“Damn it, I’m too slow,” Leon thought, panic gripping him tighter with each step. Behind him, the fading screams of his friend echoed faintly, but the horror was far from over. The wet, nauseating sound of flesh tearing apart made him retch repeatedly, his throat burning as stomach acid clawed its way up.


    He couldn’t stop himself from looking back. What he saw froze the blood in his veins: the beast tore Franz’s arm from his body as easily as a child ripping apart a stuffed toy. Franz’s body crumpled to the ground, limp and lifeless, like a shattered plaything.


    Terror overwhelmed him as he felt his bladder give way. The sharp stench of urine mixed with the metallic tang of blood thick in the air. He had no control over his body, no control over anything anymore.


    A fleeting glance at the monster behind him forced a pitiful squeak from his throat. The distance between them was maybe fifty meters—hardly enough to survive. Friedrich was far ahead, much farther from the danger. But Leon could feel it closing in on him, his end drawing nearer with every moment.


    In that moment, it hit him: he was going to die. Here. Now. His life—insignificant as it had been—would end in the most horrific way imaginable. No more dinners, no midnight snacks. Instead, he himself would become a snack, torn apart and devoured by this monster.


    Tears stung his eyes as he sobbed, cursing his lack of athleticism for the first time in his life. “If only I were faster... faster than Friedrich,” he thought desperately. Then, he stopped in his tracks as a chilling realization struck him like a blow.


    “Wait...”


    “I can make it. I just have to keep running. Keep going. The creature will be busy with Leon for long enough,” Friedrich thought frantically. He dared a quick glance over his shoulder. The female monstrosity loomed over Franz’s corpse, her hair whipping around her like a storm, an obscene aura of destruction radiating from her. She held the torn-off head aloft like a trophy, blood dripping from it in steady streams. Greedily, the creature let it flow into her open mouth, as though drawing power from the gore.


    At that moment, Leon came to an abrupt halt.


    “What the hell are you doing, you lunatic? Do you want to die?” Friedrich shouted, fury and fear sharpening his voice.


    Friedrich could barely conceal the mockery bubbling inside him. “Come on, you fat slob. Just keep running a little longer. Every second you slow it down is another second I win,” he jeered inwardly.


    His spindly legs carried him as fast as they could. But suddenly—


    Boom!


    A heavy blow struck the back of his head. He stumbled and crashed to the ground. His vision blurred, and for a moment, everything went black. As consciousness slowly crept back, he felt disoriented and wracked with pain. He tried to push himself up, but—


    “Stay right where you are,” came a familiar voice from directly behind him, cold and menacing.


    “Leon!” Friedrich roared, his voice trembling with boiling rage, but his shout was swallowed by the encroaching darkness. A heavy rock slammed against his head, and he slipped back into unconsciousness.


    Leon could barely believe his prayer had been answered. Relief flooded through him as he silently thanked the god of light and purity for this unexpected blessing. The throw had been perfect.


    “Now move,” he whispered urgently to himself, forcing his legs into motion. He resisted the urge to look back, focusing instead on the faint glimmer of hope ahead.


    A heavy silence descended upon the clearing. No wet, slurping sounds. No growls. The world seemed to pause for a fleeting moment. Leon gambled everything and ran on desperately. In the distance, he spotted an imposing tree in full bloom.


    "Hopefully, it can’t climb," he thought, as the last shred of realism kept him from blindly fleeing toward the village. The idea of reaching it in time felt increasingly unrealistic.


    The thought of Franz—the sacrifice he had left behind—cut through his mind like a razor-sharp blade. They had been good friends. Memories of their shared laughter and conversations surged to the surface, unbidden and cruel. The pain of knowing Franz had been brutally murdered, and that Leon had been powerless to stop it, gnawed at him.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Leon reached the tree and felt his legs give out beneath him. His lungs burned like fire, and his thoughts churned into a chaotic storm. The sharp stench of urine clinging to him didn’t matter anymore. Only one thing did: finding safety.


    With trembling hands, he reached for the lowest branch. His muscles, weakened by exhaustion and fear, protested with every movement. Thoughts of Franz, whose death now weighed on him with unbearable clarity, flooded his mind. The loss of his friend was a crushing blow, but the primal urge to survive burned stronger.


    With a desperate gasp, he hauled himself up. Every muscle screamed in defiance, yet the memory of Franz, who would never stand beside him again, pushed him onward. The solid grip of the branch was his only anchor in this living nightmare.


    Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he climbed higher into the tree. He felt the bark splintering under his hands, cutting into his fingers until they bled, but fear propelled him forward. Every snap and rustle in the forest below made him flinch, certain the beast would appear at any moment.


    At last, after what felt like an eternity, he found a sturdy branch wide enough to perch on. Shaking, he pulled his legs close to his chest and tried to remain as still as possible. He barely dared to breathe as his wide eyes scanned the clearing below.


    Not far away, he saw Friedrich being torn apart systematically. The monster gripped his right arm first. Its feet planted firmly on Friedrich’s chest. With a powerful yank, the arm was ripped from its socket, leaving nothing but a gaping, bloodied wound.


    His thoughts spiraled in chaotic disarray as he tried to absolve himself of the guilt. “I... I couldn’t help. What was I supposed to do? Should I have followed him? What if I had died too?”


    The words sounded hollow, and Leon knew it. But in his desperate attempt to calm himself, he grasped at any small excuse that might make his conscience more bearable. “I had to run to survive. Maybe... maybe I could have saved him if I’d been faster.”


    The thought that, in the crucial moment, he had only thought of himself gnawed at him. The idea that he had abandoned his friend was a burden almost too heavy to bear. But in his desperate effort to forgive himself, he clung to the thought that it wasn’t entirely his failure—that perhaps Friedrich’s own rash decision had sealed his fate.


    In the stillness of the early morning, as he hid safely in the tree, Leon wrestled with the ghosts of the past and the uncertainty of his own choices.


    Friedrich lay lifeless, showing no sign of response. Impatiently, the creature seized the remaining eye and devoured it. With a bloodstained mouth and face speckled with crimson, it turned its attention toward Leon’s hiding place.


    It sniffed with its nose raised. The trembling Leon held his breath. Fear-sweat formed on his forehead. Every cell in his body screamed for him to flee.


    "Don''t move, don''t breathe, don''t exist," he repeated over and over in his mind. The sight he had witnessed earlier had already traumatized him completely. He had to watch it. He couldn''t bring himself to look away.


    Thoughts of how he would be torn apart himself plagued his mind.


    "Ugh," he exhaled quietly. The creature turned away from him. A wave of relief washed over him. "I can survive."


    In a swift motion, it spun around on its own axis. In its hand, it held the severed arm. With a powerful movement, the arm left its hand.


    "The question is how much time it gives me," Azrael thought with an impassive expression. They had insulted his parents. Their deaths didn''t matter.


    "The creature seemed quite human," he analyzed as he ran. At first glance, it was easy to think of it as just a monster. In a way, it certainly was, without a doubt.


    "But despite everything, it seems to have no abilities."


    A completely insane human seemed to be the most fitting description. "If I''m right, I can kill it. But not now. I need more preparation."


    His chances of reaching the village unscathed looked very good. For that reason, he dismissed the thought of hiding.


    A desperate scream reached him.


    The arm collided with Leon. He staggered. Sweat beads fell to the ground. His arms flailed through the air, searching for support. In vain.


    With a feeling of helplessness, his feet slipped off the branch. He fell. Plummeting hopelessly three meters into the depths.


    "This is it. If only I had been faster. If only I had trained more. If only I had realized the reaction of the white-haired devil better. In the end, only death remained. Every life eventually meets its end. His was now approaching."


    Regret tormented him. There were so many things to achieve. So many treats to devour.


    The impact came. All breath left his lungs. Not even a cry of pain escaped him.


    Several bones shattered under the violent impact. Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth.


    And then it came. Slowly, step by step. It recognized his vulnerability perfectly. The fat prey lying on the ground could no longer resist. No longer flee. Slowly, it advanced with satisfaction.


    One could say it reveled in the situation. Its legs tensed. With a powerful leap, it pounced on him. Resigned, his eyes closed.


    The monster grabbed him by the neck. With a maniacal cackle, it slammed his head into the ground. Again and again and again. Until it burst. Then it burrowed into his chest, seized the weakly beating heart, and devoured it.


    Her hair, her clothes, her teeth—everything was dripping with blood. Yet the creature did not seem satisfied. Its bloodlust burned even stronger.


    Her gaze wandered around. It searched desperately for any living creatures. None were in sight. A disappointed scream escaped her lips.


    Slowly, her eyes began to regain clarity. As if nothing had happened, she trudged toward the river, stepped into the water, and swam.


    On the other side of the river, she spotted a pair of underwear left behind on the shore. With a detached gesture, she bent down and picked up the garment. Her blood-soaked face showed no emotion as she looked at the underwear, which seemed like an odd detail in the scene.