Shadows of the Unseen

When I was a child, my grandmother would tell me stories about the creatures of the dark. She described their forms vividly, the aswang with its shape-shifting abilities, the manananggal that split itself in two, and the tiktik, a monstrous predator with an elongated tongue, always lurking, always waiting. "They hide in the shadows," she warned, "waiting for their moment to take over the world, little by little."

At the time, I laughed it off. They were just stories, after all. As I grew older, I expanded my knowledge, delving into the myths of other cultures. I read about the Greek legends like Medusa, the woman with snakes for hair, whose gaze could turn a man to stone; the Minotaur, trapped in its labyrinth, waiting for unwary travelers to stumble into its grasp. My fascination with these tales remained rooted in the belief that they were nothing more than fantasy.
But now, waking up in a cold sweat and surrounded by pitch-black darkness, those stories resurfaced with a vengeance. My head throbbed, and nausea overwhelmed me. I doubled over and vomited, the acidic taste burning my throat. For a moment, I thought I was still dreaming, trapped in some terrible nightmare. I blinked several times, but the darkness persisted. Panic crept in. Was I blind?
Suddenly, a brilliant light pierced the void, so bright it felt like needles stabbing into my eyes. I squeezed them shut instinctively and counted to five. When I dared to look again, the sight before me stole the breath from my lungs.
Corpses. Not just a few but a mountain of them, piled grotesquely in a clearing surrounded by gnarled trees. Their twisted forms seemed to reach out, their hollow eyes accusing. I stumbled backward, bile rising in my throat again. "Where am I?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "This isn't real. It can't be real."
The forest stretched endlessly around me, its dense canopy blocking out the sky. Shadows danced between the trees, and the air was thick with an unidentifiable stench. Then, as I struggled to comprehend my surroundings, movement caught my eye.
Something stirred within the pile of corpses.

It was a creature unlike anything I had ever seen. Its skin was leathery and gray, its limbs unnaturally long, and its tongue slithered out like a serpent's, licking the air hungrily. Its claws gleamed under the faint light, and its fangs dripped with a viscous, dark liquid. My grandmother's stories came rushing back to me, and the name surfaced in my mind like a whispered warning. Tiktik.
I froze, every muscle in my body screaming at me to run, but I couldn't move. The creature climbed down from the pile of corpses with an eerie grace, its glowing eyes scanning the ground. It paused near the spot where I had vomited, sniffing at the acidic puddle. Then, with an unnatural tilt of its head, it turned and locked its gaze directly onto me.
Fear coursed through me like ice water, but I didn't dare move. Maybe this was a prank, some cruel, elaborate setup for a show. But deep down, I knew the truth that this was not an illusion. The danger was real, and I was living a nightmare.
I ran.
Branches tore at my face and arms as I sprinted through the forest, my heart pounding like a war drum. The tiktik gave chase, its guttural growls echoing behind me. I weaved between trees, praying for guidance, for deliverance, for anything that would save me from the horror pursuing me.
Then, a glimmer of hope.
Up ahead, I spotted a small hole in the ground, just large enough for me to crawl through. "If I can get inside, it won't be able to follow," I thought desperately. The adrenaline coursing through me sharpened my focus, and I sprinted toward the hole.
But just as I was within reach, pain erupted in my leg. I fell hard, the air knocked out of me. The tiktik's long, prehensile tongue had wrapped around my ankle, its slimy grip pulling me backward. Panic surged, and I fumbled for my gun. With trembling hands, I fired a shot. The bullet grazed the creature's tongue, causing it to screech in pain, but it didn't release me.
A second shot. This time, I aimed for its head. The bullet struck true, and the tiktik collapsed, its grotesque body convulsing before finally going still.
Relief flooded me, but it was short-lived.
From the surrounding forest came a cacophony of growls and snarls. The shadows seemed to come alive, the trees trembling as more creatures emerged. My stomach sank. The tiktik wasn't alone.
I scrambled toward the hole and squeezed inside, the earth closing around me like a protective cocoon. The creatures clawed and snarled outside, their frustration palpable. But the hole was too small for them to follow. For the moment, I was safe.
Crawling deeper into the hole, I discovered that it widened into a narrow tunnel. My detective instincts kicked in, and I examined the ground. The sand was damp, the air thick with an earthy scent. My hands trembled as I moved, but I forced myself to focus.
The growls outside gradually faded, replaced by a heavy silence. Curious, I inched back toward the entrance and peeked out.
What I saw chilled me to the bone.
The corpses of the tiktiks littered the forest floor, their bodies torn apart as if by some massive force. Overhead, a figure hovered in the air, a man with enormous eagle-like wings. His presence was both majestic and terrifying, his sharp eyes scanning the forest below.
At first, I thought he was an angel, a divine savior sent to rescue me. But when his gaze locked onto mine, his expression darkened. He descended swiftly, his wings cutting through the air like blades.
Another figure joined him a woman with the same powerful wings but a face of ethereal beauty. She stopped him with a raised hand, her voice commanding yet calm.
The man spoke first, his tone accusatory. "Why did you disrupt the nest of the tiktiks? You almost upset the balance of the wilderness."
His words were sharp and clear, and they hit me like a physical blow.
"What are you doing here, human?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing. "Why did you come to our world at this time, when war is about to break out?"