Artemis

In the dark forest at night, Hunter was by himself. He and his dad were on a camping trip, and Hunter was hating every second of it. Not that Hunter had an issue with camping itself. Usually he looked forward to the annual trips, but this was the summer where he hit puberty and discovered new things about his body.

It’s not like Hunter could have explained to his dad why he didn’t want to go, so he begrudgingly left home, telling himself he would wait to do that when he got back. He tried to fall asleep in the tent, but it turned out he couldn’t wait. Grabbing the toilet paper, he had snuck out and decided that if his father asked, he’d tell him he needed to “go to the bathroom.”

As he walked farther away from the tent, he felt ridiculous and embarrassed about what he was going to do. Hunter, like many kids his age, wondered if his thoughts and actions were normal, or just a result of a sick, twisted mind. A part of him said that he should just walk back and try to ignore his new feelings, but the opportunity for pleasure overpowered his reason. He continued his trek.

Hunter heard a stream ahead of him. He followed the sound of the water and was amazed by what he saw. Beyond the trees, there was a waterfall and a small stream under it. The light from the full moon- which Hunter didn’t know would be out tonight- shined on the water and rocks, and gave them a gemlike quality. But Hunter only noticed these things in passing because his attention was completely on the nude woman who stood in the stream.

In his hiding space behind the trees and bushes, Hunter could see the woman in great detail. She had short black hair and pale skin that only looked whiter in the moonlight. Without her clothes, Hunter could see the impressive muscles of the woman, and the red paint that was splattered all over her body. The woman was here to bathe herself and wash away the paint.

Hunter knew that he should have ran away as soon as he saw the woman, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away. Remembering what he had in his hand and why he had gone out in the first place, an idea popped into his head. 

No! he thought, hating himself for just thinking it. I can’t do that here! What if she catches me? Even if she doesn’t, it’s still wrong!

He told himself to turn away, or to at least close his eyes, but he couldn’t do either. His face felt glued in place, and he didn’t remember if he’d blinked since he had seen her. Hunter briefly wondered if he actually was sleeping in the tent, and this was a dream that came into fruition through his hormonal fantasies. If it was a dream, it explained why it was so difficult to move his sluggish body, and why it felt like he was looking from far away even though he was right there.

Hunter’s speculation over whether he was really experiencing this ended when the woman turned around and looked directly at him.

As he suspected, the woman was gorgeous, even with the red paint that stained her mouth. But this pleasant discovery was quickly forgotten when he saw the woman’s expression change into pure disgust. All the excitement Hunter had felt from the forbidden spectacle evaporated, the fog in his mind clearing as it did. He was full of so much shame that he couldn’t even find the energy to run or hide himself. Instead, he bowed his head and stared at the ground, waiting for the woman’s fury.

What happened next Hunter didn’t expect. There was a scream- no, a screech- that came from the woman but hardly sounded human. Hunter dropped the toilet paper in his hand and covered his ears to block the sound out, but it was useless. The woman’s screech was so loud that it muffled the sounds of the flowing water that had led him here. As the woman continued, her face twisted- but didn't exactly morph- into a ugly and monstrous shape Hunter didn’t know any person was capable of. 

To his enormous relief, the screeching died away and he could hear the stream again.

The calm didn’t last long. Hunter heard the sounds of barking in the distance, which kept getting louder and louder. Whatever was coming was going to get there quickly. The woman smiled at Hunter, and he sensed that he was in danger. Regaining control over his body, Hunter ran from the woman and the barking of the hounds.

He sprinted across the forest and saw his short life flash before his eyes. All of those camping trips he went with his father, and how he would call fishing boring, even though he secretly found it relaxing. Christmas presents with his family, and that way the faces of his parents would light up after they opened his gifts he had bought with their money. Sleepovers with his friends where they would watch movies and play video games all night, not caring how tired they would be the day after. It was then that he realized he didn’t really want to grow up yet.

No matter how hard he ran, there was never enough distance between him and the hounds. He imagined the drool that slobbered out of their disgusting mouths, and how their slimy spit would feel once their teeth had pierced his skin. He ran faster, but he could feel the huge hounds catching up to him.

Hunter screamed in pain and fell on the forest floor. One of the hounds had reached him and bit his leg. Hunter tried in vain to crawl away, but the hound bit down even harder, causing him to yelp. 

“Dad!” Hunter yelled desperately. “Dad!”

Hunter heard the pact surround him. He watched the horrible creatures, just as big and feral as he imagined them. One of the hounds got so close to his face that Hunter could smell the beast’s breath. It smelled like death.

Someone behind him spoke in a language Hunter didn’t understand. Immediately, the hound in front of him backed away, giving room to the stranger to step in front of him. It was the lady.

From up close, Hunter noticed for the first time that the woman was much hairier compared to the ones he’d seen online. He also noticed that her hair was eerily similar to the fur on her hounds. 

As he lied there and watched the terrifying and beautiful woman standing over him, he inwardly hoped that she would be merciful and forgive him for what he did, and take him to the hospital and return him to his father so they could finish their camping trip like they intended. But fear crept into him when he saw the hunger in her eyes.

The red stain on her lips wasn’t paint.