Following these noises is kind of fun. I listen closely and try my best to guess what is happening. The screeching tires probably means they are going really fast around corners. The Roaring and scraping noises from behind them is most likely a large animal with claws. I can't think of anything that is that large with claws. I need to be able to see them. I start running, trying to get closer to my moving targets. They are too fast. I go faster.

My backpack full of toys makes clanging noises every time my foot lands on the ground. I begin making uneven steps. Clank. CLANG. clink clink. Clank. *giggle * I continue my musical run, getting closer and closer to the screeching vehicle and it's roaring companion.

When I get within two buildings from them, something odd happens. The screeching vehicle turns another corner, this time heading away from my direction. But just as the roaring creature is about to turn, it suddenly stops roaring and slams into the corner of the building. Cheers erupt from the occupants of the screeching vehicle. The creature gets up and continues running in the same direction as the vehicle. The sound of its running has changed. It is much faster, but it also sounds uneven, as if it is limping. It quickly catches up and begins to pass the vehicle it had previously been chasing. Then loud banging noises start.

I quickly make my way to the street they are on, for a better look. They are now almost five buildings away from me. There is a large white, boxy truck with what appear to be humans holding a variety of guns. Beside them to the left, is the creature. Its muscular reddish tan body is as large as the truck. Its side that faces the truck is streaming red blood. The gunmen shoot it again and it stumbles. I speed up so I can get a better look. The creature lets out defiant roar and increases it's speed again. This time it manages to get half its length ahead of the truck. The white truck swerves and slams into its back leg, crushing it. The creatures body bounces off the front of the truck, caving it in. The white truck spins out of control and flips once before landing on it's side. This is all very exciting. It's making my heart beat really fast.

I move closer at a slower pace now. The creature and truck are now less then three buildings away. The creature is lying on its side. Now that I am closer, I can get a better look at it. It has two large twisted horns. They are a dark reddish brown. Its face, shoulders and the front of its legs and chest are all plated with the same material as its horns. It's back legs are thicker then its front pair. Its four clawed feet look like they could probably grab and crush things the size of my body. Its claws are slightly darker then its horns, and are longer then my arm.

The horned creature whimpers and weakly growls. It tries to stand, but both of the legs on the right side of its body are crippled. I look toward the crashed truck. All for of the human men have made it out of the crash. One is holding is right arm and leaning against one of his companions. They all hobble off toward a side street as fast as they can.

A little less then a minute later, I make it to the creature. It is breathing heavily, lying in a very large puddle of its own blood. Its orange, slit eyes look around wildly. As I step closer, it lets out a desperate cry and tries to claw its way along the ground. Its breathing becomes even more haggard and its body shakes violently. It makes one last whimper and goes silent. It stops moving. It is dead.

For some reason, its reaction made it seam like it was running away from me. That makes no sense. I'm smaller then its forearm. Putting thoughts of the monster aside, I listen for the humans. They haven't made it very far. I can hear them whispering and shuffling their feat just around the corner to my right. I make my way to the corner building and peak around it.

The humans are at a gas station one is cleaning the font seat of a black truck with a crew cab. The injured one is sitting in it's back seat. One of them is inside the little gas station store making a huge ruckus. The last is standing out closer to the road with his gun at the ready.

The man holding the gun looks back toward the others. “Hurry the hell up!”

The cleaning man doesn't even look up. “I'm not sitting on a bloody seat.”

Deciding it's as good a time as any, I step out from the corner into view, a friendly smile on my face. “Hello.”

The men whip around, both pointing their guns at me. The man standing guard is the first to speak. “What the hell? Is that a kid?” He relaxes his weapon but keeps it pointed at me.

The wounded man yells out from the back of the truck, “There's no way a kid that young could have survived by himself! It's got to be one of those monsters that look human! Look at it! It's covered in mud and smiling! It's creepy as Fuck!”

The man by the road looks unsure. The cleaner man speaks his doubts as well, “We haven't seen whatever creature killed everything around here. For all we know it was this kid.”

The man by the road doesn't look convened. He looks back at me. “Kid can you prove you're human?”

I give at him with a confused look. Why do I need to be human? I mean I look human, but what difference does being human make?

Just then the man who was in the store comes out with a stack of boxes and puts them in the back of the truck. He looks over toward me, and takes out his gun. “What the hell are you guys doing? Shoot it.”

The guy in the front lifts his hand. “Wait! He spoke when he first appeared. It might just be a kid.” He lowers his gun. “Kid, what's your name?”

I smile at him. “I am Rain.”

He lets out a sigh of relief. The box man comes up behind the man by the road, still pointing his gun at me. “Jim, I'm telling you that thing ain't human.”

The man named Jim gives him a dirty look. “It's just a scared kid.” He turns toward me. “Tell this idiot you are human.” he points his finger at the idiot.

The idiot and I speak at almost the same time. “That won't prove...” “I'm not human.”

They both look at me eyes wide and faces paling. The man by the road looks scared “Wha...”

BANGBANGBANG! The Idiot shot me it the chest, and I fall back from the impact.

I could hear them yelling and doors of the truck slamming, but it was hard to focus. It HURTS!!! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! My hands are on my chest I roll on the ground. More shots come, followed by more pain. The weals of the truck screech as they pull out onto the road and speed down the street.

Tears flow down my cheeks and warm blood flows over my hands. Stop! Stop the pain!Slowly the pain starts to go away, until I can't feel anything at all. I sit up. The pain is gone, but I can't feel anything else either. I look down at my chest where the blood is still flowing out. I stop the bleeding with a thought. Then I fix the holes that went all the way through my body. Then carefully, slowly, I allow myself to feel again. I sigh. The pain is gone.

I look down at my clothes. They are caked in mud and blood. They also have holes in both the front and back. I stand up and something falls to the ground. I look down at the small metal car that landed just behind me. It looks just like one of the ones I have in my backpack... Fear. Fear and panic are the only way to describe what I feel right now.

I quickly take off my backpack and examine it. It has holes in it. Five holes. Three are bloody. Those are the ones from the bullets that went through my chest. There are two larger holes. One is in the bottom, probably the one my toy car fell out of. The other is at the top where a bullet exited.

I unzip my bag and carefully take out my toys. Three of the toy soldiers are in pieces and the squishy ball has a hole through it. Most of the other toys seem fine, however the xylophone has tree bullets stuck in its keys. I remove the bullets and put everything back into the backpack. I put the teddy on the bottom so that the smaller toys don't fall out of the hole. I will keep an eye out for a new backpack.

I make my way back along the quiet streets. When I make it back to where I had started my chase, I stop and listen to the silence around me. Nothing. I was about to continue on my way, but I stop. I hear whimpering and sniffing coming from the same apartment building I had heard it in before. I feel hesitant. The noise I had followed before had led to pain. I focus my hearing outward again. The silence makes me wonder if there is something wrong with my hearing.

I decide it would be best to follow the noise again. Although last time had been painful, it had also been fun. I will just be careful not to get to close to humans or try to talk to them. I make my way toward the apartment building and the sound of something crying. Maybe I will find a new Backpack in there.