The survivors stood frozen, the pressure building in the air like a vice. Xander could barely breathe, each gasp harder than the last. The third creature moved forward with a slow, predatory grace, its hollow gaze sweeping over them, filling the space with an overwhelming sense of doom. The presence was suffocating, as if the room itself had turned against them. Jared's heart raced as he felt it too—this wasn't just a physical threat, it was something much darker. Something that reached inside their minds, clawing at their deepest fears.
Terror. That was the only word that seemed to properly encapsulate this creature. And it was worse than anything they'd ever faced before. Not just fear for their lives, but fear that ate at their minds, that chipped away at their will to fight. They had always been able to push through before, but now… now they were questioning if they even stood a chance.
And then, the worst happened.
The creatures' gaze snapped to Jared. It was subtle at first, but the weight of the focus was unmistakable—like the entire world was suddenly closing in, like millions of resentful gazes were locking onto him. The first thing Jared noticed was how his body froze in place, as though something had reached inside him and seized control of his very being. His breath hitched in his throat as the realization sank in: this—this was what it felt like to be hunted.
The creature... Terror—its empty, black sockets now trained directly on Jared—seemed to shimmer, its jagged scales catching the dim light as it slowly advanced.
Jared swallowed, but the weight in the air made it feel as though his throat had closed. His heart was racing. His ability was his greatest asset, so what would he do if there was no wound to heal ? How would he fare against an enemy that didn't even need to lay a finger on you ? This… was something that would scar him in a way that no physical injury ever could.
He could hear his own breathing now, ragged, desperate. But the creature didn't move. It just watched, the dark void where eyes should be almost seeming to consume him.
"Jared…" Greg's voice was barely a whisper, trembling with the same fear that Jared himself felt. But there was no way to reach him now. Not with that thing's gaze locked onto him.
Jared's limbs grew heavy, his mind hazy. The longer it focused on him, the more his will seemed to drain, like a slow leaking of something vital.
No. He couldn't go down like this. He couldn't be the one to fail them.
With an almost instinctive motion, Jared gritted his teeth, forcing himself to take a step forward, but the oppressive force from Terror's focus only increased, making each movement feel like swimming through molasses.
It wanted him. And for the first time, Jared wasn't sure he could survive what it intended to do next.
Jared's skin crawled , alarm bells rang through his mind - his instincts were screaming at him to escape. But he knew he couldn't. His fists became mangled and bloodied as he lashed out , each strike landed with sickening force against the creature's impenetrable hide, but the scales barely moved. His knuckles split open, agony coursed through his body , but he couldn't stop. His fists regrew, raw skin knitting together, only to be shattered again in the next violent assault.
His whole body cried in protest, but he didn't stop. He couldn't.
Jared swung again, his fist colliding with Terror's ribcage, but the blow barely made a sound. The impact was like punching concrete, and his knuckles splintered under the pressure. A sharp pain shot up his arm, but the fracture quickly healed as his skin stretched and re-formed. He felt the burning agony of his bones repairing themselves, but it was nothing compared to the crushing weight of terror creeping up on him. His mind felt like it was unravelling, the monster in front of him was truly terrifying, he couldn't let this thing loose on the rest of the group.
With a roar of frustration, Jared surged forward, slamming his shoulder into Terror's midsection. The creature didn't even flinch. It simply loomed, its hollow eyes boring into Jared as if waiting for him to give in to the fear that gnawed at his insides.
His head spun. His hands were raw, the skin shredded into bloody pulp, but the relentless force of his own healing kept him moving. Every strike felt like a curse, every punch an exercise in futility. His fists were breaking apart with each blow, and yet the creature didn't show the slightest sign of being hurt. The scales, gleaming and cold, refused to give.
A grating voice reverberated inside his skull.
You'll never win...
Everyone will die , but what of you ?
All on your own for the rest of eternity...
Endless pain...
Jared's teeth gritted as the voice echoed, but he pushed past it, ignoring the insidious whispers that clawed at his sanity. He swung again, harder this time, his elbow driving into the creature's jaw, a burst of sickening force that rattled his arm to the bone. But there was no satisfying crack, no sign of damage. It was like striking stone.
His vision blurred, the pain in his limbs becoming too much to bear. His body felt like it was fighting against him, the bloodied remnants of his hands barely functioning anymore, but still, he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.
Another punch, this time straight into the creature's chest. His fist sunk deeper, and for a second, Jared thought he'd broken through. But it was only a momentary illusion. The creature's body shuddered, a strange hum rippling through its scales, and Terror's jagged mouth opened wide. The monstrous maw revealed rows of teeth that gleamed with malice, the air around him thick with a rancid, suffocating stench as Terror swung a massive claw toward him.
Jared only had a moment to react. He dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike. But the creature was fast, too fast. As he rolled to his feet, Terror was already on him, its claw raking across his side with terrifying speed. Jared's ribs cracked under the pressure, the pain shooting through his chest, but before he could scream, the wound began to heal.
He swung again, his knuckles mangling against Terror's scales, the force of his strike almost numbing his entire arm. The sound of his flesh slamming against the creature's body echoed like a hammer on an anvil. But still, there was no change. No sign of weakening. His heart pounded in his chest as he landed another blow, then another—his body almost out of sync with itself as his limbs moved in a frantic blur of rage.
But still nothing.
Jared's breath was coming faster now. His chest ached from the constant barrage of strikes, his body moving on pure adrenaline as he fought against the exhaustion threatening to swallow him whole. He could feel himself slowing down, the exhaustion building, but he refused to stop.
A low growl rumbled from Terror's throat, and its claws shot out again, slashing across Jared's stomach. Blood sprayed from the wound, but before it could even pool, his body began to heal, the gash closing over. His fists trembled as he threw another punch—this one connecting with the creature's ribs with a sickening crack, a sound that almost felt like victory.
But it wasn't enough. The creature didn't even budge.
Frustration boiled over. Jared pulled back his fist, the healing barely keeping up with the damage he was causing to himself. But there was no retreat, no hesitation—his arm swung once more, this time with all the force he could muster, his whole body burning with the need to break through, to end this fight.
But as his fist collided with Terror's side once again, the creature reacted.
In one fluid, terrifying motion, Terror swung its massive claw toward Jared's face, the talons glinting in the dim light. Jared barely managed to block the strike with his forearm, but the force of the blow sent him stumbling backward, his bones grinding against each other with an eerie grating noise.
His body jerked, but even as the damage was healed, the battle was beginning to take its toll. His vision darkened at the edges, his senses dulled, and the world around him began to slow. His strikes were becoming weaker, slower—his mind and body struggling to keep up with the relentless pace.
You're running out of time.
The voice was back. A whisper that crawled into his thoughts, turning his blood to ice.
Jared's eyes narrowed as a horrifyingly dark smog radiated from his opponent. The moment he sensed the danger, his body gave out—collapsing before he could react.