Branches and trees rushed by as Elodie made a desperate attempt at escape. Though it had no eyes, the cybernetic creature swerved its head slowly, watching the receding silhouette of the fleeing girl, scanning her movements. A metallic rattle rose from the creatures limbs as they shuttered and twitched. Reeling back for a moment, the creature let out another blood curdling shriek which pierced the forest. With the agility of a velociraptor, the monster leapt out of the crater, shooting through the air and landing with a heavy thud several yards outside of it. Blades and guns whipped through the air in a frenzy as the creature threw itself forward, clearing yards with each massive gate of its reptilian like legs.
A chill nagged at the back of Elodie's spine. Sensations prey felt when a predator is nipping at their heels. She could feel the tremble of the ground grow fiercer behind her with each encroaching step the horror took. An impending feeling of being captured or ran through tugged at her, instincts screaming for her to run faster. The looming threat of a vicious death grew closer, accompanied by increasingly loud and otherworldly shrieks and screeches. Then she lost it. Her balance faltered, and gravity quickly claimed her, pulling the frightened young woman to the ground. She could see the hulking figure of the monstrosity rapidly approaching from the darkness.
Splinters of wood and bark scattered into the air as one of the horrors limbs smashed through the gnarled trunk of a weathered tree in its path, toppling it from the center and sending it crashing to the ground. Nearly on top of her now, Elodie could see clearly the malefic form of the alien entity, fangs and blades reaching out to embrace her. Her fear and the heavy footsteps masked the feeling of the earth crumbling below her. Instead of a series of rending slashes and stabbing pains, Elodie felt herself falling. Tumbling in fact as she hurtled backwards down a steep slope of gravel and loose dirt. The world spun around the woman, shadows and leaves dancing around her, gravity pulling her down through shrubs and around tree trunks. Pain, sharp and throbbing, stung Elodie's right hand as her palm snagged on the jagged edge of a large stone.
Finally, the ground started to level out, and Elodie's rapid descent began to lose steam. Fallen autumn leaves crinkled and hissed beneath her as she slowly slid to a halt. Scraped, scratched, and bruised, Elodie was surprisingly no worse for ware, save for the inch long gash leaking warm crimson fluid from the center of her hand. She could feel the cool damp earth staining her clothes with wet spots. As the noises that came with tumbling down a hill settled, the gentle babbling of a near by creak came to light, gurgling silently as it ran over her hands and into a divot at the foot of the hill just before her. As her vision came back to her, Elodie could see she had not just fallen down a slope, but into the scarred earth of another crater.
Sitting silently at the heart of the large indentation was a strange object. It was oval and chrome, subtly refracting the rising moons light with a metallic sheen. Its surface was flush, patterned by crevices which appeared to form plates along its entirety. It was no bigger than a toddlers carriage, and tilted slightly on axis with the broken ground below it. A few drops of water beaded across its lower half as water from the creek gently washed along its bottom. Subtle heat wafted off the object, having been rapidly cooled by the water. It was just cool enough to touch but warm enough the emanate a thin veil of steam.
