Land of the Setting Sun
5/27/2007 - Despicable
I grasped wildly in vain for a way to escape safely through the exit, grabbing one of the sailor's lapels from behind and shoving him headlong into the creature's path, keeping it busy for a moment as we scampered by to the open area. The sailor shrieked as he was undoubtedly torn apart by the blunt fingers of the beast, and I knew in that moment that I deserved the same fate. Maybe I deserved it, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let it happen. We raced for the ship on steadfast legs, while the steadily pounding footsteps behind us indicated that we were being chased.
I glanced back at the creature, a grave mistake. It was viciously quick, utilizing all of its human limbs to build up speed. Unlike a werewolf or something of that nature, it had no body hair, rather a stretched body that contorted itself into whatever shape fit its current need, similar to a wendigo. However, its face was only slightly contorted and elongated, bizarrely human-like. It radiated heat and power like an industrial generator, limbs churning like the arms of some machine. We had no chance of outrunning it.
"Wait, Aubrey, stop!"
Suddenly a figure appeared from the left, wielding a long rifle and walking calmly towards the creature. It was Aubrey. The creature stopped and swung at Aubrey's head, but he ducked under the swing and shoved the barrel of his rifle into the rib cage of the creature, letting off shot after shot that gutted the creature's innards, spraying chunks of lung and stomach upward in the air. So many consecutive shots seemed to severely damage the beast, and it screamed up at the sky, locking a body hand around Aubrey's neck and shoving him against nearby rebar. A particularly sharp piece of metal pierced Aubrey's stomach, and he groaned as the creature's superior strength pushed him down further on it.
Aubrey wasn't done, though. He brandished a knife, flicking his wrist out to take it out of his sleeve and plunged it deep into the creature's neck. It sunk straight to the hilt, and he tried to wiggle it around, but the creature's skin was surprisingly durable towards the sawing motion. The creature screamed again, and placed one of its hands on Aubrey's forehead, bashing it backwards into the metal until his body stiffened up.
"Bastard! Leave him alone!" Qara chucked a stone at it, and it smacked the creature's side, crumbling and falling to the ground as gravel. The creature turned slowly, pain evident on its face. It looked rather pathetic as it stumbled towards Qara, eventually collapsing in a heap. Gasping in relief, they began running for the ship again, but something stopped me from following them. The monster looked up on me with very familiar green eyes, its matted black hair strewn down its elongated face. I saw this face elsewhere, around a table playing cards, singing a sea shanty. It was the unnaturally aged face of our friend from the Jai Li, Bo, and he was dying.
I grasped wildly in vain for a way to escape safely through the exit, grabbing one of the sailor's lapels from behind and shoving him headlong into the creature's path, keeping it busy for a moment as we scampered by to the open area. The sailor shrieked as he was undoubtedly torn apart by the blunt fingers of the beast, and I knew in that moment that I deserved the same fate. Maybe I deserved it, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let it happen. We raced for the ship on steadfast legs, while the steadily pounding footsteps behind us indicated that we were being chased.
I glanced back at the creature, a grave mistake. It was viciously quick, utilizing all of its human limbs to build up speed. Unlike a werewolf or something of that nature, it had no body hair, rather a stretched body that contorted itself into whatever shape fit its current need, similar to a wendigo. However, its face was only slightly contorted and elongated, bizarrely human-like. It radiated heat and power like an industrial generator, limbs churning like the arms of some machine. We had no chance of outrunning it.
"Wait, Aubrey, stop!"
Suddenly a figure appeared from the left, wielding a long rifle and walking calmly towards the creature. It was Aubrey. The creature stopped and swung at Aubrey's head, but he ducked under the swing and shoved the barrel of his rifle into the rib cage of the creature, letting off shot after shot that gutted the creature's innards, spraying chunks of lung and stomach upward in the air. So many consecutive shots seemed to severely damage the beast, and it screamed up at the sky, locking a body hand around Aubrey's neck and shoving him against nearby rebar. A particularly sharp piece of metal pierced Aubrey's stomach, and he groaned as the creature's superior strength pushed him down further on it.
Aubrey wasn't done, though. He brandished a knife, flicking his wrist out to take it out of his sleeve and plunged it deep into the creature's neck. It sunk straight to the hilt, and he tried to wiggle it around, but the creature's skin was surprisingly durable towards the sawing motion. The creature screamed again, and placed one of its hands on Aubrey's forehead, bashing it backwards into the metal until his body stiffened up.
"Bastard! Leave him alone!" Qara chucked a stone at it, and it smacked the creature's side, crumbling and falling to the ground as gravel. The creature turned slowly, pain evident on its face. It looked rather pathetic as it stumbled towards Qara, eventually collapsing in a heap. Gasping in relief, they began running for the ship again, but something stopped me from following them. The monster looked up on me with very familiar green eyes, its matted black hair strewn down its elongated face. I saw this face elsewhere, around a table playing cards, singing a sea shanty. It was the unnaturally aged face of our friend from the Jai Li, Bo, and he was dying.