I hit the "play" button on my Walkman and felt the tape inside start to spin. I listened to the message my mother had left for me. "Happy birthday, my little critter. It's your mother Juliana speaking. Listen, I don't have much time, so keep your ears open. Dream big. There's a sanctuary for all of us. Eyes on the prize. You're almost there." And without warning, the sound cut to something different. "Major Tom" by David Bowie started to play.
My mother, the scientist. She was working on a vaccine, something that would cure millions of people around the world. But something terrible had happened to her, and all I had were these cryptic clues she’d left me. She was telling me a story, but what did it all mean?
As I walked toward that great forest divide, the music rang out. “…I’m floating in a tin can, far above the world. Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do…"
Was he listening? Most likely, he was. And if I was correct in my assessment, he knew everything about these woods. Maybe he knew about my mother.
I kept walking until I reached the point of first contact. I expected to see him, but when I saw only darkness and heard only the wind, I felt the sinister chill of warning rush through my heart. I shouldn't have left without protection. Without my father, I was completely out of my element.
I heard the beast speak. “Where's your hunting rifle, critter…"
My heart nearly leapt out of my chest when I heard the voice penetrate my ears. I stumbled forward and dropped my Walkman, too frozen to run. The song faded into another, but I could hardly breathe, let alone listen.
Critter. He knew my name, which meant… he knew more. I had guessed right.
"Please. Don't hurt me. I came for answers," I whispered, voice scratchy and weak.
His hot breath wafted across my shoulder and neck, and deep laughter bubbled from his throat. "You should have killed him while you had the chance," he growled.
"…him?" I managed to ask. The urge to run was stronger than ever.
His eyes turned to red slits. His chest puffed with bravado, and his hands started to shake. "You’re looking for my brother," he said. "You’ve found someone much worse."
"Oh, no…" This beast wasn't the one that I saw earlier, the one that looked at me with knowing eyes. It was someone or something with violent intentions.
I felt his long and meaty fingers brush through my hair. Nails as sharp as razorblades cut into the back my neck. I cried out, but he grabbed me, slamming my back onto the ground. The wind flew from my lungs, and I started to choke.
I clawed at the soil, pushing away from him, but it was no use. He was too quick.
More demonic laughter escaped his lips, and that was when I knew how wrong I was about everything. There was no reason to cross the line.
Whatever my father knew about these monsters was too big for me to understand. He was only trying to protect me, but my curiosity knew no bounds.
Why force us to live here? Why choose this place of darkness?
I screamed, but the beast clasped one hand over my mouth, while his other gripped my hair and twisted. "I will ruin you so that he can't have you."
This was it. He was going to kill me, and I'd never get to know anything about my mother. I'd never get a shot at finding true love.
The beast let out an incredible roar. Pained, he looked into my eyes and extended his carnivorous teeth. His hand moved over my throat, slowly tightening. "Goodbye, little bitch."
I closed my eyes and cried, subdued by his unimaginable strength. I couldn't speak, I couldn't move, and I couldn't think. The last thing that I'd see would be his fangs sinking into my flesh, mangling me to pieces. My father would have to be the one to find my bloodied carcass, and then, they'd wipe him out too.
What had I done?
But, as I watched him lower his head, I heard another sound. It was the frantic panting of another beast dead set on finding our location. I could hear and feel his feet hitting the ground, reverberating through the trees and soil.
The sound of his wild breath soon followed, like a wolf scenting for his prey. Through the foliage, I witnessed his body rush through like wind until he found us and howled.
"Mine!"
A flash of muscle and hate tackled my attacker to the ground. His nails sliced my attacker's flesh, splashing blood onto my shirt and cheeks. With haste, I urged my body back, rolling away from their fight, though no amount of running would make me feel safe. They were both too fast and too cunning, and they seemed to have senses I could only dream of having.
The one who attacked me kicked his heels forward, launching him into a set of trees, entirely demolishing one section of the forest in front of us.
"Kahn!" my defender screamed. "Get back, or I will end your life."
There was human in him. At least, it seemed like it. His eyes bore the signs of empathy, despite being able to kill the most brutal of predators.