The Grem are Shade-born monstrosities that were once human children. Children that had been unable to resist the influence of The Shade. Children that had lost themselves to their urges.
They were fast, faster than any human. Hugo didn't understand how their scrawny limbs could carry them so fast. But they were weak, typical of the undeveloped children they had once been. They couldn't lift a stone and were easy to hold down.
Hugo knew that they are usually ambush predators too. They would attack anything that moved, brutalising their prey and devouring what was left.
It was a common occurrence to find the beaten remains of their victims when walking through the forest. The bodies were almost like decorations among the trees.
He had heard it shift in the silence and yet he couldn't bring himself to look at it. The sound was soon followed by an added weight of ten or so pounds to his chest, enough to force his eyes open.
It was on top of him now.
Its arms thrashed wildly as it swiped and clawed at him.
Hugo instinctually forced his forearm into the beast's mouth, this way its snapping jaws couldn't tear out his throat.
He would be filled with pain if it weren't for the shock that had settled in his mind. He couldn't feel the hundreds of wounds that Elijah inflicted upon him, only the cold blood that dampened his clothes.
Hugo reacted as quickly as his body would allow. He swung the knife in his left hand up and through the throat of the monster then watched as its neck opened almost entirely. Blood gushed in spurts from the wound, covering his face in the warm liquid.
And yet the beast did not die, its body merely repairing the wound as fast as it had been created.
A steady stream of blood now flowed from his arm as the Grem's teeth began to pierce and even crush his bones. Not even the shock could protect him from the pain now. His arms felt weak. Was this all he had in him?
Adrenaline worked to reinvigorate his limbs as he forced it off, throwing it several metres back.
Hugo scrambled to his feet and wrapped his mangled hand as tightly as possible around the bloodied dagger. He didn't want to show the beast that he was afraid but he couldn't stop his arms from shaking.

 "Use both hands Hugo..."
"You can't pierce the skull with only one."
His fathers' words filled his ears as memories replayed in his head. Blood loss must've begun to affect his mind as he witnessed two more hands clutch his dagger, holding it steady.
The beast howled out into the growing darkness. The sound resembled a child screaming out in pain.
Hugo spun the dagger in his hand so its blade pointed towards the ground before raising it above his head, gathering his strength.
The creature lunged at him again and the world seemed to slow down, his arms moved faster than he thought possible. The dagger met the boy's face midair as the blade sank deep into its skull.
Both tumbled to the ground when they collided but Hugo remained focused as he removed the dagger from Elijah's forehead. He didn't hesitate to bring the blade back down through his cheek. Then through his right eye. Then his nose. Over and over again
Hugo didn't know when the monster finally fell limp. He couldn't stop, the voices in his head screamed to make sure it would never hurt him again.
Hugo finally stood to his feet and found himself staring down at the bloodied corpse. The face had become unrecognisable but he could still see the ginger's mischievous smile. The boy before him had once been filled with aspirations and ideas. He spoke of leaving Off-Shore and travelling the world, of bringing back "The glory of the wastes".
Whatever that had meant.
He had fought so hard to keep his dreams untouched in a world that tainted everything within.
But the boy Hugo knew had lost the battle. As so many had before him...
Hugo was thankful Elijah's sister wasn't here to see the state of his corpse. How could someone live on after seeing death on their own face? They were nearly identical twins after all.
Twins that had gone missing together...
The pieces fell into place as Hugo's eyes lifted from the corpse before landing on the blur of grey that sprinted towards him. He could only admire the speed at which she moved, the same ginger hair flowing wildly in the wind.
Hugo could admit that this was his limit, he didn't even raise his blade in defence. If he were to die here, he would do it with open arms. Sarah Kingsman leapt through the air towards him and for a moment he could see her brother in her eyes, watching with glee as she avenged his death.
Giving up seemed to unlock something deep within him, a change that he wouldn't live to undergo. Or so he thought.
Gavin leapt into action, emerging from behind a tree with his large machete. In one clean swing, he cleaved off the beast's head.
It was just like him to appear at the last moment, to arrive just when Hugo needed him. It was just what Gavin did, he protected others.
Hugo had always admired the brunette, more than what others considered normal. They had always been close and yet Hugo found himself wanting more. He never wanted to leave the Brunettes side, to be protected always.
The boy forced his broken and numb body to move, hobbling forward slowly. A primal desire to touch the Brunette had overtaken him. Gavin's mere presence seemed to make everything okay.
"Hugo? Are you okay?" Gavin asked, his voice laced with concern.
His heart skipped a beat hearing his words. He continued to hobble closer, unable to feel his arms.
No.
No, not now.
Hugo was helpless as he watched his blade bury itself in Gavin's throat, now he was a passenger in his own body.
He pushed the boy back and climbed atop him, sitting on his chest. The dagger fell to the ground as Hugo's clawed hands began to tear through Gavin's flesh, all while Hugo himself was left powerless to stop it.
But Gavin could.
Gavin reached up and wrapped his strong hands around Hugo's throat, looking up into his eyes.
Why wasn't he stopping him? Gavin merely needed to squeeze until Hugo's scrawny neck snapped.
It was so easy, he had seen the brunette kill Roo with his bare hands. And yet for some reason he hesitated.
Why?