The Unknown

Chapter Sixteen

(Ash's POV)

By then, everyone had realized it was there. Behind me. I didn't know how it was standing or what it was doing, as I couldn't bring myself to look back at it. All I could do was cling to Venus and try to keep my injured friend safe. I hoped for the best, but hopes don't fight off a monster.

Everyone in the group had turned around, they stared behind me with looks of terror on their faces. Venus looked up behind my head as well as he could, fear plastered on his expression.

A few seconds passed, and my hope grew, until suddenly Venus was ripped from my arms, the creature had grabbed him before it started running from the group. I turned and reached for Venus, but I was stopped by both Hunter and Kat, both of which told me that I couldn't do anything for him.

I fell to my knees. Venus's screaming was suddenly heard, pain, fear, agony. Until it was suddenly cut off.

It still echoed through my mind with the horrible thought that I had done nothing to help. I put my head in my hands after glancing at Kittai.

She wasn't doing so well. I could hear her crying as Kat went to try to comfort her. Kai was holding Max close, trying to comfort him, and Hunter was simply standing there with tears in his eyes.

A long few moments passed before Hunter suddenly said, "We need to get moving."

Kittai started to a argue, but Kat agreed with him, "Yeah, or it might get more of us." She said.

At that point, I didn't want to hear any more of it. I got lost in my own mind. My own horrors and fears.

Summer would be so angry with me for letting him die. She wouldn't forgive me. I was worse than Hunter was.

Tears streamed down my face, and my arms reached out in front of me, as though they were reaching for my fallen friend. I wanted to bring him back, I wanted to see him again and apologize for letting him get killed, but I couldn't. And I couldn't join him because I had Summer waiting for me. I couldn't leave her like that.

But, little did I know... I had no choice.

Before I could react, I suddenly felt jaws clamp around my legs, and I was soon being dragged. I couldn't see anything, and all I could do to resist was to claw at the loose dirt in the hopes that I could save myself.

Soon, I stopped, and as soon as I had, I looked up at the terrifying creature. It gave me what looked like a smirk before striking my neck.

I let out a choked cry that echoed through the forest, it rang out for a moment before I felt a sharp neck pain. Then everything went dark.

My last thought...

Was that I was sorry, for leaving Summer.