The giant abomination turned its massive head toward Ariel, its gaze like a freezing wind across his spine. But after a moment, it looked away.
âWhat⦠what just happened? Did it ignore us? It didnât notice us? We are saved.â
Ariel exhaledârelief flooding in like sunlight.
But it didnât last.
The abomination shifted its focus to a smaller monster nearby⦠and then, like a hunting dog released, the creature turned and chargedâstraight at the building Ariel was in.
His blood ran cold. His mind stalled.
But then he rememberedâIlya.
âIn there!â Ariel shouted, eyes wide with panic. âHide in that room, now!â
âB-but brotherâwhat about you?!â Ilya cried, trembling.
Ariel didnât answer. He yanked the door open, pushed her inside, and slammed it shut. The lock clicked.
And thenâ
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECH.
A monstrous shriek echoed through the building.
The thing had entered.
Its footstepsâthud, thud, THUDâclimbed the stairs, heavier with each step.
Then⦠silence.
Ariel stood frozen, face pale, heart pounding in his throat.
Fear. Despair. Dread coiling in his gut.
Thenâ
A shadow lunged from the dark. A blur of claws and fangs.
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He barely had time to breathe.
âIs⦠is this it? Is this how I die? If I die, what happens to Ilya?! NoâI canât die! Not now. Not yet!â
But the monster was already upon him.
Its fangs sank into Arielâs chest, tearing flesh, ripping through muscle, puncturing organs.
The world blurred. Pain overwhelmed him. His knees buckled.
His vision flickered.
Darkness beckoned.
But something deep inside screamed louder.
âNO. I CANâT DIE HERE.â
Ariel roared and bit downâinto the monsterâs throat.
The creature shriekedâan inhuman, bone-splitting sound of agony. It writhed, unable to escape with its fangs still buried deep in Arielâs body.
Panicked, it hurled him across the room like a broken doll.
CRACK.
He hit the wall with a sickening crash. Bones shattered. His ribs collapsed. His spine twisted unnaturally.
He couldnât move. Couldnât breathe.
Blood pooled beneath him.
His life⦠was slipping away.
From behind the locked door, Ilyaâs cry echoed, shaking with panic:
âBr-Brother!! Where are you?!â
The monsterâs head snapped toward the sound.
It lunged at the door, sensing prey inside.
But before it could reach herâAriel threw himself in its path, shielding the door with his broken, bleeding body.
The monster didnât stop.
Its claws slashed across his face, nearly tearing it apart.
Arielâs vision blurred, blood blinding one eye.
His body hit the floor like a corpse.
The monster charged again, shattering the door to splinters.
Inside, Ilya stood trembling in the cornerâtiny, helpless, her face streaked with tears and blood.
She looked up at the monster towering over her, fangs bared.
âArgh⦠you damned thingâ¦â
âHow dare you touch herâhow dare you even look at her!!â
Arielâs blood boiled.
Pain faded.
All he saw was Ilyaâs body flying across the room, slamming into the wall with a sickening crunch.
She let out a screamâfragile, broken.
Her body collapsed to the floor, bones shattered, her soft skin soaked in blood.
And thatâs when Ariel snapped.
Something ancient and monstrous ignited inside him.
He lunged.
With a roar more beast than man, he hurled himself at the monster, using momentum and fury to tackle it head-on.
The window behind them shattered as they crashed through the glassâ
Both of them falling.
They plunged several stories toward the ground, locked in a spiral of violence.
Mid-air, Ariel grabbed the monsterâs head and sank his teeth into its eye.
Tore. Ripped. Bit like an animal.
The monster shriekedâa twisted, guttural scream that rattled the air.
Thenâ
Impact.
They hit the ground like thunder.
The monsterâs body cracked beneath the fallâits spine shattered, its skull caved in, blood leaking like a crushed fruit.
It was dead.
A splatter of gore and ruin on concrete.
Ariel⦠wasnât moving.
His body was broken, twisted in ways no human should survive.
And yetâ
He was still breathing.