Re:Creation Book 1: Allegiance

Re: 21 - The Hunt pt. 1

Khel ducked around the corner of the nearest dilapidated building, huddling against a pile of debris. His labored breathing threatened to give away his position, but no matter how hard he tried to steady himself, his panting persisted.

Unable to quell his wheezing, Khel opted to holding his breath, forcing himself to stay silent. If for a moment, he managed to light a glimmer of hope, but the feeling was instantly snuffed out when he heard it; the familiar scraping of metal against stone. The sound lasted only a second, but was enough to send Khel's heart racing again. It echoed through the high walls of the crumbling buildings, hindering Khel's ability to discern wat direction it came from. He whipped his head around every which way, desperate for some visual clue, but the fog surrounding him was too thick. He couldn't tell which way was safe to run.

The noise rang out once more. It echoed off the high walls surrounding the narrow, maze-like roads he was trapped in, making it impossible to discern exactly where it was coming from. All he knew was that it was close - far too close for comfort. Panic gripped Khel's heart, squeezing it so tightly that he thought it might get crushed. What's more, his lungs screamed under the pressure he was placing on them. Unable to contain himself any longer, Khel released a raspy puff of air. Almost immediately, another sound pierced his ears, but this one was different. It was worse. Instead of a scraping sound, it was a small tapping sound.

That meant he'd been found.

Tink!

That was there second tap. On the third, the hunter would attack.

Where did it come from? Was it to the left? Khel didn't have time to deliberate. He was running out of time.

Tink!

Khel immediately dashed off to the right, silently praying that he chose correctly. The moment he took off, he heard the sound of footsteps pounding after him, telling him that he'd made the right decision. But how long could he keep this up? Khel knew that his body wasn't fit for such physical exertion. It was only a matter of time before he collapsed completely.

He had a feeling that his predator knew this. That's why the hunter always signaled when they were nearby. Khel was being toyed with. He was being forced to expend all his energy. Eventually, he wouldn't be able to run anymore. He'd have to give up.

Khel had to get out if this ruined  city before that happened. But how? He had no idea where he was or how to leave, he could barely see a few meters in front of him, and he was quickly running out of stamina. He'd lost the hunt the moment he'd woken up in this strange place. Truthfully, it was a miracle that he even lasted this long.

The footsteps were getting louder. Closer. He needed somewhere to hide again.

Through the fog, he spotted a narrow opening in the side of a building. With no hesitation, he slipped through it, pressing himself against the wall on the other side. This time, he covered his mouth with his elbow, hoping to muffle his breathing as he worked to slow it.

The stone wall was shockingly cold, though it helped to cool Khel down as he cowered against it. Inside, the building was completely empty of furniture or decorations, leaving Khel with nothing but shadows to keep hidden. Through the darkness, he could see a set of stairs leading to a higher floor, but rubble and debris blocked their path. Not only that, but there was no door. If Khel was discovered here, he'd have no chance of escape. In all regards, his new hiding spot was a bad idea  but now he was stuck there. All he could do was wait.

Moments passed.

Seconds.

A minute?

Khel wondered if he was safe and pondered risking a peek through the opening, but immediately thought against it. He never actually heard which way the hunter went. Did they run past him? Did they turn around? Did they-

Schnk! Schnk!

The scraping.

Schnk!

It came from directly behind Khel, just on the other side of the wall he leaned against. Impulsively, he bit down on his arm to keep from screaming.

Schnk!

Tears merged with sweat as they streaked down Khel's face. The crunch of gravel underfoot from just outside allowed Khel to guess how close the one hunting him was. He could tell they were getting closer.

Closer.

Closer.

A shadow appeared in the frame of the opening, blocking what little light filtered into the building.

This was it.

He lost.

Khel shut his eyes tight as if doing so would magically make him disappear from view. He awaited his fate, the silence that ensued becoming the most deafening sound of all.

Moments passed.

Seconds.

Nothing.

There was a huff of annoyance as the shadow vanished, allowing light in once more.

"Shit, no, he's too fucking smart to hide somewhere like that. There's no way out."

The voice was Khel's own, but the words had not come from his mouth. Khel had heard the same voice when he first awoke in this place. It warned him to run. It threatened to eliminate him and take control for good, and though Khel never saw the being that now chased him, he could guess who it was. This was the one who had slaughtered those knights in the Prison District; the one who tried to lock Khel away in his own body.

Khel was hunting himself.

"Dammit," the hunter cursed.

Based on the sound of the gravel, the hunter was continuing on his search, leaving Khel alone.

Alone.

Khel slumped down against the wall feeling an odd mix of relief and despair. He'd never managed to successfully hide from the hunter, which meant that he finally found time to actually catch his breath and collect himself. The taste of blood lingered in his mouth from how hard he had clamped down on his arm. The wound wasn't serious in the slightest, but was just enough to release small beads of scarlet.

All at once, Khel's fatigue set in, enforcing his desire to rest, but he knew that wasn't an option. Considering the hunter had just checked Khel's location, it would likely be alright to stay put a while, but for how long? Khel wasn't truly safe until he found a way out of this twisted location, meaning he had to keep moving.

As Khel struggled to his feet, he found himself trembling to the point where he could barely stand anymore. Supporting himself against the wall, he took a moment to steady himself and steel his uncertain heart. Ideally, he would form some sort of plan to safely continue through the city, but considering he had no knowledge of the layout and was up against himself, any strategy he could devise would be useless.

Then an idea struck. Khel literally was up against himself. The hunter knew how he thought and evidently acted accordingly. That's why Khel was left alone in the building; if he had any time to think, he'd never have hidden in such a dead end, and the hunter knew that. So, if the hunter based his movements on how Khel would normally analyze his situation, then Khel would have to do the opposite. He would have to think simpler. He would have to outsmart himself.

Khel may have a chance of getting away after all.

First, he set to removing his shoes. Clearly, the hunter wasn't able to sense Khel's presence, otherwise Khel would have been found for sure. That meant that the hunter was subject to the same sensory limitations as Khel and relied mostly on sound to locate his quarry.

After discarding his shoes, Khel stood still for a moment, testing whether or not he could weather the debris and gravel that littered the ground. The rigid, stony ground would be hard on Khel's small and soft feet, but he would be able to make significantly less noise while barefoot, so sneaking around would be marginally easier.

He could do this.

With a deep breath, Khel headed out, braving the desolate, ruined city once more.

He could do this.