The Honeymoon

Twilight crept in slowly over the mountains, the valley below had already began to settle into darkness. Crickets chirped and the birds calls slowed and quieted. "Hey Cyn, we should set up camp soon." Chad spoke calmly. "yeah, you want to turn around and head back the the clearing we saw earlier?" Cynthia said as she halted to point backward. Chad turned and nodded with an approving smile. Together they turned back on the path with Cynthia leading the way back. twenty minutes passed when they finally arrived back at the clearing, Cynthia began unpacking the tent as Chad gathered some dry logs that were fallen just outside of camp.

The night set in and the fire was popping slightly as the young couple cuddled on a large stone that sat near the fire, the night seemed like it would be just as any other that they experienced. A large moth danced in the firelight for a few seconds before the flame caught its paper-thin wings and the small creature tumbled into the flame and popped. A rustling in the bushes caught Cynthia's attention, when she looked back her eyes locked with a young doe, each stared at each other for a moment before the deer shrank back and bounded away through the woods. "I'm going to turn in for the night, don't stay up too late babe." Cynthia kissed Chad on the cheek before she got up and climbed into their tent.

The forest opened up and as Cynthia sprinted, her heart was pounding and she didn't know why; she only knew she was running in fear as she whimpered through her exhalations. Trees shook and saplings snapped behind her as she looked back to try to catch sight of her pursuer but only saw the bushes and branches that were behind her. Tears streamed out of her eyes and blurred her vision, the small branches of the forest plants slapped against her legs leaving welts and tiny cuts that stung as her sweat ran into them, she could only think to run, but it felt like she was running through mud and she couldn't move fast enough. As she ran she realized she had something in her hand; a fistful of orange coarse fur was clutched between her finger and that's when she caught the familiar scent that she couldn't quite place. A rotted log caught her ankle while her attention was drawn away from her path. Cynthia spilled forward and threw her hands out in front of her to catch her fall, instead of landing flat something strange happened. Muscle memory for which she had no idea where it originated kicked in, animal instinct took over and her hands clinched back into an open fist and she pulled forward as her fists impacted the ground and her legs tucked under her to catch the forest floor and again launched her back upright and into a sprint. Her mind was swimming and knew that using her fists would make her faster, she dropped forward again and began to run on all fours like an ape would. for a few seconds she forgot completely about why she was running and simply went forward leaping with foot and fist, grabbing tree trunks and pushing off of them to quickly change directions. Like a rabbit or deer, she was moving at high speed through the forest zig-zagging and leaping. A large downed tree sat in her path and she leaped to clear it and as she did, she felt something smash against her legs and sent her tumbling through the air. As she spun though the air, she caught sight of her attacker; a massive orange beast lunged forward with its jaws wide open. It had the face of a man, but with a jaw that opened far too wide and the body that seemed to be that of a large gorilla. She stared into its piercing blue eyes, the whites were black as pitch and in that moment she knew she was not going to make it.

Cynthia's legs kicked her awake as tears ran from her eyes and she realized she was still in her tent, alone. The early morning sun was just beginning to peak through the canopy. everything was silent and the morning fog was starting to burn off. She got up out of her tent and looked around the camp. The fire which was burning bright when she went to bed, was now a small pile of burning embers and ash. Chad was nowhere to be found and upon inspection of the tent, Cynthia found his sleeping bag had been slept in, she figured he must be out for an early morning restroom break. The fresh tinder caught quickly and she through a small log to burn, "Chad, pinch it off" she called out as she put a kettle to warm over the fresh camp fire. She pulled her camouflaged pants over her bare legs when she noticed some small scratches along her shins, she figured she must have scratched herself during her strange nightmare. As she tightened up her laces on her boots, she grew worried because Chad still wasn't back. "Chad, are you o..." she heard her own voice as she keyed her walkie, she realized the sound was coming from behind the tent. "Chad, you dick, you are so busted. you thought you could sneak up on me?" She smirked a little to herself as relief fell over her. "I thought you got lost and here you are trying to sneak up on... me". As she made her way around the tent, she found his walkie face down in a pile of dirt under a fern. Her eyes peered around, and her heart sank as she realized she was alone. she walked a little ways into the trees to see if he was still around when some shaking caught her eye.

Chad stared blankly out into the forest, his body physically shaking, not like he was in fear, but like he was moving his arms back and forth, His head rested flat against a large tree. Cynthia was puzzled and called out to him "Are you jerking off, you sicko!" as she did the movement stopped and Chad stay leaned against the tree, still staring off into nowhere. Cynthia rand to him to see what he was doing "are you ok?" she called to him again. Cynthia made her way around the bush that was blocking her vision to find chads body was impaled and a jacked rotten branch jutted through his body and held him upright against the tree. Tears filled her eyes as she realized he was dead. She fell to her knees with her hands covering her mouth and her eyes fixated on his corpse, she let out a wail and began to sob uncontrollably, "what do I do?" she repeated between sobs.

Her tears had long since dried and her eyes were puffy and red, she cried until her throat was raw. She sat silently for a moment, then she got up and began to move toward his lifeless body. In her mind she knew she had to do something. She approached his body what looked like it had been ravaged by an animal that had been frightened away by her calls for him. She lifted his body off the branch; he was always thin and he had lost some weight during the time they were out on this trip. It was only meant to be them for three weeks of camping and hiking the trails through the mountains, they were due to get back to civilization in only a couple of days. She shook her head at the thought that this could happen. She felt guilt overwhelm her, he wanted to leave a week earlier. She insisted on sticking it out. "Trust me, you'll feel so accomplished when we get home" she remembered telling him. Cynthia wrapped his lifeless body in his sleeping bag and radioed for help on her walkie. The lack of response told her that she was going to have to pull him out of there under her own power. she sat there beside him, feeling helpless.

He looked so peaceful there in the dark, the firelight gave his skin a warm tone that made it look like he was just resting, she swept his auburn hair out of his face as she silently prayed this was just a bad dream, a bad prank, anything but the reality that was scratching at the back of her consciousness. She remembered how happy they were only a few weeks earlier, his eyes so bright and full of joy, his eyes watered in the corners as he spoke the words "I do." the night set in again and silence was her only companion this night. Not a single bird or cricket chirped. She slowly drifted off to sleep wishing she would wake up and this would have just been a nightmare, or that she would just not wake up at all.

"Time to wake up, sleepy-head." Chads voice softly whispered. Cynthia rolled on her back and stretched and she felt the morning chill on her face. She opened her eyes and looked over, chads sleeping bag was empty and dried blood crusted in his place, she looked around and saw that her tent was empty and Chads body had been dragged out of their tent. "Nooo!" she screamed and jumped up and rushed out of her tent, she quickly caught the drag marks in her sight and ran to follow them, she would not lose him again she thought. She followed the drag marks around a bend and there he was, being dragged by the collar of his jacket by some abomination of nature. it was a gaunt pale grey creature with black speckled limbs and large dark circles around its sunken black beady eyes. Cynthia didn't stop or flinch or even feel anything but rage. She ran at a full sprint at the creature all while letting out a scream that could be heard far through the forest. She reached down and grabbed a large stone off the path and lunged at the creature, "you let go of him, you son of a bitch" she yelled as she brought the stone down onto the creatures head. The stone sunk like a spoon into a hard boiled egg that hadn't been shelled, the skins exterior cracked and splintered around the stone and Cynthia and the creature flew to the ground. Cynthia pushed her self up to straddle the stunned creature and she began slamming the stone into its head over and over; the creature flailed and scratched defensively and wailed and whined like an injured animal. She almost felt bad as she overpowered and killed this creature. Her arms tired and fell limp at her sides, her muscles were burning and her eyes were stinging. Deep blue liquid dribbled from the creatures wounds as it lay there twitching beneath her.

Cynthia's legs shook with every step she took as she hiked with her husbands body over her shoulders. She knew she had to get him out of the forest with her, step by step she felt her body growing weaker and her sight was beginning to fail as sweat dripped from her brow. When she felt she couldn't go any longer, she heard the sound of a stream babbling in the distance and this reinvigorated her for she knew that a a break would do her well. After a mile of hiking she finally found the waters edge and she gently set Chads body down beside the stream and she walked into the ankle deep stream.

The cold water felt refreshing against her skin as she slowly knelt onto the water. She bent over and began washing the dirt, sweat and blood from her skin and watched as the filth was slowly carried away with the water. Cynthia drank her fill and sat over the water and watched the ripples calm, she could hardly recognize her own face. Her cheeks had sunken in slightly and her hair was a blonde tangled mess. As she looked closer she saw several large gashes on her neck and shoulders from where the creature had clawed at her. "What was that thing?" she muttered to herself. She bandaged herself up and filled her canteen before picking Chad up and getting on her way. It was going to be dark soon and she knew she had to find a better spot to catch a short rest before nightfall set in, that's when the predators would come out and she would have to defend herself and her husbands body when the time came. After a few more miles she found a small dugout under a large boulder that jutted out from the side of the path, she felt would be easier for her to defend herself in if she had to.

Several hours past as Cynthia slept under that rock. She awoke to the sound of a very lively night forest, everything seemed different somehow. The night seemed much brighter in spite of there being no moon in sight and an overcast sky. The thought of the stream came back into her mind, how long did she hike before she actually got to the stream, how did she hear it from so far off? She figured she must have just been exhausted and delirious and misjudged the distance she traveled. It was at this moment she heard a strange sound out in the dense foliage, the forest litter crunched and she could distinctly hear the footsteps and the breathing of a beast foraging. Her mind raced through what it could be before she figured it was a wild pig, the though of fresh meat made her mouth salivate and her heart race. Before she knew what was happening, she was up on all fours and began creeping out from her rock stealthily. She cocked her head to the left and noticed that she was able to tell exactly where the sound was coming from, she crouched closer to the ground and waited as the sound crept closer and closer. When the small pig was in sight she leapt and tackled the pig, the animal squealed loudly and all her hair stood on end, she felt goosebumps raise from the top of her head and follow the line of hair all the way down the center of her back. She felt exhilarated as she wrapped her legs around the pigs body, pinning its legs away from its body and her arms wrapped around the pigs neck and with her free hand she held the pigs snout and she bit down through the pigs course har into its flesh.

Cynthia feasted on the dead pig, and in her mind she didn't even question her actions, they seemed to come naturally as she nourished her body with the pigs sweet flesh. Howls in the distance caught her attention and Cynthia having had her fill, retreated back to her shelter in the rock as the sound of padded paws cautiously approached the dead pig. Wolves yapped and whined as they began to tear the carcass apart and take it away from the site. Cynthia fell fast asleep once again, with a full belly and the night creatures songs to keep her company.

She awoke with a great hunger, and a pain in her jaws. She crawled out and took a jog back down to the stream, which seemed closer than the day before. She knelt in the stream in her underwear as she tried to wash the dried blood from her clothes. The hair on her legs had grown quite long and thick, it had been a couple of weeks since she had shaved any part of her body, but even so the hair seemed unusually long. Her ears perked up as the forest grew silent. Sensing something wasn't right, she ran barefoot and half naked back to the shelter in the rock. When she approached, she could only see a massive body covered in red hair trying to get to her husbands body. She was frightened, and she didn't have any weapons on her, she felt helpless, it was then at her most frightened moment that her adrenaline kicked in again she felt the hair stand up all the way along her back and she ran at the red creature, jumping on its back and gripping a handfuls of its hair with her hand and oddly enough, her toes as well. Cynthia punched and clawed and slashed at the beast with her free hand, but to no effect. She felt she had only one option, in that moment she leaned in and bit down on the back of the creatures neck so hard that she drew blood and ripped a chunk of its flesh. This did anger the large beast as it reared up on its legs and tried to pull her of with its paws. The beast couldn't shake her and it rolled in an attempt to shake her off its back, it was all failing until he Slammed its self at full speed into a large tree that shook under its force. The canopy of the tree shook and leaves fell loose and fell to the ground around Cynthia who was on the ground attempting to catch the breath that the beast had knocked out of her. Her head spun and black spots dotted her vision, from what she could see, the impact had also stunned the beast as well, but only for a moment.

Cynthia made it to her feet as the beast did the same, as it turned to her, she caught sight of the beasts face, it looked like a human but with an elongated snout, the only thing she could think of was a werewolf; but those were fake and this one looked more like an ape than a wolf. It stumbled top outs feet before standing up on its hind legs, it seemed nearly ten feet tall and stacked with sinewy muscle from head to toe. Its blue eyes locked with hers before it dropped to its front fists and began to charge.

The massive roar shook her to the core and she knew she couldn't go toe to toe with this animal, whatever it was would rip her in half. She did the only thing she could think and that was to run. Her feet slapped the bare dirt of the trail as the beast gained on her, she knew her only chance was to use the trees to slow it down and she took a sudden right turn into the dense forest. She darted between the trees, left and right as fast as she could. The trees in the forest snapped and crunched. as the beast slammed and deflected off each one.

The forest opened up and as Cynthia sprinted, her heart was pounding and she knew exactly why; she knew she was running for her life as she grunted through her exhalations. Trees shook and saplings snapped behind her as she looked back to gauge the distance of her pursuer but only saw the bushes and branches that were behind her. Sweat streamed out of her pores and her vision sharpened, the small branches of the forest plants slapped against her legs leaving no trace, she could only think to run, but it felt like she was running through mud and she couldn't move fast enough. As she ran she realized she had something in her hand; a fistful of red coarse fur was clutched between her fingers. She caught sight of a rotten log that threatened to catch her ankle if she took her eyes off the path before her. Cynthia leaped forward and threw her hands out in front of her, instead of landing flat something strange happened; Muscle memory kicked in, animal instinct took over and her hands clinched back into an open fist and she pulled forward as her fists impacted the ground and her legs tucked under her to catch the forest floor and again launched her back upright and into a sprint. Her mind was swimming and knew that using her fists would make her faster, she dropped forward again and began to run on all fours like an ape would. She knew exactly why she was running and forged ahead leaping with foot and fist, grabbing tree trunks and pushing off of them to quickly change directions. Like a rabbit or deer, she was moving at high speed through the forest zig-zagging and leaping. A large downed tree sat in her path and she slid underneath to a dead stop with her toes that now looked more like claws, She leapt straight into the air with her fingers splayed out. she timed her jump just right as the beast was leaping over the tree, her claws dug through the beasts flesh and opened its belly from sternum down to its crotch. Cynthia and the beast tumbled through the air, roaring and howling coming to rest against a massive boulder. Cynthia stood dumbstruck, staring at the hands that she didn't recognize. Her lungs burned and her muscles were strained as she stood over the corpse. Steam rose from the beasts guts that lay in large pile of purple blood, its breath was short and ragged as it stared at its slayer. The beasts eyes rolled back slightly and its lids shut as it released its final deth rattle.