THE FOREST

THUMP.......THUMP!  I'm awake now. It's trying to wake me up.  THUMP........ That's it's strategy wake you up multiple nights in a row then get you.  It's done it the past few days now. THUMP....... Yesterday I tried to make a run for the car and almost got myself killed.  It stopped for now, but I know it'll be back soon.

I wake up to the sound of birds and almost forget about last night but I know I won't be able to.  I open the fridge only to see a half-empty carton eggs, about a cup of milk left, and one piece of bacon.  Looks like grocery day today. Which means I have to go to the car and to go to the car you have to open the door.  I cook breakfast on my old gas stove.

I finish my breakfast then change.  I put on my old work jeans, a U2 2014 concert T-shirt, and my old running sneakers.

I take a look out the front window of my old log cabin into the dense Tennessee forest trying to see if I can spot it.  No luck, only my red jeep in the driveway. It's hard to prepare for the mad dash to the car but I have to anyway.

I unlock the door as quietly as possible.  Easing the door handle to the right until it clicks.  This is the easy part. Now for the hard part, opening the door.  I slowly lift the door up so it doesn't scrape against the floorboards that have bent with age.  The door swings open as easily as if it was just put on its hinges. After I shut the thick oak door I lock it, then start across the front porch.  I get to the front steps and began stepping down them. I am on the third step when my shoe slips on the smooth wood worn smooth with weather and people stepping on them.  I start falling. While tumbling, I try to catch myself on the railing only to bash my hand on the wood.

I let out a soft grunt as I hit the ground.  I know it hears me now so I don't try to conceal myself.  My only concerns are getting to the car and survival. I can hear it now, a faint crashing to the right of the car.  I know from experience this thing moves like a bullet from a gun. The forest only faintly slows it down. I try not to think about how fast it would go without trees in its way.

I make it to the car, unlock the door.  The crashing, it's louder now, almost here.  I open the door and jump in. By the time I shut the car door it's made its way through the forest's shelter.  It takes one look at the house then peers at me. It appears to be around 8 feet tall, with skinny long arms and legs with giant webbed hands and feet used for swimming.  Slimy translucent scales cover its body providing a strong armor. Its mouth has double-rowed-teeth for shredding its prey. Its eyes are blood red, almost glowing. I was momentarily stunned by its ghastly appearance, long enough for it to start running towards me again.

I don't waste another second staring.  I jam the keys into the ignition. The soft humming of the car is a welcome sound.  I put it in reverse and floor the gas pedal. As I back out of the gravel driveway it still gets one of its hands on the hood.

"GET OFF YOU LITTLE BUGGER!" I shout at it while it's on the roof of the car.

I quickly change into drive and speed down the driveway.  I try zigzagging back and forth to shake it off. When that doesn't work I speed up then slam on the brakes when we come to a bend in the road.  It goes flying off the car and hurtles into a tree. I don't wait to see if it gets up. I just speed down the road.

As I pull into town I see out of the corner of my eye the cars almost out of gas.  I pull into the Marathon gas station and wait until a pump isn't being used. I fill up then think about lunch.  As if on cue my stomach grumbles in a complaint of the small quote-on-quote "meal" I ate for breakfast.

I decide to go to McDonald's since its the only restaurant in town.  I get a Big Mac meal and a milkshake. The food tastes good for McDonald's and helps calm my nerves.

As I eat I start to wonder what I should do about the creature. I single out three options.  Option number one, fly to another state. The only problem is there are too many states to pick and even if I did pick one there is no way I could leave today.  Option two, stay in the town's motel and hope that the presence of other people will chase it away. Option three dig my dad's old revolver out of storage and try to chase it away or kill it.  None are ideal but what am I supposed to do?

   I walk to my car and see a new set of teeth marks on the hood of my car.  I hear an inhuman shriek behind me. I whip around to see the creature standing in the McDonald parking lot.

"What does it take to kill you!" I yell at it.

As I watch, a car starts to drive towards the creature.  I stare in wonder as it just steps out of the way to let it through.  The car passes by. My mouth opens slightly in realization. They can't see it!  It's just me with the unique ability to see it.

It just grins at me (if that's what you can call that horrific sight) and starts to walk towards me.  I can't just stand here gaping I need to move.

I get in the car while looking at the thing the whole time.  It just stares at me as I drive towards home. Not moving just fixing me with those glowing red eyes.

I got home as the sun started to set.  I know what to do. I have to prepare. I know it's gonna attack tonight.

…

All the lights are on in my house.  I look at the clock. 9:46 it should be here soon.  I'm in the middle of the cabin with a view of all windows and the front door.  It's nerve wracking to wait and not hear anything. To wait and let the adrenaline flow through your veins but not being able to do anything about it.  To wait and jump at every little sound you hear in the cabin.

It's here.  I can hear a slight rustling from the back of the house even though there's no wind.  It's out of the forest now no rustling only soft footsteps. Red eyes peer in through the window to my left it's here for sure.  It takes its time around the house. It makes it to the front door. I can see it's shadow through the crack under the door. Darkness.  It must've broken the light. It knows that I can't see in the dark.

It's fumbling with the door handle now.  A few more seconds left. Need to get prepared for the hard fight ahead.  The door handle slowly stops moving. Its footsteps are getting fainter. Then they're gone.  It's going away.

I can't hear it anymore.  Must've gone away. I walk over to the front window to see if it's still outside.  Nothing. I start to pull away when I see a flash of white. No time to look. It's going through the window.  I turn and run towards the other side of the cabin. I hear the shatter of glass from the window. I know it is too late to get away so the only thing left to do is fight.

I whip around and pull out my gun.  It's standing stooped low because of the ceiling.  I aim for the chest (its biggest target) and I fire, once, twice, three times.  It doesn't show any signs of damage it just keeps on coming towards me. No time to run I just turn around as a hand knocks me in the back outdoor into the cold dark night.

A stabbing pain of a cracked rib welcomes me as I hit the ground.  I lay there moaning. It feels like I was just hit by a train. I see it coming slowly taking its time.  I'm easy prey now, wounded and in the open darkness.

I can't go down this easily.  I'm a fighter and I'm gonna to fight.  An idea hits me like a bullet. Scales cover its body entirely right?  Wait maybe not! I look at its mouth. The only place unguarded by its scales.  All this goes through my mind in less than it takes you to say Peter Rabbit.

I smile (probably the first genuine smile in a long while) at the beast and say, "Why even try?  You've lost!".

Its phantom-like shadow stops moving towards me.

"You......never.........had a........chance!" it chokes out in a damp, musty voice cracking with age.  I've never heard a voice so horrendous that it sends shivers down my rigid spine. "And....you....don't....have...one now!" it finishes.

"That's where you're wrong!" I say momentarily able to get over my fear,  "cuz I know something you don't!" as I speak I slowly hide the gun under my body.

"Oh?  And......what might......that be?" It questions.

"Something I tried a little earlier but with a little twist" I hint.

"You......mean......the......boomstick?" it asks, "Because......I don't......see it......now!" it says with a smile.  More sure of itself now, it takes a few more steppes towards me.

Just a few more steps!  Come on! The rib in my chest flares again.  I know I only have a few more minutes before I pass out from pain.

"That's where you're wrong!" I say trying to distract it for a few more seconds,  "Did you see me lose it? Or are you just ASSUMING!" I shout the last word at the beast.

He flinches then seeing something amiss he lunges.

"You may......have a......plan.....but I'm taking......you......down......with me!" It screams at me.  Once the last word is out of his mouth he spreads it wide to try and crush my exposed neck.

I aim the gun for one last shot.  The shot that means life or death.  The shot that saves other people from the said fate doomed to me.  The hammer hits the bullet's back making it shoot from its safe metal case he was dressed in.

I see the bullet go through the back of the neck.  I see the surprise in its eyes as the bullet hits home.  I see hate next as it realizes that its last breath is not too far away.  It goes for the throat with its the last strength it could summon. With a final effort I raise my left arm to protect my throat.  I felt its teeth rip my arm and grate against boans then darkness.

I flash in and out of conscious.  I remember awaken to the thumping of feat then shouts from people as they find me.  Yelling at them to stop as they lift me from under the creature. Feeling myself being moved through a dimly lit hallway on a gurney with a squeaky wheel.  I remember waking up during a operation and trying to move to only have a white cloth shoved under my nose with a strong drug on me.

A high pitched beeping sends a shattering pain in my head from the headache that greeted me once I woke.  As I look around the room I see I’m in a dimly lit room with metal walls and a metal ceiling. There is a IV in my right arm sending some sort of fluid into my body.  I try moving my right arm and when it doesn’t respond I try again until I’m able to move it a few inches above the bed I’m lying on. I look at my left arm to see the arm halfway through the humerus is covered with metal plating.  I start to panic when I can’t feel the arm where the plating is and how the scarring of the skin binds with the metal. I pry at the metal until a doctor comes rushing in furios. She is a small woman with large metal rimmed glasses and a doctor's coat on.  She carries a wooden clipboard with lots of important papers on it.

“What the heck do you think your doing!” she shouts at me.

“What am I doing?  What am I doing!?!” I say my voice rising in pitch and volume, “No what did YOU do!!”

The doctor seemed to have calmed down a little remembering what I have been through.

“We did what we had to.” she said a little stiffy.

“This is what you do!  I look like a thing out of the terminator movies!”

“Listen Mr. John,” using my name like we were lifelong friends “the damage the…..Thing…… did to your arm was to great to salvage.  So we amputated the arm at the humerus and connected one of our titanium ones to replace it”  she finishes with a little smile.

“Where am I now since I’m not dead I have to be somewhere.” I ask.

“You are in a underground bunker for the H.W.U.P.” she answers like it's the most normal thing in the world.

“Are we in america?” I ask.

“Well of course!” she says happily.

“Oh, ok well then that means you can use ENGLISH!” I shout the last word at the woman.  “What the heck is the H.B… whatever the heck!”

“Oh sorry,” she says a little bit startled “The H.B.W.U.P. is the Humans With Unusual Powers.”

“So why am I here then” I question.

“Well this company is used to find people with unusual powers so if your here then you have unusual powers.”

“There is no way I have a power!  And if I do what is it then ‘Doctor’.” I shoot back.

“Well you can see beasts that normal humans can’t see.” she claims.

“Like heck I can!  You don’t have any pro…..” I cut my sentence of early remembering the creature in the parking lot.  Holy crap I can see things people can’t.

“But why am I here?  Why not at a regular hospital?” I quiz her.

“Well for one thing you needed very special medical attention and for another we need you” a man says from the doorway appearing like a ghost does in a house.  “My name is Matt Hanson, and I own this business and want to ask you to consider joining our cause.”

“And what cause is that?” I ask Matt.

“Well some of us hunt creatures like your little one and others go and try and stop world disasters our seers find.  But our main cause is to protect the human race from harm.”

It takes me a little time to think the offor through enough to make a decision but when I come to one I know it right away.

“You said that there were bigger creatures than mine?”

“There sure are.  And we are short of finders so could use a man like you.”

“I need time to think.” I say.  Though in truth there is nothing to think about.  There is only one good choice and I would take it without hesitation.

THE END