A long moment lingered in the dense forest, the air thick with tension. Kieran had the woman firmly pinned against the damp earth, her hand forced open, the knife clattering to the ground.
Surrounded by towering trees and the distant echo of wildlife, she defiantly claimed,
"No, way. Our tech is set up to stop any creatures from getting through this area," fear and resolve filled her voice, "the only way it could have grabbed you is if you weren't human so why don't you just stop ly--"
Her words were sliced off by a sharp whisper through the air. Kieran was thrown off before she could react.
She rolled across the leaf-strewn ground, leaving a disturbing trail of blood behind her, before crashing into the rough bark of a nearby tree. The impact echoed through the otherwise silent woods.
As she staggered to her feet, her breath ragged, a chilling presence loomed over her. A creature with skin like translucent crystal, devoid of eyes, stood imposingly.
