The basement was eerily silent, except for the sound of Liam's sobbing. Everyone stayed frozen in place, still in shock from Mason's sudden death. Liam's spear was still sticking grotesquely out of his body. The sharp stench of blood filled the air, making it thick and suffocating.
Then came the crash. Heavy footsteps echoed above them, louder, closer. Something had heard them.
Kai felt his heart lurch in his chest. He looked around wildly for a place to hide. They had to hide—now.
Without a word, everyone scrambled, ducking behind overturned furniture and shelves in the corner of the room. Kai pulled Tanyia behind a large, broken desk, his heart racing as he tried to control his breathing. He could hear Jade whimpering softly from behind metal lockers, and Ellie was hidden beside Liam, who was still shaking uncontrollably.
The footsteps grew louder. The creature was coming, tearing through the narrow stairwell and ripping the basement door off its hinges with a loud screech.
Everyone flinched and barely dared to breathe.
The creature's steps creaked the stairs as it descended. A dark shape appeared in the narrow stairwell.
The monster's furred bipedal body appeared in the dim light, towering over them, its massive muscular legs bulging with every step. Its bloodshot eyes scanned the room, glinting in the faint light, and its wide mouth opened, revealing rows of jagged teeth. It looked like a mix of a bear, a bunny, and a monkey.
Then, it saw Mason's body.
Kai watched in horror as the creature let out a deep snarl. It stepped closer to Mason's lifeless body, crouching down and grabbing the spear still lodged in his chest. With a sickening squelch, the creature yanked the spear out, Mason's blood spraying the floor.
Then it tore into him.
The sound of flesh ripping filled the room, Mason's body twitching as the creature's teeth dug into his torso. The crunch of bone and the wet slurping sound made Kai want to gag, but he held it down, his entire body stiff with terror.
He clenched his eyes shut, trying not to look. Beside him, Tanyia was shaking, her hand gripping her short spear so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Everyone else stayed still, too scared to even make a sound. Jade was trembling behind the lockers, her face pale and hands pressed to her mouth.
The creature feasted, tearing chunks of flesh from Mason's body and swallowing them whole. Its jaw worked mechanically, blood dripping down its chin and staining the floor. The children were frozen in their hiding spots, but the urge to run was overwhelming.
Suddenly, the creature stood up. For a moment, it looked like it would leave.
But Jade's stomach couldn't take it anymore. The sickening sight, the stench—it was too much. She vomited.
The sound echoed loudly in the basement, and the creature's head snapped toward the noise. It snarled, locking onto Jade's shaking figure behind the lockers.
"Jade...no..." Kai whispered, his voice barely audible, his heart sinking.
The creature let out a growl, its eyes narrowing as it crouched, preparing to pounce. Its massive legs tensed, muscles bulged as it readied to launch itself at her.
Just before it leaped, Tanyia screamed, darting out from behind the desk.
"Over here!" she yelled, raising her spear.
The creature turned, momentarily stunned by her sudden appearance. Tanyia didn't give it a second longer—she swung the spear down with all her strength, striking the creature across its bloody head.
The creature roared in fury, stumbling back from the force of the blow. But it wasn't enough to kill it.
"Tanyia!" Kai hissed in panic. She had bought them seconds—just seconds—but the others stayed hidden in fear. They were too terrified to help.
The monster growled, its bloodshot eyes locking onto Tanyia. Furious, it charged at her. Tanyia barely had time to raise her spear before it was on her, knocking the weapon from her hands. She staggered back, her eyes wide with fear, but she didn't run.
It swiped at her with its massive claws, and she dodged, but just barely. The creature was too fast, too strong, and as it lunged again, Tanyia lost her footing and fell to the ground. The monster was on her in seconds, jaws open wide, ready to tear her apart.
Kai didn't think. He grabbed Liam's spear and sprinted forward, his heart pounding so loudly it drowned everything else out.
"Tanyia, get down!" he shouted, raising the spear.
She ducked just as the creature pounced. At that moment, Kai thrust the spear forward, driving it into the monster's throat. The spear tore through its flesh with a sickening crunch.
The monster let out a deafening scream, thrashing wildly as blood poured from the wound. It staggered back, twitching violently and destroying several furniture in the process. Then, with a final gurgle, it collapsed to the floor, twitching one last time before going still.
Kai stood there, panting, his hands shaking as he gripped the spear. His chest heaved with every breath, sweat dripping down his forehead.
He watched as the creature's body slowly began to break down, dissolving into faint particles of light. It vanished completely, leaving no trace—no blood, no corpse. Nothing.
But there was no sense of victory.
He turned to Tanyia, still on the ground, gasping for air. "You alright?" His voice was shaky.
She nodded weakly, her face pale. Before either of them could say another word, a distant roar echoed down somewhere outside. More of those monsters were on their way here.
Kai stared at the sound, his stomach dropping.
"They weren't meant to be fought..." he whispered, his voice hollow as the realization hit him. "These monsters... they're here to make us hide and despair. Not fight... They are here to warn us... That we aren't on top of the food chain anymore... Is that the tutorial? That is insane!"
Tanyia swallowed hard."What do we do?"
Kai stood silent for a few seconds before answering.
"...We need to leave before more of those things appear."
Tanyia, still catching her breath, looked up at him. She nodded with a dark expression.
Kai and Tanyia knew exactly what would have happened if this monster hadn't been stuck in a small basement, which prevented it from using its weird jump ability. They survived because they were lucky.
The roar came again, louder this time, and Kai knew it was coming in their way.
"We can't stay here."