Defiance of the Fall

Not wanting to wait for that to happen , Zac gingerly stepped forward , gripping the axe and with a speedy tug ripping it out of the lower back of the monster . This time he also stepped back a bit in the event of further thrashing . This time however only a weak snarl accompanied the action . Blood started gushing out even faster through the open wound , and it looked doubtful if the monster would survive even left unattended .

Not daring to take any risks , Zac stepped forward , and with a baseball swing planted the axe in the torso , hoping to hit vital organs and the lungs . A sickening thud sounded and more blood streamed out . The beast barely moved anymore , and just weak whimpers could be heard . Zac didn’t dare stop and kept swinging the hatchet over and over until he himself fell to the ground heaving .

His body felt a burst of warmth , likely caused by the strenuous activity , and by now the whole left side of the monster was a maze of grisly wounds . Its movements had come to a complete stop , and no more roars or whimpers escaped its maw . The head was still inside between the two halves of the boulder , along with its front two paws . The arms were mangled from the reckless charge into the rock and the subsequent desperate attempts to rip itself free .

While Zac had no idea about the resilience or tricks of a Demonling , it looked deader than dead . He arduously sat up and caught his breath . Slowly calming down , he was reminded of the stark reality . He was hurt . Really hurt . By now he looked like a homicidal maniac , almost covered in blood from head to toe , and it was impossible to tell which was his and which was the monster’s .

It already seemed impossible he was still alive with the amount of blood he had lost , and if nothing was done he definitely would not make it to tomorrow . He slowly got up on his feet and started stuttering back towards the camp . He thought about shouting for help again but immediately discarded the idea . He didn’t want to lure another monster to the camp by mistake , as he didn’t have the power to go through another battle .

Last time the trip between the boulder and the camp took half a minute . This time he ambled forward for what felt like an eternity until he once again came upon the ransacked and chaotic campsite . The camper was still standing next to the car but was now dented in places . The cooler they had brought over was knocked over , the water and beers spilled around .

Not having the energy to care about the mess , he moved toward the camper whose door was wide open . With some foresight , they had actually brought a decent first aid kit with them when traveling . He felt he should probably get to a hospital , but unless someone drove him he would probably not make it . At least he could disinfect , tape , and bandage the wounds , performing some basic field triage on himself . That would hopefully allow him to return to civilization to get properly patched up .

For the first time since he came back , Zac realized there were no blood or body parts in the camp . Though he hadn’t dared think about it at the time , he subconsciously had believed the Demonling killed the others .

If they had been attacked there should have been some blood at least , as Zac had little confidence in the four being able to fend off that beast and flee . The axe in his possession had been the only real tool that could be used as a weapon in the camp , apart from some small kitchen knives . And even with that , he had only survived with great luck and some quick thinking . His improved physique had helped immensely , but that alone would not have been enough against that monstrosity . That beast had been both faster and stronger than a bear , and unless the three had gotten the same type of strengthening as him they would just be food rather than an adversary for it .

He surreptitiously glanced around as he neared the camper . The car stood empty , and no sound came out of the camper either .

Guys , are you there? Hannah? - he croaked in a subdued voice , still scared a scream would attract more monsters .

But silence was the only thing that met his question .

Chapter 4 - Alone , v . 2

Zac had an ominous feeling and prepared to look around in the vicinity for tracks or signs of where his friends had gone . However , a dizzy spell reminded him of the most pressing issue . Almost falling , he went to the car and brought out the small green box with the first aid kit from the trunk .

He then limped to the camper whose door was standing ajar and hesitantly went in . The interior was completely empty as well , with no signs of either friend or foe . Scared that the smell of blood would attract more monsters he firmly closed the camper’s door . Luckily it was one of the few spots which hadn’t been dented by the demonling’s rampage . Zac finally slouched down on the sofa , not caring that the blood would stain the fabric .