Chapter 1: Staring through the bushes

“I’m so glad that I found you! Where had you been all this time?”

         The radiant sun, which sat proudly over the forest just a few hours ago, was beginning to set much earlier than anyone had expected. In its stead, an illuminating, full moon began to climb its way to the highest point in the sky to observe the night to come.

         Allyrah knelt beside her brother Jason, with a content smile stretched across her face delighted that he was finally within her grasp.

         “I already told you, I was knocked out at Jimmy’s house,” Jason replied gently running his fingers over his cuts and bruises that covered almost entirely covered his upper body.

         “I know, you said that, but don’t you remember anything else?” Allyrah asked wrapping her arms around her legs and bringing them close to her body as she waited for his answer.

         “Not much,” he said rubbing his head in confusion. “Just that Jimmy and I were walking his dog when I went over to his house to sleep over yesterday. At some point, he decided to walk on the path through the woods and then we came up next to this tree…and everything went silent; like the insects and other things had just disappeared. Then there was this slow heavy breathing on the other side of the tree. I wanted to go back to Jimmy’s house but he wanted to see what was making the noise, so he looked, and that’s all I remember.”

         “Are you positive? That’s all?” she tried her best to fish her brother’s memory. “All of this is just not adding up. On the news, it said that you went missing and all of your other friends at the sleepover were…mutilated. I really thought you were dead.”

         “Yeah, that’s all I can think of now. What did the report say happened to Jimmy?” Jason said disregarding her last comment but then opened his eyes to look at her.

         “They never found him either,” she sighed staring back but he looked away.

         “Oh,” he said sounding disappointed.

There were a few moments of silence between the two. Allyrah continued to stare at Jason, hoping there was more information he would be willing to share. Seeing this, he looked away from her off into the darkening forest around him.

“Uh, isn’t it getting a little dark,” he said staring off into the distance. Allyrah watched him narrow his eyes as if something he was looking at had caught his attention. “Shouldn’t we start a fire or something?”

         “What do you want me to do, rub sticks together?”

         “I have a lighter in my pocket you know, we can use that.”

         “How convenient?” Allyrah smiled and reached over into the pocket Jason pointed to and pulled out a sleek back lighter. “What were you doing with this anyway?” she held up the lighter and looked at him suspiciously

         “Oh, Jimmy and I were just igniting random things. Just leaves and pinecones and stuff like that. I guess we were kind of bored,” he didn’t meet her stare but she knew he was telling the truth.

         “Works for me.”

         After collecting a small heap of dried twigs and leaves, Allyrah lit a flame and watched the foliage flare up. They both laughed and Allyrah looked up at the sky and noticed the moon. By that time, she could tell that it was still early evening and without the light produced by the full moon and fire, the forest would be almost completely dark.

         “Allyrah?”

         “Yeah?”

         “ I just wanted to say thanks, for all of this. You know, you finding me here and taking care of me and everything. You really do care…and I’m glad.”

         Allyrah chuckled slightly embarrassed, “Well you’re welcome.”

         “One more thing,” Jason said.

         “What is it?”

         “The fire is dying down. Can you put some more leaves into it?”

         Allyrah, smiled and reached her hand back behind her still looking at Jason, “It’s not like I wasn’t expecting a ‘I love you sis’ or a “You’re the best’ or a ‘You are so smart and coo-.”

         She stopped and brought her arm back to view with a disgusted look etched upon her face. Completely covering her hand was a thick red liquid that she recognized immediately as blood. Jason lifted his head pondering her strange sudden cease mid-word and was shocked at the sight.

         “Oh my gosh! Allyrah, are you bleeding?” he wanted to sit up and help her but it was too painful.

         “No, I just reached back there to grab some more leaves back there and...,” she turned to look where she had placed her hand.

         “ And what?” Jason actually pricked his head up in excitement.

         There behind her, upon the leaves trailed a long streak of blood into the darkness of the near forest. The part closest to her was shaped in a circle with many small drops splattered in every direction. Allyrah stepped back in terror. Her heart began beating faster as thoughts and pictures flooded her mind.

         “Maybe we should leave,” Allyrah suggest thinking quickly. She swiftly tore a small piece off from the bottom of her shirt and wiped the blood from her hand and threw it onto the trail.  “Whatever did this probably won’t come back but the scent is going to attract other hungry animals,” Allyrah said ripping off a piece of her shirt and wiping her hand on it. “Can you walk?”

         He sat up and rested on his elbows, “I think so, but I’m going to need some help getting up.”

         Jason held out his hand and Allyrah took it and pulled him up and they both began walking in the opposite direction in hope to get as far away from the blood as possible. Allyrah carried Jason’s arm over her head and with her arm around his waist.

         “Do you think we’re far enough?” she asked stopping and trying to catch her breath.

         “I hope so,” Jaosn said and Allyrah let go of him. “I can’t believe this.” he said suddenly realizing something.

         “What?”

         “What we’re doing. I mean, a few hours ago I was at Jimmy’s house playing basketball having a good time. Now we’re running for our lives from some unknown ravenous predator…in the middle of a wood in Maryland. Seriously, of all the states, what dangerous animals are in Maryland? Bears? No. Mountain lions? No. Poisonous snakes? No!”

         Allyrah looked at him puzzled.

         “Don’t you agree? This is ridiculous! Why didn’t we just go home as soon as I felt better. You know,  it’s probably nothing. We’re just making a big giant deal about nothing. For all we know that ‘blood’ trail could have been a fake,” he was yelling at the top of his lungs facing Allyrah. “What are you staring at?”

         She watched him wide-eyed and motionless. Her breathing began to quicken while Jason continued vocalizing his feelings.

         “Jase! Shutup!” she whispered as loud as she could.

         “What! Why!? Don’t you agree with me?” he backed up a few steps until a long branch petruding from a large bush behind him touched his back.

         “Jase, walk towards me and don’t turn around,” she whispered no longer looking at him but past his shoulder.

         “What!” he turned turning around and met two great yellow eyes staring hungrily at him through the leaves of the bushes.

         He immediately silenced, completely petrified. The eyes examined him, hastily moving from his curly brown hair down two his muddy white tennis shoes and then turned its attention to Allyrah. Realizing this, her back stiffened and her eyes widened twice as much as before.

         “What…is…it?” Jason whispered trying to keep his lips as still as possible

         “I have no idea,” Allyrah replied imitating him. “..but I don’t like how it’s looking at us like that….like were some kind of food. Wait! I don’t think it knows that we’ve seen it. I say on three, we for it run alright?”

         “Okay.”

         “One.”

         “Two,” Jason joined in tensing his muscles, preparing them to spring.

         “Three!” they both yelled and began sprinting.

         Initially, Jason found himself lagging far behind Allyrah, almost losing her as she quickened her pace, but as he turned to see his so determined pursuer, and instant and powerful rush of adrenaline flowed through him that pushed him to Allyrah’s pace.

         “What the heck is that thing?” Jason repeated looking back at the monster.

         “I really don’t know! Just keep running!” Allyrah yelled.

         They continued at the same rate with the beast still flanking them until Allyrah suddenly got an idea.

         “Jase…since we’re both running at the same speed…. I don’t think it knows which one it wants to go after…We have to split up! That will confuse it and then it won’t know what to do!” Allyrah tried to say in at one time but she was so out of breath she knew she couldn’t.

         “Okay, just tell me when, okay?”

         “Now!” Allyrah yelled and they both headed in opposite direction.

         After, Allyrah believed she was safe, she quickly spun around eager to see if her plan had worked. Her small grin had suddenly faded from her face as she watch dark giant hirsute monster chase Jason away from her.

         Oh no! She thought and started after it. I almost lost him one and I’m not about to lose him again!

         Following them for almost minutes, it seemed, gave Alllyrah a chance to really study this beast at which she found herself beginning to grow furious at. She reviewed the almost overwhelming fact of its ample dark brown hair covering its entire body and noticed how it ran on all fours, with bent hind legs like crouched animal, and had long silver, almost fake, claws emerging from its paw like feet digging into the ground as it ran.

         She kept watching and running until she saw her brother turn back one more and then trip, falling hard onto the ground.

         “JASON!” she screamed.

         He rolled onto his back staring the creature in the face trying to get scurry away, Allyrah standing behind all of this. It crouched lower and approached him walking slowly towards him. Jason abruptly stopped trying to escape as if he had become suddenly paralyzed. Thinking quickly, Allyrah picked up a large rock from the ground and threw it as hard as she could hitting it square in the back of its head. Furiously, it turned around and faced Allyrah, and she got a first glimpse at its long snout, long jagged fangs and, once again, terrifying yellow eyes.

         “Jase, run!” she whispered looking past it to her brother who got up but stayed in place.

         “No, Allyrah, you saved me twice! Now I have to do something for you!” he said grabbing the stone she had thrown.

         Allyrah then focused her attention back on the beast which raised its lanky arm from the ground and swiped her and she flew back, hitting a nearby tree and then sliding down the trunk to the ground.

         “ALLYRAH! NO!” she heard Jason yell but her vision was beginning to go black.

         She could only make out the shape of the huge monster which suddenly shrieked a roar of distress and ran off with a much lighter colored, and smaller object in its claws.