Lucas's expression twisted as the grim realization settled in.
The whole reason he had struggled to climb out of the train was to avoid being noticed by those monstrous creatures. Yet fate, the ever-cruel bastard, ensured that one of them looked up at the worst possible moment possible.
Without breaking eye contact with the wolf-like beast, he muttered under his breath, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Arthur, or whatever your name was... you'd best get ready to run."
Arthur frowned as the ominous tone in Lucas's voice sent a chill down his spine.
Following the silver-haired boy's gaze, he turned his head... and his face quickly drained of all its colour.
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire…" The blond muttered.
The beast's predatory eyes locked onto them, its gaze filled with malicious hunger.
Its maw stretched open, unleashing a bone-chilling howl that echoed into the night.
"AWOOOOOOOO!"
At that moment, the two boys gave in to their instincts.
Without as much as a moment's hesitation, they turned on their heels and bolted, sprinting across the slick metal roof of the train as fast as their legs would allow.
The beast also wasted no time.
With a snarl, it disengaged from its pack and began slowly pulling itself up onto the roof in pursuit.
The rest of its kin remained below, their hulking bodies repeatedly slamming into the train's damaged walls, widening the gaping wound they had already torn into the steel.
It was only a matter of time before they broke through completely.
However, it would still take some time for that to happen.
In the meantime, why not snack on the humans who willingly came out on their own?
As long as it killed them fast enough, the monster wouldn't have to share either!
As it awkwardly climbed onto the train's roof, thick driblets of drool began to flow out of the creature's mouth in anticipation of the upcoming feast.
Jumping onto the subsequent train car, Lucas was unable to stop himself and took a quick peek over his shoulders… what he saw sent a fresh wave of terror coursing through his veins.
The creature had already reached the spot they had fled from, its hulking form poised to give chase.
'Surely it realizes there's an open hatch right there, right?'
While it was cruel to hope that the monster would go after others instead of him, Lucas couldn't care less about morals at a time like this.
As if hearing Lucas's inner pleas, the monster directed its attention away from the two boys and towards the train car full of screaming adolescent youths.
But the beast was not so easily distracted. It sniffed at the gaping hole, peering into the chaos within, but when its bulk failed to fit through, it swiftly abandoned the attempt.
Instead, its piercing gaze snapped back to Lucas and Arthur.
Lucas's stomach churned.
'Fuck it all to hell.'
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to run harder. However... Lucas already knew the unfortunate truth. No matter how desperately he pumped his legs, no human could outrun a predator of that size.
And yet, the primal fear in his veins demanded he still tried.
Panting, he threw a desperate look at Arthur. "You… wouldn't happen to have some crazy, overpowered skill, would you? Something that could kill that thing?"
Arthur let out a short, humourless laugh. "None of us on this train even know what skills we have yet. Isn't it the same for you? If I were a Neo-Aristocrat, I wouldn't even be here."
Lucas's hands curled into fists.
'Where the hell are the people in charge of protecting us?! Why isn't anyone coming?!'
The train should have had personnel dedicated to its safety—hunters, officers, anyone. And yet, not a single one showed up.
'Useless bastards wasting our tax dollars. Why can't any of them do the job they're paid for?!'
Just as his frustration reached its peak, the universe decided to twist the knife even further.
Lucas's foot suddenly stubbed itself against the raised edge of a ventilation hatch.
Pain shot up his leg, and before he could catch himself, a loud, involuntary scream tore from his throat.
"AGHHHHH!"
The sound carried far, cutting through the cacophony of the train's distressed passengers to the pack of hungry wolves tearing into the train car. Unfortunately, the creatures just so happened to have exceptional hearing.
One by one, the rest of the pack snapped their heads toward the rooftop.
Their hungry eyes found Lucas, a fresh, easy target... and just like that, they abandoned their assault on the train's walls.
Instead of wasting time prying through the metal container, why not go after the easy prey first?
As a dozen pairs of glowing, predatory eyes fixated on him, Lucas's face turned ghostly pale.
"God… Why me?"
This had to be a sick joke.
Despite trying to use others as bait to make his clean getaway… the exact opposite ended up happening instead.
Instead, he'd somehow drawn the attention of every single damn one of them onto himself.
Arthur alternated his gaze between Lucas and the wolves with horror, sweat dripping down his brow.
"Maybe… going with you was a mistake," the blond-haired boy muttered under his breath.
Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret.
Lucas wanted to snap back with something sarcastic, but he was too busy running for his life.
And then, inevitably… the wolves caught up.
The first beast lunged, claws extended. Time slowed as Lucas watched his death approach, the massive jaws widening, ready to rip him apart.
His life flashed before his eyes. The bitter memories of an impoverished childhood, the cold indifference of his estranged family, the constant bullying he had endured at school…
'Now that I think about it, my life was a total shitshow.'
A bitter chuckle almost escaped him. 'If I meet God in the afterlife, I'm going to sock that fucker.'
Just as he resigned himself to his fate, he tripped again—this time crashing straight into Arthur. The unexpected shove sent Arthur reeling to the side, forcing him off balance... and also off of the train itself.
His horrified eyes met Lucas's just as his body tipped over the edge.
As his body sailed through the air, he was able to catch a glimpse of Lucas moments away from being ripped to shreds by a monster.
Unfortunately… Arthur wasn't able to see what happened next as his body plummeted into the darkness below.
Lucas barely had time to process what had happened before the massive fangs descended upon him.
He was going to die either way, but having to endure the pain of stubbing his foot twice was just unnecessarily cruel. Both times were in the same place, too!
Was it because he threatened to punch God?
Did some deity hear Lucas's thoughts and decide to let the silver-haired youth die alone as retribution for thinking that?
They even spared Arthur just so Lucas could die first… That was just unreasonably petty!
As the beast lunged, Lucas's mind screamed for salvation.
'Umm… God? If you can hear me, I take back everything I said earlier. I-I ugh… promise to be a devout believer! Just… HELP ME!'
A sudden chime rang through the air. Then, out of nowhere, a translucent blue screen materialized before Lucas's eyes.
[DOWNLOADING SYSTEM… PLEASE WAIT UNTIL THE DOWNLOAD PROCESS IS COMPLETED]
[ETA: 5 MINUTES]
Lucas's eyes widened in disbelief.
'FIVE MINUTES? Does it LOOK like I have five minutes?! I don't even have five damn SECONDS!'
If it was really God doing this, they were one sick bastard.
He braced himself for death, staring the beast in the eye. If he was going to die, he'd at least face it head-on.
However… just as the monster's fangs were about to pierce through his flesh, the creature suddenly stopped its attack.
"…What?"
Confused by the monster's actions, Lucas looked at the creature in bewilderment.
The monster suddenly recoiled, its aggression fading as a woman's voice echoed through the night.
"Alright, everyone, that concludes our drill! Go help any student in need of assistance while we wait for the train's repairs to finish."
Lucas's wide eyes followed the retreating form of the creature as it hopped off the train roof along with the rest of the pack.
The monsters no longer bore any trace of their former bloodthirstiness.
Instead, they simply… left.
'This whole thing… was a drill?'
His entire body, still strung tight from adrenaline, trembled as the realization fully hit him.
And then, at long last, Lucas's consciousness finally gave out.
His eyes rolled back as the world faded to black.