FicWad

Prologue - A Beast in the Dark

A silhouette slips with well-practiced ease through the storm-darkened night, slinking between the shadows of deadened trees and bushes. Its feet make no noise as it moves over prickly grass and layers of old leaves. Overhead, wind whips through the bare branches of an ancient forest, sending a slew of broken limbs and sticks crashing to the floor below. The creature dodges the falling bits of tree with expert care, unbothered by the dangerous environment.

Lightning flashes meekly through the sky, a storm still building, illuminating the form briefly with a weak gleam as it creeps along. Rain scents can be picked up on the wind as it ruffles the grasses below.

The silhouette stops in its tracks behind a trunk near a shimmering lake. Glistening points of light shining off the surface are visible but aren't made by waves pushed gently by wind or water dwellers swimming below. Rather, the pinpricks are made by the uneven surface of sludge and debris, sticking out at odd angles and pushing against the shoreline.

The smell of algae, rotting leaves, and forest decay overpower nearly every other scents within the trees. There isn't much to scent in these parts, though, as there are no other creatures here, driven away by the unlivable conditions of the vile liquid pretending to be a lake.

The figure creeps forward from its hiding place and dashes to bracken, a fallen log, then finally a clump of long brown grass, where it burrows deep inside, expertly hiding within.

A small black nose peeks out from the layers of shadowed fronds beside the lake and sniffs tentatively a few times at the air. Then, with no alarming smells detected, a face pokes out of the grass, luminescent eyes glowing in the darkness. Its wide gaze scans about the clearing around the lake, flicking between the skeletal branches on the trees and clumps of debris in the water.

A noise rings out, barely heard over the rising winds. It may only be a call from another night-dweller in the forest beyond, but, still, the face vanishes back into the grass with a quiver of its whiskers and a flick of rounded ears. It sits with bated breath as it waits to see if the sound will return.

Instead, a voice calls out, speaking with an eerie clearness through the din of the storm rising overhead.

I can see you. It hisses in a deep voice.

The creature freezes at the noise, only the glinting eyes moving as it tries desperately to pinpoint where the sudden words came from.

Oh, come now, dear one. It coos slowly with mock sympathy. You can trust me. I would never hurt a living thing. I'm just lonely. Please, step out of that grass and let me get a good look at that cute little face of yours.

The creature comes out from its hiding with uneven jerks, dragged out as if from an invisible force. Though it moves against its will, it stands statue-still once entirely out in the open, frozen in terror. Its eyes dart back and forth over the clearing, fur bristling and tail held straight out in fear. Finally, it spots a point to look at when a movement in the lake catches a blue-white flash from a streak of lightning.

Something is in the disgusting water, swirling the murk as it easily navigates past forest debris and clumps of algae. The noises of the now churning liquid cannot be heard over the swiftly growing storm as the wind blows harder and thunder becomes louder in the sky.

With slow, carefully timed movements, the beast swimming in the lake begins to pull itself out of the water. Ooze drips off the massive shimmering body as it rises higher and higher in the air, staring directly at the creature now from its far-off place in the middle of the lake.

Suddenly, with a flash so bright, it turns the world into only a white mass, an intense flare of lightning streaks across the sky, followed by a clap of thunder so loud the very water under the beast shudders at its mighty blare.

The frozen creature from the shadows blinks several times, trying to clear its eyes from the large blotches now overtaking its vision from the intense electrical charge. Then, with a new, clutching fear, the creature realizes there isn't a large dark spot in its eyes from the lightning, but rather a massive, pitch-black pupil mere inches from its nose.

I can see you.