Bladed Cross: An End Before The End Times: book 1

MERCILESS

Even though he'd seen her early that morning, he missed her.

He wanted to be home with Chloe. Not out here, alone in these woods. These woods, which now breathed with eerie qualities which he could not describe.

Although the sounds of the forest returned, he felt fear regardless. Owen was quite sure that creature, or whatever it was, was real. He had not imagined it. It's coldness, it's hate, it's anger, all were things that made him feel like a child, intimidated before an abusive adult. What was it? Never before had he seen anything like it. The only thing he could call it in his mind, was simply a monster. But it had to have a name, as it was probably an unknown animal in the category of cryptids.

Though he knew it was something evil, unlike Sasquatch or the creature of Loch Ness, nothing legendary or mythical. He could feel it's demonic energy, it's evil unchallenged due to a physical body with anonymous capabilities and origins.

He shuddered and tried not to think about it. He'd been walking east all day, and had found a stream a few miles back. His headache was gone but he was tired and hungry. Of course now, he felt a growing relief because he was walking a game trail about six miles from Demon Lake. Owen knew it well, having used it for hunting on several occasions. All he had to do was follow it through a few canyons and down a steep hill. Then it would be an easier walk to the lake. What still worried him though, were the human killers, and that creature.

Of course, he wanted to get back to the lake and the road and find a ride for home. But he didn't trust anyone he didn't know. And he wanted to lay low for the night. It would be dark by the time he got to the lake. By some deep instinct, he knew that being out in the open at night would make him an easier target. Besides, traffic at night was insufficient.

He wasn't sure of the exact time, but looking at the sun, he could only guess that it was four PM. He'd started making his way through the canyons. It took a long time to climb the steep, foliage thick hillside, and he seemed to fly down the other side. He hiked the canyons for what seemed like two hours, maybe longer. Finally, he arrived on flat ground. It was already dusk, and hopefully he would find Law Enforcement looking for him. Owen was sore, but he kept walking for close to another hour, eager to cover ground.

The sun got lower until it was scarcely visible over the tree line. He walked steadily down the last hillside and was on flat ground again. Soon he would have to find a place to settle down. He wondered what good that would do him.

Owen was just about to look around for a source of shelter when he smelled something in the cooling air. The aroma of food, hot dogs, smoke from a fire. He heard laughter. Despite his hunger and watering mouth, he was hesitant. His immediate thought was that it could be them, the person behind this. The commotion was directly ahead of him but he couldn't see very well due to the light of dusk and thick forest. If it was them, they would surely target him. Of course, these were popular camping grounds, it was probably safe to interact with their occupants. But Owen decided to look, before revealing himself. It was almost dark now, the fading sunlight had now turned the sky a dark orange as he followed the sound of laughing, talking and cooking.

At last, he saw though the trees about forty yards ahead, a campfire. He eased closer, saw four tents set up away from the fire, and he saw the faces of their owners. There were five youths. Two women and three men. As he got closer, he could tell that they where just kids. Late teens and early twenty's he judged by appearance. They where roasting food over the fire. Feeling odd in his behavior, he crouched behind a bush and listened to them talk.

". . . no way!" A girl said."Really? Did he really shoot the bear in the ass?"

"Oh yeah," a boy said. "Big bear too! It got too close him, snarling and swatting the round. He pulled out his pistol as he ran past and boom! Right up his bunghole." More laughter. "Or down."