The wind roared as I stood frozen at the cliff's edge, my breath coming in sharp bursts. The creature loomed before me, red eyes gleaming with something beyond hunger—calculated intent. It had been toying with me, watching, waiting for this exact moment. Now, there was no more running.
I had to fight.
The air thickened between us, the wind carrying eerie whispers that made the moment feel surreal. The creature took a slow step forward, claws dragging against stone, releasing an unsettling scrape. I tightened my fists, but I had nothing—no weapon, no plan, just instinct.
Without warning, the creature lunged, its massive claws slashing toward me. I barely dodged, throwing myself to the side as its claws carved deep gashes into the rock where I had stood. Each attack was precise, forcing me back, driving me toward the cliff's edge.
I tried to move again, but it was too fast. A blur of black and red, and suddenly agony exploded across my torso. The force of the impact sent me sprawling backward, my body slamming against the ground. A searing pain ripped through my side, warm blood soaking into the fabric of my clothing.
I gasped, pushing myself up with shaking arms. My vision blurred, my breaths coming in ragged, uneven bursts. The creature prowled forward, the scent of my blood thick in the air. It had landed a hit, and it knew it.
My foot slipped on loose gravel, and I fell to one knee. My fingers brushed against something—a jagged stone, sharp as a blade. Without thinking, I gripped it like a dagger. The way my fingers curled around it, the way my wrist angled—it all felt natural. Too natural.
The creature lunged again, aiming to finish me off. Summoning every ounce of strength left in me, I struck. The sharp edge of the stone plunged into its side. It let out a guttural snarl, the wound shallow, barely a scratch against its thick hide, but enough to make it recoil.
I staggered back, heart pounding. The dagger felt right in my hand, but why?
The brief moment of impact triggered a flash of memory.
A vision of another time, another battle—my hands gripping a dagger, striking with precision. Blood. Screams. But the vision was gone before I could process it. I must have fought these things before, but how successful was I?
The creature hesitated, more surprised than hurt. I shifted my stance, dagger-stone still in my grip, refusing to let the fear take hold. I could feel something awakening inside me, something buried deep—a muscle memory of combat. Using the uneven terrain, I dodged, trying to anticipate its movements.
I landed another strike, but this time, the creature was unamused, almost angry in the fact that I hit him twice now. Instead of engaging once more, it backed away, its red eyes locked onto me with an expression I couldn't quite read. Then, it let out a chilling, guttural roar that echoed through the valley.
My stomach dropped. It was retreating, but not out of fear. No, It was calling reinforcements.
A sudden wave of nausea hit me. My wound burned—not just from pain, but something deeper and unnatural. My fingers trembled as they brushed over the torn flesh. The warmth spreading under my skin didn't feel normal. It felt wrong. Like his claws were imbued with something extra or coated in a venom.
My muscles twitched involuntarily, a strange numbness spreading from the wound outward. My breathing grew heavier, and for a split second, the world around me distorted shadows lengthened unnaturally, the trees swayed though no wind moved them. My vision pulsed, the red eyes of the retreating creature glowing brighter than before, as if my body was recognizing something it wasn't supposed to see.
I gritted my teeth and shook my head, forcing myself back into reality. Whatever was happening to me, I couldn't afford to let it take hold—not now.
My blood ran cold. If more of these things were coming, I wouldn't stand a chance.
I forced myself upright, ignoring the dizziness that threatened to take over. My only option was to run. Ignoring the pain in my body, I turned and bolted into the darkness. Behind me, I could hear the distant answering calls—more hunters were coming. The wastelands were still far, and I had no idea if I'd make it before they caught up.
My legs burned as I pushed forward, weaving through the thick undergrowth. The eerie glow of the creature's eyes still lingered in my mind, burned into my vision like a haunting afterimage. My body ached, my wound pulsed with an unnatural heat, but I couldn't stop. If I hesitated, I would die.
As I ran, another thought hit me like ice through my veins.
They didn't want to kill me, were they trying to bring me in alive?
The infection in my wound, the way the world twisted for that brief moment—was it poisoning me, or was it something more?
A transformation?
The answering roars grew closer. The hunt was far from over.
But there was no time to think. I ran as fast as I could for what seemed to be an eternity before finally seeing the edge of the forest. There it was. The wastelands. One final push and I would be home free. Keep moving Matte...
I looked behind me and saw 5 sets of eyes now fixated on me, but they weren't moving. They stayed stationary as I broke the barrier and collapsed into the sands of the wasteland once more and without a moment's notice, I passed out from exhaustion and blood loss.