Stick To It

Loss

Our hearts collectively skip a beat as we see this thing skitter about the place into the shed. It's completely pale, with long inhuman appendages. Nails that are a sickly shade of yellow, stained with grime. A face not even a mother could love, as the snarl that is its expression reveals its sickly teeth and murderous eyes. The only thing normal about it is the ears, which are so out of place they make it even worse. Its body is contradictably frail and emaciated, yet I can tell that thing is far stronger than I, or anyone else in this room.

The being radiates a bloodthirsty aura, and it terrifies me. A fear that runs far deeper than logic or emotion. A fear that blossoms from instinct, down to your very being. A fear so encumbering that the idea of moving is not even on your mind, and even if you managed to grab the threads of sanity that tell yourself to do something, anything, your body would not listen.

Yet, there were 2 people who did move.

Mike tackles me out of the way as Josh scrambles in panic. A thought passes through my sluggish mind, Is this what scared Hannah and Beth that day?

The being that exudes depravity itself has its attention called to Josh, as Mike drags me behind a wall. The creature sends its body into Joshua's, sending them both onto the ground. It raises its long bony arm with nails that could put some knives to shame and tries to slam them onto Josh.

Chris, however, had a different idea. And attacks it with a board he found on the ground. The monster is stunned for the slightest of moments. Its attention is successfully grabbed by Chris. It, almost instinctually, backhands Chris like he was a simple mosquito. His body crashed into the wooden walls. Josh at this point had managed to scramble to his feet.

"W-what the hell are you?!" Is something I hear from him as he backs away as best he can. His voice had dragged me out of my stunned state. I try to run over to Chris, but Mike stops me. His superior strength held me in place and kept me quiet.

"S-stay away! You... you aren't real!"

Josh's sanity seems to have crossed a certain line as he yells at the creature. He keeps backing away from it before he bumps into the back wall of the shed. The creature flitted from wall to ceiling to floor, before flinging itself at Josh once again.

I could hear his grunts of pain and screams of fear as the creature slammed into him and consequently the wall. The weak wood easily breaks under the collision. And all I can see is Josh getting dragged away, out of arms reach.

Mike releases me after several moments of tension. We hear a grunt of pain as we rush over to where Chris was launched. He's bruised and battered. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any blood, but only time will tell if he is truly alright. Mike and I quickly hoist him up to his feet and give him some support so he doesn't fall back over.

A suffocating silence descends.

That is until Mike finally breaks the ice. "What..." He doesn't seem to know how to finish the sentence. And who could blame him? 'What' perfectly encapsulates the scenario.

"W-we need to get Josh!" Chris says after his head clears and realization settles in. "Yeah but... how?" I ask. Mike snaps his fingers a bit in thought, as a look of realization and dread find its way onto his face. "That must've been what took Jess...!" Shivers crawl down my spine. My lips and throat get chapped as I struggle to add to his thoughts. "What... what if that thing is what made Hannah and Beth fall down the mountain..." The boys look at me in disbelief.

Our conversation is cut short as we hear some steps outside the shack. They make a familiar crunch on the soft snow. An unfamiliar voice echoes in its direction, it's kind of gruff. Like something you'd expect from a grizzled old dude who's seen things you wish you never would and drank whiskey exclusively. "This where they are?" A familiar voice answers the stranger, "It's where they should be."

The footsteps round the corner as 2 figures come into view. Sam, who's carrying a shotgun, and this... old guy, with a scar running down his eye, and is that a flamethrower on his back?! "Well, I'll be." He seems slightly surprised that we are here. "But wait, didn't you say there were four of..." His eyes move around the room. Focusing on Chris's injuries, and the giant hole in the back of the shed.

Sam's eyes shake in disbelief. "What happened?" We remain silent. "Where's Josh?" I can hear the beaten tone in her voice, it's a question she knows the answer to, but one she must ask nonetheless. I can't bear to look her in the eyes.

"Hold on. We can save all of the pleasantries and questions for later. We need to go. Now." The stranger says stepping up to the plate. I don't exactly trust him, but Sam seems to accept his statement, so I go along with it.

We all step outside of the shack as howls echo around us. "Quick! Go!" The stranger urges as he backs around brandishing his flamethrower. He doesn't get the chance to do so, as another one of those creatures murders him in cold blood. Its nails sliced cleanly through his neck. His head and body now 2 separate entities.