Hunter

XXVII

Aric cursed as he swung his sword.
He sliced through the wires and vines, ducking under the sloping roof.
Bugs swarmed around him, slashing their pincers against his skin.
He grit his teeth, swinging his sword at the them.
He could barely concentrate. He had barely gotten sleep, and he hurt all over. His skin felt like it was crawling over his flesh and he could feel his heart jumping inside his chest like a pogo stick.
He missed them so much. His brother's and his parents' faces drifted in and out of his vision. It was driving him insane.
He swung his sword, cutting through a swarm of mosquitoes.
He ran forward, shielding his face with his arm.
These bugs were huge, like super-sized garden pests.
The biggest one he saw so far was maybe the size of a a toddler, the smallest the size of a cat.
Another mosquito swooped down, biting at his arm.
Aric screamed at it, slicing it through the abdomen.
I need to find Jade and we need to get the hell out of here!
Giant crickets started climbing onto his legs, and he hurriedly kicked them off, shuddering at the feeling of their little legs.
Centipedes scurried past his feet, going in the direction he was walking away from.
The ground started shaking, and Aric shouted curses. He could feel his mother reprimand his vulgar language.
He jumped out of the way as a skyscraper high Silverback gorilla stepped down.
Its eyes were slashed out, dried blood coating its pitch black fur. It looked so horrific, like a mangled doll. Aric shivered looking at it.
A single stripe of silver went down its back, but even that was tainted with blood stains.
The gorilla snarled, its nostrils flaring.
"Welcome Hunter." Its voice sent tremors through the ground, vibrating through Aric.
It laughed as he backed into a tree.
"I cannot see, little Hunter. But I smell your blood. So fragrant. I wonder how it will taste. Truly I am looking forward to this. Feel honored venator!"
Aric grit his teeth, starting to turn.
The gorilla roared with laughter, stepping forward. "Yes, run. I'd like to have fun with you. It's been so long since any mortal had stumbled here. I am hungry."
Aric fought back the urge to cry. He didn't want to die, and he didn't want to disappoint his family by dying like this.
He started running, his sword switching into a compact spear, almost like a short harpoon.
He raced forward, hearing the gorilla thunder after him.
He slipped through the trees, grabbing some branches and swinging himself up.
A sharp part of the branch split into his palms, and Aric bit back a cry of pain. The splinters dug into his flesh painfully, biting in like fangs.
A drop of blood splashed against a branch, and the gorilla stopped in front of the tree.
"It smells so delicious. I cannot wait until more is spilled," it said quietly, its voice bordering on insanity.
It smiled madly, and the hairs on the back of Aric's neck stood up on their ends.
This creature was mangled in the head too. All it wanted was to play with its food.
Aric squeezed his palm, wincing at the pain.
Maybe he could distract it. He wasn't really in the shape to fight it, so if he distracted it with his blood..... He might have a chance to run.
Aric squeezed his hand harder, blood splattering against the tree. His palm felt like hot needles were being pressed into them, but he kept at it, until a good amount of his blood was on the tree.
The gorilla sighed, breathing in the scent like flowers.
It murmured, drifting near the tree.
Aric jumped down, bringing his knees near his chest so he landed softly.
The gorilla hungrily sniffed the tree, and Aric stepped carefully.
He started running, and as soon as he was at least 50 feet away, the gorilla roared in anger.
"HUNTER!"
Aric ran faster, trying to think of another way out. Where? He needed to find Jade. He needed to live.
He spotted a cliff, and without thinking, he jumped.
He didn't even have time to summon wings, he was battered by it so fast.
It was a miracle he didn't break any bones.
The stones bashed against him relentlessly, bruising and cutting him.
The gorilla screamed, pounding its fists against its chest.
Finally, Aric landed against the ground, the pavement slapping him.
Suddenly, a huge thud hit the ground, and Aric scrambled up.
He started running, but the gorilla quickly snatched him by the neck.
It dangled him in front of its face, smirking. "Well, well. Little Hunter could not get away fast enough."
Aric struggled against its grip but it only made it laugh.
"Quite cute, aren't you? It is too bad-"
A blur of brown sped around around the gorilla's legs, and it looked down.
"What is this? Another Hunter?"
Aric seized the opportunity, managing to grab his wrist. "Gimme something!"
The gorilla looked up, uncertain. "What was that?"
Instead of answering, Aric stabbed the the thing through the nose with a steel spear.
It roared in pain, dropping him onto the ground. Aric tucked into a roll, landing on his feet next to the brown blur. His spear shifted into a sword, and he jumped. He sliced it across the gorilla's legs, screaming. "DELEO!"
It burst in a starburst of gore, and Aric held up his arm to block his face. He turned back to the brown blur.
Jade.
Aric looked at her, confused. Something was off.
She was staring into the air, her eyes glassy and unfocused.
Her arms and legs were riddled with bite marks, her leggings ripped. Her face and body were smudged with dirt and dust, her brown skin grimy.
Aric leaned in, whispering softly,"Jade?"
She shook, wrapping her arms around his chest tightly. She propped her head on his shoulder, and Aric could feel the hot tears seeping into his shirt. "M-monsters," she choked out. "Everywhere. Monsters."
She let out a shrill scream, looking up behind him. "Monsters! Aric- Aric!"
He whirled around, still holding Jade tightly. He squinted, but not seeing anything.
"Jade," he said slowly. "There's nothing there."
She shivered, hugging him tightly. "I'm sc-scared. Scared. Really scared."
Aric gripped her tightly, murmuring in her ear. "You're fine. I'm here. You're here. We're both ok, right?"
She nodded against him, and Aric pushed her away, gripping her shoulder.
He stared at her, noting how wide her eyes were.
She stared back at him, fear clouding over her features. "Aric, I want to leave."
He nodded. "Let's go."