Fear dripped down Billy's spine; he wasn't expecting something so grotesque and evil from his current environment; his heart was racing like it's being pumped with adrenaline as he ran if his life depended on it after that thing sped faster than a moving bullet. Its presence is still lingering around him like an ominous shadow that refuses to leave.
He has neither a weapon to defend himself nor a place to hide; worse still, the only source of light was the sky. It has now turned midnight, leaving him in complete darkness in the middle of the woods, with dense fog making his sight nearly impossible to see and no animals making sound. This is a hopeless predicament he's stuck in, with no escape in sight.
A rough and resounding laughter reverberated all around, far away but yet close enough to make his hair stand up as though it were all around him at the same time. Just how big is this forest that it can stretch so far and wide with creatures lurking inside was something he has to find out, and he is praying for survival.
Billy felt stupid and ashamed of allowing himself to rudely bully that nerd, especially when he allows his emotions to get the better of him than anything else, but this is different than any fight he dealt with; he is far from his friends and weaponless in an area that is unexplored in itself, an easy place to kill and be eaten.
Perhaps it was karma from all the men he killed or robbed and the times he bullied Seth in the past. Karma for everything he did, and maybe this is his punishment for all the people he has wronged: to be hunted by a cannibalistic monster that stalks the woods.
But it is too late now; what is done is done, and he regrets it every second he breathes. He wanted to become strong to protect himself from the world, but instead Billy did the opposite by hurting others just to prove he was strong enough to be worth living in the cruel place he calls life.
And how wrong he has been; all he has done in his life is nothing but meaningless cruelty, cold-blooded killing for greed, and a false sense of strength. All his life, Billy was a failure of a person, and perhaps this is his time to get punished for his actions, whether he deserves it or not.
Tears slowly came out of his eyes, dropping down his cheek from the fear he has grown for everything that he's become. There are many regrets in his life, and this is one of them: he never planned to die, not now or ever. He wants to live and make amends with others, but now...he is doomed to die.
"Why?"
The once rebellious teen said in a sorrowful tone, A child who fears and cries for his life in this bleak fate that was forced upon him. There's nothing he can do except run and wait for that monster to eventually catch up to him and slaughter him like the pig he is.
For the first time in his life, he felt sadness and fear for the very thing he was facing, which was his impending death. This is the very thing that makes him the child he is, and he has no choice but to accept the consequences of what has befallen him and face the harsh reality that awaits him.
As he continued through the dense woods, he found a large boulder for him to hide behind—the only object within a radius that he was capable of using. Turning around, he quickly ran to the hiding place and sat down, leaning his back on the rock while quietly controlling his rapid breathing from all the running he'd been through.
Billy wrapped his arms around his knees and began to silently weep, "Why?" He repeated with a broken voice, "What did I do to deserve this?" Questioning everything that transpired. He may not be perfect or a saint, but he certainly doesn't deserve this type of treatment. This is far from the kind of boy he is.
Though a part of him felt this coming, like it was inevitable that one day, the most terrible thing about his impending death is how it will transpire, as he still hears the horrific laughter of that monster echoing all around him out of amusement from this game they are playing.
There is no more to run when his legs are exhausted beyond their limit, barely capable of holding up his weight, let alone fleeing for his safety. Even if he manages to survive the night, the monster will likely stalk him until he is at his wits end to keep running.
Briefly glancing around his surroundings, the only thing he noticed was the fog still remaining constant, along with the darkness that shrouds everything from being visible to his eyes. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he moved his head back to the wall where he leaned.
Aside from the moon giving some light to his surroundings, his throat felt so dry after all the running and crying that his eyes cried. He is thirsty beyond compare, and it isn't long before he will slowly dehydrate from it. He felt like he ran a marathon without water.
"What will it do to me?" Questioning the impending doom he is faced with, "Will it torture me or slowly kill and eat me alive?" He said in a horrified tone, "Hopefully it will just kill me on the spot, and I'll never have to experience those types of things," shivering from his own thoughts, "but then, I won't have a chance to tell everyone how sorry I am for everything."
Billy clutched his fists at this. "I'm so stupid..." He muttered in an angry tone, "If I had common sense, none of this would have happened, but I still continue to be a jerk to everyone around me," gritting his teeth in frustration, "damn it," sighing as his anger gradually dissipated.
In his eyes, Seth is the most annoying and selfish person he knows, especially when the boy apologizes for the simplest things or mistakes he commits. Regardless, his apology is genuine, and that is something Billy himself won't hate him about.
Because no matter how much that loser pisses him off, he could actually never outright hate him permanently. Why? Because no matter what he does, the timid teen will still forgive him for what he's done, even if the boy's hurt by his words, which makes him more angrier than ever.
Chuckling to himself, he realized that this is exactly what he hates about Seth; he's a selfish, cowardly person who acts like a victim towards the people who treat him poorly. It's almost as though the nerd expects others to treat him as a human being and not an inferior being that has to rely on his friends.
Even though Seth is pathetic, Billy can't ever truly hate him, as said before, and he is simply a nuisance or reminder of his own cowardly past. Perhaps the reason he dislikes him is because of their similarities, though his personality is mostly different from his. The two are both afraid and sad, despite his own attempts to be a tough guy.
Just when his thoughts dwelled further, the repetitive laughter dialed down to silence. Every fiber of his being began to feel alerted at this, a premonition that he shouldn't take lightly when it involves that monster. Then, after a few moments passed, there was still nothing to hear around his surroundings.
What should he do? Run again back to the cottage. It could be a trap waiting to happen, and that's the last thing he should do; it's the first thing the monster would expect him to do. Still, why does any of it matter? Didn't he see how fast it moved? It moved faster than a speeding bullet for crying out loud!
It is toying with him; that is the harsh truth he must accept. There is no point in fighting against something that he can't even lay a single punch against. The monster is too fast and hopefully not strong or durable enough to withstand actual bullets, assuming it is still susceptible to conventional attacks by humans.
What would Seth do? He is wondering what the timid boy will do with a person who is as intelligent as he is. No, he was likely going to cry in this spot and remained unmoving, not willing to at least try to find a way out or think of solutions. The two main differences between them are that he is sniveling, while Billy himself has the courage to face his fear and do something.
That is why he has been alive all this time; he never gave up, nor did he stop believing in himself, unlike Seth. And now he's scared of his own demise, becoming just like that nerd. Tightening his fists, he scowled at the thought of sharing the same weakness. He is not going to become like him. He mustn't allow fear to get the better of him; fear of death is what he fears the most.
But he won't at least give hell before his timely death by fighting with everything he has; there's no use of being cowardly or frightened, for all that is left is the aftermath of the terror he shall bring upon the world. "If I die, I'm taking you down with me," his message was directed towards the monster hunting him like prey, "do you hear me!? I will not go down without a fight!"
Standing up with determination building inside him, it is time to stop running. This is what Billy should have done a long time ago instead of becoming exactly like Seth. He needs to fight or at least find some kind of weapon to defend himself. Because one thing is certain, he's not going to give in or submit.
With his new-found courage, he was more than ready to confront that asshole who dared to toy with him like some sort of predator. "Let's dance," he told the monster while smirking widely. "I'll show you why you shouldn't have underestimated Billy the kid!" Boasting the title he earned in the past, "show yourself!" Billy declared boldly, "Don't be a chicken; I dare you!" He taunted it with insulting words as he exited his hiding spot.
Silence still rang through the forest, though his bravery seems to be working as Billy is growing irritated by the lack of response from this monster. Perhaps his words are more effective than he thought: "Where are you, you son of a bitch?!" Shouting out loudly to his enemy, "You don't have the balls to fight me, huh?!" Trying to rile up the situation.
Then it appeared behind him, sensing the thing's malevolent presence that sent shivers down his spine—a towering monstrosity that he was so blind to perceive of how truly ugly it was in real life after quickly around. This abomination looks like a creepy freak of nature who should be put down for its hideousness alone.
Its entire body was covered in green fur, emitting the smell of death and decay along with it. The rotten teeth were sharp and serrated like a shark, drooling with saliva. A monster having humanoid form with features of a grotesque bunny; at first glance, he would think it was a man wearing a costume.
But knowing he lives in a world where magic, wizards, and creatures exist, he knows this is the real deal, and Billy isn't going to die without fighting tooth and nail! "I thought you weren't the coward," Billy remarked with a grin. "C'mon, fight me like a man, or are you scared?" He challenged it with great confidence as he quickly delivered a punch in the stomach.
Only to be unfazed by the attack.
"What?!" Eyes widened from his attack having zero effect on this beast. "How the hell are you still standing?" Demanding the answer to why he didn't hear at least a response from the painful strike, "say something!" Feeling anxious about doing anything to hurt it.
But the monster only grinned evilly with malice intent in it's eyes. "Moona the bunny," introducing himself in a polite tone, "I didn't expect to find a stray child in my domain," speaking in human language while stepping closer to the teenage boy, "this is quite a surprise indeed," he finished while giggling creepily in a manner that disgusted him.
Grabbing a rock from the ground, he wasted no time in trying to swing it towards the thing's face, but during the mid-swing, his waist was grabbed by the monster's hand in a blur, tightening the grip to the point where Billy screamed in agony as he felt his bone slowly crushed in immense pain that made him drop the rock and squirm for his life.
"LET ME GO!" Billy cried out with fearful eyes, kicking and punching with his other available arm as best he could, but none of it had any effect whatsoever. His efforts are in vain against this fiendish beast. "PLEASE LET ME GO!" Screaming in horror at the prospect of dying, "PLEASE!" Desperately pleading for his life
Smiling sinisterly, "I'm sorry, dear child, but you have intruded upon my home," it answered with a fake remorseful voice. "Now, let's have fun together." In his final statement, Moona quickly let him go before grabbing the hand as it ran at supersonic speeds with him.
Billy had his entire front body touching the ground, experiencing a level of pain that he couldn't even begin to fathom. The crushing pressure of his lower body, his skin, and his flesh were slowly tearing apart through motion while his bones cracked in a torturous manner from the impact of rocks or the roots themselves.
Letting out a scream of agony, he begged for mercy through tears as he continued being painfully drugged through the forest floor. The suffering is unbearable without end, and all he can do is weep and beg for help from others who are most likely far away.
His mind became overwhelmed by the intensity of pain, and his vision slowly turned dark. The only fading sounds of life were the mocking laughter of amusement emitting from Moona—torture that never seemed to end. Everything else seemed irrelevant in the sea of agonizing torment before, finally, peace came into his life.
