Wretched Creatures In The Forest

The sweet smell of peppermint filled the moist air of the bathroom where a peculiar Professor stood in the middle of the stall. The cool refreshing water made contact with his skin and his silver-gray hair was soaked as the drops of water trickled down his face. His well-built body was covered in stitches of which he had experimented on himself years ago. Stein pressed his forehead, and both arms, against the wall where the swiveling nozzle was aiming down at him. A sigh escaped from his lips, feeling the water pour down on top of his head where it traveled down his back. His mind fades into dullness and everything is a foggy illusion.

Minutes had gone by, he shuts down the water and steps out of the stall where he grabs a towel and wraps it around his waist. He held a small towel of which he used to dry off his completely drenched hair. As he exited the bathroom his eyes drifted off towards Alice who sat upright on his bed, fully awake and looking straight at him. There was an awkward silence floating around the air, and the next thing he knew Alice's face turned scarlet and looked away in embarrassment.

He simply chuckled. "Glad to see you're awake."

Alice grabbed a pillow without looking at him and threw it in his direction. She managed to land a decent throw and the pillow smacked him square in the face, and then pillow fell with a light thud. Stein couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"I see. Well then, I'll be getting dressed," he said with a smile before searching for his clothes and putting them on.

Alice decided to glance over just to make sure he was fully dressed when in reality she saw his bare chest. Her face once again became red and she cursed for looking without him telling her to do so. I mean this was her professor for Death's sake!

Not wanting to stick around, Alice got up from the bed and strolled across the room, passing by Stein. Right when she had the doorknob in her grasp, she stopped by the sound of Stein's voice.

"Leaving already?" he asked nonchalantly.

Alice grew slightly nervous but she managed to look over to a now fully dressed Stein. She gave him a small smile along with a gentle nod in response. Stein returned the same gesture, "Alright then. Make sure to be ready for a couple of minutes. We'll be heading out to explore the area."

Alice nodded before exiting the room and quickly made her way towards her bedroom.

Stein stared at the door with a slight frown. He sighed "What's on that mind of yours?"

A couple of minutes went by; Alice is now fully dressed to explore the area. She had on her previous clothing from when she first arrived at this place, sadly her favorite sweater was beyond repair and instead wore the black colored long-sleeved shirt, denim shorts (in which she packed a spare in her 'magical' backpack), and her dark suede over the knee boots.

She combed her hair into a simple ponytail before adjusting her choker. Satisfied with the way she looks, she exited her room and headed straight towards the living room. In the room, Stein stood there with both hands inside the pockets of his pants and Lynx was sprawled comfortably on the oddly shaped couch. The feline male glanced over at her and his grin widen more than usual.

"Took you long enough." He purred, making her smile sheepishly.

Lynx disappeared and reappeared beside her. "Do be careful out there. I suggest you stick to each other rather than exploring off on your own." He said in a hushed tone, and she gave him a curt nod before walking over to Stein.

…

…

She hasn't been in this part of the forest before. Of course, there were many large trees, domino pieces, and the oddly shaped mushrooms everywhere but something about the atmosphere seems different. She couldn't put her finger on it; maybe it's just her imagination.

The sounds of pig snouts can be heard nearby. Some of them were even flying over them and through the trees.

Professor Stein was practically eager to capture one of the creatures, dissect them and then thoroughly study it from the inside out. However, Alice was preventing him from doing so. It was such a disappointment but he knew better than to argue about it. There were plenty more creatures in this world that he would eventually get his hands on, without Alice's knowledge of course. If she ever found out...well, that's a whole different story.

They were soon walking down a narrow pathway that was riddled with mushrooms, large chunks of domino pieces which had been somehow wedged in between the rocks - - some became the rock itself while other pieces were the floor they were walking on.

As they walk further down the path, Alice couldn't help but notice a drastic change in scenery.

The once lively forest that was filled with vegetation was now discolored and dull, with dead vegetation that was slowly being eaten away by parasites. There was a small lake to their right which was terribly contaminated by what looked like black ooze, it was bubbling too.

The entire area looked absolutely dreadful.

Stein, too, noticed the change and was now cautious, glancing at every direction in search of any potential danger that they could encounter along the way. He absentmindedly slowed his pace and was now walking beside Alice.

There was something in the air that felt so eerie, apart from the putrid smell that the area gave off. It's as if someone was watching them in a hostile manner. But…who?

*Crunch* - - *Crunch* - - *Crunch*

They came to an abrupt stop and were now standing still as a statue. Both of them waited for the noise to resume. It was heard again not too far from where they stood. So they proceed with caution, and the closer they got the louder the crunching became.

Both of them stood behind a large boulder and the crunching was just beyond from where they were.

Stein looks over his shoulder down at Alice and gestured with his index finger, signaling her to remain silent. He moves closer to get a better look at what's making the noise. His head peeks out from the corner of the boulder and was looking straight ahead.

A couple of yards away, there stood a creature made entirely out of a black, oil-like substance. The creature had its back towards him, hunched forward as the crunching sound resumed. There was a sound that could only be described as tearing the flesh from the bone which was then followed by disgusting and loud chewing noises from the creature.

Below the creature was a pool of blood, and then Stein caught a glimpse of a human arm which was being eaten, and a mauled up torso in front of it.

Stein's face scrunched up in utter disgust. This...monstrosity was devouring human remains!

Alice peeks out from behind him and was now staring directly at the horrific scene. She instantly threw her hands over her mouth, letting out a muffled gasp of pure horror.

'The bloody hell was that - - that THING?!' Alice's eyes grew wide, and her pupils were quivering. The rest of her body slowly began to tremble.

Her fear, however, didn't go unnoticed. Stein places his hand behind her head while the other was wrapped around her waist. He pulls her close to his chest and felt her body tremble beneath his grasp. Stein was glancing around for any more of those hideous creatures that could appear at any given moment.

'Is this what he warned us about?' Stein's brows knitted together as Lynx's words echoed inside his mind. What Lynx said before...it all makes sense now.

His train of thought was interrupted as he felt a tug on his shirt. He looks down at Alice, her eyes were wide with her mouth slightly open but this look wasn't directed at him it was something right above him. Stein raised his head and his eyes instantly widened.

Above him stood a skinny creature that was suspended on the boulder where they concealed themselves in. The creature appeared to be human-like but with charcoal skin that looks similar to latex rubber, was on all fours, a bandage wrapped around its eyes which had blood stains on where its eye sockets are, large sharp teeth with no lips whatsoever and had large, twelve inch long claws. It looked like a something that was made up for a horror movie.

A guttural noise escapes from the throat of the creature as it shifts from the boulder before leaning down. Its long body was now above Stein's head and its face was inches away from Alice's. Neither of them dared to move a muscle while the creature stood there and then it began to sniff around. It edges close to Alice's face and she instinctively moves her head to the side as it inhales deeply before huffing loudly. The creature moves back and disappears on the other side of the boulder.

They wasted no time and left the area as quickly as they could.

...

...

"Now, now - - I understand your displeasure at the moment, Stein."

Stein glared at the grinning male if looks could kill he would want this man - - creature - or whatever he is, dead on the spot. "Do you really, Lynx? I'd like to know what those things were back there, not to mention that one of them was this close to harming MY student!"

He edged forward and suddenly felt a pair of hands grabbing on to his right arm. Stein looks down to see Alice holding him in place. Her brows knitted together and her eyes were screaming with worry. His tense muscles relax and his facial features soften.

Lynx hums in thought and closes his eyes. "A creature made out of an oil-like substance - - a creature with elongated claws, sharp teeth and a bandage around its eyes..." he trails off and he opens his eyes. "There's no doubt that you two have encountered the Hunter and the Scavenger."

Both gawked at him with their heads becoming slightly bigger and their bodies a bit smaller, just like a chibi.

Lynx stares at them blankly with a single drop of sweat trailing down his cheeks. "The creatures you encountered." They exchanged glances to each other and their mouths formed an 'O'.

He folds his arms in front of his chest and his grin wavered ever so slightly. "Tch, honestly, you two share the same clueless minds - - perhaps the both of you should go on a date maybe that way you will share your foolishness to each other." he deadpanned, and pivoted away from them, not realizing that their faces were a redden mess.

"We have bigger problems to attend to." Lynx looks over his shoulder. "I've been seeing many more creatures lately around this area and I'm afraid they will keep appearing if we don't do something about It." he averted his gaze and was now staring out the rectangular window in front of him.

His grin grew wider. "Hope you two are prepared for what's to come because the creatures that inhabit this world will kill you... and most importantly." he pivoted to face them with a twisted grin on his lips.

"They will eat your soul."