Aiden woke up again, sitting on the same log, the log where everything had started.
The image of the creature slaughtering the entire hunting team was buried deep into his mind.
He couldn't shake the feeling of being torn to pieces.
Hopelessly waiting for IT to devour him whole.
"I can't keep on going like this… "
I'll kill that damn deer.
Aiden bent over and picked up his trusty fire axe.
Suddenly
DING
His phone buzzed.
"What is it now."
The notification stated.
[Game #3: Revenge has started.]Objective: Inflict a wound on The one that severs. A monstrous 5 meter-tall beast equipped with horrific, bloodied antlers attached to his skull. Claws made from bones on both hands and feet, and all black eyes. His skin is inflicted with deep scars. Made from prey that dared to fight back.
"Oh perfect, that's what i was trying to do..."
And left the campfire.
Heading where the figure is located.
1 singular minute in, he already started hearing its inhuman shouts.
2 minutes in, the footsteps are growing louder and faster.
Towards where Aiden is.
3 minutes in, he starts hearing vines being ripped apart, accompanied by heavy breathing.
4 minutes in, he starts hallucinating where the monster could be, then frantically beating it with the fire axe.
5 minutes in, it appeared.
Glaring straight at its gray soul.
Aiden charged toward it.
Not a hint of braveness.
It's driven by the fear and trauma IT has given him.
"Take this." Aiden drove the axe into the monster's left thigh.
It took him all his strength, just to pull it out.
"Ho-w d-o You Fe-el abo-ut tha-t." His breath was ragged, all fatigued.
The monster kept looking at Aiden, not even defending himself.
Laughing maniacly in Aiden's face.
"You'll never kill me. Even if you die and die and die again." The monster said, flashing a wide grin.
"Wha-tt."
"AHHHHHHHHH" Aiden drove the fire axe straight into his face, particularly the eye.
The monster didn't flinch, it didn't even feel experience pain.
"It's time to end this." The monster mumbled.
IT picked up Aiden with one and started strangling Aiden with the other.
"Come back again. I'll be waiting." The figure said.
Aiden felt his lungs dying. But with one last push.
He drove the entire axe into his neck.
"Her-e's an ea-rly gift…"
Then.
Black…
It's all black once again.
"Do I have to keep dying like this?"
"Will my life even continue on, if I beat this…?"
Then light again.
He's back at the same campfire.
"I tried everything I could think of."
"This is not fair!" Aiden shouted.
Every pair of eyes around the campfire turned to him.
With one brave man questioning him about his well being.
But Aiden didn't want to have any of it.
He stood up, glared at the newcomer.
And then started hammering his face with his fists.
Crying while punching.
"Why did it have to be me? Whyyyy. Just. WHYYYYYYYYY." Aiden shouted
"You will never understand my pain. You will never!" He screamed, now strangling him.
The man's face has switched to a deep red. Face All Bloody.
Before he could kill the man.
He got separated from him with the help of two other men and that girl.
"Hey. snap out of it." The second man said.
Aiden started calming down.
Looking at what he had done.
He stood up then went silently into a corner.
Not daring to utter one word.
The other survivors went to sleep.
But he refused to get some rest.
Day and night.
He remained in that same corner, reminiscing about what he had done.
By time. One by one.
Each survivor volunteered to go hunt.
But almost all of them never came back.
Some arrived all traumatized, some wearing a brave face, carrying a basket full of either unedibale plants or poisoned mushrooms.
The ones that stepped up to taste them.
Most of them died in their place.
But once in a while, they still gave Aiden his share.
It all kept going until Aiden was the last one remaining.
The campfire was seconds away from extinguishing.
Aiden finally looked back.
Grabbing his fire axe.
And starting to cut some trees.
But before he could finish.
The fire is no more.
The shouts in the distance only intensified.
It's coming.
Faster than ever.
In less than a minute, it's already in his face.
Aiden accepted his fate.
But when he opened one eye.
He saw his axe, which was from the old regression.
It was still plunged deep into the monster's neck.
With this realization.
Hope poured in.
But this regression was a no.
His head got squished by the monster's two big hands.