The Chase

 Rivers of Blood for the Beast.

  Vale was racing away, surging his body forward and snaking around trees with everything he had. The ground seemed to quake with the fast and thunderous footsteps of the Beast, and the sound of it rumbled all around him. Patches of mud and hidden bumps rocked his balance, but he tried to keep his focus amongst the adrenaline storm. He kept telling himself that he'll make it out alive from this hellish forest but he knew all too well what a big lie that was.The odds that he'll escape were disturbingly low.This time the touch of death won't miss him.His luck ran out long time ago,when he provoked the beast the second time.

  Vale could feel the underbrush press against him, scratching and raking macabre, red patterns across his pale skin. His foot caught on a gnarled root and he had to cling to a broken branch to keep himself from tumbling into the earth. His breath caught like steel hooks in his lungs, clawing at him and filling him with the scent of moist, decaying leaves and wet dog.Blood trickled over his pale skin and down his leg, pooling at his heel. On his left hip were three long gashes that sliced sideways from the middle of his abdomen to spine,a mark left from his former brawl with the Beast.It was like an unspoken promise;his death will be final the next time he'll step in its den.

  In the distance a lonely howl pierced the thick silence of the forest, sending shivers down his spine. Vale could feel panic ripple through his muscles and his feet picked up again, zigzagging through the trees.Seconds turned to minutes, the minutes faded into an hour, his muscles growing weary with every step, but the Beast behind him never tired. It followed closely, matching him stride for stride.It was its teritory,its own bloody playground were toys were torn to shreds of flesh and bone.It never tired of the chase. Finally, he tumbled through the tree line, his body now subdued by exhaustion.He lay there, gasping for breath, watching the movement through his peripheral vision. Twigs snapped, and grunts and snarls could be heard in the near distance.It was closing in.

  Above him, the sky cracked open in a flash of light, and the heavens opened up, diluting the scent of blood.It looked like the skies were mourning his soon to come death.He flashed a sad smile as the Beast swiftly made its way through the trees and in front of him.The stench of rotten meat,wet animal and poison hit his nose but he didn't seem to notice.His eyes were blank reflecting only the hideous Beast and the red gleam of madness in its eyes.This was it,the end.His mind gave in and disintegrated in face of the unbearable terror,leaving his body to be sacrificed.The Beast howled,stepping toward him slowly.It raised a clawed paw and in one swift movement,Vale's stomach was ripped open,a gush of blood spurting out and staining the Beast's face.It lapped at the red liquid with delight,savoring the cries of pain.

  In the sky,the clouds parted and a crimson moon shone madly like it wanted to celebrate the massacre.