After taking no more than two, somewhat shaky steps forward, I was hit by the sudden realisation, cursing myself at how slow I had been to notice, that something was terribly wrong.

The clearing, the resting place of the few species I had met so far, was void of life.

And I was not talking about it being empty.

Dried blood dyed the surrounding grass red, with yellow patches from the insect apes, as carcasses, or at least what was left of them, were scattered around the clearing as if a whirlwind of dull blades had descended.

Wolves, insect apes and spike hounds, there seemed to be no distinction in the slaughter nor much difference in the wounds they sported.

It appeared as they had been ripped limb from limb while being pierced by a volley of many small, dagger-like instruments.

What made it even more confusing was that it appeared most of them had died before they realised what was happening, only a few had made it to the edges of the clearing before expiring most gruesomely.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose as I took in a deep breath, regretting it briefly as I finally noticed the stench of death surrounding me, and crouched.

Something was terribly wrong with the scene in front of me yet, I couldn't say what.

I crept towards the closest body, my hearts making a valiant attempt to alert everyone within a thousand mile radius of my presence, to try and learn as much as I could from the demise of my ex-neighbours.

Taking account the number strewn around me, I shuddered.

If I were to fight any of the creatures here, excluding the alpha wolf, one on one, I would be pretty confident, after my recent victories, to come out on top or at least, manage to escape to fight another day.

However, as the insect apes had proven, more than one or two would severely limit my chances of continued existence, and any more would almost be suicidal.

I swallowed hard as I made a rough estimation in regards to the death toll.

There had to be at least thirty or forty bodies here, and not one of them belonged to whatever had attacked. Forget a body, I failed to spot a hint in the copious amounts of blood, that had long since soaked into the earth, of anything that did not belong to the occupants that now called this place their final resting place.

I scanned the floor, quickly noticing weird, three-claw bird-like imprints, scattered amongst the remains.

My mind came up with two, somewhat plausible theories.

One was that a horde of creatures had swept over the clearing, killing everything in site as they pursued some objective. The other, which I wasn't sure if it was worse or not, was that some monster-like creature, with over two dozen legs, and the armour and weaponry of a tank, had passed through here.

As I continued towards my target, my bare, tiny right foot fell into the imprint of the bird-like footed creature, making me frown.

My foot was around 10 times smaller than the main impression, which I assumed to be the ball of its foot, and so, thinking back to the dinosaur imprints I had seen as a kid, I knew that this thing must have been huge.

Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I reached the corpse of the spike hound I had selected, almost recoiling in disgust as the stench of decay hit me.

The skin looked thin, displaying bones and if I observed carefully, I could see the tell-tale signs of movement, probably maggots under the skin.

Scanning the ground around the body, I noticed that the grass, even though it was covered in blood, looked wilted, almost dead, compared to its surroundings.

I sighed, knowing that I didn't really need to confirm this but, some part of me wanting to try and deny the facts.

With a tentative finger, I lifted back the lip, noting that, not only was it bone dry, but that it started to crack.

No liquids were escaping any orifices, at least the ones I was willing to check, but as the teeth and hair were still present. If the process was anything similar to Earth, the time frame should be around eight to ten days.

I felt cold, so I was willing to bet on the higher side of that estimate, maybe even adding a few days.

Rocking back on my heels, I closed my eyes.

That would mean that if they had been killed immediately after I had fallen into the pool, which was unlikely, that ten or more days had passed.

It also meant that there was a high chance that whatever had committed this massacre, had either made this place its home after eliminating the previous residents, bad news for me, or more likely due to it not trying to dispose or eat its victims, was just passing through and was now, long gone. Which would be excellent news for me.

I decided that the second option was more plausible. Only humans had been known to waste and kill without reason on this scale and, though the creatures I had met had shown remarkable intelligence, they also conformed to what I expected.

Sighing in relief, I noted the gentle breeze rustling the leaves as I fell deep into thought.

On the one hand, the assumption that my adaptive stage was over was now pretty much fact. However, the long delay in my... I didn’t even know how to describe how I had somehow survived and generated a new skeleton, had probably saved my life.

Looking at the mutilated corpses, I had little doubt that if I were around when the creature or creatures had come through, I would be amongst the remains.

Opening my eyes, I stood and looked around, marking in my mind, the placement of the bodies, enabling me to come up with a theory on what may have happened.

Something had attacked while they rested, probably the middle of the day, catching most of them off guard. Killing before they could move, let alone put up a fight or any semblance of resistance.

A few, mainly wolves, had reacted in time and moved to the right side of the clearing, indicating that the creatures had attacked from the left, leaving a trail of bodies as they attempted to flee into the dense vegetation.

I frowned.

Something not just deadly but absolutely lethal had passed through here, not even giving the local residents a chance.

As I didn't put myself at the top of the food chain, at least not while running around naked, that left me in a pretty dire situation.

My stomach rumbled painfully, but I didn’t even entertain the idea of eating any of the remains around me.

Something told me that I would be OK, that my body could handle the rotting flesh even though it was well past its prime but the thought turned my stomach even more than the emptiness did.

-"Pass."

An animalistic scream to my right caused me to freeze, but that was nothing compared to the primal fear generated by the roar that followed.

I momentarily contemplated if it was actually possible for my blood to actually turn to ice before kneeling down to lower my profile while giving me more leverage in case I needed to move fast.

Cracking branches, more screams, ones that I assumed to be a mixture of terror and pain, echoed through the trees, accompanied by dull thuds and the thunderous sound of falling trees.

Not thirty seconds after the chaotic noises had started, silence descended once again on the small forest.

Minutes ticked by as my eyes refused to move from the trees, at the edge of the clearing, in the direction of the bone-chilling sounds while my sense strained to notice anything that might be a threat.

In the unnatural silence, my mind created a monster from my deepest, darkest nightmares causing a shiver to run down my spine.

Sweat formed on my brow as its siblings ran down my back, the deafening silence almost too much for me as I debated running in the opposite direction.

The clearing obviously wasn’t safe, the previous ex-living occupants proving that, but that didn’t mean the forest any better.

My skin prickled, goosebumps flowing up my arms and legs, as my muscles shook, unconsciously preparing for flight as I remembered a quote from my past.

-”He who lives and runs away lives to fight another day.”

‘I have already told you we must leave. Danger hunts us.’

I startled at the voice, though it thankfully took the edge off as the forest came alive, seemingly coming to the same conclusion as I had.

My crouch deepened, my legs ready to propel me to either side at a moment's notice, as the bushes ahead of me, rustled.

My heart beats, the second one still seeming wrong and distracting, hammered in my ears as I prepared to meet the stuff of nightmares yet, as a bloodied, white head appeared, all I could do was blink dumbly.

It was the face of the only creature I really respected around here, one that I had completely forgotten about as I analysed the carnage, the Alpha wolf.

Fur matted with dry blood, terror, anger and a hint of madness dancing in her eyes, the alpha stares at me, seemingly looking into my soul.

I can't stop the shiver that the gaze envokes.

This wasn't a wolf making sure I would obey its rules. This was a terrified animal that was judging how much of a threat I was and, more important to my well-being if I should be eliminated.

I instinctively look away, breaking eye contact, as I try and shake the feeling that I am nothing more than a mouse looking into the mouth of a snake.

Out of the corner of my peripheral, I noticed that, after watching me for a few more seconds, the alpha creeps forward, keeping to the edge of the clearing as she heads in the opposite direction from which the roar originated.

Which, coincidently, happened to be the same one I intended to take.

Two more figures emerged from the vegetation.

One of the pups, limping slightly, and an adult that looked like it had been thrown into a blender, small cuts, many still bleeding, littering its body.

Casting my eyes back to the Alpha, I swallowed hard.

Her injuries were anything but light, and I was surprised she was moving as gracefully as she was.

Missing patches of fur and chunks of flesh, as well as half an ear, were a testament to the struggle she had endured to survive.

As the group crept across the clearing, I decided to take a gamble, and I started to follow them.

Normally, I would have been tempted to move alone as the larger the group, the more chance that you might attract unwanted attention but not this time.

Something in the alpha’s eyes, as well as the tense, almost electrified atmosphere, made me crave being in a crowd.

Statics rock, unless you are the unlucky one, and if whatever it was that was running around killing everything liked its ambushes, having something that looked stronger, the alpha, and something incredibly weak, the pup, would be advantageous.

Either it would want to take out the biggest threat first, or like natural predators, which this wasn’t as it wasn’t eating its prey as far as I knew, it would prey on the weak.

My steps momentarily faltered as I remembered my new stature.

-”I wonder who looks weakest, me or the pup?”

I wasn’t given time to debate the question as, with a simple resigned glance, which felt like a begrudging acceptance of my presence, the Alpha disappeared into the foliage, quickly followed by the other two.

Following the wolves, which moved almost silently through the brush, I noticed that, whether it was due to my enhanced senses or the fact that they were all heavily injured, I would still be able to locate the wolves with my eyes closed.

Something that, much to my surprise, I couldn’t say for myself.

I moved through the undergrowth like a spectre, my body twitching as it swayed through the foliage, almost impossibly low to the ground as I had to use my hands more than once to keep balance, without as much as snapping a twig or rustling a leaf.

-"As silent as Death and twice as handsome... Can I be handsome if I look like a brat?"

Despite the feeling of dread, as if the Grim Reaper himself was breathing down my neck, I couldn’t help but smile.

I wouldn’t be able to explain how, nor could I say with absolute certainty that it wasn’t a delusion, but deep down, I felt like I had truly changed. What made it even better was I knew that I was not even firing on all cylinders.

‘Food. We need food to repair and enhance the body.’

The smile was gone.

If the voice in my head decided it was real and even offered advice, then maybe it was a delusion.

Still, the fact that, apart from the sound of my breathing or, as I had recently decided, very noisy heartbeats, I could move so stealthily kept my spirits high.

‘We are real. Why won't you accept yourself?’

Back to ignoring the voice, that did not exist in any way, shape or form, I surveyed my surroundings noting that there seemed to be no difference, bar the unnatural pressure, then when I had traversed it before.

If it weren't for the fact I was following the bloodied wolves, I would find it had to accept that there was a monster on the loose.

Of course, it might not be a monster, but when in doubt, imagine the worst case scenario and then times it by four.

After about twenty minutes, excluding two stops in which we froze and listened for threats as the Alpha noticed something, we reached the edge of the forest.

Seeing the Alpha, making sure it was safe to emerge, I moved up from the back and slowly moved a large leaf out of the way to check for myself.

-"Always look before you leap."

I was glad I did instead of just following blindly.

The grassy wasteland, the flat ground steadily forming into hills in the distance, from which I arrived lay in front of me.

Open land. One in which, four fleeing creatures would be easily spotted, run down, and slaughtered. Where no decent, great escapest worth his grain of salt, would attempt to go.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I closed my eyes

I had thought that the Alpha would have to lead us towards one of the other edges, enabling us to sprint towards the next island of cover and hopefully, to safety.

-”Unless they are compromised.”

My paranoia started kicking in.

-”Why are we assuming there is only one? Where did it come from? What are its objectives?”

Hesitation and doubt crawled over my mind as I debated on what should be my next course of action.

-”The wolves could just be bringing me along for a snack as they cross the grasslands. The alpha might just be running scared, having no destination in mind.”

I looked over to the wolf, only to see the steely resolve emanating from her eyes.

-”Mayb-”

All doubts and concerns were thrown out of the proverbial window as a screech, one that I recognised as an insect ape, pierced through the eerie silence.

Unlike the previous one, that felt somewhat like a safe distance away, this one seemed to be only a couple of hundred feet... If I was being generous.

As one, four figures, one being me, launched themselves out into the open plains without even the slightest hesitation and broke into a dead run.

I don’t know if the alpha had the same idea as me, to reach the hills that would provide some cover for our silhouettes while enabling us to ensure nothing was following us, but by some miracle, we were heading in the same direction.

I was also greatly surprised that, ignoring the fact that she was injured, we were matching each other in speed so I neither of us were leading or following.

Not that I was actually paying attention to that, at the time, insignificant detail.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I ran with all my might, weirdly feeling as if my upper body was becoming weaker while a sinking sensation, like my insides were breaking down and, very painfully, regrowing, in my legs, continued to escalate.

I pushed the thought aside, my only purpose at the moment was to make sure that I stayed ahead of the other two.

If we were being chased, with any luck, they would be munched first and buy time for the rest of us to escape.

I shuddered.

-”When did I become so cold-hearted?”

'Only we matter. The survivors remember. The defeated, do not.'

Half an hour later, and not a moment too soon, the Alpha slid to a stop, on the opposite side of a medium sized hill before crawling to the top and watching the direction we had just come from.

Thankfully, one of us had that energy to keep watch as all I could manage was to collapse onto the floor, gasping for breath as I tried to stop myself from throwing up.

My vision spun, bright stars and flickers of light making it impossible to stop even if I closed my eyes.

I rolled onto my back and wondered how on Earth, or whatever this planet was called, had I managed to keep up with a wolf, let alone an alien wolf whose speed would even make a cheetah spotless with envy.

-"... Doe cheetahs even have spots? I feel like I should know but the memory is fuzzy..."

We had not slowed down even the tiniest bit the entire time, running as if the monster was snapping at our heels.

I heard two thuds, the pup and the smaller adult finally catching up and collapsing somewhere near me, their panting sounding almost like they were taking their last, strained breaths.

‘We are strong. We are fast. We are best.’

-”Will you do me a favour? Shut the fuck up and stop making me feel crazy...”

I felt too rough at the moment to talk to myself as I stared at the sky, dark grey clouds blowing in from the direction we were heading carrying the scent of damp grass and soil with it.

“Great rain… Why not. It’s not like things can get much worse.”

If it wasn’t for the shock of me speaking out loud, my voice hoarse, gravely and… Inhuman I might have just facepalmed at my tempting of fate.

Unluckily for me, it seemed like the flakey goddess was listening and more than happy to oblige my request as a monstrous roar erupted from the direction we had come from.

Somehow, deep down I didn’t think we had escaped whatever was lurking in that forest but, like any good person in denial, I ignored the sensation.

Rolling to my side, my muscles screaming in protest at moving so soon after exerting themselves, I briefly noticed that my small, child-like arms were much thinner than when I first woke up, the muscles almost none existent as they shook while pushing myself to my feet.

The Alpha moved towards us, defeat evident in its eyes as it tried to rouse the remains of its once glorious pack yet, against the dire situation, I found myself laughing, earning a disgusted look from the once mighty beast.

Not just a simple laugh, but a maniacal cackle escaped my throat as I held my sides and threw my head back.

As the laughter petered out, mainly due to having not completely caught my breath, a raindrop hit me in the forehead as the rumble of thunder echoed menacingly in the distance.

What Would I give for a simple light right now? Maybe I should find the other humans and sign up at the local dole office. Life was determined to shit on me, no matter what and honestly, I was starting to get a bit bored of it.

Survival might seem glamours if you weren't drinking your own piss like Bear Grylls, but the reality was... tedious.

I looked towards the alpha, who had managed to get the others on their feet and moving away and reluctantly started to follow. My gut telling me that making a break for it on my own would be a very, very bad idea.

==============================

[ALERT: Notifying Overseer and handlers of case 67673]

Sign of the SSS value subject Dybbuk discovered.

Appearance match: 0%...

Genetic Match: 32% += (48% Subject[PTS5643])...

Match within parameters. Reassigning handlers….

… Updating status

Status updated from Deceased, MITE (Missing in test environment) to living.

Elapsed time from last contact: 4580 hours.

[WARNING]

New record set for the avoidance of Hunters, RRT and recovery squads.

Requesting genetic update of Hunters…..

Notifying Special Investigations unit….

Reviewing data collected from observation posts...

Category tags updated [Stealth(Rank A)][Combat][Regenerative(Rank A)][Immortal(Rank D)]

Reviewing known data…

Stealth (Rank A) increased to stealth (Rank SSS)

The subject was only observed due to travelling with Generation 3 descendants. Detection, including audio, visual, thermal, infrared have proven ineffective. Attributed to change in subjects skin and muscle composition.

Regenerative(Rank A) increased to Regenerative (Rank SS)

Rapid regeneration and breakdown of muscles, bone, skin and hair observed to meet the subjects environmental demands. The limit is theorised to be based on available biomass.

Immortal (Rank D) has been degraded to Immortal (Rank F)

Subjects disappearance linked to the recovery time. The drastic change in physical appearance indicates extreme changes in all aspects.

[Error…]

Opposing Rank generated by system…

Physical and neurological changes detected that the subject has achieved true Biological Immortality [Rank B].

Conflicting data detected… Elevating to Overseer.

Observation status set to Priority

Capture status has been revoked.

Subscribed parties notified.

[Warning]

The subject is in a weakened state.

Initiating minimal interference protocols…

The scenario which increases survival changes from 62% to 74% found.

Recalculating input based on collected HRE data….

Survival Rate increased to 93% based on subjects response.

Approved.

Executing...