Endurance

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. A hunter who has been tracking his prey manages to get himself lost, sun has set and the forest becomes darker the further in he goes. The hunter is taking shelter under a thick tree branch, avoid the storm while observing the surroundings. He spots a warm light shining in the distance a small beacon of warmth among the cold. The hunter swings his rifle over his shoulder then steps away from his shelter making his way towards to the light letting the rain drop all over him. Within minutes his boots become muddy and wet, the clothes he is wearing get soaked in water, the cold starts to chill throughout his body. The hunter has to constantly wipe the rain away from his eyes, he lets the rain on his face slip down into his salt and pepper coloured beard. As he gets closer to the light, he notices for a split second the light disappeared before returning. The hunter reaches for his binoculars then holds them against his eyes, the rain falling on the lenses makes it hard to difficult see but he spots the light inside of an old run down cabin and a figure looking out of the window. A loud unnatural screech echoes throughout the forest sending the hunter down to his knees trying to stay out of sight.

The hunter places the binoculars back into his satchel bag carefully trying not to spill any rain into his pack. He slowly creeps through the shrubs making sure he breaths lightly to reduce the fog leaving his mouth. Mud and dirt now cover the majority of his pants, the hunters' legs become so cold that they almost feel numb. Inch by inch he moves ever so closer towards the cabin trying to ignore the rain. The figure in the window is no longer in sight, the hunter takes a moment to watch the cabin for any sudden movement. As he watches the hunter cups his hands together and breathes into them getting small amounts of warmth. His hands start to shake uncontrollably with every breath, he starts to sway back and forth. Not wanting to waste any more time he takes a few more steps forward until he steps on a stick snapping it in half. He stops in place once again until he hears the screech echoing only this time sounding a lot closer.

The hunter stumbles to get his rifle from his back to his hands, looking around he sees nothing but trees and shrubs. Reaching down the hunter finds a small rock, he aims towards the depths of the forest then he throws it as far as possible. The rock hits a tree creating a small thump noise, the screech echoes once more followed what sounds to be bushes being moved out of the way. The hunter makes a run for it, he stands up and starts to run towards to the cabin however, he doesn’t anticipate the mud. He slips and falls face first into the mud, his rifle goes off with a loud bang. He lays still hoping whatever is out there is gone but his fears come to light when the screech yells. He gets up and sprints towards the cabin, he focuses on the old wooden door, one hand ready to open it with. He carefully runs up the small number of stairs unlocks the doors then slams its shut. The hunter is struggling to catch his breath he falls to the floor uncontrollably shivering while his teeth are chattering.

He takes a moment to compose himself, throwing his beanie off then removing his gloves. The hunter is stripping off his clothing, removing his muddy boots and soaked socks followed by his wet muddy pants. He doesn't even take a second to look around he just spots the candle light and walks over towards it in the next room leaving his gear by the door. The candle although small warms up his body. The hunter is slowing down his breathing as he takes in what little warmth he gets. He turns around to examine the room and sees carved up faces all pinned up on the wall behind him. He quickly grabs his own mouth to prevent himself from screaming, his breath is now at a quickened pace. Looking out the window to his left he spots a figure move from tree to tree getting closer to the cabin. The hunter gets low, he crouch walks towards his rifle he left at the door. The unnatural screeches are getting louder and louder, the hunter managers to grab the rifle, he stands up back against wall. The hunter peaks out the window but he cannot see through it because of all the water running down it.

The hunter tries to open his rifle but he doesn’t have the strength in him. The sound of a door creaking open comes from the back of the house. The hunter looks around and quickly hides behind an old rotten chair. Footsteps thump throughout the cabin, the hunter leans his rifle on the arm of the chair as he is struggling to keep it still while he shivers. The creature enters the room with the candle. The creature is tall and skinny, it could easily be mistaken for a human. It wears overalls which has been torn, bloodstains cover the clothing. The creature reaches for its head and tears off the face it is wearing, its carefully pins the face to the wall. The creature's face is nothing but muscle and scars. Its starts to sniff around the cabin. The hunter loses his focus shocked at what he has just seen. The creature begins to make a sound which is similar to laughing. It leaves the candle room and enters another room to its right. The hunter takes a second to exhale. The back door opens up once more then slams shut, the hunter cautiously walks towards the room with the candle, he stops shivering until he hears the front door open.

The creature enters the room and spots the hunters clothing on the ground, the hunter quickly gets out of sight and hides behind a wooden desk. The creature holding onto the hunter's clothes walks back into the room with the candle. It looks over the place then spots the hunter’s foot peeking out. The creature laughs then blows out the candle, the only light remaining is the dim moon light peeking through the window. The hunter turns around and quickly fires off a round with his rifle, the creature screeches, drops the hunters' clothes and covers its ears. The hunter quickly grabs what clothing he can and fires off one more shot, the creature lunges at the hunter knocking the rifle out of his hand but quickly covers its ears. The hunter throws his boots out the window breaking a large portion out, he then quickly gets out the window cutting his arms on the shattered glass. The hunter picks up his boots and clothes and proceeds to run into the dark forest leaving the cabin behind him. He can hear the creature screeches come to a stop, he turns around to make sure he isn't being chased but instead he spots the candle is once more lit up. The hunter turns to the dark depths of the forest and decides to endure the blistering cold walking away into the unknown.