"Jump on the car and run!" My father's voice cut through the chaos, sharp with urgency.
Without hesitation, we scrambled up onto the roof of a nearby car, leaping from vehicle to vehicle in desperate pursuit of distance from the monster behind us. But no matter how fast we moved, it wasn't fast enough. The Minotaur's strides were enormous, its power terrifying, and soon it was closing in.
"Shit!" My father cursed, fear cracking through his voice.
*Crack* *Thud*
The ground trembled beneath us as the monstrous beast collided with the cars. Its horns sliced through metal and shattered glass like they were made of paper. Each step the creature took sent shockwaves through the pavement.
"Clark!" My mother screamed, her voice trembling with sheer terror.
"I'm right here, Hannah!" my father shouted back, his voice strained and wild. "Keep moving! We just need to get past this block!"
Heart pounding, legs burning, we kept running, leaping from one car to the next. But the Minotaur was relentless—its strength boundless, its rage insatiable. I could feel its hot breath bearing down on us. With a snarl, it reached down and *scooped up* an entire car, flinging it through the air as if it weighed nothing. The vehicle soared above us with terrifying speed, the wind from its passage nearly knocking us off our feet.
I glanced back, just in time to see the beast's eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. 'Is it laughing at us?' I thought.
"Keep going!" my father bellowed, his voice hoarse with desperation.
*BOOM*
*SCREAMS*
*CRASH*
*FLAMES*
The impact sent cars skidding and crashing into one another, a chain reaction that culminated in a deafening explosion. Flames erupted, swallowing the surrounding vehicles. Our path forward was completely blocked by a wall of burning wreckage. Heat seared the air, and thick smoke filled the street, choking off any hope of escape.
The Minotaur's roars echoed louder now, the earth trembling beneath its massive, pounding footsteps. The sight of its hulking form, moving closer with unrelenting determination, sent a fresh wave of panic through me. Its shadow loomed over us, a monstrous force of raw power and fury.
"Dad! What are we going to do?!" Hannah cried, her voice shaking so hard she could barely speak. Tears glistened in her eyes.
My father's gaze darted around frantically, searching for something—anything—to get us out. Then, his eyes landed on a narrow alleyway, just barely visible through the smoke. "This way!" he commanded, motioning for us to follow.
We sprinted after him, our feet pounding the cracked pavement as we veered toward the alley. But as I glanced back at the narrow opening, a chilling thought struck me. "Dad, you and Mom won't fit through here!" I shouted, panic clawing at my throat.
My father paused for just a moment, his eyes locking with mine. There was a fierce determination there, but also a deep, silent sorrow. "Don't worry about us," he said quietly, his voice steady but strained. "You and your sister have to go on. Without us."
"No!" Hannah wailed, her sobs cutting through the air. "I won't leave you and Mom! I can't! I *can't* lose both of you!"
My father turned to my mother, and for a fleeting second, they exchanged a look—one filled with love, pain, and finality. He smiled at her, but his eyes were heavy with the truth neither of them could speak aloud. He turned back to Hannah, his voice softening. "Hannah, listen to me. You and Jagger need to go. We'll catch up later, I prom... we will meet up with you. Trust me."
But Hannah shook her head furiously, her body trembling, her face wet with tears. "You're lying! You're *lying*! I know you are! I can't... I can't lose you both..."
In a sudden, swift motion, my father grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to meet his gaze. His eyes burned with a fierce intensity, his grip like iron. "Jagger, you have to protect her. No matter what happens, you take care of your sister. Do you hear me? She needs you now more than ever. Promise me, son. 'Promise me.' Even if you have to carry her out of here, you will get her and you to safety."
The weight of his words hit me like a hammer, crushing my chest. I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. "No, Dad... no, please don't do this..."
My mother wrapped her arms around Hannah and me, pulling us close as if she could shield us from the nightmare surrounding us. She kissed each of us on the cheek, her touch soft but trembling. "We love you so much, my little angel and my brave boy," she whispered, her voice breaking with emotion. "You two are the greatest things that ever happened to us. And now, you have each other. That's all that matters."
Breaking the embrace, she handed me her small, worn bag. "Here, it's got some food, water... and something to remember us by." She smiled, but behind it, I saw the tears welling in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.
"Mom... Dad... I... I can't," I sobbed, the weight of the moment crushing my heart. The reality that this could be the last time I'd ever see them was too much to bear.
My father turned to face the approaching Minotaur, now mere meters away. The beast's monstrous frame blocked out the street, its snorts filling the air like the growls of an impending storm. Each thundering hoofbeat sent shockwaves through the ground, as though the very earth trembled in fear of the creature.
"Jagger, look at me!" My father's voice broke through the chaos, desperate and firm. "Look at me!" His gaze locked onto mine, unwavering. "You *have* to protect your sister no matter what. Promise me you'll do it!"
"I-I promise," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion, barely able to force the words out. I wiped the tears from my face and tried to stand tall, trying to show him that I could be brave, that I could be strong like he needed me to be.
He nodded, a bright smile breaking through the grief on his face, even as tears threatened to fall. Pulling us both into one final, tight embrace, he whispered, "I love you so much, Jagger and Hannah. Now go! Go!" He pushed us away, turning to face the oncoming Minotaur, he held my mother by his side.
"Dad, please, no!" Hannah cried, grabbing his shirt, her fingers desperate not to let go.
I tugged at her hand, pulling her toward the narrow alleyway as my heart shattered. "Hannah, come on, we have to go!" I said, my voice barely a whisper over the roaring flames and the Minotaur's deafening bellows. She struggled against me, screaming and sobbing, her fingers slipping from our father's shirt.
"Jagger, let me go, please!" she pleaded, her voice raw with desperation. "MOM! DAD! NO!"
But I didn't stop. I couldn't. I pulled her with all my strength, forcing us both into the alley. My body moved on instinct, even as my mind screamed in agony. The world around me became a blur of smoke, fire, and the sounds of battle—metal crunching, glass shattering, the beast's monstrous growls filling the air.
"JAGGER, LET ME GO! YOU COWARD! HOW CAN YOU LET THEM DIE!?" Hannah's screams tore at my soul, her voice echoing in my mind as if accusing me of betrayal. But I held on to her, pulling her deeper into the narrow passage as the ground shook with the force of the Minotaur's relentless pursuit.
-
She smiled and then turned to look at my father, "Clark, I'm scared." she murmured, her voice quaking with fear.
"So am I, Sophia. But I know they will be okay, and that's all that matters." My father said.
She nods, tears welling up in her eyes as her gaze about to return to the alleyway, "Sophia! Don't look!" He said.
She closes her eyes tightly and buries her head in my father's shoulder. He gently wraps his arm around her, as they wait for the inevitable.
*BOOM*
A thunderous explosion roared behind us, and over the chaos, my father's voice echoed in my ears one last time, soft but unwavering: "Together, we are stronger than any storm. We love you both, always."
I glanced back one final time, my vision blurred with tears. I caught a glimpse of the Minotaur, its horns lowered, bulldozing its way through the wreckage. The flames cast monstrous shadows across its face, illuminating the beast's terrible fury. And amidst the carnage, I saw them—my parents, standing together, holding each other tight. Their eyes were full of love, their faces calm and accepting as the chaos swallowed them whole.
"MOM! DAD! NOOOOOOO!!!" Hannah's anguished scream cut through the air, her voice breaking as she collapsed in sobs. My heart ached with every sound she made, my grief mingling with hers as we fled from the carnage, leaving everything behind.
I turned away, my chest heaving, forcing myself to keep going, even as my soul screamed at me to stop. 'Be strong,' I told myself. 'Mom and Dad gave you a mission. You need to survive. You need to protect Hannah.'
The tears blurred my vision as I led her deeper into the alley, but something shifted inside me, hardening. With every step, the pain and grief festered into something darker, something colder—rage. My heart burned, fueled by an inferno of hatred and vengeance. I clenched my fists, my jaw tight as the words formed in my mind, a promise seared into my soul.
"I will kill them all." The words escaped my lips as a fierce oath, my voice steady, unwavering. My parents were gone, but the fire they had lit within me would never die.
[Congratulations, you're now a Hunter.]