Hunting Season

Meeting the Beast

Jane loaded her rifle, swinging it behind her shoulder while holding a backpack on her other hand. She had filled it with supplies like food, water, and other necessities one needed out in the forest.

The old woman barely stepped one foot on the porch of her cabin before a concerned man stopped her from walking any further.

"You need to stop, Jane. She's gone and you already have someone else you're looking for." It was Jax, worried out of his mind since Jane started looking for Adira. Everyone noticed she was gone when she didn't come out for a day. All her belongings were still inside, and the bathroom window was wide open. Some people thought she must've been kidnapped, after all there was talk starting to go around of strange folk in the forest. Jane believed in the rumors of psychopaths running around and knew Adira must have gotten herself involved in something negative. Since her disappearance, Jane had been searching for her, hoping to find any trace of her son as well.

Jax felt she was getting too involved, after all it wasn't like Jane to be sticking her head out so much for a singular girl. True, she had her eye out for the group, but he felt the stress would be too much for her to handle.

"Not everyone can be saved," he had to remind her, "You need to let go."

Jane had zero emotion on her face as she patted the man's shoulder and walked past him. He merely sighed, allowing her to spend the rest of her day searching for someone he thought was a lost cause.

But Jane was aware of something no one, not even Jax knew. She was conscious of a shadow in the forest, stalking them from time to time. She even heard it rustling the campgrounds at night after midnight, searching for a stray body to devour. It was why she had warned Adira not to go out too late. Now, she feared the worse, and was sure the thing was involved somehow. Everything bad, the disappearance of everyone- all of it had to be linked to that one monstrosity. It was only a theory, but a very convincing one.

The old woman took one glance back at the remaining campers behind her, knowing each one was bound to start talking about her again once she left. She didn't care if they called her a crazy old woman. If they knew what she knew, she'd be the only sane one left.

Jane readjusted her backpack on both shoulders, holding her rifle properly as she began her journey once more. She had already ruled out certain places, marking them off on a map she carried around. No sign or trace of Adira or her son was ever found. Now it was time to take a lesser known path, and she made sure her weapon was loaded before charting into unknown territory.

The floor almost swallowed her foot as she trudged over large puddles and tried her best to keep herself from sinking. Jane walked for only a few more minutes before an unsettling, thick fog began to descend upon her.

Things had become eerily quiet, she thought, pausing and lifting her rifle slowly. The birds stop chirping, the wind stopped blowing- the forest itself seemed to freeze all at once. It was almost as if everything, but the woman, was aware of a much larger predator around the area.

Fearlessly, she narrowed her eyes and stayed still the second a certain, familiar sound entered her ears. It came from behind her- heavy steps belonging to something that didn't want to be quiet. It wanted her to know it was there. Jane granted its wish and whirled around, pointing the tip of the barrel at a tall, dark being. Its deer like horns reached the heavens, and its deep red eyes widened with bloodlust and amusement.

God circled the woman, admiring her bravery as she continued pointing the weapon at him without a word. She ended up breaking the silence the second he took a step towards her.

"Where's Adira. I take it you have something to do with her suddenly going missing?"

God stopped walking, caught off guard by the sudden question. He was momentarily quiet, until he figured it wouldn't hurt to try and respond.