Ch.3: Thoughts of A Monster

Red eyes glowed fiercely as a hungry tongue lapped thirstily at the water, reflecting the face of the mysterious and monstrous creature that the citizens of Downunda have come to loathe and fear. A golden, metal mangle of flesh and bone, truly a freak among creation, the mutated dingo thrashed, growling and snarling, struggling to maintain some little sense of control.

Eventually, the glow of his red eyes faded, shifting to a calmer, amber hue. He sighed, relieved, for the moment, folding back his bat-like wings as he paced around to settle down on the ground.

The primal instinct to destroy was getting harder to control. He thought he had escaped to a place with few living beings, yet a whole village existed not far outside the forest, with locals that came in every so often for water and food.

He didn't really want to hurt anyone, yet his messed up mind gave him no choice. Horrific memories twirled around in a torturous mess, while a dark voice whispered out slowly seeking to regain some control.

"No!" thought the dingo in his mind. " I escaped! I can't go back! I can't!"

Horrendous images played out in his head, making the dingo scream out in agony, terrifying any creature that was close enough to hear.

"I CAN'T!"

"Help me please," the creature sobbed.

Yet, there was no one to turn to. His purpose in reality didn't exist. No one could help him.

"Who would ever care for a creature like me?"

Back in the village, as Walt prepared dinner, Vector stood alone, peering out of the window, pondering over the facts of the case they had managed to gather thus far.

Under the watchful eye of Barby and her friends, the Chaotix had spent about two hours in the forest, scrounging for any remaining clues that may have been left behind. They avoided the underground river area, knowing that the monster the others spoke of was most likely home.

Little evidence was found, but Vector did discover a poster of a missing child that set something urgent off in his brain.

A dingo child had gone missing, in a village Vector knew was not far from where they were. In fact, it was very close to the crater where Angel Island first rose.

Why was this poster sitting alone, hidden in the grass of the forest? It had to have been dropped there by someone that the creature had attacked.

Bill confirmed that the poster was a few weeks old however, having been shown around to the citizens long before the monster appeared. A number of children had gone missing, each just a few weeks apart. It had to be a coincidence that Vector had found this laying around in the forest.

Even so, Vector wasn't to keen on dismissing it. There was a connection here. The crocodile just had a hunch. And it was up to him and the Chaotix to find out what they were.