Content warning: Contains gore, graphic violence, and dark themes such as harm and death.

I know it’s down there, I saw it. I may have been a little drunk, but I am not blind. I saw it from the window of my apartment, feasting on some back alley stray, and ran after it that night. It was human-shaped, though slender and bony throughout. I suppose it could pass for a very ugly and malnourished old crone. Still, I wouldn’t be fooled by it, especially when it scampered around like a thieving dog, all four limbs unnaturally navigating Bryscombe Park. It was stealthy but twitchy; making its way with minimal noise. 

I can’t believe it! My lucky break!

I hurried down to it, tried my best to get closer, but twenty paces in, the bastard took note of me. It then picked up speed, not crawling, but leaping, as every pounce flung its gaunt figure towards a conspicuous hole in the ground; one that an hour ago definitely did not exist. I saw and chased that horrid thing as it leapt. Its pale, wrinkled hands latching onto bits of grass and roots on the precipice of the hole, before letting go and disappearing into the darkness down below. I saw its face that night; it wore the skin of a human, as though a loose cloak, but underneath it all was something far from human; a real genuine Kryptid, in the flesh. 

All mine.

With the beast having made its escape, in the face of this miraculous hole, I was now presented with an opportunity to claim the life of the rich and famous as a Kryptid hunter, if I only dared to plunge into its depths and chase after the foul thing. Pondering for a while, I decided to retreat and gear up before giving chase. To be clear, I am not a cowardly man by any means, but even I am not so foolish to dive into some unknown pit without any proper preparations. So after a minute to make sure no one else was there to steal my quarry, I hurried back to my apartment to get what I needed. I knew nothing of what may await me, so I opted for a more minimal approach in equipment. Of course, having a way down and back up again was essential, along with a way to protect myself. Luckily, my brother, being the travelling man that he is, has all the things I need and more. Thus, having borrowed my brother’s climbing gear, some rope, first aid kits, an old hunting rifle, and some snacks, I rushed back to the pit as fast as I could.

Imagine my surprise (and frustration) when by the time I got back to Bryscombe Park, the hole had disappeared! Not a trace remains, the park as empty and plain as it always was. 

Tch, I suppose it can’t have been that easy.

Now, in the middle of the night, alone and over-geared at an empty park, surrounded by nothing but the odd trees here and there, I must have seemed like an absolute nutcase. Though luckily for me, with no trace of the creature, I remain the sole witness, and thus the sole hunter. Opportunities like this one rarely ever come, and while not without risks, I am certain that I will be more than enough to deal with it. This is my chance to make something of my life, to have the things and live the way I’ve always wanted. So no matter how long it takes me, or what it requires of me, I will hunt this creature down and keep the glory all to myself.

Because this is my moment, my turning point.

***

It has now been roughly four weeks since I chased the Kryptid into the opening at Bryscombe. My daily routine now consists of breakfast, patrolling out at the park, lunch, more patrolling, a brief visit to the pub, dinner, more patrols, and then bed at 1 o’clock past midnight. People ask me what I’ve been up to; I kept quiet of course, the more people know, the less in it for me; so I just come up with an excuse and they’re none the wiser. Luckily for me, I can be a pretty good liar when I want to be. And this new schedule suits me surprisingly well, especially now that I’ve been fired from that boring job at the newspaper. 

Not my loss

Once I’m done with this hunt, they’ll be printing things about me instead. Soon enough, I’ll join the ranks of Rolliard, Wendell, and those other famous hunters. But I digress. The work I have now is far more important. 

I also took the time to try and find out more about these creatures; their habits, weaknesses and such. And while it has been rather challenging, with how rare they are, I came across this merchant who had dealings with Kryptid hunters like me. We got to talking and I suppose I managed to win him over; he offered me his wares which are reserved for only a select few hunters and gave me a discount. I was not familiar with most of the items but I was assured of their quality. So I used most of my savings and bought all I needed. 

Its an investment

As my funds became tighter, I was admittedly a bit worried that what little I had might not last. The heavens did not abandon me, however, as during my nightly vigil, I saw a hole spring forth at the same place it did a few weeks ago.

***

It was… fascinating to see a sinkhole suddenly pop up in the middle of the park, even more so when it spat out that thing like a toddler on a trampoline and landed on its butt, before briskly sensing out where to go next. I was waiting for this, all my hard work will finally pay off. The plan was simple, hide and wait near the hole for the creature to come back and confront it. If it somehow manages to get away, then I will be more than prepared now to chase it down wherever it might go, foolproof if I say so myself. And so, prepared to confront the beast, I neared the hole, laid out my traps and other precautions and hid myself in the trees. 

After 30 minutes the thing reared its head from the south side. The creaking and low clicking sound it made alerted me to its presence, a feature I did not notice the first time around. The beast was on alert, its head twitching to and fro, scanning the surroundings. No doubt wary after I caught it in the act last time. As it drew closer, I saw the humanlike face it wore, or what’s left of it; skin wrinkled and sagging, as if dried dough settled loosely on a chitinous skull; with mandibles replacing most of its lower jaw. Its robed figure hunched over as if to hide its hollow torso. Its movements, as it slowly made its way here, were jerky and sudden, insectlike. It was not what I expected. I pictured the creature as something more… palatable, but it was more unsettling than I was prepared for. I also did not expect my heart to beat this fast, I thought I could handle these things easily as I was quite proud of my courage.

No, I can do this! Think of the things I can finally have after this.

Right, Now is no time for backing out. This is my chance for something more, to prove myself. I will not waste it.

Not willing to let this thing get away, I aimed my rifle at the beast. With its head on my crosshairs, I pulled the trigger, hoping for a clean kill. The creature, however, either had luck on its side or impeccable reflexes, I suppose it moved at just the right time to evade my aim. Now alerted, though unaware of where the shot came from, it began darting towards the hole with great speed, pouncing like a puma. It appears to dislike confrontations as fleeing seems to be its preferred option, perhaps a sign of weakness. It may look scary, but I suppose it's weaker than I thought.

Good. This will be easier than I thought.

I had previously laid down a trap near the hole. The merchant supplied me with some rope and nets designed to capture Kryptids, resistant to their attacks. 

They cost a pretty penny, but I have to be willing to invest at least this much.

With a rope in hand, connected to the trap, I was ready to trigger the trap as soon as the beast got within range, I felt my chest tighten with anticipation.

This is it.

However, for some reason, a few metres from the net’s range, the beast took pause and scanned its surroundings.

Shit. Did it notice something?

It was lingering, more than I was comfortable with. So I readied my rifle once more and took aim at the ground behind the Kryptid. As the bullet struck the ground, the creature once again dashed towards the hole. Nearly missing my window, I tugged hard on the rope and triggered the trap just in time to envelop the beast with a net, springing from the ground, hoisting it up about a metre from the ground. 

It worked!

By how easily it was hoisted, it seems it was also lighter than it looked. 

Watching the Kryptid flailing about in the net, I wasted no time and climbed down from my perch, making my way closer for a cleaner shot. I heard that the more intact the body is, the more it’ll sell for, so making a single bullet hole in its brain will surely allow me to sell it for the most profit. As I made my way closer, I made sure to load my rifle with the strongest ammunition I had bought from the merchant. Imagine all the things I could do with the bounty! I can finally find a better place to stay now, I’ve always hated how much the floor creaked at my current apartment. I could also go to that fancy restaurant I’ve always wanted. Of course, I’ll have to reinvest some of the money to get better equi—

No… please no.



It felt very sudden and very violent. As if my gut had been yanked across my body, there was this warm and throbbing sensation; I felt the warmth trickling out of me, onto my shirt, my hands, and the ground beneath me. I looked down and saw a slim chitinous claw extending from the beast and through my abdomen. It had managed to rip through the net. Every breath felt like needles puncturing my lungs, and for every one I took, the next felt shorter and shorter. My legs gave way as my vision began to blur and the sounds of the trees and the monster before me began to fade. I tried to grab onto the claw, hoping to somehow remedy this by trying to take it out. But as my hands weakly held onto it, the beast retracted it, and thrusted it unto me once more, and then once more. Again, and again. Even as I collapsed, the beast was unrelenting in its assault. Surprisingly, after a while, I barely felt anything anymore, much less its claw. The last thing I saw before my sight gave way was the rifle I had, or at least the shape of it. For some reason, I was compelled to reach for it. It felt cold, as lifeless as I am. At that moment, the only thing I felt was a profound hollowness; I felt spent and tired, so very tired…