A Plot Hole - 2

Almost two years ago, there was a major incident, an influential battle that humans had to win. All hands were on deck, everyone is restless, soldiers and civilians alike.

His car was parked just outside the woods. Maximus came out of it, paused for a second, and then strolled forward, a cigarette still in his mouth.

This surrounding is under the watch of a large group of appointed soldiers. They were tasked with keeping an eye on any unusual phenomena. For the past month, this is how it had always been.

"I believe this is where he was found," says a middle-aged soldier. He had led Maximus to the exact spot where Oliver was found.

Maximus inspected the surrounding, noting that this place is indeed a perfect spot to hide a body. However, there are still some unanswered questions.

"Was there ever a time that no search team was dispersed?" he questioned.

"No, I do not think so. The general would never do that," says Hank.

"I see..." Maximus' brow furrowed deeply, none of this makes any sense.

For the next 30 minutes to an hour, he strolled around the woods, searching, inspecting, hoping he'll find something that would explain Oliver's appearance. As you might have guessed, there was none.

If Oliver was attacked by bandits and then dumped here, the search team should have found him a lot sooner, hell, those bandits would not go unnoticed. Yet, somehow, a lot has happened in the same surrounding that is heavily guarded by soldiers and nobody noticed until now. The unanswered questions are becoming even more complicating than it already is.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" says Hank.

"Not quite,"

"What exactly are you trying to figure out? if you don't mind me asking."

Maximus said nothing in reply, he just stared blankly at Hank; "Honestly, I am not entirely sure," he said.

Maximus returned to his car, he opened his phone and saw a notification. Someone that he knows had sent a video. Giving it a good look, Max saw that it was a footage. He played the video, watching Oliver who was acting a bit strange just seconds before he came in.

The recording did not help, not as much as he was hoping it would.

"What point were you trying to imply?"

{"I was hoping you could tell me,"} says the other person on the line.

"I'm afraid, I might need more time to figure this out," says Maximus.

{"I understand. Take all the time you need...

Right now, there is something far more important,"}

"You have my attention,"

{"My team just discovered a small disturbance in district three. I'll be grateful if you can extend your help,"}

Maximus has a lot on his plate, he cannot be bothered with anything else. Nevertheless...

"Ok... I'll be there in a minute,"

District three is one of the most crowded surroundings, a vast population featuring buildings that are reaching up to the sky. If by some misfortune, something bad was to happen here, a lot of people would be affected.

Everyone was going about their normal lives when a vibration in the earth's crust caught their attention. This disturbance grew more powerful, destroying some properties in the process. The ground began to crack, slowly spreading out at an alarming pace.

An earthquake?

The ground broke open, sending large boulders at every corner. A very loud squeak sent waves of impact, knocking a few civilians off their feet.

"It's... It's a monster," says one civilian who is slowly backing away.

The creature pulled itself out of the ground, revealing its full glory. The is a newly formed creature that looks like a butterfly. Its wings were so large, they cast a large shade on the ground. This is not the first time a creature like this had appeared. Many were fully aware of what to expect when they encounter one of these.

Everyone was on the run, forcing their legs to do the impossible. Outrunning a flying creature, especially as a normal human feels like trying to walk on water.

With its Feelers, it grabbed two individuals and ripped them to shreds before swallowing. This thing is hungry and must eat. Six months ago, it was in a semi-conscious state as a pupa. This is a very delicate stage that not many of its kind survive.

Six months, it had to live with no food. That's a long time, and it would need to replenish all that lost vitality. At least seven to eleven humans as food might just be what it needed.

Four lives had been lost already, but it is in search of more. It roamed its eyes, trying to catch a few more meats. Due to everyone taking to heels, the creature was confused for a second, before deciding on another meal.

It landed on the ground, crushing everything beneath it, with just a flap of its wing, powerful wind spread out, causing many discomforts. The flying creature noticed two who were not fast, they are among the very few lagging left behind. Interested in the bigger one, it grabbed hold of the human.

"Mom!!" screamed the little girl.

This young woman froze in fear as she beheld the creepy face of this massive creature. This is the end, there is no surviving this. The creature threw her into its mouth and swallowed, spitting the head out. This is when it sensed someone's presence.

A few meters away, a disturbing aura emitted by Maximus drew the creature's attention. It became aggressive and squeaked at the top of its voice.

Maximus' noticed the beheaded woman, the creatures' last victim.

'I was late,'

The tragic sight was a stab to the heart...

The angry butterfly flapped its wing, pushing itself forward. For some reason, it felt the need to kill this one man.

Maximus pulled a penny from his pocket and shot it at the creature with his finger. This tiny object blew the being to bits, a gruesome sight that stained everything.

Max did not look happy. This is not a victory, he doesn't see it as one. If he had put a little effort to make it in time, none of this would have happened. In his defense though, he wasn't expecting to find a monster. All he came to do was scan the area.

"Forgive me," says Maximus, who was kneeling close to the severed head; "I had just one job, but I failed... I am no good."

The dead woman gave Max an empty stare, no reaction or any kind of emotion.

By the time the assigned team arrived, Maximus had left.

The scenery in front of them is nothing to write about. This could have been worse if a certain someone hadn't intervened a bit earlier.

"The monster has been taken care of," one of them announced.

"By who?"

"Doesn't matter,"

A few of them walked closer to the gruesome sight to get a better understanding of what they would have been up against.

{"This is a flying creature... A demon butterfly,"}

Technologies that can detect underground creatures such as the demon butterfly had made it easy to find and destroy any upcoming dangers. The Pupa stage was always the best time to do so.

"How did it go unnoticed?"

{"Don't know. Maybe it didn't go unnoticed, we were not paying attention,"}

The soldiers were separated into groups, each of them further away from the other. This is a common formation to give them the upper hand against any monster, flying creatures especially.

A different group, the cleaning team was called in. Their job is to remove the dead monster by any means possible to prevent the smell of decay. This part of the job is by no means easy. This kind of work can take days to complete, maybe more depending on the size of the monster and the level of damage inflicted on it.

Cleaning up the demon butterfly doesn't look like an easy task. Most of its body parts and internal organs were scattered about. Nonetheless, the task must be done.

* * *

<<<later that night>>>

Maximus had gone through the footage a few more times. The one conclusion that came to mind is that Oliver is hiding something. Either that or there is more to this than what meets the eyes.

'I need to keep a close watch on him.' He said inwardly.

From his computer, he could view Oliver's hospital room. Initially, doing this did not sit well with him, but at this point, he must do it.

Max sat tight and paid more attention to the screen.

Oliver's current behavior is pretty normal, nothing to see here. For the next 20 minutes, Oliver lay on his back, doing nothing.

He is staring back at the camera, having noticed its presence.

'Are they suspicious about something? Was I found out? Why have they not made any move?'

If Oliver gets to see the light of a new day, he'll try to escape. As once a monster hunter, he doesn't see any good reason why the hunters of this world would keep him alive if they know what he is.