Nigel Reedus watched with apathy as the Imbibe ripped the teenager to shreds. Three-inch talons tore through bicep muscle as if it were made of paper. Fingers dug into the soft tissue of the abdominal wall and sharp piranha-like teeth sliced a neck column clean through the bone.
Nigel had told Andrew this would happen. His lips pulled back into a sneer. He could have saved him. He’d seen the end result from the moment the idiot had started in on it. But, when you’re that stupid, it was best you died before you could contaminate the gene pool.
At least the damn thing seemed content to sit there and strip the flesh off the bones of its new meal. For a baby, it was rather large. Between the size of a dog and an adult human male. Had two sets of arms, curled ram horns, and large cougar shaped hindquarters. With bright yellow and orange markings from the points of its horns to the tip of its tail.
The trained hunters kept formation around the monster. Weapons at the ready, waiting for orders. Next to him, Andrew sighed. Rubbed at the bridge of his nose and ran a hand through his thick blonde curls in frustration.
He and Andrew looked like brothers. More so than either of them ever would with their own actual brothers. Same tall, lean build. Same lightly freckled sun-kissed skin. Same thick, gold-streaked, coffee-colored hair. Though, unlike Andrew’s mop top, his was stick straight. Even had the same pattern of stubble across the face.
Andrew made this soft little-hummed whimper sound and Nigel rolled his eyes. He loved the man, but he needed to stop comparing the brilliance that was his own son to every damn kid out there. Chase would have never underestimated an Imbibe, no matter how young.
He stood up in his seat. “Hey! No one follow it too close. I want a good trail in case we lose it,” Nigel called to the group. Watching as they shouldered and pocketed their weapons. The Imbibe turned to him with a tilted head. He smirked at it. And put a bullet through each of its back legs.
It let out an ear piercing shriek, staggered back, dropped the mangled human corpse, and bolted.
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