Zachery was in his bed, sleeping. Sleeping and dreaming. Dreaming of the past. “Is Ghor truly gone?” he thought to himself. He had asked that question multiple times now, and it kept on spinning around his brain. But what if there was something else? Something lurking amongst them? A new threat?


It was morning. The sun was glowing bright orange and was rising at a fast rate. Zachery woke up to find his dad gone. He then realized that Mr. Hatchet was probably gathering firewood or hunting breakfast. Zachery got dressed and did all the morning chores. Now, Zachery would normally still be recovering from the wound that Ghor gave to him 4 months earlier, but since the mysterious man had given him the “cure”, Zachery was perfectly fine. After the morning chores were finished, Zachery took his rifle and started searching for his dad. He took the path that led to a waterfall 1 mile away from the cabin, which was where Mr. Hatchet did most of his hunting. It was beautiful. The water gushed out of a cavern above the small pool. It was a little while until he noticed another trail he’d never seen before leading to the opposite side of the waterfall.
“Maybe dad decided to try something new”, Zachery thought. As he walked the trail, there was a rustling of bushes behind him. A small figure crawled out of the bush and, quietly, followed Zachery.


The trail led to an abandoned mineshaft which seemed to have been in the area for at least 20 years.
“Who would live here?” Zachery mumbled. Zachery was tempted to investigate, but right at that moment, Mr. Hatchet walked in from behind some bushes. He seemed to be giving Zachery the “evil eye” as he walked toward his son.
“What in tarnation are you doing here!?!” he screamed, “Why on earth are you out here alone!?!”
“I was only going to explore this shaft dad!” Zachery explained. Mr. Hatchet took one look at the old shaft.
“Stay away from this place Zachery.” Mr. Hatchet replied. “It’s dangerous.”
“How would you know!?!” Zachery yelled. “You haven’t even gone inside!!” Mr. Hatchet ignored his son and walked toward the cabin.
“Come with me, now.” he said sharply. Though he was not happy, Zachery obeyed. At that moment, a strange figure slunked behind some bushes and disappeared.


Zachery knew that the shaft was dangerous, but what could be inside? Mr. Hatchet had sent him up to his room right after supper, following the events that took place earlier that morning. It was okay, because Zachery planned to sneak out, to see what was hidden in the shaft. Shortly after dinner, Mr. Hatchet went to sleep. Zachery couldn’t go out the front or back doors, because his dad had locked them, and Zachery didn't have a key!
“Rats!” Zachery said. “Looks like I’m taking the window.” He snuck out very quietly, and dropped to the ground. He then started running as fast as he could to get to the shaft. Thankfully, he had remembered his lantern, but the light was dim and it was still very dark. Zachery was still worried about another one of those creatures being out there, even though he was sure that Ghor was dead. He kept on going. When Zachery reached the shaft, the only light was from his lantern and the full moon, which was glistening a orange-red color. He ventured inside and slowly tiptoed across the muddy ground. The smell was rotten, it smelled like death. Zachery saw shovels, drills and old miner helmets. Each of the helmets were gouged with what looked like claw marks, and there was an odd reddish color on them. Not only that, but Zachery also saw cages, cages filled with animal skeletons. He was about to investigate when, suddenly, an arm grabbed his shoulder. Zachery spun around in surprise to face a young Indian. He just stared at Zachery with cold, black eyes. Suddenly, something stirred behind both of them. “What was that?” Zachery whispered. The Indian thought for a minute, then replied.
“….Uta-demo-so…” he whispered.
“Wha-” Zachery said as the Indian pulled him down. A large bulk flung itself into the air and flew over the two of them. It crash-landed just a few feet away from them and slowly rose. Zachery raised his lantern to identify what had tried to attack them, and he recognized a small hole in it’s shoulder. The same hole that Mr. Hatchet made with his rifle 4 months earlier.
“It cant be…” Zachery started. His nightmare was right in front of him. Ghor had survived the bullet from Mr. Hatchet and had fled into the forest to recover from his wound. Ghor also recognized Zachery, and aggressively blocked the entrance. It was a trap.
“How do we get out of here?” Zachery asked the Indian. The Indian said nothing, and instead, pulled out a bow & arrow and aimed at Ghor.


As the Indian released the arrow, it swiftly flew through the air like a missile. It hit Ghor in the chest, and as he screamed in agony, Zachery and the Indian escaped.
“Good thinking back there!” Zachery said. Ghor violently pulled the arrow out of his chest and pursued the two of them. Zachery and the Indian ran as fast as they could, and they managed to lose Ghor. They stopped to rest by a nearby tree, and they could still here the snapping of twigs and branches and the howling of Ghor close by. “Who are you?” Zachery demanded Indian.
The Indian replied, “My name is Budak.“ Zachery’s mind was spinning wildly.
“Why did you sneak up on me like that, huh?” he said.
“That was the lair of the Uta-demo-so” Budak replied. “It’s lived among my people for years.” Zachery was confused about all these events.
“Have you been watching me all this time?” Zachery asked sharply. “Yes” Budak said. “Four months in fact” he said. “I was wanting to know what you were doing in this forbidden place with that monstrous creature roaming around.”
“Do you know where it came from?” Zachery asked.
“No one knows” Budak replied. “One night, we heard awful screaming coming from the other side of the mountain, and ever since, we've encountered that THING over and over again.” The noises were getting louder as if it was right in front of them. But then it stopped. Silence. Erie silence. Budak and Zachery were nervous. They listened closely and eventually thought their ordeal was over.
“I must return to my tribe.” Budak said.
“Ok, by Bud-” Zachery started as Budak swiftly sprinted the other direction. He was only visible for a few more seconds until he disappeared. Zachery immediately spun around and ran as fast as he could! He couldn’t wait any longer! “What was that all about?” he asked himself. “Why are these strange things happening?!?” Suddenly, he stopped. “Of course!” he thought. “It must have something to do with the old man!” “Why else would he act so secretly!”


Zachery changed direction and ran toward the old man’s cabin, hoping he would be there. Luckily, he saw a line of smoke just above some bushes in front of him. The old mysterious man was cooking a hog, and was surprised to see Zachery rush out of the bushes. “WHY ARE THESE THINGS HAPPENING!??!” he demanded. “WHY HAVE YOU BEEN KEEPING THESE THINGS FROM ME??!!” The old man seemed astonished by Zachery’s behavior, and slowly stood up.
“You want to know why?” he asked. “You want to know WHY??” He furiously grabbed two logs and chucked them into the fire. “It all started 20 years ago…” he began. “…..I was hiking in these very woods when I noticed dozens of people placing cages filled with animals into a mining shaft. They were also loading a cargo of chemicals into the shaft. I spied on them for several days until the night I heard screams and cries for help. I ventured into the forest to follow the sounds, and when I got there, there was a massive creature lurking toward me. It attempted to kill me as it swung it’s arm and cut me in the chest. I escaped and was forced to find my own medicine to heal the wound. When I recovered, I went back to my home to find my family dead. The creature had ambushed my loved ones and had killed them…..it was then I began searching for the opportunity to kill the creature.” Zachery couldn’t believe what he just heard. Finally, after 4 months of waiting, more pieces of the story were revealed.


This however was not enough to convince Zachery of Ghor’s existence. “What do the Indians have to do with this?” he asked. The old man did not answer that question, and instead lifted another log into the fire. “That’s it!” Zachery furiously yelled. “I’m leaving this retched place and going back to California!” he was about to leave when the old man cut him off. “You cant leave..” he said. “…You are submerged in a place you cannot free yourself from. Either way, Ghor will still kill you.” Zachery ignored these words and ran back to the cabin. The snapping of twigs and branches started again, only to increase Zachery’s fear. He climbed in the window and carefully shut it, but he found his dad waiting in his bedroom. “I-I came to apologize for my overprotective behavior…” he said. “But it seems like you’ve had enough of me for one day.” Mr. Hatchet was even angrier than he was this morning. Zachery was frightened, his dad’s anger almost made him forget about Ghor and the old man. Zachery tried to apologize and explain to his dad why he snuck out, but his efforts were hopeless. After Mr. Hatchet slammed the door shut and proceeded to his room, Zachery plopped in his bed, worried. “Like father like son” he murmured to himself.


The next morning, Zachery found himself walking with his dad in the woods. “I thought you would like to have a little stroll in the forest before breakfast,” Mr. Hatchet said. “I wanted to accept your apology from last night.” Zachery was baffled by this, because Mr. Hatchet had never ever accepted apologies before. He was quite a serious man. He would just ignore Zachery, but Zachery knew that deep down, his father listened. All was well until the two of them encountered an Indian. Zachery and Mr. Hatchet stopped in their tracks and stared at the man, who had colorful markings on his face. The Indian suddenly took off, and Mr. Hatchet gave chase. “Hey!” Mr. Hatchet yelled. “Come back!” The Indian ran and ran, but every time he would increase in speed, Mr. Hatchet would catch up. Zachery too was pursuing the two of them, but not because he wanted to stop the chase, two taller Indians were sprinting after Zachery! Zachery’s heart pounded with fear as he took each step, until he finally tripped and fell in the bushes. Mr. Hatchet also had tripped and fallen, and they each blacked out. It was an ambush…..


Zachery woke up to find himself tied up in a wooden pole. His father, too, was tied up.
“Are you okay?” Mr. Hatchet asked Zachery.
“I’m fine. I just got a little scratch from my fall earlier.” At that moment, an Indian entered the hut. Another Indian followed. Then another. Soon, the entire hut was filled with Indians. When the final one entered, Zachery could tell it was the chief. There was a beautiful colored necklace he wore, along with a hat that had eagle feathers on it. There were paintings on his cheeks, palms, and torso, each in the form of a wolf-like creature. Zachery assumed the paintings were supposed to be of Ghor, and he remembered when the old man had been carving the same shape out of a block of wood 4 months earlier. The chief raised his hand toward the two captives.
“Greetings.” he said. “I am the chief of the Tak tribe.” He then looked at Zachery as if he knew who he was. He turned around and signaled the others of the tribe. “Do not fear. These are our allies, not our enemies.” The Indians’ began yelling wildly and agreeing with the chief, as they began untying Zachery and his father. Then the chief spoke up once more. “Sorry for that misunderstanding earlier.” he said. “we thought you were intruders.”
“I completely understand” Mr. Hatchet replied. “Surely we had ventured to far into your land.” The chief suddenly spoke up.
“You mean, IT’S land.” Zachery fell quiet. So did Mr. Hatchet. The chief proceeded to speak.
“Many years ago, there was an organization called the A.M.C. They were just like you, but devious. They captured wild animals and mutated them into horrible beasts. They even used mind controll with the creatures, however, in a freak accident, their most powerful mutation, whom they nicknamed Ghor, escaped and exterminated the organization from existence. Ever since that fateful day, that dreaded beast has assaulted our tribe and occasionally stole our livestock.” Zachery couldn’t believe his ears. More of the truth was being revealed.


“Ghor is a mutant?” Zachery asked quickly.
“Indeed.” the chief replied. “At first, we thought it was a god who came down from the heavens in beast form. But then we realized it would only attack during a full moon, a brightly colored one to be exact.
Zachery suddenly had an idea. “That’s it!” he said. The chief looked surprised. So did Mr. Hatchet.
“What’s on your mind son?” Zachery’s father asked.
“Ghor was only active when the full moon was a bright red color!” Zachery replied.
“So, what are we dealing with, a werewolf?” his father asked. Zachery could only think of the next worse thing.
“A mutant werewolf…” he said. The entire tribe grew silent as if he were on a stage. “It’s a possibility,” Zachery continued, “that the test subject may have been a human, and that he was injected with wolf DNA, or worse, werewolf DNA!”
Mr. Hatchet spoke up. “That would explain the attacks during a full moon, but he never showed up as a regular human.”
“That’s the point.” Zachery stated. “The tests may have been done during a full moon, and he was forced to retain the werewolf form forever.” the chief was astonished at Zachery’s theory.
“And your sure this is true?” the chief asked.
“Positively!” Zachery replied.
“Then its done!” the chief continued. “We shall set a trap for the beast on the night of the next full moon!” Everyone agreed on the idea. This was what Zachery and the others were waiting for. It was finally time for Ghor to receive justice!

The End