Kill The Extra

The snow fell quietly as Ryker and Eleanor stepped into the forest. Following the boy's whispered clue they started looking for the tree.

The trees in the forest stood like sentinels. They were tall and upright, as skeletal things wrapped around them in frost and silence. Every branch of the trees was twisted like claws against the pale morning sky.

There was no wind present. No sound but their boots crunching through untouched snow.

The deeper they walked, the heavier the air grew. The light dimmed, as if the forest swallowed it whole.

'This feels horribly wrong'

Ryker pulled his jacket tighter around him and glanced at Eleanor.

She moved with purpose, silent and focused. Her crimson eyes watched every flicker between the trees. The white of her hair made her look like a ghost in the snow.

Distant and untouchable.

But she was here.

And that alone was enough to steady his heart.

*****

They walked for nearly half an hour before they saw it.

A tree similar to the one the boy discovered.

It towered above the others, old and gnarled. Blackened bark twisting like writhing veins. Its roots had split open the ground like claws and a dark pit yawned beneath it like a mouth frozen mid-scream.

Everything around it was dead.

No animal prints in the snow. No wind.

Only blood.

Patches of frozen red stained the ground. Tufts of fur. Scratches carved deep into bark. A shattered blade. And a child's scarf, half-buried in the ice.

Ryker knelt beside the tree and reached for the scarf.

It crumbled at his touch, brittle from cold and time.

"Something's been hunting here," he said quietly, "but why leave everything behind?"

Eleanor didn't answer.

Her gaze was fixed on the pit beneath the tree.

And then it came.

The silence cracked.

A skittering sound came. Sharp and fast.

Too fast.

Ryker turned just in time to see it launch from the shadows. An abomination of limbs and mouths. It was spider-like but wrong and worse. Its body pulsed with black veins and too many eyes blinked across its flesh, each one twitching unnaturally. Its mouth hung open, wide and wet, never closing. It was filled with jagged, glistening teeth.

Ryker stepped back, summoning a light beam into his palms.

But he didn't get the chance to use it.

Crack!!!

The creature was suddenly lifted into the air. Its massive body trembling, twitching, writhing in the grip of invisible hands.

Eleanor stood in place, one of her arms was outstretched forward. Her eyes glowed faintly. Her breath was steady.

She clenched her fist.

Boom!!!

The monster was hurled across the clearing, slamming into a tree with a disgusting crunch.

Bark splintered.

Snow fell like dust.

It tried to rise but its legs failed.

Eleanor didn't give it any changes.

Another invisible pressure crushed it down again.

And then, just before she could finish it…

The creature shook violently.

Its body bubbled and melted down, dissolving into thick, black sludge that hissed as it hit the ground. The smell was foul like rot and burning tar.

Ryker blinked, stunned.

"What… was that?"

Eleanor slowly lowered her arm, brow furrowed.

"I don't know."

They both stared at the steaming pile of goo for a moment, neither speaking.

Then she said softly, "That wasn't normal. Not even close."

Ryker knelt beside the melting remains, examining the slime.

"By the looks of it, it didn't die rather it self-destructed…"

Eleanor didn't answer.

She was already looking deeper into the woods.

"We need to keep going," she said.

****

They moved cautiously through the trees, silence following them like a shadow.

Every few steps, Ryker would glance behind, half expecting more eyes to open in the snow.

They found more signs. Blood splattered in the snow, broken trees, drag marks.

But there were no bodies.

Everything led them in a loop.

Again and again, they circled back to the same clearing.

The same patch of snow.

The forest felt like it was shifting, like the ground itself was trying to confuse them.

Hours have gone by.

The sun began to dim. The clouds thickened. Frost began to fall.

Eleanor finally stopped walking.

"This is pointless," she muttered in annoyance. "It's like chasing a ghost."

Tch!!

Ryker sighed.

His hands were numb despite the coat, his breath fogging the air.

"We need to rethink this," he said.

"Let's go back and try to talk to the villagers again. Look at this from another angle then let's make a plan."

Hearing Ryker's suggestion, Eleanor gave him a long look.

Then nodded.

*****

The walk back to the village was quiet.

But it wasn't uncomfortable.

Snow drifted slowly from the sky.

The world felt hushed, like it was watching them waiting for a response.

Ryker glanced sideways at her.

"So," he said gently, "no sword, no staff. Just the mind?"

She didn't respond right away. "I don't need weapons."

"Yeah, I saw that." He smiled. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"You already did," she said with a deadpan look.

Ha… ha… ha…

Ryker laughed.

She didn't.

But she didn't scold him either.

As they approached the village, the houses appeared again through the trees.

The houses casted shadows with the lights glowing softly from within. Smoke curled from a few chimneys.

Life still pulsed here even if fear clung to the air.

Ryker exhaled as they reached the edge of the village.

"I was kinda hoping you would need backup back there," he said with a grin.

"You made me feel useless."

"You were," she replied.

"Wow. Harsh."

She turned toward him, just a little.

But there was a flicker in her eyes.

A faint shimmer of amusement.

Ryker caught it.

He leaned closer and, in a playful voice, said,

"Is that… a smile?"

"No."

"A smirk?"

"Definitely not."

He exaggerated a gasp.

"Did Miss Eleanor just show actual emotion?"

She stopped.

Turned to him.

"Didn't I tell you to drop the 'Miss'? It makes me sound old."

Ryker blinked. Then gave a dramatic bow.

"As you wish… Eleanor."

She rolled her eyes and walked ahead.

Ryker followed, his grin lingering.

Behind them, the snow covered their tracks again.

But something had changed.

Not in the village.

Not in the trees.

But—

Between them.

The cold wasn't as biting as before.

The silence was not as heavy.

And for the first time…

Eleanor didn't push him away.

******

[A/N: Sorry for not updating for a week 😖. I had exams so I was busy. Didn't got the chance to write. Now, the exam is over and I'm back to daily updates.]

Thank you all for the patience!!!!!