Skyborne Raider

There is an upside-down face watching me with a dead stare from very close proximity. Its mouth is slightly open, revealing half-missing and half-rotten teeth.

Its eyes are so lifeless and decomposed that they almost make me vomit. The skin on my back tingles. A rotten stench hits me in the face when the thing exhales again.

My sight travels upward, and I recognize the abomination staring at me—or rather, through me. It’s the long-necked creature, a hangman, just like the one we burned a while ago.

It stands in front of me, its head lowered almost to the ground between its feet. The neck is unnaturally warped, with the head dangling close to the ground. A few strands of dirty hair sweep through the dried leaves. The neck of this one is as long as its entire body, from toes to the top of its head.

Twisted and staring at me, breathing. I’m in such shock that I can’t move.

Mike and Astrid wake up when they hear my terrified scream. Astrid starts screaming so loudly that the creature raises its head.

It is an oddly terrifying sight. As its massive neck rises, the creature appears even more menacing. It’s twice as tall as the average human, its eyes rolled downwards, gazing at me.

Suddenly, I react and start rolling away, completely flattening my “bed.” My head spins as I roll away from the creature.

Mike's eyes are wide open as he gasps for breath. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this scared. He struggles to gather his bearings from inventory and focus on his weapons.

One of his sabres falls to the ground while he grabs another.

Despite the almost four-meter-tall abomination quietly observing us, we prepare for an attack, so terrified that we can’t perform basic tasks.

Still lying on the ground but further from the second unexpected visitor, I roll back and jump to my feet. The creature watches us silently, not making any moves.

Mike finally grabs one of his sabres and rushes towards the entity. He stabs it right through its back. I see the sabre piercing through to the other side, facing me.

The creature registers what just happened.

Suddenly, a large health bar appears above its head, reading Jeremy, Level 13.

I grip my hammer tightly. Astrid backs away, maneuvering between the log storage, firebowl, and firepit. Her hands are shaking so much that she can’t load an arrow.

Meanwhile, Mike pulls his sabre back from the creature with a downward swing, ripping open a deep wound in its stomach and back.

Before he can land a second strike, the creature turns around with unnatural speed and grabs both of Mike's forearms with its rotting hands. Mike drops to his knees as the thing pushes him down with all its weight. He tries to reach for the second sabre on the ground.

Jeremy starts to wind its enormous neck around Mike's head. Mike struggles to breathe, his muffled screams filled with terror.

I can’t tell if it’s from the strangling or the horrifying fact that this thing is touching him. The neck tightens like a snake, with protruding veins all around it.

Just the thought of losing Mike now makes my fear turn into rage. I take my chance and raise my hammer. I swing with all the strength I have in my right hand and bash the creature on the nape.

There’s a loud crack.

Without hesitating for even a moment, I repeat the strike in the same spot. My hammer almost buries itself inside. Jeremy emits a horrific scream through its long windpipe and falls to its knees, releasing Mike and unwinding its neck.

Gasping for breath, Mike stands up and kicks the creature in the chest.

Near the firepit, it falls onto its back, immobile from the complete spinal break caused by my heavy hammer. It lies lifeless.

Before long, it catches fire and starts to thrash around.

In the very next second, I decide to grab a burning log sticking out from the fire.

Astrid screams as the burning abomination is fully engulfed in flames, illuminating the dark forest.

Though it tries to move its neck, it can’t; the only movement is the dying twitching of its limbs. The light shining on the surrounding forest reveals dozens of similar creatures walking toward us from the direction of the hangmen forest.

They move slowly but steadily.

Some are extremely tall, with their heads and necks pointing straight up, their necks longer than their bodies. Others wander with heads dangling near their feet. Some even drag their heads along the ground. One of them holds its head in its hands for support. A few are faster, while others are slower. Not all are heading toward us; some collide with each other or get stopped by low-hanging branches, preventing them from entering further.

They seem like mindless beasts, yet some of them look right at us, moving purposefully, as if they’re aware and alive.

This is truly a horrific scene. My adrenaline level is through the roof. I consider this the most terrifying moment of my life.

Despite my fear, I’ve never felt more focused.

Strangely, I’m not just terrified; I’m also excited. I find myself wondering if my life has been so dull that even events like this leave me feeling exhilarated.

Grasping my hammer and torch tightly, I look around. Astrid is running. Mike, with both of his weapons, takes the straightest path, cutting down every bush in his way, clearing a path for Astrid, who follows him.

They have no light, using only the moon shining over the field where the nutrias are as their guide.

The last thing they saw, illuminated by the bonfire, was a herd of horrific mutants.

I decide to go my own way. I need to protect the torch I’m holding. I run at a moderate pace, making sure to keep the flame alive heading towards the forest’s edge, to the meadow with nutrias.

I focus on my steps and the flame, determined not to let it go out. The torch is in my left hand, the hammer in my right.

Being chased in the almost pitch-dark night, with visibility limited to a few trees in the distance, is stressful. My hands feel as cold as ice, despite holding a burning log.

The hammer definitely slows me down, but I don’t want to drop it. It feels like my last line of defense.

“Don’t misstep, or you’re dead, and the fire will be out,” I repeat to myself as I continue running. A slight wind blows in my face, muffling the sounds behind me.

Mid-run, I slow down a little and glance back. I wave the torch to illuminate the nearby surroundings.

Dark clouds pass, revealing the moon in all its glory. It shines through the trees, shedding light on the events unfolding around me.

One of the creatures, a short one with a slightly tilted head, seems faster than the others. It sprints mindlessly, ahead of the rest.

I notice that almost none of the health bars are visible above their heads. Have they lost interest, or were they never following us in the first place?

I look directly at the short, crooked one’s face. A few seconds pass, and the creature catches my gaze. Our eyes meet, and the thing starts to sprint toward me.

“No, no, no… did I make it spot me?”

“How could I be so stupid? Why did I do that?” I scold myself.

“This happened all the time at school. The teacher is picking a victim, and I can’t resist peeking, and bam!”

“Help! A sprinter!” That’s all I can manage to shout. I don’t believe I can handle one alone. I keep running, but I can’t resist glancing back at the creature. It’s almost right behind me. I panic and try to run even faster.

My fire is almost out.

*Bonk*

The tip of my sneaker catches on a sturdy tree root sticking out of the ground. The fatal mistake I was trying so hard to avoid.

With my face in the mud, I quickly turn around and see the creature about to grab me. I scream and swing my hammer wildly, aiming for whatever is in the way.

*Bash*

I manage to land a hit on the side of its cheek. The hammer goes through the thin flesh of its cheek and lodges between its lower jawbone.

“Fucking hell!” I yell, wiggling the hammer. The head attached to the long neck wobbles with my movements. What concerns me is that there’s no health bar or name.

The torch lies on the ground, slowly dying out.

*Thud*

*Thud*