The Girl And The Beast Volume 1

Lightning sparked across the night sky and gave way to darkness as the thunder’s deafening boom echoed across the wasteland. In the pitch black night, a predator higher than all others, stalked its prey. All was about business as usual; the hunters were hunting and the prey was hunted.

Another creature, prey, pushed through shrubs and bushes as it ran with deft movements, with uncanny agility. It was familiar with the terrain, and it could see in the dark. It walked on two legs which carried it skillfully over rocks and through rivers.

The predator watched carefully as its prey approached a meadow in the forest. The prey met with three others like itself, four of them in total. Humans. They were startled as the Runner approached, but relaxed as soon as they saw it. They were armed with auto rifles, each had full magazines. Movement would be critical.

“I got it, I got it!” The runner said to its friends.

“Took you long enough, let’s have a look at it.” One of the other men said. The Runner then pulled from its back, a long silver cylinder. Showing the face of the cylinder to its friends, they each smiled, one by one.

As they looked, they each took goggles off their heads. This enabled them to see with no light. These would need to go.

“We are going to be SOO RICH!” one exclaimed.

“Right, but first we gotta get out of this God forsaken place. Let’s go. The truck’s about ten minutes away,” another said. This was the Leader, the way it told the others what to do, and how they obeyed. This one would be first.

As they departed into the rainy night they replaced the night-seeing eyes back on their heads. They formed a single file and moved quickly for the vehicle parked just beyond the forest’s edge. Six minutes.

“Man, I can’t stand this place. Gives me the heeby, jeebys. Probably filled with nightstalkers,” One said. This one was Nervous, it’s rapid heartbeat, erratic scans of the environment. This was the weak link.

“There ain’t no dumb nightstalkers, if there was, we’d have seen one by now,” The Leader said trying to calm the others. It was nervous now too. Strike soon.

“Well, I ran all the way to that ruin and didn’t see a single creature or animal, not even so much as the sound of crickets, trust me there ain’t nothing around,” The Runner added.

“…Wait. Isn’t that bad? You know what they say, when there are no animals or mutants or even sandstriders. That means it’s near…” The Nervous One whispered. The comment spiked the others, their hearts each began to pound, all except the one that hadn’t spoken yet, the Silent One. They were closing in on a bottleneck of trees. The canopy was thick here, there would be little light. Strike then.

The hunter stalked in the tress above. It knew it’s targets: Leader, Runner, Nervous and Silent. It watched as they moved in silence, listening only to the pitter-patter of rain drops above, until the Runner mustered a nervous, “What is near?”

“The beast,” The Nervous One said reluctant to answer. “They say that even the animals and other creatures are terrified of it. They say…”

The Leader Snapped his head back, leaving his back exposed. “Okay boys, now listen up. I won’t hear this nonsense about some fictional beast that scares sandstriders and mutants and all the other crazy crap out here. There ain’t nothing to worry about, it’s all just a bunch of…”

Strike!

As the Leader spoke the Nervous One felt a tug on his head, and it's night vision broke away to sudden darkness.

The air exploded in gunfire. The bullets ripped violently through the forest as the Nervous One fired indiscriminately above and around, only stopping after several clicks alerted that his weapon was empty.

“YOU IDIOT!” The Leader said punching the Nervous One in the face. The others were laying on the forest floor, sopping wet and covered with mud. The Silent One was bleeding, and errant bullet from it’s comrad. It was now weak link.

“Crap, Carlos is hit!” The Runner said helping his friend up. They hobbled to a nearby tree that was covered by the canopy.

“Oh no! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…it’s just…my goggles. Something took my goggles,” The Nervous One stuttered as the Leader grabbed his collar.

“What do you mean someth…Wait…where are your goggles?” The Leader said releasing his companion, searching the surroundings. It was alert now. The Leader turned to the others. The Runner was busy aiding the Silent One. The Leader approached the injured, its weapon now at the ready.

“We need to go. Here I’ll help you with Carlos, Darin take my gun,” The Leader said motioning to the Nervous One to take its weapon. It was too late.

The Leader turned to the spot where its friend stood moments before, now only an empty space remained. Three left.

“Darin? Darin!? Where are you?” The Leader said, his speech sharp and broken. It was vulnerable. He readied his gun.

“Oh crap, crap, crap crap…” The Runner said holding its injured companion in one arm, and his weapon in the other. A distraction perhaps?

“Okay Alex, you’re going to have to take him alone, I’ve got the gun. I’ll cover you while…” The sound of shifting stones falling alerted both men as they pointed their weapons to the base of trees, opposite the Silent One’s location.

Their breathing was knife sharp. Both were alert and keenly watched the spot where they heard the sound. The Runner took two steps ahead of the Leader. A mistake.

Strike!

The Leader screamed, hurling his weapon as he was violently ripped to the ground. The Runner fired a barrage of bullets as the Leader was dragged screaming into the bushes of the dark forest. The screaming pitched high, then went silent. Two left.

“We gotta get out of here!” the Runner yelled as he grabbed his only remaining ally. Together, they desperately hobbled towards the edge of the forest, but the injury slowed them. They had made it only a few meters when the Silent One’s Injuries shook him to break his silence.

“Alex. You need to go. I’m slowing you down,” he said forcing the two to stop.

“No man, I’m not leaving you, we can make it. I’ll just…” The Runner insisted, trying to resume moving.

“No! If you take me with you, we both die here! If you go alone you have a chance. Now go or I’ll shoot you!” The Silent One said, pushing himself into a nearby tree and pointing his shaking gun.

“Carlos…man,” The Runner said, tears in his eyes. He reached to pick his friend up.

“Go!” the Silent One screamed, raising the weapon higher.

The Runner’s breathing was choked, as sorrow and terror wracked his body, not sure of what to do. “I love you man,” He said as he turned and sprinted away, fighting the urge to look back.

When the runner had disappeared from sight, the silent one in pain and grief slumped down to the foot of the tree. “I love you too man,” He whispered. These would be his final words as he caught sight of movement in his night vision. He screamed and fired his weapon.

The Runner lamented the loss of his friends as he ran, dread in his heart as the sounds of the Silent One’s gun fire punctuated the forest, echoing for several seconds before suddenly halting to dead silence. One left.

The silence rang louder and sharper than the gunfire ever could. Precious seconds melted away. A cascade of thoughts flooded in the Runner’s mind as the truth sank in; he was the lone survivor.

He hopped over trees, and moved through bushes with uncanny agility. His night vision aided him as he moved swiftly through the familiar surroundings. His two legs pumped and burned like pistons as he moved through a nearby river, hopping over rocks with superb skill.

He was happy to see the vehicle, parked at the edge of the forest. It shined like a beacon of hope as lightning flashed across the night sky. His rejoicing however would give way to screams, only to be swallowed by the deafening boom of thunder, echoing across the wasteland.

A predator stalked its prey and the creatures of the night were about business as usual; the hunters were hunting, and the prey was hunted.