Death's Prey part 1
Night’s coming cut through the brilliance that day once held like a scythe along the horizon. The last ripples of flames cast by the sun faded softly across his face. Craig closed his eyes as night filled his senses. There was silence, and he heard this, while the noises of the city fell on unhearing ears. There it was again- silence.
Like the blood curdling scream of a banshee the silence sent a shiver up his muscular back. The silence was easier to follow than any tracks that even his eyes could see. Silence was death’s tracks borne on the wind, and tonight that was what Craig was hunting. Death incarnate was spreading like a plaque through the rural areas. Craig was determined to find Death. Not because he had any compassion for the humans that lay unfeeling under the veil of night. Not because he was afraid of the supernatural stalker, or even because he was killing on his territory. Actually that annoyed the hell out of him, but that wasn’t the reason the hunter was being hunted.
Suddenly the smell of death struck Craig like a kick to the jowls and he stopped his running in the middle of a trailer park. He had been running for almost an hour letting the lack of sounds be his guide, and losing himself in the memories of the night before. Death had been here, but had probably been gone for more than a day. A corpse lay sprawled half way out of a trailer clutching at it’s own throat as if the man had suffocated on his way out the door. Craig stepped forward and stooped down to examine the body. Steam boiled up around his mouth as he let his tongue loll out almost comically. The body was remarkably intact for a hot moist climate, but the dead flies that littered the ground around the corpse revealed that Death wasn’t only killing humans. And, he realized that the silence had been complete, and why the lack of carrion feeders had made him feel as if something was wrong.
This was not natural; even for a predator like he these deaths had no purpose. He had no sympathy for the kind that shunned him however their lives did mean something in the grand scheme of things and now they were finished. The silence became unbearable and he found himself running again. His ears laid back as he pounded the ground with all four limbs gaining speed as he the dirt kicked up behind him. The city lights cascaded through the night sky, nearly invisible to the human eye the lights from a distance jutting up into the sky was the most beautiful thing about the city. The ugly parts where were he was going now. Death was done building his strength or cautiously surveying it’s prey. The path led directly into the city.
The moon flooded down across the cityscape and the night breeze stirred up leaves at his feet. This was a place he would not go in this form out of fear for what he might do to the populace if they attempted to hunt him. Rules had changed just as blood had been spilt, the creature that would dare encroach on the feeding grounds would not escape him. Craig raked his razor sharp claws through the loose soil and sought death’s scent once again. There it was, ripe in the heavy air that filled the desecrated area he stood in. The scent filled his lungs as he galloped madly towards the unsuspecting city below him. The sounds of the city met his ears as he slowed enough to catch his breath on the out skirts, in the shadows of the first buildings.
Craig smelled the fear of the crowd long before he heard their frantic screams. The pure emotions brought new strength to his rippling legs as he bounded further into the city. The scent was overpowering and he had to rely on his ears as he came nearer to the source of the chaos. Fire trailed from an overturned bus in the middle of the street. On top of the bus a little girl stood silently watching the world go by. Men were running to try and extinguish the fire or rescue those trapped in the bus. It was then that he saw the bus driver crawling from the wreckage, covered in black ichor. A nearly invisible blue gray strand ran from the back of his head to the girl standing so calmly on the bus. The man was truly a pathetic site. His eyes filled with tears of remorse, and his arm weakly out stretched. Pleading.
“Help me,” the man begged as blood began to violently stream from his nose and mouth.
Shifting into a form that was both man and beast Craig stepped forward to the dying man. He reached down and ran a gnarled hand along the man’s brow. The sound of his neck breaking brought everything into perspective. Everyone saw him now standing above the prostate man, but their attention did not bother him. It was the girl. She held his gaze now, and Craig knew he was staring into the eyes of a killer. He knew that she could step down from the bus, walk casually up to him, and rip his heart out. He saw this all in an instant, and he found that he was truly afraid.
Like the blood curdling scream of a banshee the silence sent a shiver up his muscular back. The silence was easier to follow than any tracks that even his eyes could see. Silence was death’s tracks borne on the wind, and tonight that was what Craig was hunting. Death incarnate was spreading like a plaque through the rural areas. Craig was determined to find Death. Not because he had any compassion for the humans that lay unfeeling under the veil of night. Not because he was afraid of the supernatural stalker, or even because he was killing on his territory. Actually that annoyed the hell out of him, but that wasn’t the reason the hunter was being hunted.
Suddenly the smell of death struck Craig like a kick to the jowls and he stopped his running in the middle of a trailer park. He had been running for almost an hour letting the lack of sounds be his guide, and losing himself in the memories of the night before. Death had been here, but had probably been gone for more than a day. A corpse lay sprawled half way out of a trailer clutching at it’s own throat as if the man had suffocated on his way out the door. Craig stepped forward and stooped down to examine the body. Steam boiled up around his mouth as he let his tongue loll out almost comically. The body was remarkably intact for a hot moist climate, but the dead flies that littered the ground around the corpse revealed that Death wasn’t only killing humans. And, he realized that the silence had been complete, and why the lack of carrion feeders had made him feel as if something was wrong.
This was not natural; even for a predator like he these deaths had no purpose. He had no sympathy for the kind that shunned him however their lives did mean something in the grand scheme of things and now they were finished. The silence became unbearable and he found himself running again. His ears laid back as he pounded the ground with all four limbs gaining speed as he the dirt kicked up behind him. The city lights cascaded through the night sky, nearly invisible to the human eye the lights from a distance jutting up into the sky was the most beautiful thing about the city. The ugly parts where were he was going now. Death was done building his strength or cautiously surveying it’s prey. The path led directly into the city.
The moon flooded down across the cityscape and the night breeze stirred up leaves at his feet. This was a place he would not go in this form out of fear for what he might do to the populace if they attempted to hunt him. Rules had changed just as blood had been spilt, the creature that would dare encroach on the feeding grounds would not escape him. Craig raked his razor sharp claws through the loose soil and sought death’s scent once again. There it was, ripe in the heavy air that filled the desecrated area he stood in. The scent filled his lungs as he galloped madly towards the unsuspecting city below him. The sounds of the city met his ears as he slowed enough to catch his breath on the out skirts, in the shadows of the first buildings.
Craig smelled the fear of the crowd long before he heard their frantic screams. The pure emotions brought new strength to his rippling legs as he bounded further into the city. The scent was overpowering and he had to rely on his ears as he came nearer to the source of the chaos. Fire trailed from an overturned bus in the middle of the street. On top of the bus a little girl stood silently watching the world go by. Men were running to try and extinguish the fire or rescue those trapped in the bus. It was then that he saw the bus driver crawling from the wreckage, covered in black ichor. A nearly invisible blue gray strand ran from the back of his head to the girl standing so calmly on the bus. The man was truly a pathetic site. His eyes filled with tears of remorse, and his arm weakly out stretched. Pleading.
“Help me,” the man begged as blood began to violently stream from his nose and mouth.
Shifting into a form that was both man and beast Craig stepped forward to the dying man. He reached down and ran a gnarled hand along the man’s brow. The sound of his neck breaking brought everything into perspective. Everyone saw him now standing above the prostate man, but their attention did not bother him. It was the girl. She held his gaze now, and Craig knew he was staring into the eyes of a killer. He knew that she could step down from the bus, walk casually up to him, and rip his heart out. He saw this all in an instant, and he found that he was truly afraid.
posted by Goddamn Batman at 10:38 PM
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