Journal #5

Chapters 6 and 7: Fright and a Beast-hunt

Ralph


I was woken up to a shout, realizing it was the twins SamN'Eric chattering and flailing their arms in a panicked fashion, "The beastie, Ralph, we saw it-" "big claws and teeth, nearly got me". The words took some time to register but once they did I told them, "Call a meeting NOW" This was bad, very, very bad. I didn't expect the beastie to be real. It means the littluns were right and the biguns were wrong. The thought I allowed such a thing to happen made me feel like guano. For once the dun, interminable darkness was helpful, because now I could think without interruption. The best thing to do would be to hunt it down and kill it before it would hurt one of us or more. We weren't impervious to it and we're lucky we didn't get attacked by it while we didn't know it was real. Calming myself as SamN'Eric brought forward everybody. In the darkness I announced that SamN'Eric had seen the beastie, and when the sun comes up we would go and hunt it. Some were frightened, some were excited and bloodthirsty. Jack was positively waxy about this new development, especially since he was leader of the hunters. While he was speaking and active, I asked if there was anywhere he hadn't been. He stubbornly admitted he hadn't been past the rocks near the mountain. It was decided. That would be our 1st destination, and if we found nothing we would head to the original spotting of the beastie, the mountain. Later in the morning, we all went hiking, Jack taking the lead. Once we climb almost to the top I tell Jack with a bravado, "I'm leader, I'll go ahead, you stay and wait for the all-clear." I get to the top and disappointingly all I find a large cave. "What a place for a fort!" Jack exclaimed. We was visibly interested and kept coming up with ideas for the cave. Suddenly everyone was fooling around. This wasn't the plan, we were supposed to kill the beastie and stay safe, not fool around. I walk out and stare at the ocean. The only barrier keeping us from home, a behemoth, alone yet unstoppable in it's volume. A cruel mistress, taunting us in our captivity, I felt like we'll never get rescued. Suddenly Simon comes and says, "I think you'll get back to where you came from" This cheers me up. Batty bloke, cheering up an ally. I shout at everyone and say we need to head to the mountain to hunt for the beastie, some mutinously continuing to throw boulders off the cliff some listening and some coming with me. Eventually we're all hiking again with Jack in the lead. About halfway there we take a detour into the pig-run. Suddenly a big beast comes towards us. Tusks, fur and a large husk of a body, it charged towards us with a animalistic yell. Using my built-up adrenaline, I heaved the make-shift spear and pegged it right in the snout. I shouted, "I hit it". It shrieked and ran off. We gave chase, but it got away. Again I shouted, "I hit it!" smiling happily. Suddenly, I saw everyone making a circle towards Robert. I heard the chant, it flowed through me like my blood(lust). I yelled, "KILL HIM, KILL HIM", caught up in the game. After we all calm down we continue. Everything seems unchanged for a while, but then when we start on the mountain trail, everybody leaves, aware of the approaching darkness that dusk always brings. I suggested to Jack and Roger, the only remaining people, that we sleep and wait for morning, otherwise we won't be able to find the beastie. They didn't listen, and he acted too jeeringly for me to leave them alone. We hiked up, but almost at the top, the blanket of darkness engulfed us. We persisted, and we made it to the top. Nothing could have prepared me for what i saw. I giant beast, the size of an ape, black and swinging. We all dropped our spears and ran to warn the others.