Shadow's Mark (Currently Being Edited)

Chapter 12: Shadow's Mark

Opening my eyes briefly after the flash was gone, I found myself still standing in the forest, but this time, it no longer was pitch black as it was just two seconds ago. The sky was now a dark indigo, the color it had been before I blacked out. I glanced around and saw the hikers were back.

I'm back in the real world.

My doppelgänger was gone as well so it was just me against these hikers/monsters. There was something different about them though. I couldn't exactly see it, but I could feel it. Like they were giving off this negative, malicious energy of some sort. I couldn't quite describe it but it was ominous.

In the next moment, a blood-boiling shriek, the same as before, filled the air. Since the sound seemed to come from behind me, I spun around to find the hiker girl.

She was crouching low, like a lioness on a hunt, her wide-open mouth flashing her carnivorous teeth. The sound she was emitting was a very disturbing one, like a mix between a wailing woman and a howling cat, but with much more volume and violence.

My body tensed up with alarm as I felt a sudden electrical jolt in my right hand. When I glanced down, I was shocked to see the glowing sword. Normally I would've found it incredibly difficult to believe I was actually holding a sword in my hand, but at that moment, it felt more real to me than anything else.

The shrieking noise had suddenly stopped and I looked up to see all the hikers, including the girl, gazing down at the sword in my right hand.

One of the hikers, the big one with tattoo-clad arms, instantly stepped forward. "Take the Shadows mark!" he commanded the others.

On signal, they all prowled like predators ready to attack their prey, me. I watched in horror as each of their faces warped into monstrous forms. As if they couldn't get any more hideous.

With red, glowing eyes and sharpened teeth, the hiker girl was the first to leap high into the air towards me as she continued her awful, ear-splitting shriek.

For a split second, I panicked wondering what the heck I should do. Then, I felt the jolt in my hand again, suddenly reminding me of the sword I was holding. I immediately held it up high, ready to strike the hiker girl if need be.

Right when she was about to pounce on me, I quickly pivoted and moved to the side as she roughly collided with the ground. I held up the sword towards her, prepared to defend myself, when she jumped up angrily and glowered at me with her dangerous red eyes.

I took a few steps back in caution then gasped when two hands suddenly gripped my shoulders tightly. Squirming and wiggling, I desperately attempted to break free, but this just caused my captor's grip on my shoulders to tighten as knife-like claws dug further into my skin. Trying hard to swing the sword as I yelled in pain, I felt a gush of blood leak down my shoulders, no doubt from where those deep claws had wounded me.

The girl hiker walked up in front of me and started to yank the sword from my hands while I was still being held tightly. I held on tight to the sword, though, refusing to let these monsters get what they want.

"Just take it from her already!" growled the hiker with the tattoos.

The hiker girl put her face right near mine. "Let go or I'll break your hand!" she warned.

I mustered up all the courage (or insanity) I had and spat right in her face. She was taken aback and staggered backwards.

As soon as she collected herself, she glared at me with more ferocity than before. Then she raised the back of her hand and slapped me so hard across the face, I heard a cracking sound as a sudden, sharp pain shot up my right jaw and cheek, where she had hit me.