Hunted

Chapter 2

Piper was sweating and shaking looking around in fear she spotted footprints leading toward a small village. In her spike of adrenaline, she ran following the prints.

"Piper!! Stop! Wait!" I yelled. They followed her slowly as they reached the entrance to the town. There were drab houses and cracked streets with no lights on in the houses. I turned and saw the light just flicker through a window. The smell of stew permeated the air. It smelled like home. I pulled out my ballpoint pen and started scribbling on my hand. The picture was nondelegable but still calmed me. I smiled and moved toward the house cautiously. Blake ran to catch up with me and knocked on the door.

"What are you doing?" I chastised him.

"What if they're nice and know where Chris is." The door opened to show a woman in a long-sleeved grey shirt and a brown dress with an apron over it. She wore brown boots and her hair was in a messy braid down her back.

"Come inside quick before it gets you." she pulled them in and set them down on torn-apart couches.

"What is it?" Blake asks with his eyes wandering around the room. I opened my mouth to shush him but the lady spoke instead.

"My name is Georgia and this is my brother Mike." Mike looks dishevelled and his hair is tangled. His legs don't work so he rolls around in a wheelchair with a blanket draped over his legs and a knitted cap over his head.

" 'ow 're ye' doin' today?" Dylan smiled and waved at him from behind me. I looked to the kitchen and saw a girl about Dylan's age stirring something in the pot. I walked over to the girl.

"Hi, my name is Hayley, this is my little brother Danyal. What's your name?" I asked her.

"My name is Lilly and that man over there Mike he is my daddy." I smiled and looked at Dylan.

 He was smiling too. Maybe this world wouldn't be so bad for Dylan. I walked back towards the living room to see 12 bowls on the table in the center. 

Wait for 12 bowls but there were only 11 of us. What was going on? Then I smiled and sat down in one of the chairs. 

When Georgia was walking over with the stew footsteps came from the stairwell. Piper turned and her mouth visibly dropped as she saw who was coming to sit here with us. 

I finally understood what had happened as Chris walked down the stairs to meet us. When she saw all of us she smiled as Piper crushed her in a hug yelling

"NEVER EVER GO OFF ON YOUR OWN LIKE THAT AGAIN WE WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO YOU!" Chris only smiled and then met my eyes mouthing something about how Piper overreacted. 

Chris and Piper came to sit with us and we all started to eat in complete silence. Then Georgia spoke. 

"Well, you wanted to know what the monster is or as I referred to as 'it'. The monster is something that has lurked in this town for years and is still here. 

Some who have seen it have described it as a tall slender figure with long claws and when it opens its head flaps the undersides of the flaps have teeth all around the edges and the mouth is whole with teeth all inside that too." she looked down at the ground. 

Mike started to speak.

"There Are no survivors when it attacks." Lilly started to cry and Georgia walked over to her and hugged her.

"Where does this monster live?" Piper asked Mike.

"It lives in the village and stocks it and prays when they're alone." I think back to when we arrived here. Was that figure the monster there right in front of me?

 What was going on? I looked over to Daylan. He was at the window looking out at the road.

"What are you thinking about buddy?" I asked.

"Just about the monster," he responded. 

He was too innocent to have this happen to him early in his childhood as we sat back down to eat. We finished eating and Georgia showed us all where we would sleep. 

Blake and Jack would be sleeping in the room upstairs. Paige and Piper were in the same room on a mattress. 

Chris would sleep in another guest room. Daylan was with Lilly. 

I was on the couch in the living room. When everyone was asleep Georgia came downstairs and saw me pacing the room drawing on my hand.

"Hi can't sleep?" Georgia asked.

"Ya, I'm just thinking about that thing out there. I feel like the only thing I should think about is keeping Danyal safe." I responded,

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure," I responded

"When I was younger my little sister and I used to play where we used to make up monsters and scare them away. I'd say 'No monsters gonna get you when I'm here' Then a real monster showed up and I just stood there and watched her die." Georgia starts to cry just telling me the bare bits of it.

" I am so sorry Georgia."

"You need to protect Danyal. This place is no place for a young boy."

A growl sounded in the distance. I turned to the window and saw the lights outside flickering.

Whats outside will we ever know? Read more to find out.