We moved again.
The sound of horses' hooves on the wet grass was rhythmic, but our anxiety was out of sync. I sat at the back of the carriage, pressing on my wound despite it being covered, watching the forest as if it would swallow me whole at any moment.
I didn't want to go in.
But I had no choice.
Fear was inside me, yes... but it didn't stop me from moving forward.
This was a new truth I was beginning to understand:
Courage isn't the absence of fear, but advancing despite it.
Knox was walking beside the carriage. His eyes fixed on the trees, silent, unreactive, yet always alert. Luxian was leading the ranks, strutting as usual, as if the monsters were just practice targets to him.
As for the employer... his gaze had changed. He was no longer just a stern merchant; he seemed like someone accustomed to death, knowing when to sneak and when to strike.
Suddenly… he raised his hand.
The caravan stopped.
He said in a low but clear voice:
"There's something… not far from us."
Some men drew their weapons. My heart pounded faster.
I tried to stand, but the pain in my thigh was still sharp. I forced myself up slowly, holding onto the carriage wall.
The air was thick with the smell of mud and trees… but suddenly, a metallic scent spread… the smell of blood.
We didn't wait long before hearing a strange sound.
A drop.
Then another.
And the rain began.
But it wasn't real rain.
A red drop fell on one of the men's shoulders.
A drop of blood.
He slowly raised his head, then gasped:
"Above us!"
We all looked up.
There, trapped between the high tree branches, was the body of a strange animal, completely torn apart, as if exploded from the inside.
There was no sound… only the sight of the shattered, bleeding corpse hanging above us.
The employer whispered:
"It's a warning…"
But before he could finish, a scream pierced the forest, shaking the tree branches and quickening my heartbeat.
The air felt heavy on my chest, and the cold bit my trembling hand.
The sound wasn't human… nor animal… something in between.
I looked around in panic. Everyone started moving, preparing themselves.
But I froze.
"Not again…"
But this time, I didn't run.
I didn't hide.
I didn't hurt myself.
I was trembling, yes.
But my feet were planted firmly on the ground.
My trembling hand grabbed a wooden stick from the back of the carriage.
I might not be a fighter.
I might not have supernatural powers.
But I wouldn't run this time.
I looked around nervously, but I was ready for any attack.
Suddenly, silence fell.
It was an eerie quiet, but I didn't know it was the "calm before the storm."
The employer said: "I'll go up and check the body."
He leapt high, reaching the tree trunk, looked at the corpse, then said: "This is not good."
He shouted: "We must flee now!"
I was surprised. What could make the employer, the one who had defeated monsters, so tense?
He came down and said: "Quickly, prepare the carriage, let's return now."
The workers whispered among themselves: why is the employer acting like this? But they obeyed and got the carriage ready.
I and some injured workers climbed into the carriage while the rest walked.
Then the employer said: "We need to increase our walking speed."
The carriage sped up, and the workers quickened their pace.
One asked: "Why suddenly say we must flee?"
The employer answered: "When I climbed near the monster's body, the blood smell was still fresh. Worse than that… the signs of killing that monster came from a dangerous beast. I don't even know if I'm capable of facing it."
Before he finished speaking, a sound came from above.
I looked up…
Then a strange body fell on us, destroying everything around.
...
It felt like time stopped for a moment.
A violent crash tore the air and smashed the ground around us. Dust flew everywhere, and the workers' screams echoed like thunder through the trees. I felt a bursting pressure in my ears, and my balance was completely lost. At first, I couldn't tell what had happened… everything was chaotic.
The strange body that fell was not just debris or a rock; it was something alive… something huge enough to destroy half the carriage in a second.
I saw a worker being dragged away before letting out a muffled scream, then disappearing into the dust. I tried to stand, but the pain in my twisted foot made me retreat. My temperature rose suddenly, as if my body was warning me the danger wasn't over yet.
"Take cover immediately! Don't attack it! Just take cover!"
That was the employer's voice, strong as usual, but this time it lacked the confidence I knew. He was scared… and that alone made me shiver.
I raised my head with difficulty, looking at what remained of the carriage. The front half had turned into scattered wood, and the horses were gone. Some workers were trying to crawl backward, while others froze in place, unsure what to do.
Then, through the thick fog, I began to see something… eyes.
Two dull yellow glowing eyes, staring at us from the darkness with terrifying calmness, as if their owner had been watching us from the beginning.
A deep breath shook the ground. That thing was not just a monster… it was a being who knew we were here and knew we were afraid.
I tried to crawl toward a nearby tree trunk, every movement painful, but instinct pushed me forward. When I reached it, I pressed myself to the ground, trying to hold my breath.
From the dust, I heard heavy steps… slow… but steady. Then they suddenly stopped.
Silence.
I tried to peek without being noticed… and there, in the short distance between the trees, I saw it.
A monster I had never seen before.
Its body was covered in thick black fur, its back like a tilted hump, and its fangs protruding beyond its mouth. It was a creature more like a nightmare, standing in broad daylight.
Its voice was like a broken moan… as if the pain itself was coming from its throat.
But the most terrifying thing… was that it didn't attack.
It was watching.
As if it was testing us.
The employer, standing behind one of the broken carriages, slowly raised his hand, signaling everyone not to move.
He didn't want to fight.
And for the first time, I understood the bitter truth.
We are not hunters here…
We are only prey, waiting for the monster to deside which of us to eat first .