Underground

Blood

Calm Panic

Blood. I had blood on my hands. BLOOD. Why do I have blood on my hands? Whose is it?

I went back to the pond to wash it off, but it wasn't there. I remember wich way I had to go and I was sure I went in the right direction but the pond was gone.

I followed my own footsteps back to the tree to double check. As I came to it I noticed that there were bloodstains all the way up to the branch I was on. And this wasn't at all the tree I climbed up last night. How did I get here?

Picture Blood on Cloak by mohzart [EDITED]

Music Calm Panic from P.T.

Note from the Author

Hope you do like the story so far. And that my writing is not too horrifying :D But anyway, I'm always happy about some feedback so just send it my way ;)

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

As I came out again, both arms stacked with raw meat A woman was inspecting the fire I had made Are you serious? No one for years but NOW someone comes by? As she looked up again she noticed me immediately

“Is that your fire?” She asked, eyeing me

“Yeah. Any problem with it?”

“Not really, was just curious who made the fire”

“What are you looking for out here?”

“That's my line”

She seemed rather defensive, from her looks she was a hunter Had a bow, arrows, knife and some sturdy leather boots Looked pretty professional from what I knew

“So, are you looking for anything out here? Or maybe just hunting for sport?”

She squinted at me “Yeah, right. Some half naked guy told me there'd be some creature around here, gave me some good money to take a look. He seemed drunk to me, no clothes and all. So I thought, why not? You seen this... creature?”

That guy really made it to a place where someone listened to him? Impressive.

“Might have, Any hints on what it looks like?”

“Guy was rather panicky, but he said something about nightmarish skin, claws and a horrible screech”

“He was drunken you said?”

“Probably”

“There's this hollow tree further in the forest, really creepy looking. Got 'arms' and has some red plant growing all over it. Can show it to ya if you feel like it”

She laughed “No need, I think”

Wow, that lie worked out far better than I imagined. Good I made this up in the time I was stuck here.

I allowed myself a short laugh too

“Any more problems then miss huntress?”

“Only one question; Any particular reason for being naked?” She chuckled

“Oh” I felt my face redden “Long story”

Picture MMMMeat by NadiavanderDonk

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

In the beginning, the traveling itself was very exhausting. I took breaks often, even tho I walked at a comfortable pace most of the time. I drank lots of water, really, lots. Until I was reminded that the content of my flask was only finite, and that there wasn't always water around to refill it.

Learning that was rough, but I think I'll never forget that again.

In the Night I mostly sat up a small fire and slept next to it. After these long days of walking I was mostly deep asleep within moments after lying down. Looking back on that I was pretty lucky actually. It was foolish to just set up camp out there, especially when you're going to be sleeping like a rock till sun up and beyond. I could have got attacked by animals, robbed by other people... IT could have taken over. But I was lucky, nothing happened.

Woke up every time just like I laid down. With the exception of being rested & kinda stiff from sleeping on the ground.

Must admit, even now the whole walking all day is still quite exhausting, less than in the beginning, and even less if I'm on horse-back part of the day, but I guess it will never quite stop taking most of your vigour.

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

I checked out my hand, it had healed already since yesterday. Only a small scar was left of the wound. I cautiously got up, stood on one knee and checked the leg the hound bit into. Lord Raspberry-head continued shouting, stomping and wildly waving his hands through the air so he didn't seem to care much about it.

Those are quite deep, and thorn up too... if that damn hound hadn't... fuck! This will take some time, even with ITs help.

All of sudden I heard the unsheathing of a sword through the shouting. I was half-prepared for this so I wanted to jump back, out of his reach. But my left leg didn't like that idea, it stung like hell. Thanks to hands and the other leg I got up and a bit backwards, but from there on it was more stumbling than jumping.

Before I could get out of his reach, I hit the tree whose roots I fell over.

Fuck!... at least it stopped me from falling

He forcefully swung his sword over his head and at me. He was wide open, this man was either no good swordsman, or his rage had consumed him completely. Lucky for me he didn't quite think about the tree and chopped into it before he could hit me.

Before he could swing another time I jumped to the side, trying to put near to all force on my right leg. Both while jumping and while landing again. Jumping kinda worked, it wasn't like I felt nothing, but far less than at my first jump.

Landing didn't work quite as well. I managed to land on my right foot, without the left even touching ground. But I lost my balance and had to cross-step to stop my body, meaning I had to put all my weight on the left leg.

“AHHHHHH!!!!”

It was stinging even more than the first time. I could feel how more blood was running out of the wound instantly.

Cømë ôñ. ¥ øû knôw yöù'vé gøt me, Ï cån hælp yôµ. Jús$st håvæ tø lêävé mè öút he he he

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

Heartbeat

I stretched down. Slowly. To not startle it.

The tree gave off a creak. Shit, I'm too heavy. I need to get the pace up a bit.

The deer looked around immediately, staying like that for a moment. Turning its ears around. But it relaxed again and continued grazing.

I hung motionless for that time, holding my breath. Even when it had already relaxed again. But I continued, stretched myself further and further. Suddenly, a drop of blood. I saw it right in front of me, falling down, slowly. My heart stopped as I saw it. Oh shit The drop landed on the deers head.

To this day I am unsure how long, or rather short, that moment actually was. In my eyes it looked like it took an eternity. But as I look back on it, the deer wasn't even able to react to the blood of drop before I had sliced it in two. I didn't expect my claws to be that sharp, but it was nearly like I just sliced through nothing. Like I sliced through the air. There was no resistance in the deers body at all. Before I knew it I was down on the ground. Standing in between two halves of a deer. I looked at both of them. Besides of other fluids, blood was flooding out like there was no tomorrow. But the deer, it was still alive. At least the half with a head. It all went so fast, it didn't notice that it died.

I bit off its head, to stop the suffering. Even though I'm a monster, an abomination, I'm a merciful hunter. There's no need for suffering, at least if I'm able to end it.

Picture The human heart by SkarlettFury

Music Heartbeat 60 bpm found on Jeroen Klap's Channel

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

I woke up in the forest. The clearing was familiar, the sun was shining.

For a moment there I believed it was all just a bad dream. That I still was the little boy from back then who had just lost his parents. Who just escaped from that maniac.

But as I looked down on me, looked at my hands, I noticed; I wasn't. It hadn't been just a bad dream, I wasn't that young boy again who just had lost his parents. Hadn't just escaped from that maniac. I was still this... monster. Abomination. IT. I screamed.

I expected that even the people in town heard that screech, but I didn't care. My life as Bjorn was over, now I was this... thing. May they come and end my life, if you could call it that.

Picture Master Study: Forest Sunrise by Illustrum

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

Back to the Forest

Be Yourself for Me

I walked around. The place was familiar. It was hard to make out anything, but I knew where I were. I was at the backside of the house.

Why do I look like this? Could it be that... this is ITs form? As soon as that thought struck me another of those gleaming Humans came, and behind it many more. I was scared.

They don't know who I am... or what. They must be out to either kill me or scare me away. Without making much of a ruckus I fled into the forest. I knew I would be safe from humans there, at least for the night. I hope this spook is over by dawn.

Picture Dark Territory by DarkSilverflame

Music Be Yourself for Me by Dark Matter

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

Anger

Tsar Bomba

I went through everything once more in my mind. I was forced to go through it all over agin. The smell of smoke and burning flesh. The screams of anguish. The guy who kicked in our front door. The voice and the laugther of the madman who set mother ablaze...

Every. Single. Detail.

Picture Anger by BluDrgn426

Music Tsar Bomba by Avatar

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

He's right... it's my fault... I really killed two humans... decapitated one... split the other apart... I guess it's right that I have not much empathy for those two... after all they weren't just any humans. They were two humans trying to kill me.

For a long while after that my mind felt silent and empty. There was still stuff going on but... no 'main' thought.

It was already past midday when I caught myself and my head began working again. I still stood there, with the bow in my hand and the other stuff on the riverside.

I took the quiver on my back and wore the bow also over my chest. The knife I attached to my pants, and somehow managed to do the same with the flint & iron. Whetstone and meat I kept each in a hand.

Ok, got all my stuff. What else was on the plan... cleaning the stuff... some water... and... right, looking for where I left my bow before I had to run from the hound. But... where should I start?

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

I was unsure at first. Feared meeting an unfortunate end in that forest, but without risk; no reward.

So I went further and further into the forest. Always as low as possible, constantly switching focus between eyes and ears. Between seeing and hearing.

It was quite a bit harder to find any tracks on the overgrown forest ground than in fresh fallen snow. I had to look more closely if I ever wanted to find anything. Not only that, I had to learn about other tracks animals leave behind too; claw marks on trees, ruffled soil, trampled grass...

Lotsa things I had to keep my eyes open for. And it wasn't helping that it got dimmer by the moment.

I could use ITs eyes but the idea itself feels like playing foul. After all it's still kind of... a contest... I guess... between the hunter and the hunted. One flees to save his life, the other attacks to save his own... or that of those he cares for. And then there's me, right now, hunting for my own luxury. For being comfortable. So I can travel a bit in peace, don't have to worry about hunting my own food.

Still, there are things I need. Things I can't make myself, things I can't hunt out here. So I have to get some coin. After all I can't hunt for books with bow and arrow, neither for clothes, or armor.

While these thoughts ran through my mind it had gotten dark around me.

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

Note from the Author

My hundreth post \(^_^)/ Yeah not quite my hundreth story episode but I'm still very happy I got so far. And again I have to thank a very special woman for that.

Or at least blame her for getting the ball rolling <3