Scatter

And when that happens, you can be sure the first thing they'll want to do is die. That's just how it goes…

This was the fate of all humans who had entered the fog of Ponfail forest.

The reason this creature hadn't annihilated humanity is that the beast that lurks is restricted to living inside the forest.

It cannot leave its territory, so it has never had a chance to destroy those living outside of it. That's why there have been no reports about the existence of this creature, those who have discovered it have died from its sharp teeth and claws.

This lies the fate of the group of bandits that are trying to find the SilverLeaf Saffron.

The group stays in a line, leaving no distance between each other, so it would be difficult to stray from the group unless someone decided to wander off by themselves.

*Snap*

The branches on the ground snap. It wouldn't have been so weird if it didn't sound so close, but the snapping continuously left everyone on edge.

At first, it didn't seem like anything to worry about until the beast that lurked in the fog let out a quiet but noticeable growl, letting the bandits know it was hungry and ready to feast.

The fog was so thick and the trees so large, that even when something did move, it could be easy to miss if you weren't watching out for it.

The group stopped moving forward. They stood in a circle, staring into the shadows of the woods ahead with fear in their eyes.

The wind was growing stronger and louder, as if the forest were threatening them, and they could feel something watching them from the trees.

A moment passed as no one spoke up.

"Maybe it's just a stupid deer?" One of the bandits finally broke the silence.

"Dumbass, does a deer growl like that?" Kane responded back.

Though they couldn't see anything in the fog, not what was watching them or anything at least a few inches away from them, in their state, they felt calmer when huddled up together.

They didn't feel calm because they were together but because it decreased their chances of being the creature's first victim.

*Growl*

It growled again. Everyone held their breath and froze, hoping that it would leave them alone, or perhaps it would also be blind behind the fog, and the only way it could have found them was because they were being loud.

But it kept creeping closer, its growl along with the sound of its steps reaching their ears as if it were already in front of them.

It was chaos. Everyone was screaming, running, and swinging their weapons, hoping to hit it. Kane tried to calm them down, but it didn't work. Some people got hit and injured, and others scattered, leaving only a group of 4 people left with Kane.

What was left of the group were Zac, Kane, and the others that joined Kane in the tent the night with Zac.

"God damn it, those fucking idiots, if I ever see them again, I'm gonna fucking rip their goddamn heads off!" Kane said with rage as his veins could be seen bulging even in the dense fog.

Running further ahead, Kane, Zac, and the other three leave the others behind to fend for themselves as they believe the creature will end up following one of them, believing they have survived for another day in the forest.

While they could no longer hear a single thing, not the screaming men they left behind, or the sound of what sounded like people getting ripped apart, it hadn't even been 5 minutes before they heard something from a distance running at them at high speed.

They all begin to run through the woods at a quicker pace as the sound of branches being snapped by the creature can be heard echoing from their right side. The group keeps running until Kane hears a loud roar coming from behind him, and he begins to sprint with everyone else while he tries his best to keep himself ahead of everyone else.

The five of them continue to run into the woods as they hear a loud howl from behind them, and it grows louder with each step that is taken away from the others.

For the bandits' strength, they wouldn't be so afraid if they weren't so blind in the fog, not knowing when the creature would get them. The thought of being ripped apart is the most terrifying thought for someone who only cares about themselves. If they were to die, it would be their wish to have a sword stabbed right through their heart in battle.

At least, that sounds more appealing than getting eaten alive.

At this very moment, even if one of them had the ability to see through this fog, maybe they could do nothing but attack, but with what little strength and courage they had left, it would be a disaster and a suicide mission. If they were to fight back, they would just end up being swallowed by that thing. Even if they didn't get bitten first, the monster might take out the rest of them all at once.

So many thoughts ran through their heads that none of them realized that the creature was no longer following them, or at least, that's what it sounded like. After coming to his senses, Kane realizes it and orders the group to stop.

They retook a circle position just in case it was sneaking up again, but after a few minutes, they decided to calm down for now as they felt it was no longer there.

"What the hell was that thing?" Bandit #1 asks.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, I think it ate the others!" Bandit #2 responds.

"Shut up!" Kane yells, "Whatever it was, I think it's best if we find someplace to camp for now to catch our breaths." As Kane is speaking with fear and rage, he looks at Zac, who is as calm as he has been the entire time, with no loud exhale of exhaustion, no fear-stricken emotion showed, and nothing changed about Zac's behavior after all that has happened it pissed Kane to his core when his pride takes over.

"A child, calm as absolutely nothing happened, does he think he's better than me?" Is what Kane thinks about in this moment not the safety of his men, not wondering if the ones who had strayed from the group were alive or uninjured, it was that he could not get over the fact that he showed such a humiliating side to a child who seems to be not scared at all. Even with the knowledge of Zac being drugged, it does not keep him from expressing his current emotion to Zac later on as they find a tree that is slightly caved in, leaving everyone crowded and crunched up together.

"What a bummer; it would only take at least one less person to leave us enough room to have a good night's sleep." Kane's eyes stare straight at Zac as he finally initiates his plan of pathetic revenge for showing his humiliating side. "Hey buddy, I think you should sleep outside for tonight, in fact, you can even be the lookout!" Kane says as if he had a revelation.

With no hesitation, Zac steps outside of the tree with no other order to go on. He stood there for the entire night, his eyes only staring off into one direction, where they had come from, looking out for whatever may come, as Kane suggested.

When morning came around, Kane woke up, stretched, looked outside, and saw Zac still standing there without any signs of life.

Kane walked towards the boy slowly and then grabbed his collar. Pulling with only little strength, Kane pulled Zac to the ground with a knife to his throat.

"You're lucky that the boss man needs you alive, or I would have already slit your neck by now and fucked your corpse." Kane said coldly.

Zac stared at him with no expression.

"...Do you understand?" Kane asked in a low voice, "If I wanted to kill you right here and now, do you really think you'd be able to stop me?"

With no response from Zac, Kane sighed deeply and released his grip. He turned around and began walking away with an annoyed look on his face. A couple of moments went by as Kane was lost deep within his thoughts...until he suddenly noticed something of his was missing.

He stopped dead in his tracks. Looking down, he noticed that the bag that contained the drugs was gone. Not only that, but so were the bags holding food supplies, water bottles, and everything else he had brought with him during the trip. All of which were thrown far beyond sight into the woods.

"GOD DAMMIT!" Kane yelled in rage.

As soon as he realized what had happened, he thought of rushing into the woods to search for them, but when facing the fog, it stopped him dead in his tracks before he could even take a step. There was no point in going back into the fog for anything.

"When the hell did I drop it?" Kane asked himself. Then, it dawned on him, "Oh shit..."

His mind flashed back to the last thing he remembered when he was running for his life the day before. To make himself speed up, he had to drop any weight that made him slow. It was a quick-moment decision without much thought to it.

Kane threw a fit of rage, knowing. The other group members have woken up only now, confused at why he is upset; they do not dare to draw attention to themselves for fear of Kane taking his rage out on them; Kane's attention is put on the only person he hates the most in the group.