We were camping, the night cold and crisp. We had built the tent, lit a fire, and were sitting around it, telling scary stories. But when Ali started speaking, his voice dropped low, and even the crackling fire seemed to quiet down.

"You know," Ali began, eyes flicking nervously around the flames, "I heard a story from my grandfather... he lost his left eye to them. We call them Beastmen."

"Beastmen?" Sarah asked, her voice quivering slightly as she tightened her grip on my arm, her face pale. "What are they?"

"Beastmen are creatures that can change between human and animal form," Ali said, leaning closer, his words laced with fear. "They've hated humans for as long as anyone can remember. They stalk the woods... you don't ever want to cross them."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Myths. Just stories, Ali," I said, brushing it off. "I’m going to bed." I stood up, brushing the dirt off my pants, eager to get away from the creepy stories.

But as I was lying in my tent, trying to get comfortable, I heard it. A low, scraping sound. Then a series of thuds — slow and deliberate. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. It was too quiet, too unnatural. I poked my head out of the tent, thinking it was just an animal.

What I saw made my stomach drop into my feet.

The bodies of Ali and Sarah... bloodied and mangled, their eyes wide open, lifeless, staring into nothingness. They were... they were gone.

But that wasn't what made my blood run cold.

A figure stood in the shadows. Tall. Huge. Its body twisted, half-human, half-animal, with skin stretched tight over bulging muscles, fur sprouting in patches. Its eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and its breath came out in ragged, animal-like growls.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t scream. All I could do was stare at it as it slowly turned its head toward me, its grin twisted and feral.

The Beastman... was real. And it was coming for me.