By Lindsi McIntyre
The calm night shattered into blood-curdling screams.
Lo-en jolted awake at the base of the old spine tree acting as her cover. The screams echoed through the village beyond the forest’s edge as a family awakened to learn it was their house, their loved one that had been chosen as that night’s sacrifice.
Lo-en stiffened, her hand tightening around her mother’s spear.
The screams of pain and terror softened into wails.
The creature had taken its kill.
All the family could do now was mourn.
Lo-en shuddered. The familiar sounds were almost more than she could bear. She steadfastly held the memories at bay. Revenge was better than sorrow.
It would be coming now. Returning to its den, trying to outrun the dawn.
It was now or never.
The Gilbraith had grown fat on her people for decades. It could no longer slip through the trees silently, so Lo-en heard when it reached the tree line. Several yards away, branches snapped, split, and crackled as the Gilbraith trampled the bushes in its path. It advanced slowly, not bothering to hide.
Why should it? No one gave chase. The creature was considered a god; its prey, sacrifice. No one dared harm it. Doing so would mean death at the hands of the village chief and the other villagers.
Lo-en’s stomach turned. Her trembling legs begged her to stay crouched behind the tree. Safely hidden.
But the snapping branches sounded just like her little brother’s bones when the creature had taken him. Leaving her alone in the world.
Lo-en stood, her trembling gone.
Clutching her spear, she slipped through the trees, their bark almost black in the early morning darkness. Tonight, she would dare. Tonight would be the Gilbraith’s last.
She quickly closed the distance to the monster until, at last, she glimpsed it between the trees.
Dark green scales, perfect for blending in with the forest, rippled along its sides as its massive razor-sharp claws dragged it forward. Each step sounded like the beat of a drum. Boom. Boom. Boom.
It was so large that with those few steps, it was already passing her by.
Lo-en ran to cut it off, jumping through a gap in the trees and landing directly before it. As she faced the monster for the first time, her blood ran cold.
A massive, round head housed a jaw lined with fangs that looked sharper than spear tips. Vertical black lines slashed through two lidless green eyes. A neck the size of a tree trunk led to shoulders wider than the main road leading into the village. The underbelly of its flat body rubbed against the ground and its tail dug a trench in the sand behind it.
Every instinct inside Lo-en told her to flee. She held her ground, but that didn’t stop her heart from trying to break free and flee on its own.
When the Gilbraith noticed her, it slid toward her, its forked tongue licking its lips as if expecting another sacrifice. It opened its mouth languidly, stretching its neck to swallow her.
This was what so many villagers saw right before they died.
This was what her brother had seen from his crib. While she’d hidden beneath her covers one room over.
Disgust filled her. Disgust at this monster. At her people. At herself.
Rage poured through her veins. The pounding of it in her ears fueled her attack.
Her blade struck true. The creature’s left eye gushed with blood as it pulled back with a shriek. Lo-en pursued. Pressing her advantage.
She slashed at its neck, but the Gilbraith now recognized her as a threat and pulled away, hissing. Her cut was too shallow, blocked by the thick scales lining its skin.
With a speed that spoke of a once terrifying agility, the Gilbraith struck back. Lo-en jumped away, saved only because the creature’s bulk kept it from striking effectively. Its fangs ripped through the sleeve of her tunic, leaving venom-soaked edges. If those fangs reached her, the fight would end instantly.
But its movements revealed a weakness—a gap in its scales right at its collarbone. Exposed only in the moment it reared back to attack. If she missed, she wouldn’t have time to escape.
But she couldn’t let it win. Not this time.
With a cry, Lo-en charged. Her scream blended with the Gilbraith’s as she drove her spear into the base of its neck. The haunting cacophony echoed throughout the trees. The Gilbraith thrashed, but Lo-en held on—even when the shaft of her spear tore her palms in the violence. The monster lifted her from the ground and slammed her into a nearby spine tree. Its barbs sliced her tunic and opened cuts along her shoulders, but she kept the spear in her assailant’s neck.
The Gilbraith’s thrashing slowed.
Lo-en’s feet found solid ground just long enough to give her one last push on her weapon. The shrieks turned into a gurgle, and the Gilbraith collapsed.
Lo-en watched the creature take its last breath, hoping its death would ease the ache she’d been carrying for over eight years.
It didn’t.
People were shouting now, just outside the village. Growing closer. Lo-en knew she should run. Before they could see what she had done.
Instead, she stumbled to a nearby spine tree and sat on its roots. Let them see. At least now, no one else would have to die. Let hers be the last life the Gilbraith ever took.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A gripping tale. What happens next? Will the village execute her or will others who have lost loved ones rise to her defense?
Thank you! That is just the reaction I was hoping for :D
powerful writing! i’d expect a strong woman like Lo-en would give a strong defense of her actions. where to next?
Thank you for the lovely compliment!
Great descriptions without going overboard in the gore! That last line says a lot.
Thanks!! I had hoped that would be the case so I’m really glad you thought so :D
Wow, this was fabulous! So intense and gripping. I have a feeling that the battle has just begun for Lo-en…
My sincerest hopes for her to have a peaceful end in this…
Well done, Lindsi! You kept the heart-pounding tension building throughout the story!👏👏👏
This is soooo thriller Thursday. I looooove it.