So going home was turning out to be a real adventure. In Lucasâ initial haste to flee from the beasts that had begun haunting his and his friendâs house, heâd neglected to remember some important things. Namely, certain provisions, his swift little table. (Maybe the chance to actually change out of the same boxers heâd been wearing for a few days now. Really, he just felt gross.)
The boy figured he knew what he was up against now; him and Ken had been caught by surprise before, but it wouldnât happen twice. He still erred on the side of caution, skirting the edge of the woods, eyes peeled for telltale disturbances that might tip him off if another of those monsters ever appeared.
For instance, that brief glow in the distance. Lucas squinted, consciously softening his steps. Whatever it was, it was pretty much directly in his pathâthe only other options were to tackle the rough, rocky foothills on the left or ford his way through the dense Auburn forest on the right. Neither seemed appealing or advantageous, so⌠onward and upward, he supposed.
It wasnât too far off, now⌠as Lucas neared the place he thought heâd seen that light from a distance, shadows caught his eye. Something was moving in the forest⌠or, judging by the indistinct voices, someone. The boyâs instincts edged at him to be nosyâbesides, heâd have to pass by here again when he made his return trip as it was. Might as well get it over with now.
Cautious curiosity turned to alarm when Lucas recognized an awfully familiar horned silhouette. Shit, itâs that thing from beforeâŚ! Or another of them, he didnât knowâit was approaching, or perhaps advancing on someone Lucas couldnât quite see. Either way, its back was turned. Whatever was happening here, best to get the jump on it while the opportunity was there.
He approached slowly, silent. Ready, setâŚ
PK Love lit the shallow wood in pulsating blues, tearing forward at the shrouded beast before it could get a chance to lunge at its would-be victim. Thatâd been a Gammaâenough to pack a punch, he was sure, but not waste an excess of his mental energy.
Was it downed? Hard to tell just yet, but the blonde jogged over to the person the wendigo had been trying to terrorizeâa boy about his age, from the looks of it. Didnât look too much the worse for wear, at least, save for that bewildered look he was wearing.
Seriously⌠what was he trying to fight that thing off with? Why was he even out here? The only other person Lucasâ age who actually lived this far out was the friend who lived with him. These woods clearly had âmonster stomping groundsâ written all over them right nowâif he didnât live out here, he shouldnât be here. Playing intrepid explorer was sheer irresponsibility wherever these large-scale incidents were concerned.
It was weird, too⌠as he drew closer, a prickle made its way into the back of Lucasâ head. For whatever reason, this guy seemed strangely familiar⌠Lucas wasnât certain why, but it rubbed him the wrong way.
âHey. Be more careful,â he chided. âThese things arenât pushovers, you know. Youâll get yourself in some deep shit if you mess around.â
Speaking of, the shadow of the beast stirred where it lay a good few feet awayânot super surprising, considering an earlier close shave Lucas had had with one. He turned to face it, weapon held tight in his dominant hand.
âGet going. I can take it from here.â
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