Ch 137: Skeleton Creature

Clouds clapped together as lightning blew up the sky. I looked around and didn't see Kai or his friends. But I found the ball up at a tree, wedged in between the lifted roots.

I pulled it off the roots and looked up to see claw marks on the thick bark. It didn't look like any known living animal claw I'd studied.

Studying to be a paleontologist, you learn about these things to identify what you're finding. The marks were deep and thick like the claw had a very pointed curved tip. It could resemble a giant sloth.

Boom! This big clash of thunder and lightning banged above my head. The trees thrashed around more violently. I needed to get out of the woods but I was worried about Kai and his friends.

"Kai!" I tried screaming past the loud thundering roars and whistling wind. I roamed in deeper to see if I could find them.

"Kai!" Another big boom emitted above my voice.

I felt so worried but everywhere I looked I didn't see anybody around. Perhaps they left the woods from a different pathway? If that's the case then he'll be worried sick about me. After all, this mansion and land are more like a palace for how big it is. I turned my heel to head back the way I came.

Raindrops started showering down between the high thick leaves. More vigorous lightning explodes the sky in reverberating sounds.

Then suddenly I heard this louder gurgling and clicking of a tongue noise behind me. I turned around to see between the thick trees was this black-gray skeleton-looking creature. Its ribcage looked human but its limbs were like bones. The shape of its face was like an alien skull appearance. It has hollow black sunken eyes and it has no nose. This thing was tall like a Giant but the trees were still taller than this thing. On its boney long arched arms were three long sloth-like curved claws for its hands.

As it slowly moved, I saw its claws scratching the bark on the tree trunks. It matched perfectly with what I saw on that other tree.

My mouth parted to see it coming my way. It screeched and clicked louder than the storm. I dropped the ball and ran off ducking behind big rocks and trees. As the skeleton-looking alien creature came closer and closer.

Within the nick of time, I found this hollow tree just big enough to squeeze myself in to hide inside the truck. I bolted from the large sandstone rock and hid inside this thick hollow tree truck.

Inside I prayed it wouldn't find me. Not hearing anything, I peeked out and saw that thing found Coraline's ball. With one long curved claw, it moves the ball around. Then I heard it clicking again as it seemed to notice my trail.

Barely twelve feet away that thing crawled like a spider around the big rock. I had just hidden behind a second ago. Its alien skull face twisted toward my direction. So I smashed into the side of this hollow truck that was half dead and alive. Still, the sky rumbled and the wind swished in alerting vibrations.

All the while I bite my lip to hear that skeleton creature gurgling and clicking closer and closer to me. Creak! The tree I hid inside creaked as this claw scraped on the bark outside it.

One claw came inside the hollow tree and that thing clicked loudly in my ears. Then it scraped up the soil and old decaying leaves with one pointed curved claw, where I hid inside the tree truck. Then it's one claw slide back outside the truck.

It clicked again as its one claw hooked back in the soil. This time it aimed at the side where I smashed my body. Below I felt that claw tug on my shoe. I looked down when it withdrew back out again.

Then it was silent. The only sounds I heard were the raging storm brewing and this wind thrashing. I breathed deeply since that thing surely left.

Creak! My body leaped and my heart left my chest as six claws came in above my head on both edges of the hollow opening. The hollow thick tree creaked louder as the monster outside was ripping the opening in half to reach me. The wood cracked as it creaked. Somehow it knew I was hiding inside. It clicked again and gurgled.

I closed my eyes and held my ears tight from the tumultuous terrifying noises it made.

Unexpectedly, I heard it screech louder as my knees collapsed. I curled up in a ball and held my knees to my breasts.

Following that, I heard strident hissing and growling. That thing backed off from the tree and I heard it scream and wail like something else was attacking it. There were multiple fast whipping and swooshing noises. Along with that there were thrashing and scurrying sounds.

Then a swirl pool of wind gushed tempestuously like a tornado was inside the forest. Between the thunder, the wind, and this creature everything was so obstreperous. Fear made my eyes cry as I shook to take my last breath. As the wind creaked and harshly rocked the tree I hid in.

Then all of a sudden, I heard nothing but the rain falling to the ground. Along with some distant thunder from the storm moving elsewhere.

Although my body still shook, I heard this gentle voice, "Victoria."

Warm hands embraced me as I opened my eyes to see Kai partly squeezed inside the tree. He pulled me out in his arms and I looked around seeing his large group of friends standing around. Nobody was wearing a shirt and they all had on soaking wet black shorts or jeans. More importantly, I didn't see that creature.

"What are you doing out here?" Kai asked as he cuddled me into his warm wet body.

"I was getting Coraline's ball but then I got worried and started to look for you," I shuddered as the raging storm started to mellow down.

Kai kissed my lips and then said sweetly. "You never have to look for me or worry about my safety. I will always find you and I'm more durable than you know."

I shook in his arms and said nothing. I couldn't even tell him about what I saw. It must've been a crazy hallucination. I thought as I peeked at the soil near the hollow tree and saw that a claw mark was still dug into it.