Chereads / Hardcore Hell / Chapter 9 - Next Place

Chapter 9 - Next Place

The monster that had previously appeared on the subway must have been around here again. He was in one of the subway station's rundown cabins. He recognized the subway. It was quiet. Soon the creatures would begin to gather. He would find the stray one, kill it and then continue. He didn't want him to jump behind. He came out of the cabin.

"Where are you? Show yourself, stupid creature!" He yelled.

There was a sound of metal cutting. He looked where the scratching sound came from. The window of the wagon exploded. The creature jumped out. Baran was filled with fear. He gripped the hilt of his gun. His palms were all sweaty.

The creature roared, screaming and running upon him. There were ten yards between them. He raised his gun. It was sufficient distance to hit him, but the creature's skin prevented him from feeling pain.

Come a little closer.

Five meters.

A little more!

One meter.

The creature opened its mouth. Sharp teeth shone. His long tongue was sticking out. His paws were half a meter from Baran's coat. Baran pulled the trigger. Closed his eyes. One-shot. The creature jumped on him. Baran was crushed under its weight. He gasped.

Baran opened his eyes. It was dark. Something sharp was sticking around his neck. He was having trouble breathing. He pushed the dead weight above him. The body was toppled over. He held his neck. A small scratch. A few of the teeth had grazed his throat. No other place was injured.

He took his gun from where it fell. He passed by his first body. Proceeded on the route he took last time. Recognized his second body lying on the ground. Only his skeleton remained. The skeleton had no head and was wearing his jacket.

Poor me.

He saw the creature lurking on the ceiling. The creature was waiting for him to pass in the same position. It was waiting to jump on his head again. He threw the bone fragments he found on the ground at the creature. He would wait for it to pull over and open its mouth. The plan was simple and once it worked. The bone fragment came right into the creature's head. The creature landed moody. It was looking for who threw the bone. Turned around. Opened its mouth when saw the man in the jacket right across from it.

Throwing a bone on its head would show him what it was. Break his arms and head with its teeth. The creature's eyes dulled. Blood spilled around. The bullet had ruptured its skull, tearing its palate. The corpse is laid down. The creature lay with its arms outstretched, a puzzled expression on its face, no matter how confused a creature might look.

Baran was at the last point he could reach. He didn't know what's going on from here. He had to pay attention to the ceiling, the hollows, everywhere. He held his gun tighter. It was easy to act while knowing what was going to happen. It was now unclear. Fear engulfed himself again.

He started to take his steps slowly, taking deep breaths. Progressing cautiously made him walk slowly. His patience diminished as he thought of the creatures that would come after him. He wanted to run, leave it to chance. But it wasn't the chance he needed. Luck was perhaps the last thing he needed in this harsh place. Coolness, calmness, agility... he needed these.

He had been walking for almost twenty minutes. They had not met any other creature or noticed him because he was moving silently. Soon he began to hear growling noises. The cave had grown wide. Was it at its end? Was there an end to the cave? The two creatures were sleeping at the entrance to another place from the cave. They were louder than they were awake while sleeping.

He didn't know what these creatures were, but what he learned about them helped him survive. The places where his eyes should be were empty holes. Their faces resembled human skulls. They were twice the size and weight of a normal person. Baran had not been eating properly recently, so he lost weight, but that was not the case.

He didn't need to look at the bullets left in his clip. Four of the six shells were standing.

He wanted to quietly pass through the creatures, but if they woke up, it would be an easy bite. Could they feel his fear? If they had felt, they had woken up by now and started chasing him. Baran wanted to test how well the creatures could hear before he walked past them. He threw a small stone near them from his hiding place.

The stone stopped after bouncing twice. They were still asleep. He found a stone big enough to fill his palm. He threw the big stone towards the level of the stone he had just thrown. When the stone fell to the ground, it split into two. The creatures snorted restlessly. Someone awoke and looked around.

Their senses are not that advanced.

This was important information. There was a possibility of passing through them. Encouraged filled him. He came out of his hiding place and walked quietly. If they both woke up, he wouldn't have a chance. He was not agile enough to fight the two at once. His foot smashed a tiny stone. His back was cut by ice.

It was not clear whether their eyes were open or closed. He thought they were already waking up and following him, but the creatures weren't that smart. Baran was aware of this. He continued walking.

It was passing through the creatures. Their hot breath smelled awful. He moved to the next place.