(POV – Protagonist)
(I thought this was a suspenseful scenario... so why does it suddenly feel like a horror movie?) I thought, bewildered, as I intently watched the deer-like anomaly erge unexpectedly from the darkness.
Even though it was just a deer, that one would definitely top the list of the scariest I’ve ever seen in my life... not that I’ve run into many deer. But when you co across one that looks more like a zombie, with open wounds all over its body and one of its eyes almost dangling out, it’s impossible not to think of it as one of the most grotesquely terrifying creatures anyone could imagine.
By the way, even though this forest is shrouded in darkness, I can see everything with surprising clarity, as if it were broad daylight. I’m not sure how it looks to others, but for , every detail is almost as clear as sunlight. It’s true that the way I see gives this advantage, but that’s not the main reason I ntion it.
The reason becos clear when you observe this forest from a different perspective. Of course, in the end, you’d need eyes like mine to notice sothing like that. Anyway, when I activate my eyes and try to look around, it becos impossible to see anything. The reason? Everything around is glowing intensely, flooded with vibrant colors blending together like a rainbow.
Instead of darkness, what I see is a translucent mist enveloping the entire forest. The intense glow of rainbow colors makes it impossible to ignore, clearly indicating that, sohow, the entire forest has turned into an anomaly.
Also, no matter how hard I try to make sense of that deer, sothing doesn’t add up: none of this was here when I arrived. I an, as I was approaching the village, I saw so animals, but none of them looked remotely like this.
They all seed completely normal, at least at first glance. I didn’t notice any eyes falling out or grotesque injuries that, honestly, would be enough to make anyone sick. By the way, Laura really did throw up when she saw the deer. And, honestly, I can’t bla her for that. It’s safe to say it’s not sothing pleasant to look at.
By the way, it’s impressive how Victor managed to react to the deer. Although I was already prepared to intervene, since the animal definitely seed ready to attack, Victor managed to make it change its approach by pointing his weapon. Despite my curiosity about how he managed to see the deer in that situation, it didn’t seem like the right ti to ask that kind of question.
(Anyway, the reason the deer ended up looking like that is probably because of that, right?) I thought, averting my gaze toward the sky. Above, a black hole lood imposingly over the forest.
Although the environnt around was annoyingly dark, the sky was still visible, despite the dimness. I wasn’t sure about anything, but for so reason, the most logical conclusion I ca to was that both the forest and the deer were sohow being influenced by that black hole in the sky. The problem was that I had no idea how or why this was happening.
In the end, nothing had changed. We would have to find a way to make everything go back to normal. And, honestly, I’m not sure where to even start to make that happen. The only option that seed viable to was to locate that anomaly from earlier. I an, it’s not like I had the slightest chance of destroying that thing in the sky or anything like that. To begin with, I don’t even know how I’d get up there.
While my mind wandered through these thoughts, a tap beside caught my attention. I blinked briefly and, when I looked to the side, I noticed my Alter Ego watching with his naturally expressionless face. I know it’s , but I can’t help but feel uneasy seeing sothing that looks so much like , acting so strangely.
I stared at my Alter Ego for a few seconds until, with a rare look of urgency on his normally impassive face, he pointed his finger at the deer I had seen before. Confused, I followed the line of his gesture, and as soon as my eyes focused on the point he indicated, the reason for the warning beca clear. It wasn’t just one deer.
About six, including the first one, suddenly erged from the darkness, moving like silent shadows. They spread out quickly, forming a threatening circle around Laura, Victor, and the man, who, thanks to the conversation they were having, I discovered was nad Arthur.
The environnt seed to have compressed, the air now thick with tension. Even though Victor was ard, he seed undecided, lost on where to focus his attention. Laura was a little farther back, trying to stay away from the growing threat, while Arthur, alert, surveyed the surroundings, tapping his finger on his cane.
Before, I still had so doubts about their ability to deal with the deer. After all, anomalies are unpredictable, even with the zombie-like appearance of this creature. However, now I was certain they would hardly make it out alive.
Although I didn’t know exactly what the deer’s powers were, one thing was clear: I definitely wasn’t willing to use the three of them as guinea pigs to find that out.
With that single thought, my Alter Ego, who was by my side, moved fluidly, turning into a cloud of black smoke that emanated a constant darkness. He floated forward, positioning himself in front of the three, as I felt all eyes turn to .
Then, I turned my eyes, which were glowing with rainbow colors, and stared directly at them. Although Victor and Laura seed relatively calm, I noticed that the man wore a surprised expression, his eyes widening almost imperceptibly.
Putting that aside, the weak spots of the deer were located on their necks, a clear line indicating exactly where the strike should land. In other words, ripping off their heads would likely result in the imdiate death of all of them.
***
(POV – Victor Hale)
Drops of sweat slid gently down Victor’s face, falling toward the ground as he frantically shifted his gaze between the anomalies that resembled deer. The difference, though, was in their bodies, which seed decayed and worn, exuding a disturbing aura. For so reason, an unsettling feeling overca Victor: he knew that, at the slightest mistake, those anomalies would advance without hesitation.
At that mont, Victor was completely cornered. The harsh reality was that he probably wouldn’t be able to protect Arthur and Laura at the sa ti while defending himself from the deer. Whether he liked it or not, Victor was willing to give his life to save Laura.
As for Arthur, although he felt sympathy for him, Victor believed the man could take care of himself. After all, despite their differences, their work had certain similarities, which gave him a slight hope that Arthur would survive on his own.
Laura, unaware of Victor's thoughts, leaned slightly forward and whispered almost inaudibly, just enough for him and Arthur to hear: “Arthur, I don't know if you're waiting for the right mont or sothing like that, but I’d really appreciate it if you could use your cane to hide us again, like you did in the cave!”
The sa thought that crossed Laura's mind also passed through Victor's. However, he assud that if Arthur hadn't used whatever it was he was hiding, there had to be a reason.
Even if Arthur were sohow lying about being with them from the start, it wouldn't make sense for him to put himself in danger. And, as Victor suspected, Arthur’s words ca to confirm his theory.
"I couldn't agree more with you, Miss Laura, but I'm afraid that's not possible right now. Actually, I've been trying for a while, but it's just not working" Arthur comnted, his tone heavy with frustration.
"It could be sothing related to this forest, which, let's be honest, we can't really call “normal” anymore. Or maybe it has sothing to do with that black hole in the sky. Either way, we're all on our own" Arthur added, briefly looking up at the sky as if expecting to find answers in the darkness above.
Arthur's response, sothing Victor had already anticipated, made a nervous smile appear on his face. One thought echoed in his mind at that mont: (So basically, we're stuck in the middle of a forest, surrounded by zombie deer, with no chance of getting out... I really hate my job)
A brief mont of staring at one of the deer triggered a mory in Victor's mind, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. He didn’t have ti for thoughts that didn’t directly contribute to his survival in the current situation.
With no clear plan, the only idea in his head was to run as fast as possible while trying to distract the deer. Calling this a plan would, at the very least, be a generous euphemism.
As he ntally prepared for the inevitable fight ahead, Victor noticed sothing out of the corner of his eye: a small black shadow slowly approaching the trio. His first thought was that another anomaly had erged from the darkness. However, sothing in Victor’s "senses" told him otherwise.
His instincts proved correct the mont the shadow stopped before the trio and began to take shape. Slowly, it revealed a silhouette that both Victor and Laura recognized imdiately, even though its coloring was different.
There was no doubt: it was the anomaly known as [Angel of Death]. Victor, though cautious, truly believed—at least to so extent—that this anomaly was, in so way, on the side of humanity.
***
(POV – Protagonist)
My Alter Ego stopped right in front of Laura, Victor, and Arthur, returning to my form. I don’t know if this entity follows any kind of programming, but it seems it can only take my appearance. Of course, that can't be said about the darkness that emanates from its body after the transformation. Anyway, I could feel the trio's focused gazes fixed on .
I blinked briefly and watched them. Although this place seed as clear as day to , from their perspective, it’s likely they were being stared at by golden eyes—an image that, just imagining it, felt deeply unsettling. However, at least Victor and Laura didn’t show any signs of fear. Arthur, on the other hand, seed simply curious.
Anyway, I turned my gaze to the six deer surrounding Laura, Victor, and Arthur, watching them for a mont. I couldn’t speak, but I knew that probably wouldn’t be necessary. My Alter Ego seed to understand my intentions perfectly, as if it were a direct extension of my feelings and thoughts, sothing beyond simple communication.
The next mont, my Alter Ego began exhaling dense smoke from its body, and the surrounding terrain grew progressively darker, engulfed by the darkness emanating from it. I noticed that Laura, Victor, and Arthur were looking around, visibly confused.
But they weren’t the only ones perplexed; the deer, with their decaying bodies, also seed to observe the darkness now covering the ground. So of them even tried to bite it.
The next instant, without warning, tentacles erupted from the darkness, quickly grabbing the first deer that approached. The closest deer jumped to the side, surprised, and for a mont, I thought they might start running away. However, unfortunately for them, ti had already run out. In seconds, dozens of tentacles shot up from the ground, pinning the deer wherever they could reach.
The next mont, the tentacles began moving slowly, still holding the deer captive while they struggled with all their might to break free. When the tentacles finally reached the creatures' necks, they wrapped tightly around them.
At that mont, they began to spin, and I blinked, watching the scene with a sense of discomfort. The deer’s heads were twisted to impossible angles as incessant grunts echoed through the environnt.
I watched the macabre scene from the high branch, blinking briefly in confusion. I an, I don’t rember asking for the situation to get so brutal… not that I’d asked for anything verbally, but still, I couldn’t ignore the confused and uncomfortable looks from Arthur, Laura, and Victor as they witnessed the unfolding scene.
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