I'll Fix You

Chapter One

You couldn't believe what your own eyes were seeing. There was blood everywhere. The red substance pooling around the corpse at your feet. It seemed to be sliding down the cave’s walls, and dripping steadily from the ceiling. As you looked around at the gore and death before you a lone drop of the crimson liquid fell directly on your face, just a few centimeters shy of entering your mouth. You were quick to rid your face of the small droplet with the sleeve of your jacket, a small smudge remaining.

The sight of this place - accompanied by the foul smell - propelled your stomach to empty any contents within itself. Hunched over and dizzy, you couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief. All of this horror was fresh. That meant that you were getting closer. You were closer to him.

The thought alone caused your heart to twist with happiness, yet, terror and paranoia. If you were to find him, there was be no doubt in your mind that he would try everything in his power to kill you. Then he'd most likely have a feast on my flesh, you thought coldly a tense shudder travelling up your spine.

The fairly deep claw marks along the walls and floor guided you in your pursuit. You noticed however, that most of them were shallow and seemingly close together. Perhaps he was relaxed, and was taking his time travelling throughout the caves. After all, he really didn't have any reason to be in a rush - darting every which way in a frenzy. Your mind began to wander - however dangerous - to how you would encourage him to chase you long enough to reach the trap you had set up. A rather large pick-up truck (which you had borrowed from a friend) was parked in front of the once enormous Washington’s lodge, now burned to a crisp. What if he did not recognize you in his current state? What if your planned failed? What if… What if he killed you? A sharp pain struck your stomach like a bullet urging you to vomit once more, but you kept it from leaving your system.

It was then that you finally took notice of your surroundings again. The claw marks were gone they just seemed to… to vanish. You retrace your steps once again locating the markings along the ground. But, they seemed off. They were far deeper now and spread nearly a whole four meters apart. It looked as if he were now running or taking large bounds, but, why? The sudden change in pace of the one you seeked made your heart rate pick up drastically. Your breath coming out in quick short pants, as your eyes flickered from one dark corner to the next.

Where is he? Where is he?! Your mind screamed at you in panic. Then it finally struck you - nearly a second too late - your eyes shot upward toward the cave’s ceiling.

Thump!

With a short yelp of shock you leaped backward away from the creature now crouched on the floor. It's head tilted upward staring directly at you. Fear gripped you like a thick blanket.

“Josh…” you breathed out barely audible, even to your own ears. The sight of one of your dearest friends in this state brought tears to your eyes. He looked like he had gone through a meat grinder and got plastic surgery done to fix the mess. But… they didn't quite finish. His complexion far paler than what you were used to, accompanied by tears and gashes in some areas. One rather gruesome tear dominating the left side of his face. Then your gaze drifted along the horrific gash to the gaping maw filled with uneven broken and jagged teeth.

Your observations of the ‘man’ in front of you was cut short when he began to slowly shuffle toward you. This caused your body to become rigid, in hopes that he would not ‘see’ you. A throaty snarl slipped past his teeth as he searched for you. Once he had across over to the other end of the cave you put your plan into action.

“H-Hey!” your voice cracked with fear, “Over here!”. His head whipped around at the sound of your voice just as you started to sprint your way out. You could hear his vicious roars of excitement at the chase bounce off the walls. His claws creating high pitched scratching sounds along the ground. With agility you hadn't even known you possessed, you bounded over rocks and dodged the oncoming attacks. When you were finally able to catch a glimpse of the flashlight you left outside a smile tugged it's way onto your face. Determination flooded through your veins when you crouched to snatch up the small light and continue running. The snow slowed your speed down slightly, due to it nearly passing your ankles in height. The wind howled and the world was dark around you. Luckily, with the light of the flashlight you were able to retrace the steps you had taken to the cave.