Click! Click! Click!
Strange, unclear shadows moved suspiciously in the darkness, making loud clicking sounds that echoed inside the cave in that pitch-black silence. There were scratching sounds too.
Sol stared hard at those shadows, trying to figure out what they were or make out their shape. No use. The sun had set, drowning the forest, the cave, everything in a silent sea of complete darkness. But not for long. The cold, faint azure glow of the trees appeared, casting light on those shadows, revealing their form.
That azure glow wasn't bright enough to show everything about those shadows, but Sol could get a basic idea—they were huge, and there were a lot of them.
Those things stood watching from a distance. Many of them. Then suddenly, the ground shook and the scratching sounds grew louder, like heavy pounding on the rocky floor.
The shadows—they were running full speed toward Sol and the blue girl. Their footsteps sounded like muffled small explosions, echoing inside the damp, cold cave, making the ground tremble beneath them.
Sol looked at those things heading toward him—still not completely visible—without batting an eye. He stood up, getting ready to fight too. But before he could run at them, he felt a small, trembling hand grab his coat and pull him back in fear.
Sol turned, and his eyes went wide. He remembered. The blue girl was trembling, her eyes full of intense fear and panic, staring into the darkness. Anyone looking at her face would know she was about to scream at the top of her lungs—but she couldn't. Too scared. She couldn't see it, it seemed, but she could definitely hear it.
"Damn it!..."
Sol turned to the girl, quickly picked her up in his arms, and headed toward the back of the cave. It was right behind them. He placed her inside a crack in that cold wall—small and narrow, only big enough for her if she pulled her legs in. Then he covered her completely with his body, holding onto the sharp rocks sticking out of the wall while watching the approach of those things from the corner of his eye. The girl stared at Sol, who was like a wall between her and those strange shadows.
They were almost here. No distance left. Then suddenly—the fire Sol had been blowing on before the shadows came flared up, burning brighter, lighting the cave and illuminating those creatures hiding in the dark.
The creatures screeched loudly, the high-pitched screams echoing in the cave. Sol gritted his teeth and held onto the sharp rocks tight, while the girl covered her ears hard. The screaming lasted a few seconds before finally stopping.
Sol turned toward those creatures and found them standing at the edge of the flickering firelight cast on the ground. Their shapes were clear now.
Creatures, huge—twice Sol's size or more. Long arms reaching the ground, with five claws at the ends. Another long, twisted claw jutted out from their elbows, reaching down to the claws. Pale gray skin. Wide mouths full of fangs like fishhooks. Two wide eyes—black, dark, empty, cold eyes that looked like they'd suck out the soul of anyone who stared into them. Big, pointed ears.
Sol stepped toward those creatures, but the girl's hand stopped him again—grabbed him with both hands this time. Sol stopped for a few seconds, looking at her. Then sighed before sitting down on the ground, the blue girl beside him, her trembling sapphire eyes never leaving his.
"Guess we wait, then..."
***
Time passed slowly. The fire danced and spread its light throughout the cave. Those creatures kept making tapping sounds—annoying, but it didn't affect Sol.
Sol sat near the fire, the girl beside him leaning her head against his leg while watching those creatures. His attempts to calm her had worked, even though they couldn't understand each other's language. Somehow, he'd managed to soothe her.
Sol ran his hand through her silky hair gently, calming her down, while his other hand kept the fire going—adding wood, stirring it properly, sometimes blowing on it.
He put another piece in the fire and looked at what was left of the wood the girl had gathered before these creatures showed up.
"Wood's running out soon..."
Sol's gaze shifted to those creatures lurking at the edge of the light, where it touched the darkness unsteadily.
"I could fight those things... I don't have weapons..."
Sol raised both hands, looked at them for a few seconds, then made fists and squeezed tight. His tone was dark.
"But I've got this body's raw strength... and it can regenerate... yeah... I'll be the one standing in the end, no matter what happens... as usual..."
The girl grabbed Sol's hand and quietly pulled it toward her head. Sol understood immediately what she wanted—so he rubbed her head gently, softly, trying to keep her calm.
"Considering their size and numbers, it'll be a bit tough at first, since I'd have to rely on this body's raw strength, the fight would be messy... and there's no guarantee this girl survives... wait..." He paused for a few seconds, then his tone changed—slower, deeper: "Survive... this girl?... Since when do I think like that?"
Sol's gaze turned cold, darker, as he watched the girl. His hand moving on her head slowed down. Then a grim voice spoke inside his head:
"Why should I care about this girl... why should I worry about her safety... why should I protect anyone again... why not get rid of her now... yeah, that's easier, safer, better... I'll get rid of her right now, right under my hand... one squeeze and I'll turn her skull into tiny pieces... yeah, and then I'll deal with those creatures... yeah... yeah..."
Sol's hand stopped right above the girl's head. Then he pressed down with a little force. The pressure increased gradually—so much that the girl noticed. She put her hand on Sol's to push it away, but couldn't.
Sol pressed harder on her head—so hard the girl started whimpering, making low sounds, then louder until they became screams. But Sol kept pressing, increasing his strength. The girl tried to break free but couldn't. His strength was immense.
The monsters watched from a distance, moving strangely—scratching the cave walls and floor with their claws, making snorting sounds. It seemed like they were sadistic creatures, enjoying watching the torture and screams of that small, innocent girl.
Sol looked at those creatures and smiled—a big, suspicious, terrifying smile, his eyes gleaming with something evil, something crazy. Then he shouted loudly, his tone threatening, mocking:
"Hahaha... you're enjoying this... yeah, you are... hahaha... enjoy... enjoy while you can—your turn's next!"
Crack! Craaack!
A soft breaking sound. Then the girl's skull shattered under his hand, covering him completely in crimson blood and bits of her brain and skull. Intense silence fell. Only the sound of dripping blood and the fire in that cave. Until...
Sol cackled—hysterical, insane laughter echoing inside the cave, mixing with the creatures' growls. The sounds rose. Then suddenly... dead silence.
Sol felt something grab his hand. He looked down and found the girl still leaning against his leg, wanting him to keep smoothing her hair.
Sol's eyes flew open wide as he stared at the girl. He put his other hand between his eyes and rubbed. Then sighed, his tone gloomy:
"Damn... it happened again... nothing's changed..."
The girl got up from beside Sol's leg, looked at his face, and said:
"q!n$@2fh#s*$^w"
Sol definitely didn't understand what she was trying to say. But he understood something else—he needed to find a way to get more wood while keeping the girl safe.
Sol stood up again. The creatures made sounds following his movement. He got close to them, then looked with his tired eyes at the other part of the cave behind them. The azure glow from outside lit up the woodpile the girl had left there.
"Wood's secured... now I need a way to get through and bring it back without fighting these things... I need to pass between them... or maybe make them clear a path for me..."
Sol turned to the girl and glanced at the dagger hanging from her waist. He approached her and pointed at the dagger.
"I need this."
She didn't understand his words, but she understood immediately what he wanted—it was obvious when he pointed. She pulled out the dagger and looked at it briefly with sad eyes, then handed him that worn-out, old dagger that seemed precious to her.
Sol picked up the thickest piece of wood from the little that remained. He stood it vertically on the ground, placed the dagger on top, and pushed down hard—the dagger slid through like butter.
Sol pulled the dagger out and put it on top again, completely ignoring how easily it cut or how strangely sharp it was. He just placed the dagger crosswise to the first cut. Silently, he pushed gently this time, making four separate sections at the end of the wood.
Then Sol put small sticks and pieces of wood between those four sections to spread them apart. He cut some fur from the coat wrapped around his waist—a lot this time—and stuffed it all into the space between the four sections.
Then he headed toward the burning fire and reached his hand toward some glowing embers. The girl watched terrified, trying to stop him from putting his hand in the fire, but she was too weak against Sol.
"Aah... damn damn... dammit..."
Sol gritted his teeth and grabbed a handful of those burning embers. His fist was full of them. He put the embers on the fur and blew hard—the fire blazed up on his crude handmade torch.
When the girl saw the torch, her look changed from fear and worry to surprise and wonder. Sol didn't look at his hand slowly healing from the burns.
Sol stood and headed toward the hungry, waiting creatures. He got close to them and waved the torch in their faces—they backed away.
"I have this body and I'm still using tricks like this... when was the last time I did this?..." Sol tried to remember something, then stopped: "Doesn't matter now."
His tone was gloomy, dark, without any enthusiasm or sense of achievement. He took slow steps toward the monsters—they retreated.
While Sol's right hand waved the torch, the girl clung to his left hand. Taking her away from the main fire was dangerous, but Sol was thinking about something.
Sol and the girl finally reached the woodpile. The girl bent down and picked up some—not all. Then stood in front of Sol, looking at his face, waiting for him to tell her the "next step."
Sol looked at her and jerked his head toward the fire spot—go back. And she did, quickly. Sol bent down, grabbed a few logs, and went back to their temporary base. Of course, he kept the torch aimed at those creatures.
Finally, Sol made it back behind the barrier of flickering light on the cave walls and floor.
Because those creatures were afraid of light, Sol immediately realized all he had to do now was wait until morning.