I walked for another two days, brushing off the voice Id heard as an under stimulated mind. I heard no Russian whispers the next night, and managed to chew through a few of the rations Id located in spite of the fact that they were almost certainly no longer potable for anyone other than a deadman, biting through so of the harder portions wouldve been difficult for most Deadman even, though I had no trouble.
I started to detect new scents in the air. Greenery, moisture, and musk started to hit my senses even before anything other than outstretched wastelands and the ruins of old buildings entered my vision. I ca across a small lake, irradiated to hell, with bright green grass surrounding it that glowed slightly wherever I touched it. I knelt down and scooped up a few handfuls of water, drinking them directly. The water was surprisingly cool, and I splashed so on my face.
When I looked up, I saw a massive bird. It was bent down across the lake from , its neck long and pink, no covering at all until the creatures massive body which was covered in feathers that were thick and black. When it lifted its head from the water, I realized it was taller than standing straight.
I slowly pulled my rifle from my pack, and took aim. The creature didnt react, simply tilting its head back down to the water to have another drink. I was hesitant to use up ammo, as I was unsure of my ability to resupply, but my craving for fresh at overrode that concern. I took careful aim at where I estimated the creatures heart would be, and pulled the trigger.
The bird was knocked back slightly, and made a hideous noise sowhere between a scream and a roosters caw, then it leapt clear across the small lake toward . The jump was easily thirty feet, and I was so surprised by it that I didnt have a chance to move before the beast landed on top of , pushing to the ground.
Once I was down below it, the bird began to stomp on furiously, continuing to squawk as it did so. The blows were powerful and savage, and I took roughly half a dozen of them before I managed to roll out from under the creature, lift my rifle, and fire at it again.
It staggered again, and I noticed a patch of feathers slick with blood where Id shot it. In spite of the fact that it was clearly injured, it began to peck at , forcing to make a number of narrow dodges as it swung its head, whip-like, at again and again, keeping from being able to fire on it again.
It sent another kick toward , but this ti I was ready, I caught it with my arms, and yanked the leg. The beast flailed, trying to push away or get its leg back, but I held fast. Since I was unable to get a clean shot on it as it pushed and pulled backward and forward, I bit it, sinking my teeth deep into its thigh and tearing off a chunk of it.
This caused the bird to struggle even more fiercely, and it managed to break away from , moving away as quickly as it could. I chased it, only able to keep up thanks to the chunk of its leg Id removed which I swallowed whole as I pursued it. I paused twice to take more shots, but it just continued running. Ahead of us I saw a long line of trees, the moisture and greenery Id been slling coming into focus. I was worried Id lose the beast in the unfamiliar woods, but just before it reached the edge, it diverted, moving to run along the wall of trees rather than go inside.
That allowed to line up another shot, I let out a breath and fired. This ti the creature didnt just stagger, but actually tumbled forward, rolling several tis before it ca to a complete stop. I approached it carefully, avoiding its powerful legs, still reeling from the strength of the blows theyd so recently rained down on . The creature was still alive, letting out wet ragged breaths. I took my knife and ended its life quickly.
I looked up at the treeline nearby, and decided to drag the body back to the pond where Id first encountered the creature. I wasnt sure of why it had avoided the woods, but considering the last of the landmarks Id been given by the Pilgrim was a, Forest of Teeth, I decided it was best to take no chances. I butchered the creature, taking the ti to actually build a small fire, make tea, and cook so of the at. I was getting close to my destination, and making good ti all things considered, I could afford to take a short break to properly prepare a al. I ate the creatures hearts first. Two of them had bullet holes in them, and the third explained its strength and resilience in spite of the damage Id done to it. It wasnt the tastiest piece of at Id ever had, but it was delicious in comparison to the ancient Russian cardboard Id been eating for the last day or so. I ate seconds, then thirds, washing it all down with mint tea from Potts. When I was done, I saved the rest of the at, took a mont to clean and reload my rifle, and moved on to the edge of the woods.
Forest of Teeth was as vague a description as everything else. Was it taphorical? Were there trees in the forest shaped like teeth? Were there predators in the woods with sharp teeth that hunted those who entered them? Was it an old na that the Pilgrim had simply known it by his entire life? Was it literal? Considering how taphorical everything else had been I was inclined to believe that the second option, that it was full of predators, was the most likely.
I drew my sword and pistol and made my way inside. The forest was thick, and before I was more than a dozen steps inside, I had to start cutting my way through it. It was slow, dull work. It took more than twenty minutes to make what I estimated to be a mile into it. I kept my eyes, ears, and nose open, doing my best to detect any predators before they closed in on , but I heard nothing, just the thwacking of my sword through the brush and my own breathing.
I paused. That was strange. Forests didnt tend to be quiet. Even the ones Id traveled through that were deep in deadzones were always full of noise and teeming with life of so kind. It was usually life that was bent on killing and eating , but still, the quiet was almost more unnerving than that.
I cut deeper into the forest, my sense of unease growing as I moved. I was another mile inside, when I decided to take out my canteen and have a sip of water. As I did so I looked back to check my progress. I tilted the canteen down. All I saw was forest. The path Id cut through everything was completely gone, and I couldnt see any gaps in the canopy above . It had all grown almost as quickly as Id moved through it. I picked up my pace, holstering my pistol so that I could tear branches and bushes out of the way with one hand as I cut them down using my sword with the other.
I made it another mile in half the ti, but stopped when suddenly I felt a flash of pain in my hand. I pulled it back, and saw a small line of blood leaking from it. It started to heal almost imdiately, but the wound looked suspiciously like a bite rather than a bramble. I felt my heartbeat speed up and let red creep into the edges of my vision. I sped up even more, I felt more cuts, and bleeding, but I ignored it, healing faster than any damage was done to as I tore a hole through the forest as quickly as possible.
I made it almost three miles this ti, when I realized I was hearing sothing other than myself. I cald my breathing and let the red in my vision fade away, returning my attention to the forest around rather than just the path forward. The plants all around were grinding and gnashing teeth that they hadnt had before. Their trunks split open to reveal horrifying mouths, and their branches slowly moving toward . I had been wrong, Forest of Teeth, had been ant literally after all.
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