*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*

It began to move, holding the tree trunk on its shoulder like a wooden bat. The ground shook and trembled as its speed increased to a full-on sprint. Its bloodlust-filled roars filled the valley, echoing to create a ghoulish sound. It was the sound of approaching, imminent death.

“Stop…don’t come closer…”

Fear grasped every corner of Indu’s heart, so much so she could barely utter words out loud. Her heart beat so loud she could hear it even under the onslaught of roars. The chilly mountain wind cut through her cold sweat, chilling Indu. She trembled, but was it from the cold or from fear? Maybe both? She couldn’t tell. All she wanted to do was escape as fast as possible, but her body disobeyed her will.

The troll reached the edge. Using its bulging arm, it grasped the valley’s rocky edge, breaking into its foundation. With only one arm, it pulled itself up and gripped back onto the valley edge, all while carrying the tree trunk-turned-bat.

Its gaze didn’t stray from Indu’s as it ascended. Its laser-focused eyes glowed as if looking at a scrumptious helping of prey. Its lips were twisted into a horrific grin. It was mocking her, telling her to run as fast as she could. But no matter how hard she ran, the troll would find her and tear her into delicious chunks, using her bones as toothpicks and skin as a delicacy. She shuddered at the dreadful image in her mind, which only seemed to aggravate the troll even more. The venomous drool pouring from its fangs intensified, and so did its ascent.

“Move…move…I have to move!” Indu screamed out loud with all her might. She had to live. She had to be there for her sister and father, caring for them in place of her dead mother. She couldn’t leave them here in this world alone. They had already suffered the loss of their mother. Her family wouldn’t be able to bear it if Indu perished as well. Living was her only choice!

Her legs violently twitched as she scooted back. Dirt collected at her boot’s heel while it stained the back of her shirt and pant, but Indu couldn’t care less. Her body refused to get up, but she continued to move backward, fighting to overcome her body’s fear.

“Ahhhhh!” Using her sharp nails, Indu tightly clenched her hand until the sharp sting of penetrated flesh flooded her hand. Warm blood flowed and stained the ground red. Its irony odor wafted through the air, a sickening addition to the worsening smell of old blood and decaying flesh.

Because of how far she scooted back, Indu could no longer see the troll but could clearly hear its roars and the breaking of valley rocks as it ascended its edge. With the smell of her fresh blood wafting through the air, the troll reacted aggressively. Its already violent ascent became even more volatile. The ground’s quaking grew so bad it was as if the mountain were being split. The frantic roars grew into a frenzy, the only sound entering her ears the quaking of the ground and roars of the beast, to the point her ears were becoming numb.

Indu turned and crawled. Her fingers dug through the dirt, her arms bulging from the stress of pulling her full weight forward. The path before her seemed endless, twisting and curving across the mountain range like a snake.

All that stood behind her were a few trees and the mountain’s wall 30 meters away. Above it was what seemed to be the mountain’s peak, nearly 100 meters higher than her current position. However, a thin layer of haze and fog obscured her vision beyond the gradual shapes of what lingered above.

All Indu could do was crawl along the path, no matter how futile the action seemed. The fear gripping her heart tightened, telling her to give up. Her body wanted to obey, but her surging willpower forced her to move.

“Live!” Her incisor teeth sliced into her tongue. A flurry of blood flew out, and pain ignited her mouth. But the mental chains restraining her body lifted. She was free. She could finally move!

“I made it! I made it!” Pure joy coursed through her veins, so much so that she stopped moving.

*Rooooooaaaaaaar!*

The troll’s pudgy, dark-red fingers clutched the edge like a hook. Cracks formed as the sound of splitting earth and rocks filled the air. Before they broke away, the troll shot up. It agilely flew into the air like a bird despite weighing more than five horses.

*Boom!*

Two foot-shaped craters appeared where the troll landed. The tree it held was splintered at the top, creating multiple spear-like tips that would gore Indu into paste.

Its lips were curled in a demonic grin. Indu didn’t have to be a mind-reader to know it was gloating. It knew she was trying to escape. It was indulging in her mind-numbing fear.

She had to run. She had to run! But the fear she had worked so hard to overcome rushed over her like a tidal wave. Her feet were firmly planted on the ground, her eyes locked onto the eyes of the horrific monster approaching her.

This was the end. Indu had no more chances. Even if her body were to miraculously move, she could never outrun a troll whose speed exceeded a horse’s.

Indu saw her sister’s smiling face, telling her how much she enjoyed the half-moons. She saw her father, who had protected her at her most vulnerable times. And finally, she saw her mother, her body obscured by moonlight as she explored the mountain path with Indu.

“I’m sorry.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. She had to live for her family to prevent the heart-wrenching grief from when her mother died from striking them again. But now, there was nothing left.

“I finally found you, damn troll!” Blood-chilling cackling came from above. A falling shadow grew until it collided with the troll-like a meteor. The troll instantly burst into a mess of blood, flesh, and bone, its body reduced to meat paste.

It was so sudden Indu didn’t realize she was covered head to toe in disgusting troll blood. Its nauseating scent overcame her. The gruesome image seared itself in her mind. Combined with the stress of escaping for her life and exhaustion from hiking for so long, Indu promptly fainted. As her body collapsed on its back, she heard a smooth yet husky man’s voice.

“Oh no, she’s fainting.”