Chapter Three_ I was truly going to die

Elliot.

The early morning fog clung to the forest like a secret, the sun barely breaking through the thick canopy of trees.

I stood at the edge of the woods, my breath misting in the cool air.

It was now or never.

Every fibre of my being screamed at me to turn back, to leave thus cursed place, and never look back. But something deeper... some kind of pull I couldn't explain drew me in.

It wasn't just curiosity anymore.

My boots crunched against the dried leaves and twigs as I took my first steps into the woods, the sound echoing unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent morning.

The trail was faint, barely recognizable from the surrounding undergrowth, but I remembered the direction I had run the previous night.

The glowing eyes, the sharp claws, and that howl... it seemed to plague my dreams now.

If that creature was out there, I had nothing but an axe I had found in the garage of my house. It wouldn't kill him, but I had to know more.

Figure out what was in these woods, not just for the story, but because I needed to understand.

For what felt like hours, I wandered deeper into the woods, my senses now on high alert. The shadows seemed to move with every step I took, flickering at the corners of my vision.

The farther I went, the quieter it became.

No birds chirped, no animals rustled in the bushes. Just that damning silence

Goosebumps rose all over my arms.

The pull was even stronger now, guiding me, though I couldn't tell why or where it was leading me to.

"Elliot." It seemed to call after me.

If I was a sane human, I knew I would have ran away immediately, tell Frank to find someone else.

But I kept moving, the trees closing in around me like towering guards.

Then I saw it.

A dark shape at first, barely visible through the fog. My heart beat got even faster, my muscles tensing. I wasn't thinking when I crouched behind a thick tree trunk, and tried to see through the mist.

The shape moved... or rather, it twitched... and then I saw it clearly.

A man.

Or what was left of him anyway.

His body lay sprawled on the forest floor, barely moving. Blood stained the leaves around him, pooling beneath his broken form.

Did that...?

Had that creature attacked him? Torn him up?

Deep claw marks raked across his chest and arms, the mind that didn't belong to any animal I knew of.

“Jesus…” I whispered under my breath, my stomach twisting at the sight.

I scrambled out from behind the tree, rushing toward the man, everything in me telling me I was doing the right thing instead of running the other way.

When I reached him, the sight was worse than I'd seen from afar.

His face was pale, almost grey, and his breathing was shallow, laboured.

But even with all that, he was the most beautiful man I had ever had the pleasure of seeing.

"Hey," I said, my voice cracking as I crouched beside him. "Hey, can you hear me?"

No response.

What was I even thinking?

Of course he wouldn't be able to respond, he was clearly dying.

I leaned closer, panic rising in my chest. "Come on, man, stay with me." I checked his pulse.

Weak, but there.

I had no idea how he was still alive with all those kinds of wounds. His shirt was shredded, revealing a mangled chest, claw marks deep enough to expose raw muscle.

It was nothing short of a miracle that he was still alive.

“Who did this to you?” I muttered, though I knew he couldn’t answer.

I needed to get help.

Fast.

Reaching for my phone, I realized, with a feeling of dread, that I didn't have a signal.

Of course not, I'm in the middle of the damn woods.

I glanced around, trying to orient myself, but everything looked the same. Thick trees, endless fog, and the damning silence.

But there was no time to hesitate.

If I stayed here too long, whoever.. or whatever had done this would come back.

I shifted my weight, ready to lift him, when the man's eyes fluttered open. A faint groan escaped his lips, and for a moment, I thought I saw recognition in his eyes.

Like he knew who I was.

"Don't... leave," He rasped, barely above a whisper. His voice was broken, as though speaking was too painful. "They'll come... back."

Panic clawed at my throat.

"Who's coming back? What happened to you?"

He struggled to speak, his head rolling to the side as his gaze fell on the woods behind me. His lips moved, but no sound came out. His eyes widened, pupils dilating with fear.

I followed his gaze, scanning the tree line, but saw nothing.

“I’m not leaving you,” I said, gripping his hand in what felt like a useless attempt to comfort him. “I’ll get you out of here.”

I just wasn't sure how.

The man convulsed, his body wracked with pain, and I held on tighter, desperate to keep him conscious. His breathing grew shallower by the second, his skin now cold to the touch.

Suddenly, his eyes locked onto mine, sharp with a clarity that wasn’t there before.

“It… hunts,” he rasped, each word a struggle. “It… never stops.”

A chill ran down my spine, his words hanging heavy in the air.

“What hunts?” I asked, leaning closer.

His face twisted into a grimace, his lips trembling. “Run…” It was all he could manage before his body slumped, his breathing faltering, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

“No, no, no…” I muttered, shaking him lightly. “Stay with me!”

But he was unconscious, his breath coming in ragged, uneven gasps.

My mind raced. I needed to get him to a hospital, but there was no way I could carry him out of here on my own. I glanced at my phone again. Still no signal.

Damn it.

What was I going to do? Even on my best days, I doubt I would be able to carry a man larger than myself.

That turned out to be the least of my concerns as a low growl echoed through the woods.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. This wasn't like the one I heard yesterday.

Whatever had done this to the man was still out there, and... it was coming back.

I stood, my eyes scanning the dense woods around me. The fog swirled, making it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.

Any rational person would leave the man here. He was almost dead anyway.

But I couldn't.

That would be the most inhumane thing ever.

I dropped to my knees beside him, lifting him as gently as I could. He was heavier than he looked, dead weight against my arms.

But I strained, the muscles in my legs burning as I tried to pull him to his feet.

Another growl. Closer now.

“Come on,” I muttered through gritted teeth, pulling him up. “We have to move.”

His body sagged against mine, but I managed to get him on his feet, dragging him through the trees, one slow step at a time.

Every inch felt like a mile, the woods already closing in around me.

I could hear the growls now, more than one, echoing through the trees like a warning....

Fuck.

I stumbled forward, dragging the unconscious man with me, almost tripping as I desperately tried to remember the way back to the trail.

But the woods were a maze, every tree looking the same.

Another howl came from somewhere behind us.

And this time, I knew I was truly going to die.