Myles stared at the door in horror as it began to bend inward with a sickening creak. The scrapping sounds from the other side grew louder as if the thing trying to break in was determined to rip through the barrier that stood between them. His heart pounded in his chest and a cold sweat dripped down his back.
He knew that whatever was one of those monsters he had just seen on the street, and now it was coming for him.
Panic surged through him as he frantically looked around his small, cluttered apartment for something that he could use to defend himself.
"Shit shit shit!"
His eyes darted over the furnitures that filled the room. But nothing seemed capable of stopping the horror that was moments away from breaking through his door.
Then his gaze fell on his laptop. The online novel he had been reading just moments before this nightmare began was still open on the screen. The words he had been so engrossed in were right there as if mocking him with their fiction.
But his eyes skimmed over the text and something caught his attention, a particular scene that described the protagonist facing down a horde of monsters just like what happens now in his city.
In the story, the protagonist had been powerless just like Myles was now. But then he had found a way to turn the tide. He had fought back and had survived.
"Maybe... I can be like that protagonist..." Myles thought, the idea taking root in his mind and fueled by a desperate hope.
It sounded absurd. Utterly ridiculous even. But what other choice did he have? He could cower here and wait for death, or he could try to fight.
He snapped his laptop shut and forced himself to move. He go over to his small kitchenette. His hands shook as he grabbed the largest knife he could find. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
He could hear the creature outside growing more frantic and the door started splintering under the pressure. He didn't have much time. Myles run and press himself beside the door, holding the knife in front of him with both hands
"If this is it, then I'll go down fighting," he thought. Myles tried to summon even a fraction of the courage the protagonists in his stories always seemed to have. But this wasn't a game or a novel. This was real. And he was terrified to death.
The door gave one final crack and began to break apart. And then the door burst open with a crash, and the monster appeared beside him.
It was a human but with horns sprouting from inside her head.
What makes him even morre shocked was the one who standing in the doorway was someone he knew. It was his neighbor. She had lived in the apartment across the hall. She was friendly and nice but she now looked monstrous.
The reality of the situation hit him. He was facing a monster he had once known as a person. The fact made the horror even more intense.
But there was no time for hesitation. The creature's form moved with unnatural motions as it began to search the room, seemingly unaware of Myles' presence beside the destroyed door. His survival instincts kicked in. He had to act now or he would be just another victim.
Myles ritting his teeth and tightened his grip on the knife. He approached Emily carefully.
With a swift motion Myles thrust the knife into the base of her skull. The blade met resistance and Emily's body convulsed violently. She let out a guttural scream that seems to pierced through Myles' soul. The knife had pierced deep but the monster didn't die instantly. Instead, it thrashed and twisted, her limbs flailing wildly in a desperate attempt to dislodge the weapon.
Myles screamed too, the sound escaping his lips as he fought to maintain his grip on the knife. The room was filled with a horrific shrieks and the grotesque sounds of the struggle. His hands now slick with sweat and blood, then it slipped as he tried to hold the knife steady.
The knife then clattered to the floor. His eyes widened in horror as the reality of his situation crashed over him.
"Shit!" he cursed.
Without thinking he lunged toward the knife but the movement was too slow. Emily's twitching form was already in motion as well.
With a guttural growl she surged forward. Her clawed hand snatched at his leg. Myles felt a searing pain as the claws pierced his flesh and forced a scream from his lips.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg, Myles reached for the knife, his fingers barely managing to close around its handle.
Myles summoning every ounce of strength he had left and raised the knife. After that, he drove it with a scream. The blade plunging deep into Emily's head. But the monster didn't stop; her limbs flailed and her claws still digging into his leg.
Myles pulled the knife out and stabbed again. Each thrust was looks frantic. The blade sliced through flesh, skull, and her eyes. Each stab met made Emily's body convulsed.
Myles continued to stab, his movements growing more erratic, driven by adrenaline and fear. Blood sprayed, coating his face and hands, mixing with the sweat and tears.
Finally, the creature's body grew limp. The thrashing ceased and Emily lay still. The knife was buried in her skull, covered in a gruesome mixture of blood and brains.
Myles collapsed beside her, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Suddenly, flash of crimson text materialized before his eyes. The text hovered in the air. It was as if the very fabric of reality had shifted to accommodate this new message.
[You have successfully defeated a Rank F-Mutated Soul.]
[You have been granted The System.]
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