“Cody,” his name escapes as a hiss between my teeth as I took my first step into the woods, my grip on his arm tightened but he didn’t seem to notice. I did not want to end up as monkey crap.

Cody then decides to stop, digging his feet into the squelching mud in order to secure himself into a grounded stance. The monkey stalks to the side, trying to get us into the woods but my brother wasn’t budging. It hisses sounding more like a snake, baring its teeth as it puffs up its chest and shoulders in order to enlarge itself to frighten its newly found human-chow. I for one didn’t need the extra incentive but Cody didn’t show any outward fear. In fact, from the way his shoulders were squaring, he was calm. Calm and ready to fight.

Did I forget to mention that my brother is a tad suicidal?

“Get ready to move.”

Sure. I’ll just do an Irish jig, shall I? It’ll confuse the hell outta everyone including the monkey. Come on Kae, no time for sarcasm…

There’s always time for sarcasm.

“Ready?”

Nice to know he’s asking for once.

“Run, Kae!” He pushes me to the side, earning two things; me, tumbling rather clumsily into a nearby shrub and the monkey, now fully enticed to rush forward at the sudden movement. Crawling my way out of there, I realised I made it just in time as the monkey seems to have made me the target as it had completely ignored my brother and landed in the bush that I had just gracefully rolled out of. Quickly turning itself around to lunge at me again, I scramble to find my feet as the mud and snow was slick and trying to pull me under. Half crawling, half falling over myself I make my way in a panic haze back towards the public toilets.

While I was making my half-assed attempt at escaping, Cody charges forward to stop the monkey. As they struggle with each other, the monkey lands a solid kick into my brother’s gut, winding him as he curls up, almost collapsing. Biting my lip, I hesitated to go back in case the spider-thing decided to take my brother now that he was weakened. Before realising what my body was doing, I scamper for the nearest thing to throw and threw something like a rock at the monkey, landing squarely on its head. It shoves my brother to the ground and turns its attention back on me.

Oh.

Right.

Shit.

I scurry away, trying to get as far from Cody as possible just in case it changes its mind. Just as I was about to get my fingers to touch the slab of concrete I felt a grip around my ankles -when did I lose my shoes? Not the point.

Suddenly pulled back down, I awkwardly turn over onto my back with the monkey looming over me. Struggling to get its ugly head and creepy multiple eyes and rather big teeth out of my face, I try to kick and wriggle my way out but with it have hands for feet, it grips my arms and legs, spreading me out, exposing me completely. Leering down into my face, I turn a little to get as far from it as possible while being pinned down. My eyes shut tight, ready to be ripped apart.

I could feel it sniffing me. Oh god it’s smelling me like some cheap date. I wanted to scream for help but fear had closed down on my throat. My heart was ramming against my rib cage and I was too afraid to open my eyes as its nose was almost nuzzling against the soft skin of my neck.

Letting out a loud screech, my ears are left ringing as I scrunch up my eyes.

I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die! Fuck it! Cody! The flight or fight response kicks into gear as my eyes flung open and I struggle against it again. My arm somehow came free. I manage to make a swipe at its face, knocking it in the eyes with my elbow and taking it completely by surprise. Taking my chance, I twist myself so that my legs got free from its grip and wrestled with the mud to escape.

Enraged, the monkey let loose a low bestial growl behind me. I felt it on me again, turning me over so that it could scream into my face as both its hands clasp around my neck and squeeze. I gasp with no air reaching my lungs, drowning in the panic that was now overtaking any rational part of my brain. Clawing at its arms, my struggles were feeble as it was using enough force to almost break my neck. Choking the last of the breath out of me, I felt the world was going black with a painful haze.

With the last of my breath I choke, “Co-..dy…” My arms failing against my sides as the last of my strength leave me…

Air snaps into my lungs as my now raw throat is exposed to the cruel icy air and I am savouring every stinging gasp I’m taking. Coughing, I realise that the monkey had somehow let go. Turning to my side, I was confused, looking for the monkey. Instead another dark figure towers over me, breathing heavily. Realising its Cody, I snap out of my daze and scramble to sit up. Battered and bleeding, my brother’s focus was completely on the thing. His fists curling tightly, ready for another attack.

My eyes widen, realising what he was going to do. He can’t. I reach for him, my hand shaking as I try to stop him from exposing himself. If the Suppressors saw, it’ll be over. But I can’t seem to be able to reach far enough, my arms have no strength left. “Co…Cody…no…”

“Sssh,” his eyes never left the beast.

Again with the shushing!

Cody takes a defensive step forward waiting for the next move. As he does, the monkey shakes it’s head to clear it, hissing at him as he had disturbed it. It makes its way round us, circling so that it was almost at my back before charging ahead. This time it had successfully got in behind my brother’s defence as both go down, its jaws tightly over my brother’s shoulder. I try to stand to go to him but someone rushes up behind me and saw that it was the boy X, aiming for both the monkey and Cody.

Paralysed by shock I watch as he swings the blade in a disgruntled screech left the monkey’s throat as something thick and wet lands in the mud not too far from me. It was an arm that was sliced clean from a body. For a moment I thought it was Cody’s, panic rising in my throat before I realised it was black and covered in fur underneath all the mud and black blood.

My brother watches from the side, weary about joining in but as the Monkey lashes out at X my brother quickly intervenes. As he did the monkey lands a hit to his gut, sending him skidding across the ground away from all of us. Blood was freely gushing from a new gash across his stomach. The sound of metal on metal brings my attention back to X and the monkey for a moment as I try to get up. I need to get to Cody. Looking over I saw that the boy called X was poised with his black sword, looking rather cool and collected while the monkey was wearily sizing him up, clutching at the now bloody stump gushing with blood that was its arm. The blood flow slows almost immediately, leaving only a trickle then a drop of black blood. The monkey changes posture, attacking head on, this time fury was completely overtaking it. It was far faster, far crueller and far stronger than when it was dealing with me. I realise with horror that it was playing with me.

Using his sword as a shield, X was stuck in the middle of whirlwind of a yellow blur. It was too fast for my eyes but every now and then the sound of metal against an attack of something just as strong sounded. X was fast enough to defend himself against the onslaught but not enough to turn around and attack.

Just as I thought that they were in a stalemate, X’s comrades race in to help. The older man, probably their captain, raises a gun to shoot. A bullet flies passed X only to land in a tree as the monkey successfully dodges. With irritation, the monkey flips over towards the captain, faster than before. Just as it was on him, the girl manages to flick up her blade just in time, acting as a shield as the monkey presses its weight, bearing down on her. As she was losing the strength to hold it off, the captain fires the gun again, shooting the air where the monkey was. It had disappeared from the clearing completely.

My eyes widen at the sudden silence. It’s jumped back into the woods. Getting to my feet, I frantically search the clearing for it. But as I move, I hear the click of a gun and freeze. I see the same gun that this man was using on the creature was pointed directly at me. As X was about to raise the blade joining his superior in their new target (i.e. me), the monkey comes down again, taking all of us by surprise as it lands behind the captain, taking him by the neck and he literally squeaks before it jumps away again, his gun dropping into the mud only a moment later. Just as the silence was about to fall again, a blood curdling scream of pain reverberated out around us. Whatever the monkey was doing, it was making sure it was dragging out the man’s agony as long as possible before the ear-ringing silence returns.

Panting, I was about to go look for my brother only for the monkey to return. Before anyone could make a move, it was a blur of yellow aiming at the girl, stopping just a hairs breath in front of her as she froze, resulting in her being flung and landing with a thud against the toilet block. It comes towards X with the same move it used on my brother not a minute ago, sending him sprawling on the ground. X feebly moves to get back on his feet to attack but the monkey was now focusing on me again. It stalks up a bit before running full throttle at me.

I couldn’t run. I have no energy left. It took all my strength just to stand here like a moron.

Just as it was about to get me, my brother suddenly comes in from behind, rushing forward with his arm pulling back slightly to punch the monkey. His fist lands right between the eyes, blood and bone crunching as it breaks under the force. Cody then pulls his other fist, slamming it into the front of its skull. He then pulls into a rounding hook, ramming into the side of its jaw, breaking it apart completely. The monkey staggers back as blood bubbles from what is left of its face but Cody didn’t give it enough time to react as he went for the finishing jab in between the eyes again but ending with the skull breaking completely and the monkey drops dead. The dead silence all but returns, save for all of us gasping for the cold air like we couldn’t get enough of it.

As X manages to get to his feet, my brother backs up towards me, becoming a shield from the two Suppressors left. He notices something in the mud near us and quickly bends down to grab the blade that the girl had dropped. As he pulls himself up, he grabs onto me to take some of my shaky weight and begins to leave. X makes no move towards us, watching us with tired eyes. For the first time I saw that his eyes were two different colours. One moonlit silver and the other molten amber. He gives a single nod, earning one from my brother before we both made for the forest.