Kamil bludgeoned the beast's head in with the fire-bearing log, and sprinted.
Instantly, the beast didn't roar; it gave a guttural cry. It spouted a fountain of black blood from the injury.
As it got up, it moaned in pain as it began to vomit out intestines that weren't its own. It convulsed, nearly gagging as it scoured its surroundings.
Kamil navigated through dark branches without any lights to guide him; he only followed the faint blaze of the campfire.
He traversed in many directions so as to confuse the beast if it followed his sound.
What the hell was that thing? It looked like a human, but it wasn't. It looked underdeveloped, yet overdeveloped at the same time.
There was another person here too. And they were being feasted upon. Is that our inevitable fate?No. Stop thinking like that. Your legs are still moving; just get to camp and you'll lead from there.
Kamil tucked his frog charm under his tank top as he moved. He noticed its footsteps hadn't followed him. Or were they claws?
He reached closer to the camp, following the light like a moth to a flame.
Breaking through any loose branch in his path, his legs hadn't stopped as they kicked the ground with each stride.
Until—
He met it.
That golden flame. He had never felt so relieved to feel its warmth.
Lias and Amaya stood in front of him, armed with carved logs in their palms.
Kamil ordered breathlessly, "Douse it . . ."
. . .
They hadn't responded; their eyes were fixed behind him. Their bodies couldn't move, as if it smelled movement.
Kamil turned around and saw its body. He imagined claws drive up his spine at the sight of it.
I didn't hear it follow me . . . did it trace every one of my steps? Was it toying with me?
Immediately, he backed away, holding up his fists.
The beast stood there, stiff. It hunched its back and had limbs too long for its torso. Its bones nearly poked out its dull-grey skin.
Its shoulders were far too broad, and it towered over them.
It didn't stand in a hostile manner; in fact, it looked like it wanted to speak. But it just couldn't.
Kamil looked up and saw its face, or at least what was left of it.
Hollowed-out eyes with a gaping jaw, gills driving up each corner of every muscle. It breathed like a shark on land and gave a raspy groan.
Then blood poured out of the dark holes in its eyes like a filter, leaving only black.
It unsheathed long fangs like needles from its maw. They looked frail, but oddly sturdy.
Bodily fluids leaked out its mouth as it slightly cooed, offering its decrepit claws reminiscent of human hands to Kamil.
From afar, Lias saw the taloned hands near Kamil's chest, and his impulse took over.
He instantly grabbed a sharp rod of metal, and with precision—
Sssot!
Like an arrow, he pitched the rod to its bottomless eye socket.
It took a step back, calibrating. Then it let out an outcry of misery as it pulled out the rod, as more blood coursed.
In its tantrum, it backhanded Kamil in the chest, launching him back to a nearby tree. Its eyes surveyed them like meals when it was already full.
Scanning, it saw the metal in Lias's grasp, and realized.
Without hesitation, it pounced toward him, until—
Kamil kicked the side of its would-be knee, and it bent.
"Run!" he barked.
Taking one last look at the beast, it seemed stunned.
They scurried, never looking behind.
Kamil was short of breath as he ran, thinking to himself.
Don't look back. Keep moving forward, don't ever stop until they're safe.
He followed behind Amaya and Lias as they ran.
Lias panted, "Amaya, let go of that cooler! It's slowing you!"
Amaya yelled, "It's our lives, damn it!"
They kept persisting, luckily dodging a plethora of trees, and hopelessly bumping into some.
There weren't any leaves or branches they could see, only shapes of shadows and faint glimpses of light formed by the distant campfire.
Kamil heard that silence again. That silence that was too promising. It hadn't moved, or had it been one step ahead of them?
Suddenly—
Kamil's face planted into the ground. He felt pincers stab into his foot.
As he grunted, he turned his body, and it lathered blood on his ankles.
Its silhouette shaped its sharp outline as it drooled.
Faintly visible by the faraway fire, it held onto his boot. Baring its fangs, its hunger would be satiated with one more meal.
Unhinging its jawbone widely, it attempted to take Kamil's foot.
In a spur of the moment, he kicked its teeth, knocking it back, but his boot was stuck in its mouth.
Kamil wasted no time, throwing his other boot at its face and making a run for it.
The beast gnawed the steel-toed boot like flesh and swallowed, taking its time before continuing its prowl.
. . .
All he could see was darkness. Kamil could only make faint shapes, but taking the time to see them would take far too long, especially now.
Though the soles of his feet were lacerated by broken splinters, he ignored that pain and persisted onward.
I have to catch up. They might get lost without me. Not like I know any more about this place, but at least I'll be able to take the responsibility.
I've been running in what's felt like circles. And I saw that other people live here—well, there were. Regardless, if there's one person that lived here, there has to be another. I just know.
But if there's one of that thing, does that mean there's more? I mean, it did look awfully young despite how big it was.
Minutes passed. Kamil felt his luck shrink as he narrowly missed thick logs on his path.
He imagined the leaves, the skies, the ground as a whole, but it was still faint. He wondered what Malik would've seen, as surreal as it may be.
He held his palm out, pretending it were a blade. A blade that would guide him, as Malik once said.
I don't give that boy enough credit. Actually, he's grown to be more of a man.
Eventually, Kamil heard the others' quick footsteps, slowly catching up.
He heard Lias's voice. "Kamil! Hurry up! We gotta lose it!"
On top of that, he heard the sloshing liquid in Amaya's cooler; she held it like a baby wrapped in a blanket.
They felt something in front of them, a presence that gave them a sense of longing for what was lost.
But they couldn't lose their trajectory now; they had to keep moving. Even when their feet felt sore, they didn't stop. They couldn't bear the thought of being pierced by the pincers of that abomination.
Suddenly, they passed the darkness, and the forest began to glow in navy-blue outlines.
Kamil felt a sigh of relief, as he could now see. He saw only a fraction of what Malik would see, but he was still glad.
A relief that fell short.
From behind him, he heard a large step on the ground, too heavy to be human. A step that mocked his pace.
Kamil fell outward, tumbling through grass and sticks.
From a sudden push, he knocked Lias and Amaya onto the ground with him.
He had exhausted himself, and so had they, until they all saw it.
Its silhouette crept. Smiling cynically, it crawled innocently on all fours.
They felt paralyzed from the neck down and felt their bodies submerge into the ground.
The beast curred as it crept forward, facing Kamil first.
He met the void in its sockets, yet felt its beam through spilling blood.
Its claws edged closer, dislocating its jaw, and—
Sthwuck!
. . .
A rotating spear hurled the beast off its feet.
It penetrated its gullet, and when Kamil looked over, it wasn't crying anymore.
From the distance, a figure walked past them, as the three went unnoticed.
From Kamil's view, he saw a tall, slim pale figure with dark hair.
"For Marah," the figure spoke to itself, "and for the people lost in that wretched realm from the selfishness of politics, and the depravity of your weaning. You taint our joy, so you must be put down like a dog."
It continued, walking closer. "I carry the weight of this island with blue and gold threads. Anything goes, as long as my tribe comes first. Even those visitors must be dealt with."
The figure went toward the lifeless beast and pulled the spear out.
It scoffed. "Hah. Stop playing dead. You things never die easily."
Then—
A silent stab. The beast cried one last time before finally submitting.
The figure gave one last glance. "I know this isn't the life you wanted. My role, and my place in this world, this 'Ant Farm', has forced me to do this. Regardless, I have a home to visit. Yours truly."
The figure bowed to the fallen beast, speaking to it despite knowing it was already dead.
Kamil, Lias, and Amaya watched as it left the premises with silent steps, like the ground made an effort to keep it quiet.
Navy, a dark blue, filled the sky of night as they slowly gained their strength.
Eventually, they were able to stand upright.
Lias muttered, "What the hell just happened?"
"Not sure. Whatever it was, it ain't a good time to talk now. Like that tribesperson said, there's homes here, meaning there's a town," Kamil murmured.
"How far do you think that town is?" Amaya asked, wiping the dirt off the cooler.
"Considerin' there's a hunter here, we shouldn't be too far from one," he answered, stretching his back.
Gathering their materials, they embarked again. They walked slower, as they could see better than before.
They would reach a tribe soon enough, but which one?
Lias held a metal rod tight and saw a dimmer version of the hull. He asked, "How do you guys think the others are doing?"
"I'd hope they've gotten luckier than we have. We had to ditch the camp in case any more of those things show up."
Kamil spoke in sudden nausea, "Yeah, especially with the blade—"
Immediately, he gripped a tree and resisted vomiting.
Amaya rushed to him. "Kamil! Are you okay?"
Kamil swallowed a vile taste and waved his hand. "I'm fine," he said, sighing.
"Then what's the matter?" Amaya let go of her cooler to pat him on the back.
"When I saw that monster . . . it was eating somebody. And it had a keychain," he gagged. "One for a father. And I wouldn't doubt his son's name was on it. I remember it now. It said Nodin."
Lias asked calmly, "How do you know?"
Kamil gulped. "Cyrus had one of those with Malik's name on it. I suspect he threw it out a long time ago."
. . .
His words had reached his eyes before he uttered them. Feeling something escape his eyelids, he looked down to see if it was blood, but all it brought was his reflection.
Continuing, "I just hope everyone gets back safely. And knowing this place now, the chance that won't happen isn't out of the picture anymore."
Their eyes darted to the ground, hoping it would give an answer.
All it did was loom in a dark navy.
Silence emanated, as Kamil quickly straightened himself.
Amaya held the cooler with one arm and balanced him as he walked with the other.
Endlessly, the walk felt like an eternity. They each had to take multiple stops to have a breather.
Time passed, as something emerged from beyond the forest.
Blue lights on poles, illuminating the night.
Nearing the end of the forest, they saw the exit. The exit to the darkness.
When they reached it, they sighed in pure relief.
From afar, they saw it. The tribe. On the perimeter of its walls, dozens of skulls were stuck onto it.
They saw a man kneeling, silently weeping.
He held a blue lantern as he cried in front of a skull.
From a distance, Lias asked, "Hey! Need any help?"
For only a second, he hesitated to look at them.
The man stood up, wiping his tears. "I've never seen you around here before. Are you coming to collect my life?"
Their eyes widened, as they hadn't expected such a question.
The azure lights lit on the man's melancholic face.
He continued, "Please do so. I can't bear this grief any longer. I've lost everything."
. . .
"I'm tired of this place . . ."