Orson rushed into the chaos, panic evident on his face as he took in the scene. His breath hitched as he saw Nai surrounded by monstrous creatures, her fists glowing with a dangerously intense heat. The air around her shimmered with the blistering force of her power, but Orson immediately noticed the strain in her eyes.
"Nai! Stop!! You're at your limit!" Orson shouted, dashing toward her, his voice tinged with desperation.
Nai gasped, her body weakening as she withdrew her force. The glow around her arms dimmed, revealing scorched and blistered skin, red and raw from her own burning power. She staggered, clutching her arms as if the pain was just now sinking in. Yu Xuan and Lucius, who had been busy fighting off the smaller creatures, glanced toward her, their faces showing a mix of shock and concern.
Lucius's eyes widened as the realization struck him. The wounds on Nai's arms—he understood now. They weren't from the monsters; they were self-inflicted, the price of pushing her force beyond its natural limits.
Before Lucius could process further, the massive creature let out an earth-shaking roar, its grotesque body lurching toward them. The ground quaked beneath its steps as it launched its next attack, its grotesque, fleshy appendages flailing toward the group.
Lucius, acting on instinct, hoisted Harriet into his arms. "Run for it!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the madness.
The others scattered, each narrowly dodging the creature's violent assault. Nai and Orson, huddled together, barely escaped the reach of its monstrous limbs, while Yu Xuan, now separated from them, rolled to the side, his expression strained. Several of the other survivors attempted to flee as well, but not all were lucky. The first attack had caused the ceiling above to crumble, trapping some under falling debris.
The swarm of smaller creatures pressed on relentlessly, their sharp mandibles clicking as they swarmed toward any sign of movement. They seemed endless, an unrelenting tide that threatened to overwhelm them all.
"Keep moving!" Orson shouted, trying to rally those around him, but the fear in his voice was palpable. His eyes flicked toward Nai, who was breathing heavily, clearly exhausted from overexerting her powers.
Lucius, Harriet still cradled in his arms, pushed forward with every ounce of strength he could muster, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way out. They couldn't fight this. Not like this.
The shelter, once a place of refuge, was now becoming a death trap. And the monsters weren't stopping.
Yu Xuan, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath, glanced at the massive creature still towering over them. His mind screamed for a solution, but the chaos around him offered none.
"We're not going to survive this..." he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible over the roar of the monster and the panicked cries of the survivors.
As the monstrous creature continued its relentless assault, Lucius struggled to shield Harriet, her unconscious form limp in his arms. His breaths were ragged, his mind clouded by the chaos around him, but amidst the turmoil, one troubling thought nagged at him-Zara.
Why hadn't she intervened? Lucius' s mind reeled back to the hunting operation, recalling the critical moments when they had been cornered. Zara possessed the force to teleport comrades back to safety, able to sense danger from afar. So why hadn't she saved him, Harriet, and Yu Xuan when they were in desperate need? Why had they been left to fend for themselves?
Even now, as the shelter crumbled under the weight of this monstrous attack, Zara and Elias were nowhere to be seen. The thought gnawed at Lucius's insides, sparking a sense of betrayal. What if... what if they had been abandoned?
"Lucius!!!" Orson's voice cut through his spiraling thoughts like a knife.
Before Lucius could react, his eyes snapped toward Orson, but it was too late. The monster's colossal, sharpened foot came down with brutal force, smashing Orson's body into the ground. The sickening crunch of bones echoed in the air. Lucius froze, his blood running cold as he watched in horror.
Time seemed to slow as Orson's broken body lay lifeless under the creature's foot. The world around him blurred, and the sounds of the chaos dulled, but one sound pierced through it all-Nai's scream.
"Orson!!" Nai's voice shattered the heavy silence in Lucius's mind. Her scream was raw, filled with pain and anguish, but Lucius couldn't move, couldn't react. His body trembled uncontrollably, his grip tightening around Harriet as if she was the only thing keeping him tethered to reality.
Orson was gone. Just like that. And Lucius hadn't done anything to stop it.
The weight of guilt crashed down on him, but there was no time to mourn. The monster roared again, its massive body shifting as it prepared for another attack, and Lucius felt the cold claws of fear digging into his chest.
Lucius trembled as they fled, the weight of Orson's death pressing on him like a heavy shroud. There was no time to stop, no time to grieve. They had to keep running. Nai, despite the burn marks on her arms, hurried alongside him, her face contorted in pain but filled with determination. Yu Xuan, a few steps behind, fought off the creatures, his force summoning waves of sound to repel the onslaught, but he couldn't save the others. The sounds of their cries faded into the distance, swallowed by the chaos.
Only luck seemed to favor the four of them now.
Lucius's heart pounded in his chest as the exit loomed closer, a flicker of hope in the darkness. Just a few more steps. They could make it.
But then, standing at the exit, his silhouette framed by the dim light beyond, was a figure—a man. As Lucius's vision cleared, his blood ran cold.
It was Elias.
Lucius's feet slowed, doubt clawing at his mind. The air between them was thick with unspoken tension. Elias stood there, calm, unmoved by the chaos unfolding behind them. His expression was unreadable, his eyes dark and distant, watching as they approached.
"Lucius..." Nai's voice wavered beside him, but Lucius couldn't respond. His gaze was locked on Elias, a thousand questions racing through his mind.
Why hadn't he come earlier? Why now, when it might already be too late?
To be continued -