In Kast Legari—a massive city made up of various districts—humans and demi-humans called Denizens lived with equal rights. The city was surrounded by the Cinderwoods, a glowing red forest filled with terrifying abominations called Lurkers. Unlike the Denizens who lived among the humans, Lurkers were mindless horrors with an insatiable urge to kill. While the mayor worked hard to keep the city safe from Lurkers, citizens were growing increasingly concerned at the rate of sightings within the city. Law enforcement was stretched thin, and the populace began to wonder if they cared at all…

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Thick, smoky fog blanketed the forest ground, making it impossible to see one’s feet. It was unnerving to crunch twigs and leaves under each step, never knowing when some strange critter might crawl up your leg and bite you. Still, Ren had to press on. If the reports were to be believed, then the Lurker would not be much farther.

Ren adjusted his black-rimmed glasses as he followed Sunny—a girl who was wise and strong beyond her years—against his better judgment. “You’re sure it’s out here?” He’d asked her a few times at this point, and each time the answer was the same. 

“Yes, I’m sure,” said the girl a few feet ahead of him. She was two heads smaller than him, no older than ten. She sported a fashionable black jacket with red cloth poking up around her neck. A black cap sat upon a head of pink-blonde hair curled into elaborate spirals, bobbing with every step she took. At the very least, she had an eye for fashion—something Ren couldn’t help but admire.

Ren exhaled through his nose. The Cinderwoods were a dangerous section of land. Few dared to travel its contents. On occasion, teenagers would dare one another to see how far they could get, oftentimes reaching the old shrine located somewhere at its center. The stories varied wildly from person to person, but as of recently, one thing did remain the same.

Each of them claimed to have seen a terrible beast.

Sunny stopped in her tracks, gesturing for Ren to stop. “Wait. Do you hear that?”

Ren frowned and cupped a hand to his ear. The star dangling at the bottom of his necklace jingled slightly. “Is that… kids?” The sounds were unmistakable. Laughter and playful jabs traveled on the gentle breeze. Ren could make out some of the words if he concentrated.

Sunny nodded. “Yes. It must be. I bet the shrine’s over there.”

“This fucker must be close, then,” Ren said, cracking his knuckles. “Bet it’ll be itching at the chance to gobble up a few stupid teens.”

Sunny continued her trek through the forest at a slow pace. Ren kept close, and a few steps later, the jovial sounds grew louder. Until at last… there was a bloodcurdling scream.

“Damn it!” Ren cried, racing ahead of Sunny.

“Hey, wait!” Sunny yelled back as she ran to keep pace. He sprinted through the forest’s trees, bushes, and overgrown roots, Sunny’s voice trailing behind him. She’d catch up in no time, of that he wasn’t concerned. There were people who needed him and—stupid or not—they needed his help.

“Help, someone! Oh my god!” came the voice of a girl.

Come on, I gotta make it! Ren thought.

As Ren's legs carried him through the thicket, he caught the silhouettes of two people fleeing somewhere on his right. He couldn’t make out their details but was aghast at the thought of them leaving behind their friends. Ren's mouth grew dry, his heart battering against his chest. The shape of something enormous was coming into vision past the fog. He leapt over the hedge ahead of him, coming to a grinding halt in front of the shrine.

Ren gasped.

Before him was a Lurker unlike he’d seen. Standing almost twice his height, the beast held a teenage girl in its hand, slowly turning its head to look at Ren.

The hairless creature had no eyes. At least, none that Ren could see. Yet somehow, it could see him through the thin flaps of pink skin over its eye sockets. There was nothing behind those terrible ‘eyes.’ Just pure blackness, devoid of soul or emotion. Chunks of flesh fell from the Lurker’s body, landing with a disgusting squelch. The scent was indescribable.

For better or worse, the Lurker’s attention was on Ren now. Drool dripped from its luminescent pink teeth, and a disturbing smile tugged at the corners of the beast’s lips. As it turned to face him, he brought the struggling girl to his mouth.

“No!” Ren cried. Running toward the Lurker, he plucked a 9mm bullet from his pocket and gripped it tightly. “Here goes nothing!”

Ren leapt into the air, meeting the bend of the beast's elbow with his fist. The bullet slid through his fingertips and as soon as it left his grasp it ignited and rocketed straight ahead. A bang echoed throughout the forest, and the beast roared in agony, releasing the girl from its grasp. Blood oozed from the small bullet wound, and Ren hopped back as the Lurker swiped through the air with its good arm.

“Gonna need better ammo for this motherfucker,” Ren mumbled. Wispy, gray smoke billowed out from his palm, his hand trembling. “What are you all waiting for?” Ren bellowed, swinging his arm through the air. To his disgust, the other teenagers had simply stood by and watched the whole thing happen. Not a single one of them had tried to help the poor girl. “Are you blind? Get the hell outta here, you idiots!”

The remaining teenagers scattered. Even in their efforts to leave, none of them looked over their shoulder for their friend who’d almost been devoured. The Lurker’s attention was on her again. To the girl’s credit, she rose to her feet—and although there was palpable fear in her steps, she ran as if the wind carried her. Slashing at the air with its good arm, the behemoth caught the hem of her skirt, scattering tears of the fabric onto the grass. She squealed before disappearing into the fog of the forest. Hopefully, she’d be able to get back on her own.

A deep, guttural growl emanated from deep inside the Lurker’s throat. It turned to look at Ren, its bones cracking with every movement. The beast stamped its foot against the earth. Pieces of rotting flesh fell, its immense strength shaking the very ground Ren stood on. Ren struggled to keep his footing.

Calm down, Ren thought. Don’t lose your head. Just focus. You got this.

“Bring it on, asshole!” Ren taunted, beckoning the creature with his hand.

The Lurker let out an ear-shattering roar, and Ren clapped his hands to his ears. Spittle stuck to the grass, the trees, to Ren. And then the Lurker charged.

Oh, shit!

With the aftershock of the tremor still shaking him to his core, Ren knelt and tumbled to his right, narrowly evading the monstrosity.

The monster kept going, knocking over several trees and falling over itself like a train flying off its rails. It stopped seconds later, and with its back turned to Ren, the creature shook its head and looked over its shoulder at him.

How in the fuck could it see him with those flaps for eyes?

It felt as if the deepest depths of hell commanded this thing, guiding it on a one-way path to death and destruction. As if the thing delighted in destroying every little thing that came upon it.

A sickening expression split the beast’s mouth into the shape of a smile—or at least, a shape that resembled one. The smile grew wider and wider until the thing’s flesh started to crack apart and bleed out.

A chill swept over Ren’s body.

“I’m here!” came the familiar voice of Sunny.

What the hell is she doing in the air? Ren wondered.

Ren looked up to see the figure of Sunny, dozens of feet in the air. Brilliant white wings stuck out from her back, flapping with an elegance that bore a striking resemblance to those of angels. The Lurker looked at her, smacking its lips with its pocked tongue.

“Sunny! Higher! Now!” Ren cried.

Sunny blinked and began to rise higher into the sky. The Lurker stood up and bent its knees, focusing on the small girl above.

“Damn it,” Ren whispered to himself. He sprinted and reached into his left-side pocket and pulled out a bullet for a 44 magnum. Ren curled and uncurled his fingers as he ran, rolling the casing along his knuckles. He braced for the impact of his own attack, balling his hand into a fist around the munition. “Hey, shithead!”

The Lurker slowly turned its head to look at him, surprise written on its face—at least, as far as Ren could tell.

Ren tensed as his fist collided with the knee of the creature. Another explosion followed, louder and more intense than the last. Ren yelped with the attack, and his arm screamed in agony.

Maybe I should’ve kept some distance, after all, he thought, cursing under his breath.

Blood seeped from the creature’s body, forcing it down on its good knee. As the beast roared, Sunny landed behind Ren.

“Think you can get me in the air?” Ren asked, breathing through his teeth. God damn, did that attack hurt. But the damage had been done. Thick, almost slimy, blood slowly oozed out of the Lurker’s orifice, painting the blades of grass in red.

“I can,” Sunny whispered back, “but I need a little more time. I can’t stay in the air like that for long.”

“How long do you need?”

“One minute.”

Ren let out a raspy laugh. “One minute. Okay, cool. Fucking great.”