New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Pausing for a moment, the trio realized something was wrong.

From the distance, they could hear a gut-wrenching chewing interspersed with bones cracking and a disgusting slurping sound. Whatever this thing was, it was feeding on the bodies of the Raijū and not in a civilized fashion.

"I think we should turn back," David said, his eyes gloomy.

From this distance, he finally recognized what this thing was.

"That is not human and also not something we can handle. If it sees us as enemies, we will die. And most likely without knowing what struck us."

Kary looked at him and saw a bead of sweat on his forehead.

'He's scared. That's a rare sight…'

"Let me take a better look at it," Jack said, grabbing the rifle on his back.

He lifted the rifle to his face, putting his eye to the scope, and aimed at the thing. His rifle scope was slightly misaligned, probably from getting flung around so much, and he had to adjust his scope.

Grabbing the wheel on top, he started turning it to the right as it did some gentle ticks.

But whatever the creature was, it heard those noises and suddenly snapped its head in Jack's direction.

Another ungodly screech echoed in the valley, this time clear in its origin, and Jack had to clench his teeth and groan to keep the abomination in his sights.

It snarled at the trio, pulling the Raijū away, hopping strangely as it did, like an animal trying to claim its prey.

Jack finally focused on the creature's face, and his jaw went slack.

"I think that is Alex… But something is wrong with his face…"

David put a hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him back.

"I'm telling you that thing is no longer human. And we can't fight it, not in our current state. We need to back away. If it suddenly views us as a threat, we are joining those wolves for lunch. Let's go."

But when Kary heard this was Alex, her heart skipped with joy, and she pushed herself off of David, trying to run toward the winged beast.

"Alex! I knew you were safe!"

"Kary! No!" David yelled, trying to grab her.

But he wasn't quick enough.

Jack hurriedly pulled back the bolt action on his rifle, preferring to be ready to fight and not need to than to be caught with his pants down.

As his hand pulled back the bolt handle and the previous bullet casing left the chamber, the creature screeched again, this time much stronger, as it was no longer warning them, and Jack lost sight of it.

He felt his nap tingle as something shifted in the corner of his eye, and he started turning to his left.

The abomination that used to be Alex was lunging at his left side, its left hand extended, finger pointed like a blade, as it aimed them at Jack's head, more specifically, his eye.

"Alex, stop!" Kary shouted, fearing he might kill the old man.

David was already thrusting his bident at the thing's neck when he saw the other hand, the more human one, raise and grab at its left wrist.

Holding back his attack a centimetre short, David looked with wide eyes as the normal side of Alex's face was crying.

'Is he still in there?' he wondered, ready to finish his thrust at a moment's notice.

Jack was shaking slightly as the hand had stopped an inch short of his eye, and he could barely see anything past it on his left side. He had been that close to instantly dying.

Kary hobbled back toward Alex, trying to touch him, but the creature twitched, and she hesitated.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her voice trembling.

The eye on the human side turned toward her, tears still streaking down its face.

She could see the human hand struggling to hold the demon hand at bay as it started shaking.

And Jack could also tell as the nails were getting closer to his eye.

"Leave. Leave now. I can't hold him back much longer," a voice resembling Alex's spoke in their heads.

But it was strange, like there were three voices in one.

"Alex… What happened?" Kary asked, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Go! Leave!" the voice shouted.

Then, the half-demonized creature snapped its head toward Kary and screeched at her.

Kary felt her soul tug once more and coughed.

Putting her hand to her mouth, she noticed blood in it.

"We should leave," David said, keeping his eyes on the abomination before him.

He could tell whatever was inside Alex's body wasn't Alex. And it was better not to tempt fate and see if theirs was stronger.

"Whatever you are, if you are evil, I will come back and hunt you," David stated, giving a stern look at the demonized half.

The demon half huffed, licking its lips.

But the voice rang in their heads again.

"We are trying to save us. When we are healed, when he is healed, we will come looking for you. Until then, leave. Before this dark fellow takes control and does all the unspeakable things that he's shouting in our ears."

Jack stepped back, getting away from the shaking hand, and grabbed Kary by the shoulder.

"We should go," he said, keeping his eyes on the thing.

"Alex, if you're in there. I know you are a good man. Come back to us before you do anything stupid you might regret," he added, peering into Alexander's human eye.

Another screech left the abomination's mouth as its legs started moving, trying to step toward Jack.

"Alright, let's go!" David said, walking backward.

Kary didn't want to follow them, but knew they were testing their luck. What if Alex, or whatever was speaking for him, wasn't there?

Would the demon inside him have slaughtered them on sight? Would they have ended like the Raijū?

She turned around, uncaring that she was offering her back to the creature controlling Alex's body, and limped toward the two men.

She couldn't look at Alex's demonized face anymore. It hurt too much.

'Just come back to us. To me. Please.'