Chapter 6: Splinters
The silence returned, thick and suffocating. The creature's ragged breathing was the only sound cutting through the air. Each gurgling gasp grew weaker than the last.
Maggie crouched beside Dylan, her eyes narrowed. She studied the bones embedded in the creature's body, then cast an uneasy glance at the dark forest encircling them.
"If that thing's still nearby, we need to move..."
Dylan didn't answer immediately. He kept watching. The creature's agony resembled a slow torture. The projectiles sank inch by inch, rooting into its flesh as if something pushed them from within.
"See that?" he whispered.
Maggie frowned.
"Yeah... It's..."
She froze. Something shifted. Subtle. Beneath the creature's skin.
"Wait..."
Dylan edged back, heart hammering. The creature's black veins pulsed, writhing just beneath the surface. The bone blades were no longer still. They vibrated.
"Hell..." Maggie breathed.