Just outside my job, we have a small woods, no more than 500 feet deep. It's very thick, but if you are an outdoorsman like me, you can find a way through it. Last month sometime, I discovered some tracks in the snow by my car. They looked more human than animal, so I just assumed a coworker had went to the wrong car. I brushed my car off, and had it warming up, but could not shake the feeling that some thing was watching me. (I should probably mention that I recently "retired" from the family business.)
I casually grabbed my pistol with silver bullets and took a good look at the treeline. That's when I saw it, a set of four red eyes glaring from a bush. Moving slowly I turned and checked that the lot was clear. When I finished my circle, the eyes were gone. Cursing my luck I pulled out my phone and made the group call.
"Okay, code five (unknown monster) at my job, you all know where. Meet when you can, I'm heading in now." receiving a set of acknowledgments I hung up, confident that backup was on it's way. Double checking the lot, I headed towards the woods and drew my pistol. Going in alone was risky, but I didn't want to lose the trail. As I entered the natural animal trail, the trees seemed the get closer, reducing my light to something around sunset visibility. I couldn't help a feeling of dread, and made sure to move slowly and check every bush. I kept hearing a low pitched whine, but couldn't see any source. Around 100 feet in, I knew I was being hunted, and decided to get out before the light was completely gone. Now it took me over an hour of hiking, so I knew my friends were outside, but for some reason my phone wasn't working. As I hit the thirty foot mark, I saw a blur from my right and left sides simultaneously. I tried to roll backward, but felt something RIP into my side before being pulled away. I ended up falling back, and grabbing my side in pain. Something had literally taken a bit out of me! Pushing through the haze of pain I managed to point my gun at what looked like two animals fighting next to me. I pulled the trigger and watched the bullet bounce off as the animals ignored me. I tried standing up or crawling, but the pain was unbearable. After a minute of trying, I blacked out from shock and bloodloss.
I woke up twenty minutes later to my friends shaking me and starting to patch me up. "Damnit it old man, you don't get to die on me, you hear?!" One of my trainees said. I weakly nodded, and the other two hunters formed a box while "Bill" picked me up. I passed out almost immediately.
I woke up on my couch, with a pile of bloody bandages next to me. "What time is it?" I muttered, grabbing the nearby water as my voice cracked.
"It's only 11pm, you now have tomorrow off, be glad it's a friday." Bill replied as he cracked open a beer.
"Hey that's my guiness, you can't..." I trailed off as Bill just glared at me. "Help yourself." I muttered, realizing exactly how weak I was at that moment.
"I wasn't asking for permission old man. You just almost died from your own stupidity. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!!" He was yelling, but I deserved it. "You've been retired for six months, Damnit Mikey, what would I have told your brother?!"
"Nothing, you leave him out of this!" I went to sit up but fell back in exhaustion. "Leave him be." I muttered, pulling the blankets a bit tighter.
Bill took a minute to breathe and finish his beer, we sat in silence for another twenty minutes before I spoke up. "I am sorry, I just...miss it, you know kid?"
"I get that, but either retire or jump back in. This half assed shit is going to get you or me killed. Remember the shifter? Or the witch?" he paused and cracked a second beer. "You need to decide, before something decides for you." Standing up he left me to my thoughts. "Your phone is charging, call if you need me, I'm going upstairs."
I waved him off and carefully adjusted the pillow so I could sleep. I slept fitfully, mostly due to pain, but I had that being watched feeling too. I woke up and managed to take a piss, barely making it back to the couch before the pain hit me. As I half collapsed, I saw a blur dart across the windown. I grabbed my phone but it was dead on the charger. My pistol was too far away, so I pulled my knife and waited as the thing started to creep close. It stopped just outside arms reach, and I got my first good look at it.
It was around seven feet tall, stood on two legs, and was roughly humanoid. Its arms reached down to the ground, and it was covered in over two inches of this thick matted fur that had a waxy looking substance holding it together. It turned its head like it was examining me, before nudging the pile of rags and making a wierd cough sound. I froze, scared to even breathe as it stepped just a little closer.
The creature reached into a bag that I hadn't seen and pulled out an odd smelling green leaf. Carefully it placed it on top of the rags before montioning at my side. I was confused, as it had definitely been the thing to attack me, but decided my only chance was to play along. I nodded consent and slowly slid the knife away as the thing made that wierd cough again. It stepped within reach, and slowly started to undo my bandaged side. It must have peeled the scab because there was a sharp hit of pain, and I reacted without thinking. Swinging the knife only to hear a large ringing sound, like metal striking metal. My arm flew wide and the creature jumped back, holding its arms up in a comical surrender pose.
"Damnit Old man, I was trying to sleep!" I could hear Billy coming down the stairs and so I did something unexpected. I waved the creature out the door, and hid the leaves.
"Sorry Billy, just trying to change the bandage." I groaned as Billy tightened the new bandage and lightly patted my side. "Thanks kid." i said as he finished the knot and stood back up.
"Call next time." was all he said as he walked back upstairs.
I mock saluted him, then decided to sleep. Tomorrow was another day to figure out this monster.
"You are resting today, and tomorrow. I might let you up Sunday." I heard as I slowly woke up. I groaned and Billy just chuckled, "Quit complaining, you still have a pulse."
"Sunday, that's, four days out! What the hell Billy! You can not be serious!" I groggily yelled, snapping out of sleep as what he said sank in. My head snapped over and I went to argue, but was cut short as he leaned on my bad side.
"What did you just say old man?" Billy said it quietly, and with almost no pressure on my side, but I was ready to cry. After a minute of silence he relented and leaned back, setting a coffee next to me. "Drink, wake up, we still have work to do."
I agreed and gobbled down food while Billy gathered the laptops and monster journals. After food I grabbed the laptop and propped myself up with some help.
"Alright, so the thing that got me was at least seven feet tall, and had this waxy looking fur. I didn't get a chance to see much else." I apologized, already typing away in google. Billy merely grunted before digging into the books. We didn't talk much, focusing on finding what this thing was instead. We took a short break for lunch and dinner, but by eight, neither of us had any luck.
Billy groaned and stretched, before putting the book down and standing up.
"I'm sorry, but I got nothing, it's just not enough to go on. I need a real drink and a solid nights sleep. We can dig into this more tomorrow alright?" Billy asked as he started to pack things away so I could sleep.
"Yeah kid, I'm beat." I put the laptop to the side and then cleaned up and got confortable. Billy headed upstairs, leaving me alone once again.
I had that feeling of being watched, but this time I was ready. I slid my knife under the pillow, and put the leaves from last night inside a new bandage. I didn't put the bandage on though, tonight I was laying a trap. Instead I set the bandage next to me and waited, sure enough a shadow slowly moved. The closer it got, the more nervous I was, this did not feel like the same thing as yesterday. Trusting my gut, I yelled out. "Billy code 5!" I yelled as loud as I could then pulled out my knife and pointed it at the creature.
"You think that will save you? You have hunted us for years, calling yourself a mighty hunter. Thinking yourself above all the rules, tonight you learn differently..." stepping into the light, an old vampire smirked at me. I so did not stand a chance in this fight, hell I could barely beat a vamp when I was in top shape.
"What's your name, master of the night?" I stalled buying time.
"You may call me...Tombe, or Death, whichever you prefer." casually leaning back the vamp examined his nails. "Where the hell is Billy?" i thought to myself, then he was tossed down the stairs, bleeding heavily from a cut on his head.
"Leave the kid out of this you stupid vamp. He is too young, you want me, not him." I stalled, trying to think of any way out of this. As I tried to formulate a plan, two more vampires joined Tombe and held Billy tightly between them. The look of despair on his face almost made me break down then and there.
"Oh that is where you are wrong, he is indeed part of this. Little hunter in training, I will enjoy drinking him dry. You are first though, after all, we have a long history." The vampire tensed suddenly, "You there, get lost, this hunter is ours." he yelled out, looking just over my shoulder. I felt the entire room go cold and dark, the light seemed to getting sucked out of the air itself.
The thing from last night stepped into the room, through the wall like it didn't exist. Then it simply pointed at the door behind the vampires.
"You, it's, it's you. The rumors are true, HE is awakened." The entire group of three vampires turned a lovely shade of white, and slowly backed out the door. "We obey, oh great emissary." Leaving Billy on the ground in a heap, the vampires fled from this new monster standing in front of me.
"Thank you, I think. What the hell are you, that three full blown vamps are running away?" I demanded, even I could hear the fear in my voice. The new monster turned and froze as Billy cocked a shotgun and levelled it at it's head. Time for some answers.
A/U broke the character limit lol. just an idea thats been floating in my head. let me know what y'all think.