CHAPTER 2

Okoro's vision faded as the vulture's talons pierced his chest.

He struggled, but the creature's grip was unyielding.

With a final, guttural cry, Okoro's life slipped away.

The remaining hunters froze in terror, witnessing their leader's brutal demise.

Panic set in as they scrambled to flee.

"Run!!!"

one of them shouted.

Amadi, the youngest hunter, turned to flee but stumbled.

The vulture swooped down, its talons extended.

"NO!"

Amadi screamed.

The vulture's claws ripped through Amadi's back, and he crumpled to the ground.

His cries echoed through the forest, gradually fading into silence.

The remaining hunters fled in desperation, abandoning their fallen comrades.

As they stumbled through the darkness, the vulture's haunting laughter echoed through the trees.

"We have to get out of here!"

Ebube yelled.

"But where's Okoro?"

another hunter asked.

Ebube's face fell.

"He's...gone."

The hunters' fear turned to despair.

Without Okoro, their best hunter, they felt lost and vulnerable.

Suddenly, the forest grew quieter, as if the vulture was waiting for its next victim.

The hunters' frantic footsteps echoed through the forest, but the vulture's presence seemed to close in around them.

Exhausted and traumatized, the remaining hunters gathered at a clearing deep in the forest.

The darkness seemed to suffocate them, and the silence was oppressive.

"Okoro's gone,"

Ebube whispered, his voice trembling.

"We can't stay here."

"But where can we go?"

another hunter asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

The group fell silent, their eyes scanning the surrounding trees.

The forest seemed to loom over them, its shadows twisting into menacing forms.

"We need to rest,"

Ebube decided.

"We'll continue at dawn."

The hunters nodded, huddling together for comfort.

The night air was heavy with fear and uncertainty.

As they settled, the forest's sounds began to resume – crickets chirping, leaves rustling.

But the hunters' nerves remained on edge.

Suddenly, a faint whispering began, like leaves blown by an invisible wind.

The hunters exchanged nervous glances.

"What's that?"

someone whispered.

The whispering grew louder, swirling around them.

The hunters' hearts pounded.

Then, an unseen force grabbed one of the hunters, dragging him screaming into the darkness.

"Aaaahhhhh!"

the hunter yelled, his voice fading into the night.

Panic erupted.

The hunters scrambled to their feet, terror-driven.

"Run!"

Ebube shouted.

The group dispersed, fleeing in different directions.

Some stumbled, others sprinted.

The forest swallowed them whole.

Ebube dashed through the underbrush, his heart racing.

He didn't dare look back.

Ogbuagu sprinted uphill, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Ugo vanished into the shadows, his footsteps echoing through the trees.

The remaining hunters scattered, desperate to escape the unknown force.

As they fled, the whispering grew louder, a deafening roar that seemed to pursue them.

The night had become a living nightmare, and the hunters were its prey.

They ran, their lives depending on it...

Ebube's legs pumped furiously as he sprinted through the forest, his heart racing with terror.

Branches whipped past his face, and leaves crunched beneath his feet.

He didn't dare look back, fearing what he might see.

His breath came in ragged gasps, his lungs burning.

His legs ached, but he pushed on, driven by fear.

How did it come to this?

Okoro, the strongest hunter, fallen.

Amadi, the youngest, gone.

And now, one of their own, dragged away by an unseen force.

Ebube's thoughts swirled, his mind reeling.

He stumbled, regained his footing, and kept running.

Finally, exhaustion overtook him.

He slowed, then stopped, collapsing onto the forest floor.

Gasping, he sat on the ground, his back against a tree.

Ebube's eyes welled up with tears as memories flooded his mind.

His mother's warnings echoed in his thoughts.

"Ebube, don't go into that forest,"

she had pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Something evil lurks there.

Please, my son, stay safe."

He remembered her grasping his hands, her voice trembling.

"I'll be fine, Mother,"

he had reassured her, confident in his hunting skills.

Now, as the darkness closed in, Ebube realized his foolishness.

His mother's words haunted him.

"Why didn't I listen?"

he whispered, tears streaming down his face.

Ebube buried his face in his hands, overcome with grief and regret.

The forest's silence seemed to mock him, a reminder of his failure.

As he sat there, lost in despair, the forest's sounds began to resume – crickets chirping, leaves rustling.

But Ebube's heart remained heavy, weighed down by fear and sorrow.

Suddenly, a faint rustling caught his attention.

Ebube's head jerked up, his senses on high alert.

STORY CONTINUES.

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Megastar J

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