The next morning arrived quietly, the kind of early morning when the sky still clung to the last traces of night. Amina was sleeping deeply in her room, her injured leg wrapped carefully in cloth, and her mother was still curled on her mat, exhausted from the events of the previous day. But Amina's father did not sleep. He had been awake long before dawn, sitting silently on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on the wall as though the answers to all his fears were hidden inside the wood.
He rose without making a sound. He didn't bother to wash his face or warm water for a drink. His mind was fixed on something far heavier. The moment he stepped outside, the cold morning air brushed against his skin, carrying with it the familiar smell of the forest. But this morning, that smell felt different, heavier, almost bitter.
He left the compound quietly. He did not wake his wife. He did not check on Amina. He did not tell anyone where he was going or why. Even though he carried his hunting spear and knife—the tools he always took—he knew he wasn't going into the forest just for wild animals. He knew that something darker was waiting for him in the shadows. Something that had been waiting for years.
His footsteps were slow but firm as he walked down the narrow dirt path leading into the forest. The trees were still dark silhouettes in the dim morning light, and the wind rustled through their branches in a cold whisper. The deeper he walked, the more the familiar sounds of morning faded away. No birds calling. No insects humming. Only silence.
He kept walking.
He believed strongly that the monster would come again, and he knew it was connected to him—maybe even to his daughter—but he had never admitted it aloud. He had hoped the past would never return. He had hoped that whatever had once threatened his peace had vanished forever. But yesterday, when Jessica carried Amina home and the two girls trembled while describing the creature… he knew it had returned.
And today, he had to face it.
When he finally reached the deepest part of the forest, he set his traps automatically. His hands moved from memory, though his thoughts were far from hunting. He even managed to kill a few animals, but every sound, every movement, made him lift his head, expecting the creature to emerge.
The forest around him felt strange. Heavy. As if it were holding its breath.
By midday, the light dimmed behind thick clouds. Amina's father picked up the animals he had caught and turned to leave. His shoulders were tense, and his heart beat slightly faster as he approached the old gnarled tree—the one he always considered the halfway point.
That was when he felt it.
A cold presence behind him.
Something watching him.
He didn't turn immediately. For a long moment, he stood still, his breath shallow, gripping his spear tightly. A chill crawled down his back. He finally turned—and there it was.
The monster.
The same creature that had chased Amina and Jessica stood only a few steps away. It was taller than he remembered, its body made of shifting shadows that twisted like smoke. Its eyes glowed faintly like dim red fire. Its presence felt heavy, like a thick fog pressing against his skin.
The creature slowly tilted its head. "You human…" its voice echoed, hollow and deep. "I have been looking for you for a long time."
Amina's father didn't move.
The monster stepped closer. "I thought I was going to get your daughter," it hissed, its long fingers twitching. "She was close—so close. But she escaped. I did not wish to look for her again… but now, you are here. I can take you instead."
Amina's father's jaw tightened. "You will not touch my daughter," he said, his voice steady despite the terror clawing inside him.
The monster laughed, a terrible, echoing sound that made the leaves tremble. "Then you will die in her place."
Suddenly, without warning, the creature lunged.
Amina's father barely had time to lift his spear. The monster struck with incredible force, its shadow-limbs stretching unnaturally. The two clashed violently, the sound echoing through the forest like thunder. Amina's father struck the creature once, twice, hitting its shoulder and jaw. But the monster barely slowed.
For two full minutes, they battled fiercely. The monster's strength was unnatural, its movements fluid like water yet strong like iron. Amina's father tried to stay focused, but the creature's speed was overwhelming.
Then—without warning—the monster swept its long, shadowy tail across the ground. It struck Amina's father directly in the leg with brutal force. He flew backward and slammed into a tree behind him. Pain exploded through his leg and side, and he groaned, struggling to breathe.
But he forced himself to stand.
The monster lunged again. Amina's father, driven only by fear and determination, struck back. He hit the monster's leg, making it stagger, then struck its mouth area hard enough to make the creature grunt in pain.
It was only a second. One tiny moment of advantage.
But the monster recovered quickly.
With a furious hiss, it swung its arm and struck Amina's father so hard that he felt the air leave his lungs. He fell again. And before he could even attempt to stand, the creature leaped into the air and slammed him into the ground. The force shook the earth around them.
He gasped, choking, trying to drag himself away. But the monster grabbed him again and slammed him down a second time. Then a third.
Amina's father could barely move now. His strength was almost gone. His vision blurred, and the edges of his sight began to darken. He lay on the ground, barely holding onto consciousness.
"This is the end," the monster whispered, leaning over him.
Then the wind began to rise.
A sudden storm swirled around them, rustling the trees violently. Leaves flew in spirals. The ground trembled as if something ancient had awakened.
The monster raised its long, poisonous finger—longer and sharper than any blade. Amina's father's eyes widened in horror. He knew that finger carried enough poison to kill him within seconds.
"Your time has come," the creature growled.
It struck downward.
At the last possible instant, Amina's father rolled aside. The poisonous finger stabbed the ground, burning a deep hole into the earth. The smell of the poison filled the air like acid.
Desperate, breathless, and fighting for survival, he reached for the small sword strapped to his belt.
His last weapon.
With a sharp cry, he swung it with all his remaining strength.
The blade sliced cleanly through the monster's poisonous finger.
The creature screamed—an awful, piercing sound that shook the forest. Dark smoke poured from the severed finger. The monster staggered backward, clutching the bleeding stump.
Amina's father wasted no time.
He turned and ran.
His lungs burned. His legs felt like fire. His ribs throbbed with each step. But he did not stop. He ran as though death itself was chasing him—because it was.
Behind him, the monster roared, furious and wounded.
"You cannot run from me!" it bellowed. "You cannot hide! YOU WILL COME BACK!"
Amina's father didn't look back.
But he knew the monster was right.
This was only the beginning.
And a darker truth lingered behind the creature's words…
Why had the monster known Amina's name?
And what did i
t mean when it said her father would "come back"?
The answers were coming.
And they would not be peaceful.