Woods of Madness

IX

Everything was silent. There was nothing nearby as the captain slowly moved towards the blood trail, with me not too far behind. The amount of blood was immense, as if someone had killed a bull and violently dragged it. The whole grass was soaked in red, creating an ungodly sight. We continued to walk, but the blood trail showed no signs of slowing down; in fact, there was even more blood. Suddenly, the large blood trail inexplicably shrank, leaving only a few drops that abruptly stopped next to an old, leafless tree.

 We searched everywhere around us, even on top of the tree, but found no blood or anything else. The captain expressed his frustration, saying "I hate wasting time." I muttered, "We should get back to the others." "You think?" he responded, attempting to lighten the mood. His comment succeeded in slightly lifting my spirits, causing me to roll my eyes. I just wanted us to find safety and not be vulnerable in the open.

As I started to walk away, I noticed that I couldn't hear the captains footsteps. Turning around, I saw him staring down at the tree. Worried, I approached him slowly and discovered what had captured his attention.

 There was blood dripping from a small crack inside the tree. My eyes widened, and sweat returned to my forehead. The captain took his stG and swung it hard at the tree, causing more blood to flow at a fast pace. He swung again, and a huge gallon of blood burst forth. There was an unimaginable amount of blood; I hadn't seen this much since the ocean turned red in Omaha. The horrific memory consumed me, and I fell to my knees, unable to bear the sight. 

Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come. Several dog tags fell to the ground, followed by several decapitated human heads. I couldn't stomach this wretched sight. I looked at the captain's face, and he too was in disbelief. He took his gun, nudged one of the heads, and screamed in horror, "You bastards! You'll pay, you fuckers!!" He yelled at the sky, anger flowing from him in a torrent. Those severed heads were our soldiers. Every single one of them had met the same grim fate.

In a frenzy, we ran back towards our base to reunite with Charles and Martin. Our sprint was frantic, and the captain kept looking behind him. I was too frightened to turn my head; the fear overwhelmed me.

 Finally, we arrived and witnessed the place torn apart. The tents were shredded as if a rabid bear had attacked them. Inside the house, which miraculously remained standing and relatively intact, all the windows were shattered, and several walls were broken. We stood frozen once more upon noticing another blood trail. Although it consisted only of a few drops, the fear of Charles and Martin suffering the same fate as those men was unbearable. The captain rushed inside first to confront this nightmare. The blood trail ended at the closet. 

As he reached for the handle, the door opened, and a scream pierced the air. A gun was pointed at us but quickly lowered. "Damn, I-I didn't think you'd make it," Charles said, almost out of breath. Martin, who was hiding in the closet with him, was badly wounded in the shoulder. We helped him up, and as we all sat down to calm ourselves, Martin wasted no time and tended to his wound. The captain immediately turned to drinking.

"Y-you guys... Y-you won't believe what happened," Charles said between breaths. Desperate for any answers to the strangeness surrounding us, I asked him to tell us what he saw. But before he could say anything, the sun completely disappeared in a single second, as if someone had turned off the lights. The whole place was now pitch black. 

Confused, we began searching for the switch, but then weirdly the room light up. We could see well now but the light strangely is a bright, strong pink. It was beautiful, unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was mesmerizing; I couldn't bring myself to blink. I don't want to blink.I-

 "Shaun," the voice... it's... familiar. "It's me, Shaun. Your mother." "M-Mom? No, it can't be her. She died when I was a small child." "It's me, Shaun." There she is, right in front of me. I see her long brown hair, her tall figure, and her favorite white dress. "Give me a hug, it's been so long... too long." I start approaching her, tears streaming down my face. I quicken my pace, I open my arms to hug her. "Mom!"

But wait, I hear a strange muffled voice. It causes me to finally blink. My head starts to hurt a bit, and even though I closed my eyes, I still see pink. "Shaun, Shaun!" The voice becomes clearer, that's... Charles! I open my eyes, and I'm greeted with a massive mouth filled with thousands of razor-sharp teeth and putrid purple-pink saliva. It growls like a mad lion. What am I looking at?

"Get down, kid!" the captain yells. I turn around and see him raising his  sGt. I quickly jump out of the way, and all of my fellow soldiers unload on the beast, firing a massive string of bullets. The creature thrashes around, making unrecognizable hideous alien sounds. Despite the onslaught of bullets, it's still standing.

Nearby, I spot a couple of hand grenades. I rush towards them, take them in my hand, and throw them at the monster. After over a hundred bullets pierced its skin and six grenades thrown at  it, the beast finally goes down.