Life and Times of a Keyboard Warrior

One man search party

23
26th of February
Markus

"Yuki! Where are you?!"

I scream at the top of my lungs, trying to believe that she can hear me. I don't know how long it's been since she disappeared, but the moon hangs high in the black sky, its light weakly illuminating the beach and the forest.

I grip the handle of Heath's rocket launcher. I don't have my Glock or my knife, so this is going to have to do if I need to defend myself. I force myself deeper into the forest, crashing through the undergrowth as I go. My sandals do little to shield my feet from the barbed and thorny shrubs on the ground.

"Yuki! If you can hear me, say something!" I try again, shouting as hard as I can. The trees shake eerily as birds take off, spooked by the sudden noise. The moonlight casts shadows everywhere, only a small fraction of light makes it to the ground.

Suddenly, my ears prick up. I can hear someone moving, the sound of slapping feet on sand. I take off, my movements making enough noise to wake the dead in the relative silence of the forest. As I run, the trees rapidly thin, the moons reflection on the water becoming visible. I break out of the forest loudly.

No one is on the beach. It's deserted, as far as I can see. A small pinprick of light on the mountains signifies the beach house, but it's so tiny, I must be several kilometers out. I stomp angrily, kicking up sand and flailing my fists around. When I'm done my little dance, I pick up the launcher again and head back into the jungle.

Just as I push into the undergrowth, I hear someone scream. A single shrill burst of raw fear pierces the stillness of the night, cutting deep into my mind. It must've been Yuki, who else is out here. I bash my way through the jungle towards the sounds origin, and I stumble into a moonlit clearing.

There's no one here. A small waterfall provides background noise, but other than that this little glade is completely deserted. I groan again, my spirits dropping slightly, and I turn to leave the clearing when I see it.

Two eyes glare out at me from the shadows, slowly inching forward towards me. I back away, my feet bumping into the stones surrounding the waterfalls base, and I hear a wolf howling, the noise long and loud and stirring up some primal fear in me. The eyes belong to a wolf, a lone nocturnal hunter that was attracted by my loud thrashing within it's forest home.

Now, it's going to kill me...

My head whirs at top speed, and without even thinking, I aim Heath's rocket launcher at the sky, and squeeze the trigger. The glade lights up a dark red, the fire hissing against the pool of water at the base of the falls. The wolf leaps forward, almost as fast as the rocket exiting the launcher. It lashes out, biting at my right hand. I shriek, pulling my hand back, and at the same time, dropping the tube onto the ground.

I trip, falling backwards into the waterfalls pool. The wolf leaps on top of me, and I barley have time to put up my right arm to stop it. It scratches at my face, slashing the entire right side of my face. It's not deep, but the scratch burns harshly. My eyes fling open underwater, and I just make out the brilliant light given off by my firework, it's colors and lines distorted by the water. The dog stiffens at the boom created.

I flail, taking the chance to knock the dog off of me. It yelps as I throw it, scrambling away to regroup and attack again. I jump up, clutching at the side of my face. My vision becomes halved.

The dog lunges again, fangs bared and hungry for my blood. I think quickly, scooping up the discarded rocket tube. I turn, swinging it with all my might, and I'm rewarded with a sickening crunch and a strangled yelp. The blast shield and iron sight apparatus had connected with the dog in mid air, hitting it in the ribs like a blunt axe. It threw the creature away, denting the metal slightly. The wolf limps off whining, its tail between its legs.

I wobble unsteadily on my feet, unsure of where I am and how I got here. The adrenaline begins draining from my body, and I feel the strain of sheer exhaustion.
My mind bargains with my body, agreeing to a little nap, just quickly. I'm unconscious before I even hit the ground.