Skinwalkers

The Hunt Begins

3RD POV

A man dashed through the dense woods, gripping a large map and a tape in his hands, his eyes darting around with frantic desperation. The only sounds that broke the silence were his labored breaths and the whisper of the wind through the trees. Dead bodies littered his path—a man strung upside down from a tree, a woman sprawled on the forest floor with blood staining her collar. Despite the gruesome sights, he pressed on, his resolve unshaken.

Suddenly, he stumbled, coming face-to-face with another body hanging lifelessly from a tree. The shock nearly sent him sprawling to the ground, but he regained his footing and continued running. His path led him to a campsite, where more corpses awaited him. He leaned against a tree, panting heavily, trying to catch his breath.

But his brief respite was shattered when a knife embedded itself in the tree just above his hand. Startled, he quickly drew a Colt Trooper Mk III revolver from his bag and scanned the area, but saw only trees. In a frantic attempt to destroy evidence, he tore the tape in half and reached for his lighter to set the map ablaze. Just as he was about to light the map, he heard hurried footsteps approaching and looked up to see a figure running toward him. He raised his gun, but the figure vanished into the trees.

Turning around slowly, he found himself face-to-face with a rugged man with a scarred face and a milky eye. Before he could react, a powerful elbow struck him, knocking him unconscious.

When he came to, he found himself strung upside down, blood dripping from his face. He was surrounded by a menacing group, with a woman at the forefront. A man beside her handed her the revolver the captured man had used. She examined the gun, noting the silver bullets with a mocking smirk.

"So, caretaker," she said, bending down to look at his face. "Looks like you're out of a job." She taunted him with her words as she observed the map he had tried to burn, noting the circled areas. "We'll attack each of these camps and destroy them," she declared. "This disgrace to our true nature will be over forever."

A scarred man smirked at her words. After handing the map to one of her associates, she turned back to the captive. "So, what was on the tape?" she demanded. The man glared defiantly, "You'll never find the boy in time," he said, looking towards the sky.

The group followed his gaze to see the moon shining a vibrant blood-red color. "No," the woman said, disbelief evident in her voice. "It can't be." The man nodded gravely. "It's already begun. The legend is true."

Glaring down at him, the woman aimed the revolver at his head. "Where's the boy?" she demanded. He refused to give in. "Not in this lifetime," he replied. Her face twisted with anger as she cocked the revolver and pulled the trigger, ending his life.

The group then gathered in a huddle. The woman tore the map into four pieces. "Hurry. Gather your men. We have four days until the full moon," she instructed, distributing the parts. She handed one piece to the scarred man. "Take this to Varek. He goes north. Tell him there is no time to lose."

Turning to the rest of the group, she stressed, "You find this kid, or it's the end of us." With that, they dispersed to carry out their mission.

Meanwhile, in a forest up north, a video played, showing a young boy and a teenage girl playing with a train set. The voiceover narrated, "You can see for yourself, the boy is safe. But with the Red Moon, we should be ready for anything." The video glitched, showing the face of a young man. "Just to make sure, and you be careful," he said. "The Red Moon's power will be very strong. Lock down until this is over." He ended the video with a final message, "Good luck, stay sharp."

Sitting around a table, a group of five watched the video. The woman with the blonde pixie cut smiled reassuringly. "He's gonna make it. We all are. This isn't a dream anymore. Four. More. Days."

The brunette man in front of her gave a small smile. "Well, that's good news. The bad news is now y'all gotta spend the night downstairs," he joked. They moved to the living room, where he lifted the carpet to reveal a hidden door leading to a basement room. As he followed them down, he paused at the top of the steps, feeling an unsettling presence. He looked out the window but saw nothing before continuing down.

Unbeknownst to him, someone surveyed the house from the outside. In the basement, the group had been secured in a complex contraption. As the man checked their bindings, the lights suddenly cut out. The woman with the pixie cut called out, "Ralph?"

Heavy footsteps echoed across the floor above. The group watched in fear as Ralph's body was thrown down the stairs. They looked up to see a man in a long leather jacket with shoulder-length brown hair. "Oh my God," the woman said in terror.

The new arrivals, armed and threatening, entered the room. One man, with long graying hair, pointed his gun at the man beside the blonde woman. "Tell me when Varek, and they're all dead," he demanded.

The woman, eyes filled with tears, pleaded, "Don't hurt him." Varek, moving closer to her, demanded, "If you cooperate with us, you and your husband will be spared." He threatened her husband with a knife, causing her to agree reluctantly.

Varek wiped away her tears gently before asking again, "Where is the boy?" The woman looked up, defeated. "We don't know, we never have." Her answer incited anger among Varek's group. Varek, unmoved, forced the woman to witness her husband's death at the hands of the scarred man.

Varek and a dark-haired woman, dressed in a blue denim jacket and jeans, discussed the situation. The woman was frustrated by the lack of progress. Varek assured her, "We'll find the boy. There's no alternative."

The group reconvened around the TV, where Varek scrutinized the video. "Look at the mirror," he said, pointing out a reflection that revealed the word "Huguenot."

The chapter ends with Varek's group preparing for the hunt, driven by the urgency of the approaching full moon.

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A/N

Word Count: 2309

So there we have it the start of the story and things are only going to get more violent from this point on. I hope that this prologue turned out well and that you all are ready for what is in store. Please don't be a silent reader, comment and tell me your thoughts. If there is any commentary that is just plain negative, then please leave I'm not forcing you to read my story if you don't like it, don't read it simple as that. Thanks and I will be back with another chapter shortly.