[The Villain]

Suddenly the creature let out an incredibly loud roar. It was low and monstrous and shook the very trees. Then the monster took off bounding towards the log that Harry was hidden behind.
Harry had watched the monster approach Sean and in the moonlight he could tell exactly what it was that was coming for them. He had been just as terrified as Sean even though it was his friend that was in immediate danger. He had been so afraid he had done what Sean had been able to keep himself from doing. He pissed all over his pants. As soon as he let loose, the monster looked over at him. Harry nearly screamed. In fact he would’ve if he had been able to find his voice.
The beast sniffed the air and then an instant later came barreling straight towards him. It ran so fast and hard that the ground shook. The log Harry was hiding behind actually came up off the ground for a second. Harry knew he should run but he was too scared to do anything. So he just sat there watching as the giant came after him with its huge muscular arms outstretched wanted to grasp him in its coarse hairy hands.
The monster did just that.
It reached the log and easily plucked Harry from his hiding place. Now Harry was able to scream. He let out a loud womanly wail that scratched his throat with its volume and ferocity.
“Help me!” He screamed and it would be his last. Just as quickly as the monster picked him up, it brought him to its huge mouth and in one swift motion bit off Harry’s head and swallowed it down its throat.
Sean watched all this in terror. He didn’t know why the monster had taken off after Harry but whatever his friend had done, even inadvertently, it had saved him. But it had also been Harry’s doom. He watched as the beast picked him up and he heard Harry’s shout. He felt so bad for his friend and had even started to cry when Harry’s head was bitten off. He instantly regretted picking on him and knew he should’ve been a better friend. Harry had died for him.
He wanted to shout out, scream horrible things at the monster but even though he was upset he wasn’t an idiot and he knew that would only get him killed.
Jeremy wasn’t as smart.
“Harry!” He screamed from his hiding place in the ditch. Jeremy had watched both encounters and had tried as hard as he could to keep quiet as Sean had done but watching his friend die was too much for him. His emotions took over and he shouted out for his lost friend.
That was a mistake.
The monster had been prepared to finish off Harry’s body but upon hearing Jeremy scream, he immediately dropped his meal and took off towards the sound of the yell. Once the monster started charging toward him, Jeremy didn’t sit around and waits like Harry. He leaped out of the ditch and took off as fast as he could back the way the three young boys had gone.
He didn’t get far.
The monster caught up with him quickly and picked him up so suddenly, Jeremy’s legs kept running in mid air.
“Sean help me!” Jeremy screamed but his friend could only watch in horror unable to move to the boy’s aid.
This time, the beast didn’t quickly bite off Jeremy’s head like it had done Harry. Instead it gripped him tightly around the shoulders and moved its other hand which was around his torso and moved it down to his legs. Then in one quick motion it pulled in separate directions ripping Jeremy’s body in two. Blood and intestines poured out and fell towards the ground but only seconds after they started to topple out, the monster leaned down and caught them in his mouth greedily gobbling them up. Then it began to work on the rest of Jeremy’s body. It placed one half of his severed body in his mouth and sucked long and hard draining him of everything inside and then it did the same for his other half. When the monster was done, it dropped Jeremy’s loose pieces on skin onto the ground and left them there while it returned to Harry. For him it chose to shove his entire plump body into his mouth and chew him up.
Sean was disgusted and horrified. He felt like vomiting, screaming and fainting all at the same time but somehow managed to not do any. He stayed hidden behind the rock allowing his endless shaking to be the only visible sign of fear. He watched while the thing ate his friends and he was sure that he was going to be next. He thought many times about taking his chances and running off but a smarter more reasonable part of him told him that if it knew he was there it would have killed him quickly like he did Jeremy. It wouldn’t just leave him there behind the rock.
It turned out that he was right. When the monster was finished eating Harry, which didn’t take long, it sniffed the air a couple of times, let out a large belch, scratched itself and then stomped back from wherever it came.
Even though the thing had left, Sean still remained behind the rock. He wanted desperately to leave but he wasn’t sure that the thing was really gone. For all he knew it was just playing a sick game with him and as soon as he stepped from the rock, it was going to spring out from its hiding place and devour him like it had done his friends. He still couldn’t believe it had happened. It had all been so fast; his mind was having trouble processing it.
‘Are they really dead? Did that really just happen?’ He thought. Even though it didn’t seem real, he knew it had. He had witnessed both of them murdered and eaten by some unseen creature. He wondered if it would’ve made it better or worse if he could see the monstrosity and know just what had murdered his buddies.
He waited awhile longer and finally after he had calmed himself a tiny bit, he decided to leave. It took him awhile before he could finally build up the courage but then carefully he picked up his right foot and stepped forward.
Right onto a branch that snapped.
Quickly he pulled his foot back and slapped his hand over his mouth to keep from screaming which is exactly what he felt like doing. Panicked breathes escaped instead and moans of terror. He was sure that he was still being too loud but at the moment he didn’t know if it really mattered.
But nothing happened.
The beast didn’t run back and pluck him from his hiding place adding him to its meal list. He was safe, it hadn’t heard the branch or if it had, it didn’t think anything of it. It was the woods after. There had to be other creatures there besides him and the monster. Then again, the creature might not be very picky about its dinner.
Sean was starting to feel calm again but then his paranoia got the better of him and he was sure that the beast was looming over him and if he looked up all he would see was teeth and darkness. Wanting to dispel of his fear quickly, he looked up and saw nothing. The monster wasn’t there after all.
Now Sean laughed into his hand that was still covering his mouth. It slightly muffled the volume but only a little so he quickly stopped himself.
‘I’m okay. Nothing’s going to happen to me.’ He thought. He was still scared and didn’t believe in that statement fully but he was determined to leave so once again he took a step making sure to not step on anything breakable. When that went successful he took another and another until he was walking out of the woods the way he had come. When he reached Jeremy’s body, he tried as hard as he could to not look at him but he found that easier said then done and glanced down. All that was left was his skin and bones. There wasn’t even that much blood as the monster had probably drank it all. Sean fought the urge to vomit and cry and pressed on.
‘I never should’ve come here. I should’ve listened to Harry.’ Sean thought. As he thought of Harry he actually started to tear up. He surprised himself with his emotions. He thought he hated Harry but he guessed that a part of him deep down actually cared for the little bastard.
“He wasn’t that bad.” He said out loud not liking the choking quality his voice contained. He wiped the tears from his eyes and continued walking. He could see the edge where he had come in. He couldn’t believe it. He was going to make it out. He was a survivor.
That’s when he heard the loud stomping and the trees snapping and falling.
Slowly Sean turned around and saw the monster running straight for him. The moonlight shone through the woods illuminating the creature and Sean instantly got his answer to whether or not he wished he could see it.
He wished it had stayed in the dark.
Now Sean knew just what it was.
He was more of an active boy but still he was aware of fairy tales and legends. He had even heard the legend pertaining to this particular beast.
“Troll.” He whimpered just before it fell upon him and then he was in its stomach and he knew no more.