The Monster Within

Cabin in the Woods

Year 3021 - 2 years 4 months 24 days after the fall of the CDC

    The shadows were dancing an eons old dance through the dark foliage of the trees. The soft song of the nightingale, my only companion as I danced with the shadows. The low rippling of the creek guiding the instincts thrumming in my veins. The sound of a twig snapping caused my knees to bend a little more and my nose turning to the breeze. The warm, musky scent of a young doe had my feet silently moving in a half crouch towards my next meal. In mere moments I was upon the poor creature fate left to my cruel hands.
She had no time to react as I pounced from the treeline, my unforgiving hands snapping her neck. Her legs, frozen in shock, now crumbled beneath the lifeless body. I pulled a slim dagger from its leather sheath inside of my boot. The blade hummed as I maneuvered it quickly towards the cooling neck of the doe.
I shaved off a section of its pelt before I descended, canines first. A satisfied growl rumbling in my chest as my teeth punctured the stiffening flesh. I greedily drank the dark liquid, immersing myself into the madness the monster howled for.

            Snap

    The sound of a branch snapping had my teeth ripping from their nesting place, a ferocious roar leaving my chest at the intruder. A Shuffler growled softly, its restless gait freezing in my presence. It's white eyes staring blankly at my figure before I let loose another rumbling snarl. Slowly the moronic being began its path back to the treeline, as I kept my crouch over the remains of my dinner. I stood motionless, ensuring that I wouldn't be interrupted again as the bloodlust was sated. I walked over to the undisturbed river, gentle waves lazily lapping at the bank. I squatted at the edge, washing the fur and specks of blood off my dagger before returning it to its sheath. I looked back down, catching the harsh, yellow gaze of my reflection in the water.
   
For a moment the brilliant yellow flashed a deep blue, a color that was long lost to me. I broke my watery image, dipping my hands in the creek, washing away the memories. My beast was simmering content yet lurking, grasping at the edges of my being. Soon it would be a low hum for the waking hours, never fully asleep but not fully awake. I stood up then, brushing off any debris and lingering thoughts of what I've lost. I started the trek way back to my cabin, enjoying the sounds of the forest come to life. The road, a few miles through the treeline, was quiet as usual. Besides the odd, unlucky survivor that require my assistance, few vehicles drove through and even fewer stopped.
   
Halfway to the cabin, the smell of smoke and sharp tang of fear penetrated my nose. My eyes snapped towards the thinning treeline, faintly seeing flickers of flames as I concentrated on the source of the smell. I picked up the faint snarl of a claim rumbling from the trees. I let a slow breath out through my teeth, debating if they were in dire need of my help. Most humans had managed to get their ducks in a row and could handle themselves in most situations. The chilling cry of a child made my decision for me, my body already in action. I sprinted towards the group, the beast grinning wickedly at the promise of a suitable hunt.
    I stopped right before the road, quickly assessing the scene that lay before me. Small horde versus small group of kids, little surprising, not too many hordes of any size came through these parts anymore. Just the odd one or two off and on on the road. There was a little kid curled up on top of an abandoned pickup, tearfully watching the Shufflers line up against his group of people. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings to notice the very large Shuffler making its way towards him. I moved to a better position, taking a deep breath before I launched myself on top of the truck with a high pitched screech, right in front of the ugly things face.
Everyone and thing froze with my grand entrance, a quiet growl coming from the humans. I dropped into my crouch, loosing a piercing shriek at the Shuffler, upsurping the hordes claim over these stupid kids. The rotting hunk of flesh had the galls to challenge my claim, letting his own snarl loose and in a fluid movement I ripped off its head. I tossed the detached head to the group of Shufflers roaring my claim once more. These guys must be starving to dare challenge me, especially at night.
    The stupid beings finaly took heed of my claim and started dragging their dead weight away. Good thing this wasn't a group of any higher ranks, it wouldn't have been as easy. Once I was sure there weren't going to be any more surprises, I turned to the little boy. He had stopped wailing and was staring at me with tearful grey eyes, eyes that looked blue in the moonlight.
    I closed my eyes, breathing in through my teeth, locking away the memories. I held out my arms, which he took no time in launching himself into. I walked stiffly off the pickup hood, assuring that the child was not going to thrash out of my grip. His companions were frozen with faces ranging from relief to suspicious.