Rated M for vulgarity and violence
Crack! Snap! Pop! The sounds of the dead foliage breaking under my feet, as I run for what feels like is the fourth day in a row. All I know is I have had no sleep, no food, and no water for the last three days. The sky is still black so I'm not sure if this is still the third night or the forth morning. My name is Steven, Steven Remington (yes after the gun,) but you can call me Spades, at the moment I'm running for my life in some god forsaken woods in idontknowwhere, I'm running from what USED to be a MP back on my home base. Yes that's right, I said base. I'm an army brat, well technically an air force brat, but that is not the point. I was just minding my own business when a random MP comes out of nowhere and tries to kill me! I thought he was going for one of those "I'm sorry for your loss." With the hand on the shoulder, but instead his hand turns into a claw and he tries to give me a quick shave, head and all! Yesterday my father passed away, he was reported K.I.A. by his comrades during an op to secure a downed pilot; pilot is fine, a little shaken up, but she will be ok. So all day I've had people I've never met or heard of, telling how great of a man my father was and how he will be so sorely missed. For those of you civvies who haven't figured it out yet my father was in special operations, he was part of a group known as the "red berets" there officially however called Para Rescue Combat Controllers. Their job is to go behind enemy lines, and secure drop points, downed friendlies, and help aid ground troops. It's really dangerous, but my dad was one of the best. He trained me in a lot of the tactics he used to evade enemy troops; he taught me hand to hand combat, and almost every firearm under the sun. He trained me in wilderness survival to such a degree that I would have earned that merit badge five times over by now. I guess that's the only real reason I'm still alive at the moment, any normal person would have collapsed from exhaustion by now. Course I don't just give up like that, I've never been a good looser, guess I got that from my dad, because to him I guess loosing meant death. I have been trying to slow the thing that has been pursuing me down just like how my dad showed me, setting small inconvenient traps along the route I'm running. Doesn't really seem to be doing much however, the thing just sounds closer every minute. Eventually I know it will overtake me I can't keep this pace up for much longer, I mean for the record I have been running for three days now… or was it four? I don't remember, point is I dare anyone to match this. There is a small clearing up ahead, I can see a fire. People all way out here? No way. I guess this will have to the place of my last stand. As I break though the foliage there is this short guy with straggly hair, and a bunch of kids. "Shit!" I thought "there is no way I'm going to be able to stop myself in time!" I tried to yell for the short guy to move, but I wasn't quick enough and just ended up barreling him over.
"what the-" was all he had time for as 165lbs of muscle came careening into him, we both wound up going end over end for several feet. "Ow." I muttered as I sat up rubbing my forehead, for a short guy he made a pretty good wall if I had to say so. I looked up to see the stunned expressions of the kids, who were all dressed in these bright orange shirts that read "Camp Half-Blood" on the shirt. At that instant however I heard a rustling in the woods were I had just come from, and the soldier instantly snapped back to the front of my mind.
"You all need to run!" I screamed, but the kids still looked at me as if I had three heads. "You don't understand! There is this thing, and it's been chasing me! You all need to get out of here, there isn't any time left! LEAVE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, and at that particular moment, the monster decided to pounce from its concealment in the woods. I had none of my usual weapons, having left them back on base. So I grabbed the closest thing to me, which ended up being a stick from the fire. It would have to do, because with a mighty "ROAR!" the beast closed on me within seconds. At first I mistook it for a normal bear, but as it reared up onto its hind legs I noticed something off. It was wearing blue jeans, and I'm not talking about normal bear legs either. It looked from the waist down to be human. Except of the big hairy feet with massive claws in replacement of toe nails, from the waist up however it was all bear, his face had a snout, his mouth was full of yellowish canines, and his hands ended in the same long black claws his feet had. Just as the bear raised its hand/paw to take my head from my shoulders, a "hey!" rang out. We both stopped and looked at the short man who I had barreled over. Who was just now brushing himself off, his face was becoming redder then the beret my father used to wear. "Who do you think you are running into me without warning like that? Do you think you're too good for a move out of the way? Or are you just racist against satyrs?" I couldn't believe it, here I am about to fight to the death with this man-bear and then I get called racist against… did he just say satyr? I then took eyes to where the man was brushing his, what I had originally thought were pants, only to see that he had goat legs. Someone must have slipped me something in my drink at the funeral because this is just one horrible acid trip.
"Look out!" came from behind me as I caught the paw of the man bear with the side of my face. "Did he just slap me?" I screamed in my head, I stumbled for a bit but remained standing, much to the man-bear's displeasure. My jaw felt like it was broken but I would have to deal with that later, I raised my stick as if it was a sword, I knew that I would have to hit a soft vulnerable spot, end this quickly. I didn't have enough energy left for a drawn out fight. I smiled as an evil plan formed in my head, and with a roar that made the man-bear's look like a squeak, I charged and drove my stick; square into the nuts of the man-bear. The man-bear groaned and buckled over onto all fours, and I drew the stick back to strike it in the eye when an arrow came from my left and pierced the man-bear's eye instead. The man-bear screamed in pain and then with no heed of where it was going, galloped off back into the woods. I looked to my left to see a girl with fire red hair, and a steely glare notching another arrow, this one I figured meant for me. I quickly dropped my stick and raised my hands in surrender.
"Whoa, there sister I'm a friendly! Don't shoot!"
She continued to stare at me with eyes colder then ice, but she at least aimed the bow down. Not much but it was progress,
"How did you find us?" demanded the girl in red hair. "What do you want? Who are you?" she re raised the bow and aimed it once again at my chest. "Answer the questions!" she hollered. Keeping my hands up, I answered as calmingly as I could. Not wanting an arrow to be sprouting from my chest after surviving my duel with Bear Grills. "My name is Steven Remington. I have been running through the woods for the last 3 days being chased by that thing, I saw your fire and just ran for the light, that's how I found you. I want, if anything just a place to sleep and something to eat without risk of dying." A younger girl of maybe six walked over to the girl with red hair and pulled on the bottom of her orange shirt.
"Sis, he doesn't look like a monster, just put the bow down, let's all sit and have dinner." The cold eyes of the red head looked down at the small girl and grew soft,
"Ok Sophie just go over there and sit with the others, I'll join you in a moment." Then the eyes hardened again, and locked back on to me. "Sit there and don't move." She commanded, I happily obliged for at that moment my legs gave out from under me, the last of my adrenalin gone. I finally felt all the cuts and scrapes I had across my body, my jaw aching with renewed vigor. I sat there exhausted, fighting just to stay concise; I refuse to fall asleep until I had something to eat. Finally the red head girl came back over with a bowl of stew, as she handed it to me she said "we decided you could stay with us for now, we are heading to a place that's safe from monsters like that, you can come if you want to."
I looked at her and winced as I tried to mutter a thank you threw the broken jaw. She just scowled and walked back to her group, who were all whispering, staring and pointing at me. I could see there was fear in their eyes, but also some curiosity. I faintly remember a person treating my wounds just as I passed out.