The group had barely escaped the creature, their lungs burning from the desperate sprint. Now, they sat scattered in the small clearing, trying to catch their breath and quiet the terror that still gripped their hearts. The night felt heavier than before, as if the very air around them was closing in, suffocating them with fear and uncertainty.
The adults leaned against the towering trees, their faces etched with deep unease. Ragged breaths escaped their mouths, their bodies trembling from exertion and panic. Every now and then, one of them would glance nervously over their shoulder, as if expecting the creature to reappear from the darkness. They were safe for the moment, but for how long?
"I can't… I can't believe we got out of that," one of the men muttered, his voice trembling. His hands shook as he wiped sweat from his brow, though the cold night air made him shiver uncontrollably. Another adult, a woman with streaks of dirt on her cheeks and tear-stained eyes, simply nodded, too stunned to speak.
The children huddled together near one of the female adults, their small forms shaking like leaves in the wind. Desperate, fearful eyes looked up at the woman, pleading for comfort, for reassurance. "Are we gonna get out of here?" one of the little girls asked, her voice no louder than a whisper, trembling with terror.
The woman bit her lip, trying to hold back her own tears, her fear threatening to break free. She couldn't bring herself to lie. She couldn't promise something she wasn't sure of. Instead, she stayed silent, her hands shaking as she gently stroked the hair of the nearest child, offering what little comfort she could.
"We'll… we'll be fine," she finally whispered, though the words felt hollow even as they left her lips. The children clung tighter to her, their eyes wide with a deep-rooted despair. It was clear they didn't believe her, and she barely believed herself.
Off to the side, the teens sat in small pairs, trying to ground themselves in any way possible. They were exhausted, gasping for air after running so hard, their limbs trembling with fatigue and fear. Some of them talked in low voices, reminiscing about their lives before Infomia had thrust them into this nightmare.
"I never thought I'd miss school," one of the teens muttered with a weak smile, the effort of trying to make a joke barely masking the terror behind his eyes.
"Yeah," another one added, shaking his head. "I used to complain about how boring it was, but now I'd give anything to sit in a classroom again."
Their laughter was short-lived, replaced by grim silence as the reality of their situation settled back in. Their words were a thin layer of normalcy, a desperate attempt to hold onto something familiar, but it couldn't erase the fear that hung thick in the air around them.
But Ryan… he sat apart from the others. His back was pressed against one of the large trees at the edge of the clearing, his knees pulled up to his chest. His face was as pale as the milky white eyes of the creature they had narrowly escaped, his lips quivering as he muttered under his breath. The others didn't notice his state, too caught up in their own fears, but Ethan did. And so did one of the men—an older adult with a strong jaw and sharp, though weary, eyes.
Ethan watched as the man slowly rose to his feet and began walking toward Ryan, concern etched into his face. But before he could reach him, Ethan grabbed hold of his tattered shirt, gently tugging him back. "Wait," Ethan said quietly, his voice steady despite the turmoil roiling inside him. "Let me talk to him."
The man hesitated, glancing between Ethan and Ryan. His eyes softened, and he gave a slow, reluctant nod. "Be careful," the man murmured before stepping back, leaving Ethan to approach the boy alone.
Ethan moved slowly, his hands slightly raised in a gesture of surrender, a quiet assurance to Ryan that no harm would come to him. "Ryan?" he called softly, keeping his voice gentle, calming. "It's me, Ethan. No one's going to hurt you. You're safe now."
But Ryan didn't respond. His body was shaking violently, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs, and his face was buried in his knees. He kept muttering under his breath, over and over again, so quietly that Ethan could barely make out the words.
"Ryan," Ethan said again, kneeling beside him, his heart heavy. "It's okay. You're safe. No one's going to hurt you." He reached out, gently placing a hand on Ryan's shoulder, feeling the boy's body trembling beneath his touch.
Ryan's muttering grew louder, and Ethan could finally hear the words spilling from his lips. Apologies. Brutal, desperate apologies. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Ryan's voice cracked as he repeated the words, his breathing ragged and uneven, choked with sobs.
Ethan's chest tightened, a deep sense of pity and empathy washing over him. He didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward. He felt sorrow for Ryan—deep, unshakable sorrow. The boy was breaking right before his eyes.
Ethan tried again, his voice soft but firm. "Ryan… what did you see? What happened back there?"
Ryan's head lifted slightly, his tear-streaked face turned toward Ethan. His eyes were swollen, his cheeks red and wet with tears. "I… I didn't mean to," Ryan whispered, his voice barely audible. "I didn't mean to…"
Ethan's heart sank. He had to know what happened, even though part of him didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to know what horrors Ryan had witnessed. But he needed to understand.
"What did you see, Ryan?" Ethan asked, more gently this time, his eyes locked onto Ryan's. "What did you see?"
Ryan's sobbing grew louder, his body shaking violently as he struggled to speak. "It was… it was Thomas… I saw him…"
Ethan froze. His breath caught in his throat, and his heart pounded in his chest. He didn't dare speak. He just let Ryan continue.
"I saw him, Ethan," Ryan gasped through gritted teeth, his voice breaking. "I saw him… in its mouth."
Ethan's stomach churned. His eyes grew darker, wider with each word. He wanted to throw up, the bile rising in his throat. But he swallowed it down, forcing himself to stay composed, to keep listening.
Ryan's voice trembled as he recounted the nightmare that would haunt him for the rest of his life. "I… I saw his hat first. The hat he always wore. It was… in its mouth. The creature was… was chewing on it. There was blood. Oh gods… there was so much blood."
Ethan clenched his fists, trying to steady himself, but the weight of Ryan's words crashed down on him like a tidal wave.
"And then… I saw more," Ryan whispered, his voice barely more than a whimper. "Pieces. Pieces of him, Ethan. His… his finger. His eye. It was all in the creature's mouth. Oh god… it had already…"
Ethan's breath quickened, his hands trembling as he listened. He could picture it now, the grotesque scene painted in his mind. The horror of it, the sheer brutality, was too much. But he had to hold it together. He had to.
"I'm sorry," Ryan sobbed, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry, Ethan. I ran. I should've done something, but I ran. I left him…"
Ethan's heart ached for Ryan, for Thomas, for the entire group. But what could he say? What could he possibly say to comfort him? There were no words. None that would make this any better, none that would erase the horror they had witnessed.
Ethan reached out, gripping Ryan's shoulder a little tighter. "There was nothing you could have done, Ryan," he said quietly, though his voice wavered. "That creature… none of us could have stopped it. None of us."
Ryan looked at him, his eyes wide with guilt and fear. "But I ran," he whispered. "I just ran."
"We all ran," Ethan replied softly, his voice thick with emotion. "Because we had to. It was the only thing we could do."
Ryan sniffed, wiping at his face with the back of his sleeve, his sobs quieting to ragged breaths. He didn't say anything more. He just sat there, his body slumped in exhaustion and defeat.
Ethan stayed with him for a few more minutes, the silence between them heavy but understanding. He didn't push for more. He didn't need to. What Ryan had seen was enough.
Eventually, Ethan rose to his feet and walked back toward the group. His legs felt weak, his stomach still churning with nausea, but he forced himself to keep moving. As he returned, the others looked at him, their faces pale and drawn with fear and exhaustion.
The older man who had wanted to talk to Ryan earlier approached him, his eyes filled with concern. "What did he say?" the man asked quietly, though Ethan could see that he was afraid to hear the answer.
Ethan's face remained grim, his voice low as he spoke. "He saw Thomas. The creature… it had already…"
The man closed his eyes, his jaw clenched in silent grief. "Gods," he whispered. "That poor boy…"
Ethan nodded, his mind racing with the weight of it all. Thomas was gone. And that creature, whatever it was, was still out there. Watching. Waiting.
As the group sat in stunned silence, the realization settled over them like a shroud. This nightmare wasn't over. Not by a long shot.