The moment I finished Swarm and Inner Race, I partially shifted my mindset. While the last genre selected was an action/adventure, I blended it with Horror to craft another tale for my monster hunter. Despite choosing this blending early on, I unfortunately didn’t have a seed for this tale. Thankfully, the story cubes rescued me once again. With my character and my blended genres in mind, I stared at the results from the toss and wondered how to weave an arrow, a footprint, and a sad face together.
Eventually, I settled upon a theme that connected all three prompts. Although I usually try to connect these images to something specific, sometimes it’s too challenging. I kept the sad face as an inspiration rather than making it a pillar of the theme, which made the story more successful. While Swarm introduced a partner/companion for my monster hunter, I’ve yet to ground him to the world, something the sad face provided me.
Pull up a chair and get ready for Solomon’s latest ramp with monsters.
Knowing of a small village tormented by creatures of the night, Solomon heads down to investigate the deaths of his friends…
Solomon traced the edge of the footprint as a sigh escaped his lips. He bumped the ground with a fist and rose, arching his back. He gestured at the imprint with his free hand and sauntered toward the tree line. “Miguel, that’s relatively fresh. We should run into these creatures soon.”
“Do you think we’ll locate their den before the moon rises?”
The hunter turned around, pushing the arrow away from his back with his rifle’s barrel. His gaze drifted to the sky as he ran a hand through his hair. “If we can’t, there’s a place nearby where we’ll find safety till the sun rises.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder as he spun about and resumed his march toward the forest. “Besides, all we’re doing tonight is confirming the pack’s size and location.”
“Evil monsters have long terrorized this village.”
Solomon’s head turned to Miguel. “That’s why I came. Wiping out these creatures is my life’s calling.”
“We’ve had a few like you come, making grand promises,” Miguel gripped Solomon’s arm, spinning him about, “only for them to vanish when they enter our forest.”
.
.
.
To continue reading head over to my Patreon page and become a patron, $2 a month will give you access to this and other flash fiction stories.