Indra and Ben sprinted down the dark corridors of the sanatorium, the creature roaring behind them like living thunder. The sound of claws scraping across the floor echoed through the halls, mingling with shattering glass and the violent banging of rusted doors.
With every step, the building shuddered, crumbling bits of plaster and rotten beams falling from the ceiling. The air was suffocating—thick with the stench of burning, sulfur, and decay, searing their nostrils.
They reached the main staircase, but a massive impact from above shattered part of the steps, nearly sending them tumbling backward.
"HOLD ON!" Indra shouted, grabbing Ben's backpack just in time to stop him from plunging into the gap.
Their flashlight beams flickered wildly as they descended, illuminating only flashes of deeper darkness. Suddenly, something darted in front of them—a translucent, humanoid figure that slipped through the wall with a muffled scream. They both nearly tripped in fright.
"What the HELL was that?" Ben rasped, voice raw with panic.
"Ghosts, or something! KEEP GOING!"
On the final flight of stairs, a flock of crows exploded from the shadows, swirling around them in a storm of black wings. The deafening cacophony mocked every desperate step.
At last, they reached the ground floor. The massive entrance doors were flung wide open, but the darkness outside seemed just as thick and impenetrable as the nightmare within. Still, they didn't hesitate.
As they stepped into the night, the icy wind slashed at them like blades. Outside, the trees thrashed violently, as if trying to rip themselves from the earth. Thunder cracked across the sky, revealing for a brief moment the silhouette of the creature standing in the doorway—taller, more grotesque, growing more monstrous with each passing second.
"THE CAR!" Indra yelled, pointing to where they'd left the vehicles.
They bolted down the muddy path, but as they neared the cars, their hope shattered: the vehicles were utterly destroyed—windshields smashed, doors twisted, tires flattened—as if something massive had crushed them.
"NO!" Ben screamed, his voice breaking.
The forest around them came alive with unsettling sounds: branches snapping in empty air, fleeting shadows darting between trees, whispers in languages they couldn't understand. It felt like countless things were closing in on them.
The forest pulsed with a warped, predatory life. Every brittle branch that cracked beneath their feet beat like a drum of doom. The air was thick with a metallic tang—blood, maybe. Or something worse.
Behind them, the crawling sound grew nearer.
Not a roar.
Not a scream.
Just the relentless scrape of claws over dead leaves, the snap of twigs breaking with sickening precision. And sometimes… a muffled whisper that seemed to come from inside their own minds.
"Don't look back!" Ben gasped.
But Indra looked.
A silhouette—too thin, too long. A twisted body that defied reason, moving impossibly fast between the trees, like a shadow cast by a fire that didn't exist. Its eyes… two burning red voids, locked on them.
"This way!" Indra shouted, dragging Ben toward a root-covered embankment.
They slipped, fell, tumbled through damp leaves and cold earth. The creature shrieked—a sound like someone drowning in ashes.
Above them, like a lifeline in the chaos, a thick steel cable—possibly part of an old electrical system—stretched from a tree up to the ridge near the campsite.
"If we can climb that… we might make it back to the clearing!"
Indra said, swallowing the pain from a gash on his arm.
The creature was almost upon them now. They felt its presence like feverish heat on the backs of their necks.
Ben grabbed the cable.
"Go! Climb first!"
"No, you go!" Indra barked, shoving him upward.
Ben scrambled up, moving with desperate speed—because his life depended on it. Indra followed close behind. The creature reached the bottom of the slope, staring up at them.
It rose onto its hind legs, revealing exposed bones and pulsing muscle. Its claws sank into the wet earth.
It was about to leap.
Indra kicked a loose branch, hitting the creature square in the face. It staggered—just long enough.
Ben reached the top, pale moonlight spilling over him.
"Take my hand!" he yelled, stretching his arm down.
Indra grabbed it, and Ben hauled him up. The moment Indra's feet left the cable and landed in the clearing, the moonlight bathed them both.
The creature emerged from the treeline seconds later… and froze.
On the threshold of the forest's darkness, it writhed. Its skin began to sizzle, smoke rising from its joints. It let out a roar of pure frustration, recoiling into the shadows as if burned by an invisible fire.
Indra collapsed to his knees, gasping. Ben fell beside him, pale and drenched in sweat.
"What… the hell… was that?"
Ben whispered, eyes wide with horror.
"I don't know… but the moonlight…"
They looked up. The full moon glowed massive and silent overhead, a silver disc that seemed the only thing keeping them safe from what lurked among the trees.
For a moment, the campsite felt like a sanctuary. Surrounded by a living darkness—yes—but shielded by the fragile blade of silver light from the sky.
They knew they were safe. But they also knew it wouldn't last.
The creature now knew exactly where they were.
And it was waiting for the moon to move.