STRONGLY advised.


    He is wearing a fisherman''s attire, consisting of a long sleeved dark coat, worn down overalls and muddied boots.


    Victoria sees everyone''s exhaustion and yells, “Our efforts are futile. I will run and retrieve a horse. We can attempt to drag him out of the village!” Jacop responds to her, “Quickly go! Get two if Pepijn can be found there. We need more men!”


    Victoria is sprinting through the Village. Down the roads and around corners. When she reaches the stables she finds Pepijn Inside. Wasting no time she moves frantically void of hesitation in her movement as she prepares a horse for her to take. All the while she is yelling at Pepijn in Dutch explaining for him to follow her with rope and a horse. Victoria makes a lasso of their ropes to which then they mount their horses and leave the stables together, riding through the Village.


    Luarens’s muscles burn and have grown fatigued. He jabs with his pitchfork twice winding up to jab again. The monster grabs the handle of the pitchfork, pulling Laurens in. Everyone breaks away as the monster hits Luarens. He is hit with such power and force it lifts him off his feet and he crashes into Geertrudia. Her head hits the ground with a bounce leaving her unconscious.


    Kasper hears horses. He turns. Only for a second. Two riders barely visible. Victoria and Pepijn. The galloping is relieving. Reinforcements have arrived. He turns back and the monster’s hands grab him. The monster’s hands lift him. All yell furiously in protest but it is pointless. The monster folds him in half… and it folds him again. Dropping his quiet dead body at its feet with a dull thud adding punctuation to the creature’s discard of Kasper, effortless and unwarranted of notice as if it were simply dropping a small stone. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Victoria screams like she’s tearing her vocal cords, “No!” Pepijn’s horse wont go any further as he pulls back on the reigns. Victoria continues forward with vigor and lassos a rope around the monster’s neck. She jumps off her horse. Aggressively smacking its hide. The horse cuts through the night as it runs into the fields. The monster is violently toppled, pulled off of its feet. But using only its hands it quickly tears the rope off of its neck. It stands as lightning strikes.


    “Impossible!” Jacop exclaims angered. Pepijn dismounts from his horse on the other side of the well. He tosses a bundle of ropes over to Jacop before throwing his rope in a lasso to ensnare the creature’s arm. Jacop quickly throws his rope to lasso its neck.


    Temperatures only get lower and the dry air makes Jacop and Pepijn’s hands drier. They pull on the ropes with what might they still have in their bodies. It makes the skin beside their fingernails crack and bleed. Ignaas joins Pepijn. Grabbing hold of the rope he helps him pull. But he becomes dismal with the awareness that three men are no match against this creature.


    After Ignaas hits the ground Jacop stammers over with a frustrated clumsiness to help him come to his feet. Ignaas could see the monster there, behind Jacop rising to its full stature. Ignaas, feeling exhausted, reasons with himself that there was never going to be an opportunity where he was faster, or stronger than this creature. It was never far behind and it was frightening to feel that the greatest desideratum of the monster is to have utter decimation pass through its hands.


    The men see with a hopelessness the speed in which it runs toward them. Their guts liquefy and their eyes buldge as the monster’s terror stampedes at them.


    A lasso grips the monster’s ankle.  Victoria sends Pepijn’s horse running off with the rope tied to its saddle. Again the monster’s feet are pulled out from underneath it. It’s body is dragged violently. As the monster passes Victoria she raises her axe above her head and with the same fury as lightning she swings down. Her axe hits the side of its face barely causing injury.


    Geertrudia opens her eyes to see Victoria cut at the monster as it is dragged away. Jacop grabs Geertrudia by her arms and brings her to her feet. He pleas with her to run, “Run. Running is the only way to survive.”


    THANK YOU FOR READING!


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