Chapter Text
Are these what I think they are? Yup, totally are, you thought to yourself. Stonefly larvae. Lots of ‘em. You stood in the middle of the small creek, clad in rubber boots and waterproof fishing overalls, a fishing net with a long handle at the ready. You nudged a small rock over, still holding onto hope that you might find just one of the little fish. Night was approaching rapidly, and while your target fish was nocturnal, you’d been warned, frankly begged, not to go out at night. You grumbled with frustration. “Come out sweet fishies. Pretty please,” you whispered to yourself.
You found yourself in rural Romania, technically on vacation, foolishly searching for a critically endangered fish after hearing a rumor from a colleague back at the university. The asprete had been flaunted as a “living fossil” by one of your professors back in your undergraduate years, and the opportunity to find one wasn’t something you could turn down. Getting to your location had been a nightmarish undertaking. Finding an airport near the reservoir, let alone transportation between the airport and tiny village, had been a royal pain. But the chance to see just one asprete was worth all of the hassle and then some.
When you had finally arrived in the village, rental car packed with your various equipment, you were relieved to find that the little bar had a spare room for you to rent. You were totally prepared to sleep in the cramped rental car, but a bed was a much more appealing option. The bar owner, a middle aged woman named Luiza, was kinda loopy, but ultimately seemed pretty sweet. She’d ranted and raved about how dangerous the woods were, told you the crows were watching, and even claimed that the reservoir housed a giant fish monster that was also a god of some sort. You’d promised to watch your back, but you were much more worried about brown bears than fish gods.
You’d grabbed your equipment and booked it to the reservoir early in the morning, not really intending to follow Luiza’s instructions to be back before nightfall. The warm evening breeze lightly rippled the water, and you startled when you saw something small swimming by your feet. “Come to mama!” You took the little thing into your net, excitedly lifting it from the shallow water, only to face disappointment when you saw it wasn’t your fish. “Hello, salamander.” The small creature writhed about in your net as you lowered it carefully back to the water. “Out you go, li’l dude.”
Ideally, you’d have more concrete evidence that there were asprete here, a team of people to search for them, and better equipment, but you’d make due the best you could. They’re worth it. You stretched your neck a bit, sore from staring down into the water all day. Night had fallen, the dark making your search all the more difficult. I’ve got two weeks. No use in doing any more today. You heard the sounds of splashing from a distance, wondering if a bird or something was after a fish. Better not be my fish, Mr. Bird. The splashing grew a bit closer, but you paid it no mind as you began to pack your things.
As you carried your trunk to the rental car, you heard the soft noise of something wet hitting the river rocks. You turned around, expecting to see a small mammal or something, but found yourself alone. You kept walking. When did it get this quiet? The sounds of birds, bugs, and little animals moving through the woods had been ever present throughout your day, but you shuddered as you realized that your surroundings were nearly silent. Bit ominous. Hope there aren’t any brown bears or wolves real close. I’d much rather keep a healthy distance.
You jumped as the splatting noises continued in the woods to your side, growing closer. You looked around, once again seeing nothing. You reached into the side pocket of your backpack and pulled out your bear spray. The car was still fifty yards away, and whatever was wandering about sounded large. You also had a holstered pistol at your hip, though you really didn’t want to use it. Bear spray was supposed to be a better pick for charging bears anyway. You waited for a moment after the sounds stopped, continuing your walk to the car when you didn’t hear anything more.
When you were only twenty yards from your car, the footsteps began again, this time faster than before. Whatever that is, it must be very large. How is it so well hidden? You readied the bear spray, still backing towards your car. There’s no food on me, it’s not cornered, what the hell does it want? Fuckin’ thing. You looked about frantically, but the thing seemed to keep itself concealed in the thick foliage whenever you faced the direction of the sound. The footsteps suddenly raced towards you, indicating that it must be charging. Fuckfuckfuckfuck.
With a crackling wheeze, something gargantuan vaulted from behind the foliage. It was, in fact, not a bear. It wasn’t anything you’d ever seen before. It eyed you, and you eyed it. It coughed loudly, both of you frozen in place. It continued its approach, seemingly curious about the spray you held. It gurgled, hunched and covered in oozing pustules. Thin tentacles protruded from its back. It took one step. Another. It tilted its head side to side like a confused dog. You put your arms out and yelled, trying to scare it off like you would with a curious black bear, though you only seemed to confuse it more. When it got close enough, you sprayed it. You screamed, and it screamed right back. It flailed madly, clutching its face and toppling into you. Your head hit the ground hard, rebounding against a rock. Everything was dark.