I Grabbed my rudimentary sawn-off shotgun and said a prayer. it had surrounded me. It was a matter of life or death. I kicked the door open. To my surprise, it didn’t seem to be there. Little did i know, it stalked me through the shadows, watching my every step, hearing my every breath, waiting for the moment to come. All of a sudden, one pounces. It’s overwhelming strength pins me to the ground. I dropped my shotgun and tried my hardest to overcome the creatures fierce grasp. I reached for my shotgun, failed. Strangling, a horrifying experience i have never experienced. Odd sensation takes over my body. All of a sudden, the creature screeches and increases is strength. I thought it was my dying moments. I reached for my shotgun again, and failed. I tried one more time, and succeeded. I shot the creature, hoping it would be the end of my suffering. It was. This creature ran away. It didn’t leave a trace. My team went missing. Couldn’t find them. I hoped to find my flare gun i left at the plane. When i arrived, it was dismantled. When i looked inside the remains, nothing was to be found but some fragments of our machine guns. I looked closely at the ground however, and found some yellow dots. I looked closely, and it wasn’t paint. I remember as the creature ran away, i saw some faint yellow. Was it the creature’s blood? Maybe. My theory could be true. I found what was an abandoned hut. I tightly held on to my sawn-off and entered. It was empty. All i could find was the diary of a native Filipino who documented the legend of this creature. They called the creature “anino demonyo”, which i didn’t understand. All of a sudden i hear fast constant footsteps. They get louder and louder. I ready my sawn-off and point it at the door. The door is kicked open. Turns out, it was my translator and close friend, Danilo Reyes. I almost pulled the trigger, due to my readiness, but upon seeing him, i got a big sense of relief. In this massive jungle, i found a friend. He told me the term “anino demonyo” translates to “shadow demon” in english. Seemingly, the natives of this village either abandoned the village or were picked off by the shadow demon. It was a sad situation. Danilo was from Manila, and was a city kid. Some guys in the crew like Brian Humphrey made fun of him for being a “spoiled city kid.” Turns out, Danilo didn’t have life given to him on a silver platter. He grew up poor. His mother had to lug around about 30 pounds of Vegetables to sell around their neighborhood just to get barely 2 meals a day. She did her best. Danilo remembers nights where she couldn’t even pick up her arms. It’s depressing, really. Danilo hasn’t gotten a letter from her in 1 month, not including the month we’ve spent in this nightmare-jungle. He’s told me he’s thought about deserting and going back home. I can’t blame him. These Japanese soldiers haven’t patrolled around here, surprisingly. Probably due to that shadow demon. Back home, i remember my mother sold alot of her vegetables at the market. Anyways, me and Danilo are tryin’ to come up with some way to kill this creature. Next entry may not come.
-Thomas Ripley, 5th air force, November 1942.
Hope you enjoyed the first “Entry” of dead quiet! More coming soon!
