This one is a bit spooky with an icky murder. I don’t go into a lot of detail, but it’s still kinda graphic so be aware of that, okay?
Villain was supposedly a living legend, but to Bounty Hunter they were nothing more than a children’s story. That was why their latest target had made such a mistake in hiding in the forest outside of the village. As if it would sway them from following!
Still, the woods were dark and naturally dangerous. Natural predators and threats weren’t something to be ignored, but Bounty Hunter was prepared for all that. Food, medicines, a compass and machete, and a means of lighting a fire. They were happy it would be more than enough to get them in and out of the forest without a problem. They could track their target easily, it would just take a few days.
So many townsfolk tried to persuade them from going ahead with their plan, but Bounty Hunter feared nothing, and they certainly weren’t afraid of a fairytale. There were no trolls under bridges, no wolves cunning enough to trick girls in red hoods, and there was no Villain hiding in the woods preying on anyone who disturbed the forest.
The first day of travel wasn’t a problem, they were able to follow the tracks without difficulty thanks to the untouched nature of their surroundings. To Bounty Hunter, it was like following a single set of footprints in a field of untouched snow, but they did notice how the deeper into the forest they travelled, the darker and quieter it felt, like some moss-encrusted secret. It was fascinating.
Bounty Hunter kept travelling for as long as they could as night descended. They light a torch for the time being to keep on track. The footprints seemed heavier, fresher, and slower moving. It seemed their target was close and running out of wind. It would be an easy catch, and Bounty Hunter would walk out of that forest with their criminal in tow like it was just another day at the office.
That was… until they came to their targets corpse, lying in the open. That wasn’t really the problem, it was the ivy.
Great vines had wrapped around their body, pierced through the skin in the easy places to escape from, like the mouth. Bounty Hunter shuddered and turned away before they could see anymore of such a graphic scene. That…. That was impossible. Plants couldn’t grow that fast, not fast enough to trip someone over and claim them before they could climb out.
There was enough of a warning signal going off in their brain that they knew to get as far away from here as they could. Maybe it was a new carnivorous species like a venus fly trap. Whatever it was, Bounty Hunter didn’t want to stick around to find out what it was.
They took out their phone and with a gulp, took a photo of their target, proof they were dead. At this rate, there’d be nothing left of them by daybreak.
Bounty Hunter turned to leave in the direction in which they came, only to come face to face with a stranger. They froze in alarm, their eyes growing wide. The torch fell from their hand. Something about the stranger’s eyes were hypnotic, ancient, cold…
Bounty Hunter realised too late that the vines were wrapping around their ankles. They shoved the stranger back and grabbed their machete. They tried to cut themselves free, but the vines leapt up and grabbed their wrists, their arms, and wrapped tight around their knees. Soon they were completely wrapped, with only their head sticking out from the mass of green.
They didn’t know what to say or do, seeing the stranger in front of them, staring with an animalistic growl. Bounty Hunter very quickly realised that the legend was real- Villain was real!
“H.hey,” Bounty Hunter gulped. “It’s okay, it. It’s okay. Please let me go, and you won’t have to see me again. I don’t want trouble, I. I was just looking for them-”
Bounty Hunter turned to look for the body, but it was completely gone. Their heart started screaming in their chest.
“These are my woods,” Villain hissed. “You're just a little boy/girl who decided to see if the monster in the forest was real, aren’t you? Well, here I am, in the flesh. Are you satisfied with your findings?"
Bounty Hunter struggled in the vines that crushed their limbs. "Yeah… I. I got that," they wheezed. “But I never came here looking for you, I swear.”
Villain hissed and started pacing, glaring at Bounty Hunter. "It is true that you do not seem to be a threat, although you did attack my vines… but what do I do with you now? I can't return you to society, you'd come back with a mob. Blades, flames, and screams- Blades, flames and screams!"
"What? No, no, please! I'll give you my word that I'll leave you in peace. No one has to know a thing."
Villain slapped them in the face, hard enough to take their breath away with the shock. "Words mean nothing to me! Your kind proved how much your precious oaths meant to you many years ago. You have no honour."
"Give me a chance," Bounty Hunter breathed. “You’re only a story to my people, they don’t think you exist. W.we can figure this out.”
Villain leaned in close to their face. "No. You're coming with me. I'm sure I'll find a use for you, one way or another."
Bounty Hunter gulped as the vines carried them away.
Like my stuff and want to support what I do? Then maybe consider buying me a Kofi? Ko-fi.com/morallygrey
