The Monster of Nature

CW: Physical Violence, Gore, Self-harm

The Monster of Nature

I crept through the dense foliage of the forest, keeping my unusual face hidden in the leaves. My sharp hearing, allowing me to hear the faint sound of footsteps softly treading the ground. I was deciding if it was Farington men or whether it was the town-folk wandering around. It confused me. The soft steps were too quiet to be high-standard boots that the Farington men wore. But why would the town’s folk make their way all the way down here. They know that they would be murdered by the Farington men at first sight if they came here. I made my way through the shrubs just to decide to let that person pass by. My sight and touch has never been one of my strengths. I can only see 11 feet in front of me before it becomes blurry. Meanwhile, my sense of touch is completely gone. Then again I don’t even know what I am.

I am darkness is what I have heard among the town’s folk. I have heard from people passing that I am part of the trees and that I take people and eat them alive. But the truth is I just want the town’s people to be protected. They never take too many resources. Instead they give back. They plant trees. They take in the animals even though they know that they may not have food the very next day. Meanwhile the Farington men are an army. They are ruthless. They have decided to terrorize cities. The police can’t do anything about it. These days most of the population of humans were like in the medieval days. The Farington men have all the resources. My plan is to show the town’s people the magic of nature. I use that exact magic to keep out the Farington men.

“Today is the day!!” I thought to myself. I crept away from the cave, to get some food. I picked a mango from the vibrant tree. Right before I took a step into the light, I heard the loud stomps coming from the Farington mens’ boots. I immediately hid. My heart swelled with anger. “They had to come didn’t they!!!” I thought ragefully. I leaped out of the bush and slashed one of the men’s faces. I could see the genuine fear on the man’s face. My rage still took over, pushing all the sympathy out of my heart. I felt nothing. Bullets bruised me. I didn’t feel pain. But just the coal being tossed into a vengeful fire. I roared so loud that the ground shook. The troop scrambled away… I chased each one of them down.

Five days later, I heard the scream fill the forest. I knew it was nothing to be scared about. It was just a human seeing the gruesome scene of the mess made earlier by me. Yet I merely decided to carefully watch. “He can’t be de… de…dead,” she whimpered. She ran back into the village. I heard the emergency bell. I wondered why they rang it. Then I saw the whole village gather around the remains of the men. “These soldiers of the village have fought bravely and are greatly thanked for their services. We believe that these soldiers have taken down the Farington men but in exchange their lives were taken… They look like they have been killed by the rumored monster of the forest. We have always thought that the monster was only hunting the Farington men, but in these series of events we unfortunately have been proven wrong. The monster must be exterminated!!!” a man said. Tears welled up in his eyes.

I stopped…The pressure of guilt weighed me down. Memories rushed into my head. The man's face was full of fear. My claws cut into the skin, as blood ran down his face. The worst part was when I hunted every one of them and brutally slaughtered them. I fell to the ground and roared.

I clenched my jaw. Then I saw a man spot me. I saw him whip out his gun. He fired, it glazed my side. I felt guilt fill my body as the crowd of humans approached me with all-sorts of weapons. I was shot in the leg. I couldn’t move my right leg.

“Was this the end of me?” I thought. I dragged myself through the forest while the humans continued to fire from afar. I heard a voice in my head. “After all you did for them this is what you deserve?” I felt the emotions in me expand and take on a new form. It was pure rage: it couldn’t be stopped once unleashed. Then I heard “Kill the beast!” I couldn’t take it. I used my powers… It was absolute chaos. In an instant, my power shook the trees to the extent where they all caught fire from my radiation. It destroyed the forest. I could still hear the distant footsteps. I rushed forward impaling any human that got in my way. They cried before their bodies distorted from the radiation. I tried to stop it but I couldn't. I felt it for the first time in my life… PAIN! I could feel my brain burning. It wasn’t physical pain… It was mental and emotional pain.

The pain was penetrating. I felt my body collapse onto the floor. I heard the screams echo from the man-slaughter. I shook my head in pain. The bodies thudded after I killed them. I got up. I limped to the village, leaving a trail of red blood. It started to rain. I heard puddles splash under my feet as I ran. I trampled trees and stepped over bodies. “This is what they deserve.” I heard the voice in my mind say. I finally had it…

I let the anger grip on my senses, and my body immediately exploded with power. I couldn’t control my body. The power ripped out of my grasp and destroyed one part of the village. The folk scurried around before passing out from the pain. Tears fled from my eyes. I fought for control. I started to be able to grit my teeth. Then I was able to clench my fists. I punched myself in the face. Blood sputtered on my body. I was sent flying. I landed near a sharp metal pole. I thought to myself “If this is the only way to keep myself from destroying this world then so be it.” I impaled myself. Blood came out of the fresh wound. Then I took my final breaths before smiling at the world I just saved.

Nathan Kuriakose