"Come out, big boy,"
Rhian muttered, crouched behind a thick bush near the base of a large tree. His voice was calm, but focused.
He looked sixteen. His clothes were simple, black pants, a faded blue shirt, and worn shoes stained with mud.
A single black glove wrapped his left hand, looking newer than anything else he wore.
In his right, he held a weapon built from scrap. The handle was wrapped in old tape, the edges welded together from broken metal parts.
He stayed low, shifting his weight slowly to avoid crunching the leaves beneath him.
A few birds moved in the canopy above, but none sang. The wind barely touched the leaves.
He didn't blink much. His green eyes stayed locked on the space ahead, just beyond the trees where a pale green portal floated a few feet off the ground. It shimmered softly, pulsing like it was alive.
He'd been watching it for a while. Maybe an hour, despite that there had been no movement.
But that was exactly the point.
Unchecked portals leaked. Small ones like this didn't always cause immediate damage, but over time, they let things through.
Small things at first. Then worse. The kind beasts that nested, spread, and turned quiet places into kill zones.
So Rhian waited.
His grip tightened when the portal's surface rippled.
The green shimmer twisted, then cracked at the edges. Something was pushing through.
A moment later, it arrived.
The rat was the size of a boar. Its fur was patchy and damp, twitching in places like it was crawling with worms.
Its head was wide and flat, and where eyes should've been, there was only flesh. Its back pulsed as it moved, glowing faintly.
A Hollow Rat.
He waited, eyes locked on the mutated rat, a crooked grin spreading across his face. His thoughts, however, were less composed.
'Yes... move. Yeah.'
Rhian grinned like a creep, crouched in the bush, weapon still in hand.
He wanted it to wander away from the portal, just far enough that when he sprinted, it wouldn't make it back in time.
These things relied on sound and smell, not sight. If it sensed him too soon, it would bolt and disappear into that swirling green mess. He needed space to close the gap.
But then, something dropped in front of him.
A bird.
It landed just ahead on a low branch and chirped.
CHIRP!!! CHIRP!! CHIRP!!!
Loud.
Rhian flinched, eyes darting to the rat. It twitched, nose rising. His jaw tightened. In his head, he screamed, 'Shut up. Shut up. Shut the hell up.'
The rat sniffed the air but didn't retreat. Relief settled, briefly.
Another bird landed.
Right next to the first.
The two birds puffed their feathers and started hopping at each other, chirping like it was a damn concert.
'No, no—fuck off! Don't fight now!'
Their wings flapped. Dirt kicked up. Leaves shook.
CHIRP!! CHIRPPPPP!!!
The rat froze.
Rhian's stomach sank.
He waited, trying to be patient. The rat had moved, just a little, but not enough. It lingered too close to the portal, sniffing the air with those twitchy nostrils. Rhian kept low, still hoping for a few more steps.
But the two birds wouldn't shut up.
He watched the rat begin to shift back, a slow retreat. That was enough.
Rhian abandoned the plan.
He shot out of the bush, boots pounding against the dirt. "Fucking birds!" he yelled, trying to stomp one mid-run. They darted up and away, and in their panic, they kicked off a chain reaction.
Dozens more birds erupted from the trees. Flapping wings. Loud screeches. A cloud of feathers and movement exploded into the sky.
The Hollow Rat twitched, frozen in place.
Rhian didn't care. He ran straight toward it, feet kicking up dirt behind him. His face was twisted in frustration, mouth clenched, eyes wide. He wasn't thinking strategy anymore. He was thinking murder.
Of the rat.
And of those goddamn birds.
As he got closer, his grin widened. The rat had finally sensed him and started to bolt, but he already knew once it ran, he wouldn't be able to catch up. So, he committed.
He dove forward, arms stretched, fingers reaching for the thick tail.
The rat squealed. Loud, wet, and sharp.
"SKREEEEEE!"
Rhian hit the ground hard, shoulder-first. Dirt and loose leaves scattered under his weight. The rat's momentum dragged him across the floor, his chest scraping against roots and rocks.
He held on, glove gripping tight, though he could feel it slipping. His other hand reached for his makeshift blade, rough metal edges ready.
The rat kicked wildly. One of its back claws caught him across the cheek. The cut opened fast, and blood trickled down, warm and sharp.
He didn't react much.
But it pissed him off.
'Fine,' he thought, 'a scratch for a tail.'
Still being dragged, he raised the blade, waited until the tail slipped just a little more in his grip, then he swung.
The blade cut through the thick top layer of the tail. Another high-pitched shriek tore out from the creature as the tail piece came loose. Its body jerked forward and vanished into the portal.
Rhian slammed his fist into the dirt, cursing under his breath.
"Third one this week…"
He sat up slowly, staring at the severed chunk of tail in his hand. It was twitching, steaming slightly from the inside. Not enough to do anything with. Just a scrap.
He frowned and tossed it aside, disappointed.
Without looking back, he walked away, leaving the forest behind.
As he moved, the trees thinned out, giving way to old machines and scrap metal welded into fences.
It wasn't much, just a barrier built from whatever people could find.
But out here, on the outskirts of the city, there weren't many choices. The fence was meant to keep out the monsters from the portals and anything else that wandered through the woods.
He stepped through a gap in the metal.
Inside, the world changed. A small community sat just beyond the fence, simple homes, narrow paths, and the sound of life. Kids ran barefoot across the dusty ground, laughing and shouting.
"Look! It's Rhian!"
"Rhian!"
"Rhian!"
"Did you get the monster?"
"Rhian is the best!"
He scratched the back of his hand, clearly embarrassed. Their voices were loud, full of excitement. He didn't know how to respond, so he just kept walking, nodding here and there.
As he moved deeper into the community, he greeted a few elders and neighbors with quiet respect.
They gave him tired smiles, a few nods, some with pats on the shoulder. It was normal to them now, coming back from the woods, scratched and bruised.
The boy was weird, so it was just another day.