In_Darkness_Dwells
Date: 3/11/2024,
Categories:
Fiction
Horror,
Non-Erotic,
Author: Sage_of_the_Forlorn_Path
... "That's where the cave is that Rathodor disappeared into!"
"Matei told me he and his men were standing guard in case he came crawling back out."
Sam appeared from inside. "What's going on?"
"We're not done yet. We need to get up the mountain," said Sorine.
"We'll go, you get everyone organized," said Volker.
The group split up, with Sam and Volker taking horses and riding off down a familiar path. Neither was back to full strength, so the ride was painful. With torches in their hands, they rode towards the source of the noise, only for everything to suddenly fall silent. They, at last, arrived, finding the soldiers reloading their rifles and tending to two wounded and one dead.
"Captain Matei, what happened?" Sam asked, armed with his pistol and an axe.
"Rest easy, men," replied the captain. "Your monster came back, but we finished him off for you. It's no wonder he gave you so much trouble, we had to turn him into Swiss cheese."
Sam and Volker exchanged nervous looks. "You killed him?" Volker asked,
"That's right, come and see."
They dismounted their horses and walked over to where the slain beast lay, and though instinct told them it was dead, their fear was only exacerbated. The corpse was vaguely humanoid but not born of any womb. Its body was lanky, with a narrow gut devoid of entrails, just muscles wrapped around a spinal column. Its entire skeletal structure seemed to favor a predatory lifestyle, with legs shaped for it to run on the ...
... balls of its feet faster than any man, and fingers tipped with sharp talons. Its skin was dark gray and had a rough texture like an alligator's back. Its head, though vaguely human-shaped, had no ears or nose and appeared to be made entirely of cartilage. It seemed to split into six segments, each lined with teeth and sporting a glazed-over eye. Its body was riddled with bullet wounds, showing its demonic tenacity.
"That's not Rathodor," said Sam.
"What are you talking about? How is this not the bloodthirsty monster you people described?!"
"He's telling the truth, Captain. You killed a monster, but not what we faced the other night."
"Then what the Hell did we just kill? What is this thing?!"
"A huge fucking problem, that's what. It came out of this cave, right?" Sam asked.
"That's right, and it took dozens of rounds to bring down."
"Whatever it is, it's not Rathodor, and if there is one, there may be more."
"How many more?"
Gunshots and terrified screams answered his question.
"Back to Runa!" Volker shouted.
They raced down the mountain towards the scene, where burning homes lit up the night sky. They arrived to find a legion of demons ransacking the village. They moved with rapid, inhuman movements and screamed with furious bloodlust, like saw blades grinding together. The beasts smashed their way into homes and attacked men, women, and children without distinction. They wrapped their mandibles around the heads of their prey and devoured their ...