The Monstrous Hunt

by Tara K. Young

Then she insisted I bring her too. I refused. Despite her pleading, I was going to leave. She was going to force me to let her come. I had to fight her off and wrestle her for the keys.

  Once I was outside the cave, I rolled the largest boulder I could push. It was only up to my knees but I was able to roll it in front of the opening. It covered the space perfectly though I could hear Amelia's renewed protests from the other side. I figured nothing would be able to find Amelia in there and the rock would slow her down enough that I could get to the car before she could catch up.

  It was night. Covering the cave entrance blocked off the firelight making it difficult to see. There was no moon to help guide my way.

  My eyes took several moments to adjust to the darkness and even then I had to take my time to descend safely. I worried that Amelia would catch up but I did not see her the entire hike. Whether it was because she too had trouble in the darkness or simply because she had given up, I did not know.

  It took me twice as long to get back to the car, partly because of the darkness but also because I got lost. When I finally managed to find it and start it up, the clock said it was 3:30. If I was quick, I could get to York, get the supplies, and be back by morning.

  I had no trouble staying awake. I had always been a night owl and my adrenaline had yet to be exhausted. Though the ride back to York seemed quick, the sky was turning from black to royal blue by the time I arrived.

  The streets were silent.

  At first I thought it might be because of the hour but then I realized I did not see any Myyga anywhere. I was getting nervous but I also needed to know what was happening. I parked the car in the same lot we had found it and began to walk; now looking for evidence more than supplies.

  The less I saw what I should have seen, the further I walked. When I turned onto Coppergate, I froze. As far as I could see down the road, there were mounds of ash. There were dozens.

  And you are telling me that for every single one of them I would have been responsible? I had not interrupted them. How could I have caused their deaths too?

  You did. Your earlier efforts created the beast.

  That thing? I am the one that created that?

  Yes and you created the new Myyga doomed to die. With each you killed, the beast gained strength and more and more had to be created to try to stop the same monster you refused to face. We never could have stopped it but we were willing to try. It was not our responsibility.

  But you think it's mine?

  Yes, but you seem determined not to. That is why you must remember. What happened next?

  I felt a hint of the same sensation I had at the crime scene. My chest began to tingle. I turned and ran as fast as I could back to the car, terrified of what was coming. As I neared the car, I began to hear the whispers. It sounded like a crowd of people chasing me and whispering.

  Could you tell what they were saying?

  "More."

  Telling. Continue.

  I jumped back in the car and sped away. As I put more distance between myself and York, the quieter the whispers became. Something was slowing down their advance or I was getting faster. After I had not heard them for several minutes, both my heart and breathing slowed. My heart felt pierced with sharp pains despite its renewed languid pace. I tried to ignore it.

  The sun was nearly up and I realized that the road I was on looked different from before. When I was forced to stop for petrol just outside of Thirsk, I took out my phone and checked a map. I had taken the wrong road.

  Amelia had taken us along a route that was nearly deserted. I was now on the edge of a larger town and had several more to pass on my way. The possible threats worried me but at least I could still get back.

  The petrol station was deserted, but that would be expected at such an hour.

  I turned off the car.

  There was no one in sight.

  Before I dared to get out, I checked that all the other doors were locked except mine. I got out slowly and looked around. I had expected crests and Myyga to descend upon me at any second. When there were none, I closed the door and walked quickly around to the pump.

  I had managed to start filling the car, though it had taken several attempts to unscrew the cap because of my shaking fingers. After a minute or so, I checked the pump screen to see it was approximately half full.

  There was movement.

  I jerked my head around the pump to get a better look at what I thought I'd seen.

  There was a man in jeans and a striped button-up shirt walking around the corner of the petrol station and out of sight. Yelling at him did not seem a good idea.

  The car must have been nearly full so I closed it up quickly and walked after him. When I turned the corner, the man was crouched down, petting a golden retriever whose tail was wagging so enthusiastically that his butt end was carried with it in the movement.

  "Was it a car?" the man said to the dog. He strangely seemed like he expected the dog to answer.

  "Who are you?" I asked. I had not intended to sound so rude but it was done.

  He was now scratching the animal behind the ears and did not stop when he looked up at me. "Just a man," he said.

  Perhaps it was all the stresses I had had that day, but with that unhelpful answer, I nearly walloped him.

  "I mean," I said, "What's your name and what are you doing here?"

  This question seemed to catch him off guard. His head tilted an inch to the left and he seemed to consider for many moments. Then he chuckled.

  "You know what? I can't even remember my name," he said. "I know why I'm here. I can remember all of that but the distance between me and my name seems so large now."

  "Stop talking mental and tell me the truth," I said. "How could you forget your name? Do you have amnesia or something?"

  His eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter anymore. Don't you understand that?" he said.

  The dog's tail had stopped wagging and he too was looking at me like I was the mental one.

  I gave up on the name and moved on. "Why are you here then? You said you knew that."

  "This is where I had met my wife," he said.

  Now I looked at him like he was mental. "At a petrol station?"

  "Would a night club or the internet have been any better?" he asked. He didn't want an answer.

  He continued, "I was always a horrible driver. I hit her bumper because I didn't break soon enough coming into the station."

  "How romantic," I said.

  He stood, ignoring the dog now. "You've never had anyone you've loved." He was explaining not asking.

  I thought of Amelia. I needed to get back to her. I loved her.

  I had said nothing and yet the man nodded knowingly as if I had just told him everything.

  "I see," he said. "That's not love, kid. You're incapable of it."

  How dare he judge me? "You don't know anything!" I yelled. "You don't even know your own name. Don't pretend you know anything about my life."

  "Your meeting was so romantic?" he said, apparently unfazed by my outburst. "You didn't even talk to her. You just followed her around like a stalker."

  My lungs dropped themselves into a new home behind my navel. "H-how did you know that?" I asked, my voice quiet with the lack of breath to carry it.

  "We can all see everything of each other here," he said. "There are no secrets after the Myyga help you."

  At the time, I had no idea what a Myyga was, let alone they were the very thing I had been dealing with. I was about to ask, when he continued.

  "I suppose you can't see because you are different," he said. "I should have realized that immediately."

  "Realized what?" I demanded.

  With a flick of his chin, he gestured at my arms.

  I looked down and my still-not-fully recovered lungs made another painful drop into my guts. My left arm looked ashen and grey just like that of a Myyga. My right looked as though it would have been as well if not for black scales that looked like they were slowly
spreading out from my shoulder to overtake it.

  I reached up to my face, fully expecting to feel a point, but it was still my face. My lungs gave a convulsion as they attempted to take in a steady breath but only half succeeded.

  "You aren't worthy enough for that, kid," the man said. "Seems they made a mistake with you."

  I was terrified and confused. The man in front of me no longer felt like some random guy. I saw him as a threat as bad as the crests and Myyga.

  I ran to the car. I needed to get back to Amelia.

  "It's too late," he yelled after me. "Might as well leave her alone like she always wanted."

  He was lying. She was fine. She wanted me. Sure, she had rejected me but things had changed. She hadn't meant it.

  I jumped into the car, started it up, and sped off in the direction of the Dales. Supplies, Myyga, none of them were as important as getting back to that cave.

  What did you think of the man's words?

  I was determined to believe it was all a lie or even a trick of my brain, being under so much stress.

  You did not want to know he was telling the truth.

  No, I didn't.

  He was right about everything. We did make a mistake on you. We expected more.

  Sorry I failed your expectations. Though it seems a little unfair to test me when I don't even know what those expectations are.

  That's the only way the test can work and every single one before you has succeeded. We never expected to encounter such trouble.

  Neither did I.

  It's too late for all that now. Continue with your story. We need you to remember every detail