Rounding a tree, she came face to face with a scene from hell and what must be an escaped beast from its bowels. A huge,
hulking creature stood over the mangled and torn remains of several villagers. Its skin was dark green, knotted with strange configurations
of flesh on its skin, as if its muscles fought for dominance and pushed upward into the flesh from beneath. A weepy wetness made the skin
shiny and oily. It reeked of slaughtering pens where the leavings had rotted for a day in the hot air.
The thing screeched in agony, plunged to its knees with a crash and lifted its tortured eyes to hers with a pitiful
expression, if it were possible with such a beast. A quiver of responding pity flashed through her, and horrified at her reaction,
Azra took a step backward. The monster thrust his arms forward and cried out.
"No!" She shouted silently, then screamed "no" aloud. "It can't be," she screamed at the
thing. How could it cry out "mommy" in an inhuman voice, yet still have a twinge of her son's tone, and cause such a surge of
motherly instinct within her breast.
Sure she'd truly slipped into hell itself, Azra took back the step forfeited, then another. The large misshapen head
was level with hers as it kneeled and she had a clear, earth-shaking view of its eyes. Red demon eyes! Rage, fear, sadness and anguish
all mingled together in their depths.
"Bretuck?" She whispered.
