Aaron didn’t stay to hear her finish explaining to the villagers. The tracks were fading fast. Stanton and Daniel stuck close to him the moment Aaron led them into the woods. It was like following a series of candles flickering in the night. To the others Aaron imagined it was more like wandering blindly in the dark.

As the drops of the creature’s liquid trail became more vivid Aaron couldn’t help but wonder how badly he had hurt it. Could it die of blood loss? Was he even looking at blood? He didn’t have the imagination to assume it could be anything else, and either way it seemed like a bad time to bring it up. Daniel looked afraid enough.

It was difficult to tell how long they followed the trail. In the pitch darkness of the woods Aaron nearly tripped himself coming to a stop, causing the others to stumble in kind. Ahead of him puddles of swirling crimson and lilac scattered around the remains of what Aaron assumed had once been an military aircraft carrier. It was snapped like a twig, its innards spewed across the woods.

A quick inspection revealed that it had slid for quite a distance. Trees all around lay broken or snapped in the wake of its momentum. The front half lay as though it had seen the brunt of the crash like a pummeled but mostly intact cave. Its cargo hold was only a few meters apart from the rest, upside down and impaled through several thick trees. The beast’s erratic movement had left a spray of blood across the warped shards of debris leading deeper into the wreckage.

“Looks like it’s been here for a while.” Stanton clicked his flashlight on warily, careful not to extend the beam recklessly into the night.

Drawing their weapons the trio eased forward, flanking Aaron as he worked to figure out where the creature may have gone. A thick pool of violet swirling just at the base of the plane’s cabin made him hesitate to go any further.

“We could be close. The tracks are bright here.” Aaron gestured his rifle toward the exposed center of the wreckage.

“Well at least you can see shit.” grumbled Stanton.

“Cover me then. If I make any weird movements, I guess you’ll know where it’s at.” Aaron gave the others a grim smile before stepping forward.

“Not the best plan, really.” Daniel huffed, watching Aaron slip his head around the corner and into the depths of the aircraft.

Gripping his weapon tightly Aaron slipped his body against the plane, slowly craning to turn his head around the corner while both villagers stood guard. The interior was in surprisingly good shape. Rows of seats lined the aircraft walls and some cargo had even remained fastened in the center under a web of thick belts. There were no bodies, although open lockers and some unzipped travel bags gave the impression that this place had been quickly searched at one point. Aaron could imagine someone hastily searching through the wreckage in the dark. He, on the other hand, could see quite clearly.

In the far reaches of the aircraft, curled tightly into a swirling mass of color, was the beast. Its powerful glow bathed the inside with waves of color. Blues faded into tinges of orange and yellow and greens Aaron wished he knew the names of. If it could see him it made no indication, though he tried hard to see where a form could be hidden within its mass of vibrancy.

Aaron raised his weapon slowly, waiting for a sign. What if the creature was intelligent? What if it was once human? Was it being transported, or did it simply claim this makeshift shelter as its own?

“What’s happening?” a voice from behind him whispered in hiss.

Aaron looked down the scope of his rifle, taking aim. When was the last time he had seen so much color? He knew the answer but the question still clung to him. If this would be the last time he could ever truly witness a sunset, or watch the foam of an ocean crash into an open beach he would soak in every single second of it.

“Aaron?”

His finger gently moved over the trigger. It looked so much more radiant earlier. Like a ravenous storm that could never be contained. Now it looked more like like a candle. Strong but fragile. A wisp of yellow that reminded him of cornbread formed at the peak of its crown and Aaron thought for a moment it had moved. Maybe it was watching him all this time.

“There’s nothing..” Aaron said firmly, ending their hushed tone. He lowered his rifle. “It’s gone.”

It never moved. He watched it for a moment longer, waiting for some kind of retribution for his arrogance. Instead it simply flickered like a small sun. Brilliant colors danced between them, like a rainbow come to life.

“Where do you think it went?” pondered Daniel, lowing his weapon with a sigh of relief.

“Who knows.” Aaron took a deep breath, then turned back to the others. “There’s an abandoned town north of here it could hide. Or if it’s smart it may just circle back till it hits the main road. A lot of stragglers there.”

“Easy prey.” spat Stanton. “No one’s gonna believe some see-through monster is tearing up the backwoods.”

The trio quietly made their way back to the camp. Scanning their surroundings in the dark. Daniel and Stanton’s flashlights cut fragmented lines through the thick woods. Together the pair lit the way ahead, keeping a fearful eye on any moving branch or crunch of twigs underfoot.

Aaron’s flashlight was by his side, but never once did he stumble in the dark.