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On a cold wispy fall afternoon two children, a boy and a girl, passed a ball back and forth outside their house. The boy threw it too hard for the girl to catch it. It flew over her head, landing near the edge of the woods. The girl ran over and picked it up. As she turned to her brother, she noticed his eyes widening in shock. Another set of eyes glared from the shadows of the forest, unknown to the girl who only glanced at her brother in confusion.
“Annie! Run!” The boy screamed as a looming brown figure emerged from the woods. The girl didn’t have the time to look behind her before her back splashed in a geyser of blood. The boy ran now towards the safety of his house, tears pouring down his face. He heard powerful stomping from behind him, and then was knocked to the ground. Long claws dug into the flesh of his arms, pinning him down. Ten daggers on each side of his head pierced into him. He could feel the scraping of its teeth against his skull, and see his blood dripping into the grass. He felt his head being pulled from his neck, slowly at first with unimaginable pain, and then with one jerk his head ripped from his shoulders.
Hearing the screams from outside, the boy’s mother and father burst out the front door, watching in terror as the beast crushed their son’s head like a walnut and swallowed. The beast was nearly nine feet long with the body of a panther and fiery red mane that flowed down its back. It had a long, canine snout filled with sharp fangs and black horns coming out its forehead, then curving around its jaw. Five long claws decorated each of its paws. The mother sobbed uncontrollably, and began running towards her dead son, but she was snapped back by her husband tugging at her wrist. “Let me go, damn you!” She shouted, pounding at the man’s chest.
“Don’t be stupid, Jeanne. There’s nothing we can do…” The man said, defeated, but unwilling to lose another loved one. He held his wife close and rubbed her back as she cried harder. The beast flipped over the boy’s carcass and dragged his claw from neck to belly button. It dug its jaws into the boy, ripping out organs and swallowing them. It never took its eyes off the couple the whole time, waiting for them to try and stop him. After the beast finished its meal, it walked over to the corpse of the girl, and bit down on her ankle. It then walked back into the woods, dragging the girl with it.
* * *
That even the entire village, as small as it was, was gathered inside the chapel to once more discuss the problem with the beast. These attacks had been going on for almost a year now, and all their efforts to stop the beast had only ended in more tragedy. Every warrior they sent to face it never returned. They could not even leave as the woods the beast lived in stretched all around the village, and anyone who dared enter them was viciously murdered.
There was an ominous chill creeping throughout the residents of the village, only heightened by the weeping of the former mother in the back. Any one of them could be next. There were whispers passing back and forth amongst the crowd. They were quelled quickly as the mayor approached the podium. “Calm down, everyone! Just calm down!” He spoke shakily.
“What do you plan to do about this monster?!” One man questioned.
“With the resinberry harvest coming up, we won’t have enough workers to handle it! We won’t last through winter!” Another woman shouted.
“Be quite!” The mayor shouted. “Our prayers have been answered. Months ago, I sent carrier dove to the king. He’s finally responded and sent his strongest warriors to defeat the monster.”
“Let me take over from here,” A man said from the front row. He stood up and approached the podium to speak. He had long black hair in a pony tail and scars covering his face. He was dressed in silver chainmail and a blue tunic with the king’s crest stitched in it in vibrant gold. At his side was a black steel sword with red lace covering the handle. Three more men, in the same armor stood beside him. “Do any of you know who I am?” The man asked the crowd. They all exchanged vacant looks. “My name is Drogyn of Ipsbaine. I have slain the Etruscan Chimera, the Jabberwocky, the frost hydra of Gyldenrok, the banshees of Erymore, and countless others. If there is one thing I have learned in my journeys, its that any beast no matter how strong they seem has a weakness. If there is any man that can slay this beast, it is I.”
The brief glimpse of hope the villagers felt at Drogyn’s words was immediately shattered by the piercing roar coming from outside. The rafters shook, sending dust to the ground. Townspeople cowered and held their loved ones close. When it stopped, people clustered in front of the church’s windows and saw the beast crouched next to the town’s sacred bell tower. The beast nuzzled the ground, then looked towards the chapel, showcasing the little girl’s severed head clenched in its jaws. It crushed her skull like a grape fruit in one swift bite. Blood swirled around the beast’s fangs. The beast then lifted its hind leg over the sacred bell tower and poured a stream of urine across it, then casually walked back to its home inside the forest. The women gasped, horrified. The men looked angry and felt helpless. Drogyn smirked. He gripped his sword, turned to the mayor, and held it outward. “I promise you, by the strength of K’hlnshgrg, I will kill that monster.”
* * *
The next morning, the mayor had his first peaceful night’s sleep in what seemed like forever. He was awakened suddenly by a violent roar, which shook him out of his bed. A deep sickness filled him. Still in his pajamas, he rushed to the window, as did all the people residing the all the nearby houses. The beast stared back at the mayor, its eyes flaming with rage. Its body was drenched in blood, none of it his own, and inside his mouth rested K’hlnshgrg, Drogyn’s sword. The beast bit down, snapping the black steel blade like a branch. It spat out the remaining shards and rushed the front door, knocking it away with ease. The beast rounded a corner, into the room the mayor was in. The mayor screamed and grabbed a coat rack and swung it pathetically at the beast. It swiped it away, and tackled the mayor. It bit down hard onto his rib cage, and shook its head violently. The mayor’s arms and legs flailed. His neck eventually cracked. His entire body went limp.
* * *
Later that day, the residents of the town gathered at the scene of the mayor’s death. All that remained were smears of dried blood. They held another town meeting that afternoon. With their leader gone, and their last hope at defeating the beast dead, they discussed any and all possible solutions. After hours of debate, they agreed that maybe if they could not overpower the beast, maybe they could outsmart it. They devised a plan, and worked on it nonstop for a day and a half. With their backs sore from the day’s labor, they got into place and waited for the beast’s return. It finally did come wandering into the village around sunset. It looked around the town for its next meal, but it was completely deserted.
The beast approached the town square, when its sensitive ears picked up a strange sound. It leapt forward as a string net shot into the air. The ground it landed on gave way, revealing jagged spikes sixteen feet below. The beast dug its claws into the edge of the pitfall. Arrows streamed from the woods towards the beast. It jumped from the edge, narrowly dodging the arrows. More arrows came from all directions. The beast swiped at them, knocking every one of them to the ground. A hissing sound came from the beast’s blind spot. It turned, watching a small flame approaching it. When the flame got close enough, it set off a chain reaction of fireworks dug beneath the ground. The flames turned night into day in one brilliant explosion that damaged the surrounding houses.
At the site of the explosion, all the villagers cheered, and sang, and danced. A deafening roar, louder than they had ever heard, shattered their eardrums and their hopes. The beast emerged from the flames, and ran at them full speed. It pounced at the nearest group and thrust its claws into the eyes of two men. The villagers shrieked and scattered like mice on a downed ship. The beast swiped its claws and crunched its fangs in a violent fit of rage.
* * *
On the morning of the assault, eight people lay dead. Twelve more had vicious wounds. They once more gathered inside the chapel. This time no one spoke. There was nothing left. They submitted themselves to death. It was as if the grim reaper himself was holding his scythe over each and every one of their necks. Finally, the eldest man in the village stood at the podium. “Alright,” he said calmly. “Do we have any other options left?” The room remained silent for several minutes before someone spoke.
“Maybe…we could just ignore him?” said a young man. Half the people in the room glared at him like he was mad.
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” One person said.
“Are you off your rocker, boy?” Said another.
“We might as well,” said a man, sitting in the corner. Everyone began glaring at him, as if he were crazier than the boy. The man shrugged. We’re all going to die one by one anyway. At least it won’t get the satisfaction out of it…”
* * *
The next day, the beast came back to town. It pounced on the nearest woman and bared its fangs. The woman quickly grabbed a cyanide tablet and stuffed it in her mouth. It was quick and painless. The beast was confused by this. It was used to the screaming and flailing, but the woman did nothing. It ripped her apart and ate her. During its meal, the beast looked around the village. Nobody was screaming or running or any of the usual. They all just went about their business.
The beast approached another man walking by. It grazed its claws on the man’s shoulder. He just flinched and kept walking. The beast then got in front of him. It stood on its hind legs and knocked the man backwards, then let out a violent roar. Saliva flew in the man’s face. His hair flapped like he was in a wind tunnel. When the beast stopped, the man stood up, brushed himself off and went on his way. The beast cocked his head at the man. It walked around town, roaring, knocking people and things over, ate another person, but no one moved. The beast lowered its ears.
It slowly walked towards a girl picking rysenberries from stalks. It slid its face inches from her. The girl shuddered but didn’t move. The beast opened its mouthed and swallowed a heap of the berries. It coughed and shivered for a few moments. Foam enveloped its mouth. Then, it slumped to the ground. Its eyes never opened again.