Screeching Beast
Inside the cave, with Alexander leading the way, the team moved quietly and slowly. Although the visibility wasn't great, Alexander could see better than the others. He could also pick up on the lingering stench of the monster, guiding him down the right path.
Following Alexander, the team soon came to a fork. Two paths lay before them, each leading to the unknown. "Which way do we go?" Asked Sam.
"This one," Alexander answered easily, walking into the right tunnel, He could barely make out the faint, lingering stench.
The team followed. Soon they could hear pained and distressed grunts ahead, emanating from deeper in the tunnel. Finally, the team came to a large dark cavern at the end of the tunnel. Faint orange rays seeped through cracks in the ceiling, casting eerie, shifting patterns on the cavern floor.
In the middle of the cavern were the unconscious hostages, all tied up to a large stone pillar. "There…there, they are. It's Tommy." Hailey whispered excitedly as tears welled in her eyes. "We have to help them." She plead.
"And we will. We just have to make sure it's safe." Alexander assured gently, as his eyes cautiously surveyed the cavern.
What immediately drew his attention was at the far corner of the cavern. A tall bony creature hunched over, coughing and grunting in distress like a dog choking on a bone. It had grey leather-like skin with wrinkles and dispersed loose strands of hair.
"Look over there," Alexander said grimly, directing everyone's attention. Turning to Sam and the others, "It's time."
Hailey and Ben were sad but knew this was not the time or place to make a scene. Alexander then said "All right guy, let's get ready. I'll try to lure it to the other tunnel we saw on the way."
He then crouched and quietly moved away from the group, before hiding on the other side of the tunnel and waited for the other to find a safe place to hide. He looked at the creature's back with caution his heart beating rapidly, his eyes seemed to lose focus.
'Why?' he thought.
Why was he doing this? Why was he going so far for a group of people he just met? Did he have some sort of death wish? Was he some kind of adrenaline junkie? Was he suffering from a saviour complex? Was it Hailey? Did he fancy her? Had he fallen for her? Or worse, was it lust?
No.
Perhaps it was because of the memories he inherited from Geralt or that he wasn't truly over his father's disappearance as he'd like to believe and hunting these monsters gave him an outlet for his pain or perhaps it was something deeper, darker, simpler.
Once he saw them find some decent cover. He took a few deep breaths to push these thoughts to the back of his mind and stepped out into the open.
He then cleared his throat loudly and stood waiting as the sound reverbed through the quiet cave immediately pulling the wendigo's attention. It quickly turned to the source. As the Wendigo twisted its head to focus on Alexander, its spine cracked like splintering wood.
The wendigo now stood tall. It's grotesque visage clear for all to see. Looking at it, it was hard to believe that this abomination was once human. It had incredibly exaggerated human-like features. The creature loomed over them, its skeletal frame stretching toward the cavern ceiling like a grotesque marionette. It possessed unreasonably long legs that were more akin to that of a canine than a human and arms that fell past its knees with long pencil-like fingers. It lacked any muscle, it was practically a skeleton with skin. Its skin hugged its ribcage displaying each rib in precise detail. And its face was like a partially successful attempt at transplanting Lord Voldemort's face onto a pig's. And with a bleeding eye and leaking, bloody mouth it was even more hideous.
Was this an existence worth living?
It focused on Alexander or tried to. Its head turning and tilting as it squinted its one good eye in a desperate attempt to make out the figure before it. Soon Alexander's image became clear, immediately after the beast's eye snapped in realization as it took a threatening stance, flaring open his arms and letting out a roar or rather screech filled with extreme hatred, directed at Alexander, the man who had dared to injure it.
Witnessing the beast's reaction Alexander chuckled nervously, "Hey, it seems you remember me. And here I was worried you had forgotten me."
The wendigo dropped on all fours with a heavy thud, growling angrily, drooling a mixture of saliva and blood. It stepped forward ready to attack.
"Do you remember this?" Alexander asked raising Roy's rifle.
The Wendigo's muscles coiled, its fingers flexing, claws scraping against the stone floor. It snarled, its single eye locked onto the rifle—recognition flashing through its beastly mind. But then... hesitation.
"Haha, I guess you do." Alexander laughed. "Your face is looking a bit uneven, how about I do you a favour and shoot your other eye to make it slightly better?"
The beast dug its claws deep into the ground snarling at Alexander, enraged, it wanted nothing more than to rush in and rip him limb from limb. But it stayed put, its eye fixed on the rifle, a weapon that reeked of its own blood.
The humiliation.
Alexander could tell that he held the wendigo's full attention, he could practically feel its rage heating up the cave. Its eyes were stuck to him yearning for any opening, but because he had a weapon capable of injuring it, the wendigo was hesitant to attack.
This began a stalemate but the plan was to lure the creature away not have a staring contest. Alexander could also see that the beast was getting restless it couldn't hold back its impulses for too long. It wouldn't be long before it charged at him right then and there regardless of the risk to itself.
Alexander knew what he had to do. A cold sweat clung to his back as his pulse pounded against his ribs like a war drum in preparation for his plan. Alexander steeled his nerves.
A deep breath.
Alexander adjusted his rifle and the wendigo flinched, just as it did, Alexander quickly turned around in one swift motion and bolted for the exit. The wendigo stood in bewilderment staring at Alexander fleeting back. Soon the bewilderment turned into realisation then rage. It gave a loud soul tickle screech before chasing after Alexander.
Alexander speedily ran into the exit past where Sam and the others were hiding ignoring their presence as though they weren't even there. Every instinct screamed at him to keep moving, his boots pounding against the cold stone as the screeches of the Wendigo clawed at his ears.
Similarly, the wendigo chased after Alexander all its attention focused on catching him, literally vaulting over the fence-like boulder Sam and co were hiding behind.
Hailey and Ben let out a little yelp in shock at the beast's manoeuvre. They quickly looked in fear that the creature might have heard them. Fortunately, the beast had already disappeared into the darkness chasing after Alexander.
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