Chapter 1
(Chapter song ’Silent Running (Epic Trailer Version)’ by Hidden Citizens)
SEVEN YEARS AGO
“Quit shaking!’
“I’m sorry! I’m scared.”
He grabs my arms and looks into my eyes. “You can’t be scared. They can smell fear. You want to die?”
“No.” I mumble.
He glances at the trees. “The traps are out there. All you need to do is remember where they are. You’re ready.”
“I don’t know…” I look down at the forest floor then look up to his brown eyes. “This doesn’t feel right.”
“You wanted to hunt. We’re hunting.” He stands straight and crosses his arms. “I can always have one of the guys drive you back and you can tell dad that you couldn’t cut it.”
“Come on, Erin. That’s not fair.” I whine.
He leans to me and points to my nose. “Then you grow a pair and act like a hunter. I’m not dying because of you.”
My lips shrink and I feel my eyes sting. “That wasn’t nice.”
“I’m sorry but it’s the truth.” He walks to his bag and pulls out a mini crossbow. He pulls out a bolt and loads it. “Listen. Dad wants you trained. This is training.” He walks back to me and hands me the crossbow. “Take it.”
I look at him then down at the weapon in his hands. My small shaking hands take it. I hold the weapon like it’s a key to hell’s gate.
“Stop shaking. This is right. These animals don’t deserve to live. Would you let a sick dog suffer?” He says as I feel the silver tip of the bolt.
“No.” I mumble.
“Same thing. These things have a disease. They hunt us. So, why shouldn’t we hunt them? They took Mitchell. They took mom. Are you going to let them take anyone else?”
I raise my eyes. “But what if…”
He grabs my shoulder. “But nothing. These pieces of shit will eat you in a second. You can either pull this trigger or be dinner. Either way, I’m making sure these fuckers are dead. You can be part of the solution or part of the problem. Make your choice.”
My eyes fall to the crossbow. I try to force my breathing to slow down and lift my eyes to meet his. “I’m with you.”
A grin spreads across his lips. “That’s my baby Hood. Let’s go bag a wolf.” He walks away, grabs his bag and slings it over his shoulder.
“I’m not a baby, Erin!”
“Okay, squirt!”
“Stop calling me that!”
“Peewee!”
“Erin!”
TWO YEARS AGO
He runs through the woods. I can hear him trip and stumble as the wolfsbane works its magic. I loudly whistle a tune that I have come to appreciate. A tune meant to scare. And it does.
I hold my knife to the pad of my finger and twist the point on my skin. The leaves crunch and the bird’s song in the branches is oblivious to his end.
I’ve learned a lot during my life. Like how no one is coming to save you, so you need to either take care of yourself or die. I chose the former.
I’m a hero, in a way.
There are dark things in this world, and they live among us. Oh, sure. They disguise themselves. They work 9 to 5s. Pay taxes. Get married. Have kids. But deep down… the animal is there. And eventually, it’ll come for you. It never fails.
Then it becomes a question.
Who’s more important?
Who was here first?
The answers are simple.
Us.
And it’s up to us to fight back.
So, here I am, slowly walking through trees admiring the nature around me. Chasing the thing that doesn’t belong. There was a time when this was wrong. Even though the animals tore my world apart. I still… thought it was wrong. But reality has a way of destroying the fantasy that everything deserves a chance. And that’s just not true.
A loud snap echoes through the trees and a gut-wrenching scream follows so quickly I almost flinch. My eyes dart to the direction it came in, and I stop. I place my knife back in the holster with my other knives on my thigh and reach to my back. I pull my red trimmed crossbow from its cradle between my shoulder blades, pick out a bolt, and load it in the top. I set the trigger and prepare to end the beast like so many before him.
Do I enjoy the torture I inflict? Maybe a little. After all, I have pain to dish out. I might as well make the world a better place while doing it. But really, I’m numb. Desensitized to it. They may look like people, but they aren’t. They may cry, plead, beg, but it’s all fake.
They smile, but I see the teeth they eat with.
Their ears may look normal, but I know they can hear our every move.
Their noses are just like everyone else’s, but I know they use them to sniff us out.
What they don’t know is… we’re onto them and waiting in the shadows. We have the edge. We know the weakness of the beast. We are now back on top, and it scares the living shit out of them.
The big bad wolf is no longer the threat. The little girl with the silver crossbow is.
And this is where that war will end.
As I pass a row of trunks, the whimpering becomes louder. I pull up my hood over my head and black bandana up over my nose. My hazel eyes look around the woods to make sure he hasn’t attracted any help. We know from experience they have some form of telepathy that can call others. The wolfsbane seems to work to stop it, so I use that to my advantage. But one can’t be too cautious.
I cradle the crossbow in my hands as my steps slow and I spy the prey I lured out here. It was surprisingly easy. A wolf can’t resist a pretty woman in need of help. They’re a sucker to their loins.
He desperately grabs at his leg as he yelps and cries. His shaking body comes into view as I enter my trap. I don’t need to run. I don’t need to fight. I just need to be smarter than them. And I am.
“W-Why are… AHH…” He grabs at the smoking bear trap around his ankle. The silver-plated teeth burn and poison his blood. “Please…” His fear filled eyes glass with tears as his blood pours out. The dagger I threw into his side fell out but the poison it was laced with is already in his system. His blood-soaked shirt proves his healing is incapacitated. Good.
From the dark of my red hood, a smile grows.
“PLEASE! I’M A FATHER!”
I raise my crossbow and aim it at his head. “And eventually, I’ll come for them, too.”
“NO, PLEASE!!” He leans back and puts up his hands, shaking and panicking.
My expression is stone as I pull the trigger. The bolt releases and flies through the air. It buries itself between his eyes and he falls flat to his back. I slowly drop the crossbow as his cries fade on the breeze. The birds take over the quiet and I replace my bow on my back.
I walk over to his body and kick the side of his head. It rocks then stops. I lower myself and place two fingers to his jugular. I remove them and search his pockets. I pull out a wallet and a phone. I toss the phone over my shoulder and open the bi-fold wallet. I pull out 500 in cash and pocket it. I pull out a picture and pause. I look at the dead man and back at the picture. In front of him is a little girl no more than 7 and a tall teenage boy. My throat closes as I stand and drop the wallet.
I touch the boy, and my heart stops for a second. The world quiets and I look to the girl. Her blonde hair turns brown in my eyes, and his arm wraps around her shoulder. Their smiles grow and the man disappears. Laughter fills my ears, and his deep voice laughs with her. I close my eyes when grotesque growls replace the happy sounds. A noise that has haunted my dreams for 15 years. My eyes heat when the screams of terror follow.
Then silence.
“HEY!”
My eyes snap open and I shove the picture in my pocket. Reality crashes in and I see four red hoods enter the trees with their faces all covered in masks. The front one looks to the body.
“You got ’em.” He says with a tone of excitement.
“Of course.” I mutter as I pick up the wallet. I pull out his ID and put it in my pocket.
“WOO! Take that mother fucker!” He yells as the rest rush the body.
“You need to make them shift before you kill them. I need a trophy.” One says as he shoves the body with his boot.
“You’re sick.” I walk around the path he took, following the blood trail. In the leaves, I see a glimmer of silver.
“What? We mount deer, bears… Why not wolves?” He argues. “Why’s that sick?”
“It just is, and this isn’t a fucking game. He could have killed you.” I say as I lower myself and uncover my knife from dried debris. The blood covered blade still shines. I wipe the blood off with my shirt under my hoodie and look the knife over. The letters, G...A...R...E...T...H, become more prominent as the etchings fill with Gareth’s blood.
“What’s wrong with you?” Another says to my back.
I stand and walk over to the body. “Nothing.” I snap my wrist and throw the knife. It buries itself in his chest and I turn as I push down my hood and bandana. “Leave the body, collect the traps. Meet at my house later.”
He crosses his arms and his brows cinch. “Why do we have to do it? You killed him.”
“I don’t have time.” I turn and start to walk out of the woods.
“WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO?!”
I lower my eyes as I enter the dark.
“Find me another Big Bad Wolf.”
The wind blows the stench of blood off me as the dark forest swallows me whole. riting here…
