Unicorn Hunter [Short Story]

Unicorn Hunter

I used to think Unicorns didn't exist. How I wish I was right.

I sharpened my blade. The sound, a soothing, rhythmic melody. The item that stood between me and death at the hands of monsters.

Pulling the mask over my face, I dropped from the tree in a crouch, listening for the hooves. They couldn't see anymore. Not with the parasites that had rotted their minds and cut off their site with large spikes that were now just as sharp as the blade in my hands.

But they could hear. They could smell. And they were fast. So I added another coat of mud to my exposed brow for good measure and began my walk. The one I made daily to keep the path safe. Safe from them.

Kill them before they touch you. Slice them before they pierce you. Stop them before they change you. 

I did my best to stay silent, but the ground covered in the death that came with autumn made it a challenge. Every step was a loud crunch, a shout into the silent forest. Making every breath feel like your last. 

Scanning the trees, I took the thin road that hugged the wall of Evermake, the final city left untouched. Unblemished by the parasites that had ravaged our cattle, killing nearly everything in its path, and changing the rest into something dark and sinister. Into things that were only spoken about in the darkest of nights in hushed tones. 

I slipped deeper onto the path, shadows enveloping me as the moon was pushed out of sight by the naked maple leaf trees. I stopped cold when something rustled nearby. The sound was foreign. No animals existed anymore. None but— the rustling grew louder. 

A snort of breath sent chills down my spine as a shadow loomed onto my path. It grew long and sharp, bleeding over the leaves, transforming the colors like a black canvas. I should have heard it sooner. I barely had a moment to gasp before the creature's wild twisted tumor-ridden spike sliced through the air with terrifying accuracy.

I rolled, coming to stand several feet away, sword at the ready. The moon found its way into the woods, giving me a clear view of the monster that was a mere shadow of its original form. 

A horse, bleached white, made of bone and rotting flesh. A glistening horn that had broken through its skull, destroying the illusion that unicorns, which had only been considered a breathtaking fairytale, were beautiful. One detail of this mythical creature was right however, they were breathtaking— after piercing you with their tumor horn and stealing your final breath.

The creature turned, searching for me with a tilt of its head as it listened for my breathing, for my heartbeat. Smelling the air for my fear. And I was afraid. So afraid that it only needed a moment to adjust its stance before bolting for me again. My hands were slick with sweat, making it hard to keep a solid grip on my blade. 

I couldn't run. It was against our code. I had to kill it. They were strong, too strong to be left to their own devices next to our wall. If they got in, humanity would fall like tissue paper in the rain, ripping apart with ease. 

I swallowed, forcing myself to still. To ignore every bodily instinct to run. I listened to the hoofbeats, counting in my own mind, and just as the creature leaned its warped neck forward, diseased horn aiming for my chest, I jumped to the side, swinging my blade through the air. 

The metal caught in the moonlight, sparking with finality as it came down and shattered the horn. The beast shuttered once and then collapsed at my feet, control over its limbs, destroyed. 

I dropped into a crouch, and dropped my blade, embarrassed by how much my hands shook. The sightings of the creatures had become more and more frequent. But this one was far closer to the wall than any of the others. They know. They are coming for us. 

I pushed down my panic, plucked up my blade, and placed it back at my hip. My fingers were covered in mud, nails caked in dark red clay and moss as I finished digging a hole. It didn't matter that the creature had tried to kill me. It had been a part of my world before it was stolen. Before disease had chosen to destroy our world, using cattle as their iron fist. 

Careful not to touch the body with my bare hands, I shoved the creature into the hole and covered it. I did my best not to stare. It reminded me of a horse I once had. A white magnificent creature that I not so cleverly named Plane. Because he reminded me of a paper airplane, blurring like a plane in the sky as he ran through our fields.

Plane had been the first one to turn. I hadn't been able to save him. And I couldn't save you either. Saying a silent prayer, I took a step over the shallow grave and continued down the road. 

We needed a solution. One that either brought back what we had lost or gave us a fighting chance. The Hunters could only stand for so long. The creatures grew in number and grew closer every day. But there were only so many humans left. 

I spotted another creature, further up the path. Taking a moment to prepare myself, I pulled my blade free, falling into the rhythm of the night. Washing away what the creature used to be and reminding myself of what it was. Death. 

The old days were gone. I was no longer a rancher. I was a Hunter. Hunt to live. Hunt to survive.

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"Unicorn Hunter" won second place in Wattpad's  Fantasy Of Monsters and Us contest!!!