Darkness.A faint drip of water.Somewhere, far off, the sound of something snoring like a broken chainsaw.
Arjun groaned.
"Ughhh... is this heaven? No, wait. My leg still hurts. Definitely not heaven."
He rolled onto his side with a wince, blinking into the pitch-black void. Cold stone. A strange warmth on his cheek. A weird draft tickling his ribs.
He looked down.
His shirt was half ripped open. One shoe missing. His leg—still badly scraped—throbbed like it had its own heartbeat.
"Oh nice," he muttered. "Ten outta ten honeymoon so far."
He sat up slowly, trying not to scream as his muscles protested. The last thing he remembered was that blinding light and some kind of horrifying—oh yeah, the ancient cave monster.
Cool.
Then a sound.
Skrrrch… sniff… snort.
He turned his head—and there it was.
A beast.
No taller than Arjun, but wide. Fat, muscular, and covered in skin that looked like mashed-up grey potatoes. Its face was like a warthog's that had lost a boxing match. One tooth stuck out sideways like it had tried to escape but failed halfway.
It snarled.
"Okay, that's new," Arjun said calmly.
Then it leaped.
Arjun yelped, barely dodging as it slammed into the rock behind him, cracking the wall.
"HEY! I JUST WOKE UP, GIVE ME A SECOND—!"
He crawled backward, using his elbows, dragging his bum leg. "What are you even?! Failed Pokémon evolution?!"
The creature charged again.
Arjun ducked, fell, rolled over some rocks, and landed—face-first—next to something.
Metal.
Shiny.
A gun.
A Desert Eagle.
Next to it: a dirty green bag filled with bullets.
Arjun blinked. "Well. Look who brought a cheat code to a fistfight."
He picked it up—held it like he'd seen in movies.
"Alright, beastie. Time to meet my friend, Mr. Gun."
He pointed it.
Pulled the trigger.
Click.
Nothing.
The beast tilted its head. Snorted.
Arjun flipped the gun around, smacked the side, checked the front. "Why aren't you working? I picked you up dramatically and everything!"
Another click.
Still nothing.
The beast lunged again, and Arjun hurled himself backward, slamming into a rock.
He scrambled up, the gun in one hand, the bag in the other, frantically pulling bullets out and trying to stuff them in random holes.
One went in sideways.
Another flew across the room.
"WHY IS THIS THING SO COMPLICATED?! JUST SHOOT!"
Then the beast paused.
Stepped closer.
Arjun held the gun out again.
The beast reached forward.
Slowly.
Pressed the safety switch with one long claw.
Click.
Then pointed at the chamber. Growled low. Tapped it twice.
Arjun stared.
"…are you literally teaching me how to kill you?"
The beast grunted.
"Okay then."
Arjun aimed.
Took a breath.
Pulled the trigger—
BOOM.
A thunderous blast filled the cave.
The bullet exploded into the rock wall behind the beast, missing it by a full meter.
Dust rained down.
The beast blinked.
Then smiled.
And with a roar that shook Arjun's spine—
It charged.