Everyone froze. Even the rain seemed to falter, like the sky itself held its breath.
Fisher spun toward the sound, his soaked shirt slapping wetly against his back as he raised his short sword.
"Southwest," Tav said, already moving. "That came from southwest."
"No, wait!" Reni barked, panic cracking his voice. "We're not running into a scream like idiots—"
"You said you want to get praise for finding the vanished people, right?" Tav shot back at him. "Then we need to find them and apply first aid before whatever the condition is escalates."
Kuti was trembling, her knees buckling under the weight of the wooden box on her back and terror as she shuffled backwards, ready to bolt. "You people are crazy! You're all crazy! We'll die if we stay here any longer! Reni, set off the flare! The others will know the position of the vanished! There's no need to stay here any longer!"
"You can run if you want. I won't blame you." Tav said, lowering his voice. "But we can't set off the flare. If Bon is right, setting the flare off will alert whatever is hunting us where we are. And Fisher can handle whatever comes at us with his sword. Right, Fisher."
"R-right," Fisher said, shivering more from fear than the cold water pelting us. He picked up his sword and gripped the hilt so tight his knuckles turned white as he pointed it in front of him, trying to feign bravery.
"So, we move forward?" Reni muttered between chattering teeth. The deeper parts of the forest loomed ahead of us, branches gnarling like old wizened hands trying to grab us.
Reni's question didn't need to be answered.
Something flew through the deep end of the forest and landed in front of our group.
Fisher instinctively slashed through the air, and everyone else jumped backwards. But that something wasn't a threat, not yet.
What it was was a warning of something even more terrifying that forced bile to rise up my throat.
A leg. Broken at the point below the knees, the white bone cracked crudely at the top. The leg itself wasn't the scary part. It was that all that was left of the leg was the red, stringy muscles that seeped blood, something that normally wasn't possible under normal conditions—
—Because the skin of the leg had been completely removed.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Tav mutters like a crazed man. "Everyone fall back! We need to run back to the camp!"
Kuti was already crying, wide-eyed as tears streamed down her face. Reni and Fisher were trembling, but they started to move back.
But this reminded me of something. My mind clouded over and the present scene temporarily faded away as I remembered my time as a mercenary, how my squad and I would throw distractions like smoke bombs or make loud noises to make our target's attention shift to another point, and then we'd strike from behind.
The leg landing right in front of us couldn't be a mistake. Whatever was behind this was smart and wouldn't come straight from the front. This was a trap, which meant—
"Fisher, behind you!" I bellowed through the rain to the only person with a weapon.
Fisher, shocked, turned back, swinging his sword in an arc along with his motion—
And the steel collided with a claw. Sparks flew. A single ring echoed through the forest, silencing everything else. The chirp of crickets, the tweeting of birds, even the rain stopped falling.
My pulse hammered in my ears. My vision narrowed to pinpricks as our attacker prowled through the heavy vegetation. Yellow, slitted eyes tracked our positions. It moved slowly, deliberately, emerging from hiding.
It kept low to the ground, making itself look smaller than it was. But I could tell—this thing was massive. Moose-sized. Larger.
Its pitch-black scales glistened in what little light penetrated the clouds and branches. The creature's head widened at its base, those yellow eyes set on either side. Eyes with an intelligence no animal should possess.
Sharp spines jutted from its back—spines that could skewer a man through.
But its mouth—God, its mouth. Something dangled from between jagged teeth. Pink, ropy coils. Human intestines. Blood dripped steadily to the forest floor, mixing with mud.
My stomach clenched. Acid burned the back of my throat.
"The Giant Northern Spine Lizard," Tav whispered, horror and awe mingling in his voice. "Also known—"
I recognized that look in the creature's eyes. The same look I'd given targets before ending their lives. Now I stood on the other side.
"—As the Flayer."
The Flayer inched closer as we stepped back. It hadn't attacked yet—Fisher's sword had ruined its ambush. Fisher kept the blade between us and the lizard, his grip steadier than I expected.
Tav, Reni, and Kuti stood frozen. No one dared move. Any sudden shift might trigger the slaughter we all knew was coming anyway.
This wasn't an animal that would let us pass. It was hunting us. Hunting people. The realization hit me like a physical blow: This is how I'm going to die.
"Reni." Tav's voice barely audible. "When I say 'Go', release the flare to your right."
"R-r-right? Why right...?" Reni slowly turned his head. "Ah."
Another Flayer prowled behind the trees, its black scales invisible in the darkness. Only its bright yellow eyes gave it away.
I felt warmth spreading down my leg. The rain had stopped minutes ago. That was me. I had pissed myself.
One Flayer was already impossible to fight off, even with five of us. Two was a death sentence.
"1. 2. 3," Tav muttered to Reni.
The one in front of Fisher advanced. He held his ground, sword trembling.
The one at Reni's right accelerated, muscles rippling beneath black scales.
"GO!" Tav yelled, and the giant lizards attacked simultaneously.
Reni fumbled with the cap for only a second. The flare shot forward—red fire blinding us, illuminating the forest like midday. The small fireball streaked toward the Flayer.
Its claws swung blindly, nicking Reni's shirt as they leapt aside. I couldn't move. I just fell back, hitting the soft mud. My limbs refused to respond. Paralyzed by fear.
Would even Old Reygir stand a chance against these beasts?
Fisher jabbed at his lizard, but it sidestepped with impossible speed. Its claw extended, catching him straight in the chest. He couldn't even wheeze before being slammed to the ground, pinned by its weight. The crack of ribs echoed in the sudden quiet.
Our lizard made another blind grab as the flare's effect faded. Its eyes found us again, pupils narrowing to slits. We couldn't survive this, let alone kill them. The bloodstained jaws told us what happened to the missing people.
Fisher, our only armed defender, lay immobilized. Our one signal to camp—wasted. Our remaining forces: an average man, a healer, a girl with a box, and me—the weakest man alive.
We're going to die here. Our blood will paint these trees. They'll send search parties that will meet the same fate. The Haven was doomed from the start. Soon the lizards will reach the main camp. No one will survive.
The cold truth sank into my chest. I tasted salt as tears ran down my face.
I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
The creature pinned Fisher with impossible strength. Then the flaying began.
Its tongue unfurled—pink, massive as a blanket—as its jaws opened wide. Rows of needle-like teeth gleamed. It wasn't starting with the kill.
Fisher's groans turned to wheezes as his chest compressed under the weight. But worse was coming.
The tongue—surface covered in barbed ridges—made contact with his skin. It dragged slowly, methodically across his arm. Skin separated from flesh in strips.
Fisher's screams pierced the forest. The creature took its time, savoring each pass of its tongue. His body convulsed beneath it, blood pooling in the mud.
The second lizard prowled closer. It moved with unhurried confidence, yellow eyes fixed on the rest of us. Choosing its next victim.
Every heartbeat thundered in my ears.
I don't want to die.