Everything snapped back into focus. Veythor's vision was still a haze, his breaths ragged, chest rising and falling as if he had just surfaced from drowning. Shimi and Raika stared at him, concern flickering in their eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong? Why aren't you moving, Mr. Genius?" Raika's voice cut through the silence, half-teasing, half-worried.
Veythor blinked, the blur slowly sharpening. His thoughts twisted like smoke.
What… what just happened? My neck… wasn't it supposed to be broken? Was that all an illusion?
But the memory of pain still clung to him, raw and real. No, it can't be just an illusion… it felt too real. His hand drifted to his throat, fingers brushing against unbroken skin. Cold sweat ran down his face.
"…It's nothing. Let's go."
Veythor forced the words out, steadying his steps, though his body betrayed him... sweat dripping, breath uneven, every muscle still trembling with phantom pain.
The corridor stretched on, swallowing their footsteps.
Then came the sound... faint at first, like dry twigs snapping. But with every step forward, it grew clearer, sharper, until it was unmistakable.
Bone cracking. The wet grind of teeth chewing on marrow. The three exchanged uneasy glances, their faces pale in the dim light.
Shimi's voice broke into a whisper, trembling as if each word carried weight.
"Veythor… I don't think we should keep going. Something's wrong. I'm getting a bad feeling... we should turn back, find another way out."
Her whole body was shaking, her hands clutching at her sleeves.
Raika swallowed hard, voice tight.
"She's right. This doesn't feel safe anymore."
But Veythor only shook his head, eyes dark.
"No. Turning back isn't an option. By now, Bulz already knows we've escaped… and that his son is dead. If we're caught going back, we die. At least moving forward gives us a fifty-fifty chance."
Shimi lowered her head, still trembling, unable to argue.
"…Let's go."
They pressed onward.
Then suddenly—
All of three froze in fear. Their eyes widened in horror, breath caught in their throats.
Shimi nearly screamed, but Veythor's hand clamped over her mouth before the sound could escape. What they saw before them was something none of them had been prepared to face.
A twisted thing skulked into view... its body gaunt and animal-like, yet its head grotesquely human, far too large for its frame. Its skin clung to bone, every rib and joint jutting out as it twitched unnaturally. A whip-tail dragged behind it, scraping the dirt like a warning.
Its face was the worst.... mockingly human, with bulging eyes that glistened with hunger and a mouth curved into a knowing sneer. It clutched a crude spear, tapping it against its own flesh as if deciding where to stab first. Every movement radiated wrongness, as though nature had rejected it, leaving only a nightmare that should not exist.
Veythor leaned close to Shimi, his breath brushing against her ear. Even in that suffocating moment, Raika felt something bitter twist in his chest jealousy gnawing at him more than fear.
"Shimi, calm down," Veythor whispered, his tone steady despite the tension thick in the air. "If you falter here, we'll all die. You trust me, right? Then trust me on this. I promise... I'll find a way."
Her breathing was ragged, shoulders trembling violently. She was teetering on the edge of panic, but Veythor's words sank into her like a rope thrown to someone drowning. A sliver of relief flickered in her eyes.
She gave a shaky nod. Slowly, Veythor removed his hand from her mouth.
"What's your plan?" Raika asked, his brows furrowed, voice sharp with irritation. The annoyance in his eyes only deepened when he saw Shimi clinging to Veythor's words.
"Let me observe first," Veythor replied coolly.
He turned his gaze forward. The sight before him was grotesque the creature hunched low, gnawing on dead rats, chewing them one by one. The wet cracks and crunches echoed through the corridor like a chorus of death, each sound digging into their nerves.
Veythor's thoughts darkened.
This shitty monster… it's going to be a big trouble, one wrong move and we're finished. I don't care about these two, but for now, I need them alive. My survival depends on it atleast for now.
He narrowed his eyes, studying. Then suddenly, something caught his attention. His lips curled into a thin smirk... devilish, almost childlike in its mischief.
"Got an idea," he murmured under his breath.
But deep inside, he knew no matter how sharp his mind was, no matter what plans he made it always felt as if fate itself stood in opposition, mocking him.
Just then, the monster froze. Its chewing stopped. The sound of bones cracking died in its throat. Slowly, its head turned, scanning the darkness with predatory caution.
Veythor's muscles tensed, breath caught. The three of them pressed themselves into a corner, half-hidden. Not enough to disappear completely any shift in its gaze would expose them.
The creature sniffed, eyes sweeping the corridor. Then, mercifully, it turned away.
Veythor exhaled a long, quiet breath, relief washing over him.
The creature suddenly leapt upright, its long ears twitching as though catching whispers in the dark. It began sniffing, slow and deliberate. Every muscle in their bodies tightened, breaths held, as if the faintest sound would betray them.
Then its eyes once an ugly pale white... shifted, turning into pools of jet black. The monster's neck creaked unnaturally as it twisted, and its gaze slid toward them.
Their lungs froze.
A grin split across its face, exposing yellowed teeth slick with filth, so revolting that most people would have vomited at the sight alone. But the stench raw, foul, like rotting meat steeped in acid rolled out of its mouth and smothered the corridor.
Veythor's stomach clenched, bile rising just from breathing it in. It had already seen them. Suddenly, the monster let out a piercing scream.
"Cover your ears!" Veythor barked.
They obeyed instantly, palms pressed hard against their heads. But even so, the shriek was unbearable. It tore through their skulls, a sound that wasn't just noise but pain itself, stabbing into the mind.
Veythor and Raika grounded their teeths, trying to endure. Shimi couldn't. The stench, the fear, the inhuman scream her body gave out. With a heavy thud, she collapsed, trembling, nearly fainting on the cold floor.
"Shimi! No!" Raika cried out, rushing toward her.
"Idiot— stop!" Veythor roared, eyes flashing.
But it was already too late. The monster's scream cut off, replaced by a chilling silence. It began to walk toward them, each step deliberate, its long tongue lolling from its mouth, slick and hungry.