creak in stress as the old worn-down building struggles to support my weight. I dash across to the creatures that had just made it halfway up the roof top and blast my shotgun in their faces.
I dash towards the ledge of the first floor roof as I reload the shotgun one last time. I reach the edge of the roof and jump off to a stack of old mattresses I had gathered earlier. As I do so I see a more creatures galloping towards me from another direction. I wait until they are in effective range of my shotgun and I waist no time to drop them both. The creatures seem more aggressive now and feels more like all the other ones I fought and killed before. They’ve lost their cool I guess and now just rushing at me like a pack of wild dogs. Good for me. Them mimicking human intelligence was a nuisance.
I sling my shotgun across my back and pull out my primary weapons. My axe and blade. I see them start to mass just outside the, now burning, house I was just in. The flames blazed the air and scorched the ground near it as I slowly sidewalk to a nearby church building. The creatures’ eyes flow my move. Those red glowing eyes now more intense than I’ve ever seen them before. I can feel their anger, their rage. Just what I was looking to do. Get rid of their reasoning and return them to the savage mindless animals they are.
I stood at the steps of the church building and looked towards the massed creatures now all glaring at me. The burning house creating a curtain of flames behind them. Their glowing eyes full of primal rage that seemed to intensify by the minute. There we were. Maybe a hundred meters distance between us. My grip on my axe and blade tightened as I got ready for the charge. Then as the second floor of the burning building came crashing down to the ground the massed creatures started to charge towards me. Galloping on all fours, they came at me like the wind.
I stood still but ready to swing my weapons in full action. But I waited. As the swarm of creatures came galloping towards me the ones at the head of the charge suddenly fell to the ground screaming as their feet plunged deep into a field of punji stick traps. The creatures that followed behind galloped right over the ones maimed by the traps and landed into the second batch of punji stick traps as I lunged myself at the maimed beasts crying out in agony. Swinging my axe and blade I started to cut through the mass of creatures. Dismembering limbs and heads. Cutting into the heart with my blade. I just let myself go as if there was no turning back. I hacked away letting the primal instinct kick in and for that moment until I came to my senses again, I was like one of them. Screaming and tearing through pale flesh. Until I heard that faint cry.
“P…please… stop…”
As I came to my senses it felt as if my consciousness turned off and came back on again, like some kind of a damn reboot. I looked around and came face to face with a bloodied person. Naked and frightened he looked up at me and pleaded me to stop. His left arm and both legs were gone and he was bleeding out. If it wasn’t for the many dead pale skinned creatures already on the floor I would have fell for it. I knelt in.
“You want me to stop?”
“Y… yes … stop… please…”
“Tell me where your alpha is. The Silver eyed one. The one with the bluish and green silver eyes. Tell me where he is and I’ll give you a clean death.”
The creature in disguise as a man closed its eyes. It was thinking. Now there was a sight I thought I’d never seen. A creature that was weighing its options. Like a damn human. It was maybe a few seconds and he… I mean it… opened its eyes.
“H.. He… is at the station….”
“It! Will die by my hands.”
I insisted, putting extra weight on the word ‘it’. With that I raised my axe to put it out of its misery. Just then I saw it shut its eyes as if preparing for its own death like a damn human being. My moment of hesitation was short lived and I hacked its head clean off its neck as it started to turn pale and rot. These ones, they’re dangerous. They’ll get to you mentally as you slowly start to think if they were actually human and that you were delusional. But there were too many evidence and too much to point out that they were what they were. Some damn creatures from the pits of hell.
I pulled all the dead creatures to one side and set the pile on fire. I reminded myself to dig out some of those silver bone fragments from some of them. These will come in handy later. I went into another house at the end of the main road that led into this ghost town and found my remaining supplies. Reloading my shotgun, I start mapping out my way to the police station. Time to end it.
That night I ventured back to town. After seeing the mass of creatures that had come for me, something told me that it wouldn’t be easy getting to the police station. I needed more supplies.
I arrived at Jacob’s gun shop just as the sun started to come up. But, when I got there I could see that something was wrong. It was a small quiet town but it was too quiet. I saw the door of the shop wide open, and glasses shattered. I hurriedly approached the shop, but was vigilant about the surrounding. When I entered the shop I could see that it was trashed. Clear signs of bullet holes on the walls and blood on the floor. Looking around I saw a blood trail leading to the storage room behind the counter. I approach the door, my axe in hand, and slowly turn the handle.
Locked.
With a deep breath I kicked open the door and charged in. I saw Jacob on the floor leaned against the wall with a shotgun in his hands. He was bleeding bad but still breathing.
“Jacob…”
“J… Jack… is that you?”
“What happened Jacob?”
“T…the police… they came asking.. about you.”
Shit, I knew it. Why did they attack Jacob? How did they know that he was the one to go after? What did Jacob know about me that had them so determined to show their true colours?
“T… they weren’t human Jack! T… they were..”
“Stop talking Jacob. I’ve got to take care of the wound.”
“Ja…Jack… be careful … Jack… be…”
“Jacob?”
Damn… why did they attack Jacob and why did they not finish him? It wasn’t has if he barricaded himself behind steel doors. What prompted them to leave… I don’t’ know. I should gave Jacob a burial and stocked up. I got out and came here to my base of operation. Wifi connection came through so I’m leaving this post as a record of what had transpired here. Finally, I’ve recovered enough to make my move.
Looks like tonight’s going to be one hell of a night. I’m going to head over to that police station and get me some answers. Find that damn alpha and rip its head off…
So, I’ll post an update … if I survive