Every instinct screamed that there was nowhere left to run.
Tink.
A tiny metallic sound rang across the silent floor, something had fallen.
Tiny Maya instinctively glanced down.
A slender pin she had used to keep her hair tied had slipped free during the chase.... It rolled across the smooth floor before coming to a stop.
It was made of polished metal, no longer than the length of her hand.One end was rounded for a comfortable grip.
The other gradually narrowed into a fine, pointed tip, surprisingly sharp. Its silver surface caught the bright ceiling light.
She stared at it.
For a brief second, everything else seemed to fade— her eyes remained fixed on the little piece of metal.
A thought flashed through her mind.
If i kept running...I would eventually be caught. If I stood still... I would have
no chance at all.
It wasn't a weapon anyone would choose. But It's all I have....Maybe I can do it.....
Without taking her eyes off the approaching Chimera, she slowly crouched down.
Her trembling fingers reached toward the floor.
Every Instinct Told Her It Was Hopeless. Yet Doing Nothing Would Only End One Way.
She picked up the hairpin and wrapped her tiny hand tightly around it and swallowed hard.
She knew the little hairpin could hardly compare to the towering creature before
her.
The Chimera lunged forward with terrifying speed.
She tried to dodge but her injured leg failed her.
Bang!
The force of the attack threw her off balance.
She hit the smooth floor hard, the impact driving the air from her lungs.
"Ah....Ah!"
She struggled to push herself up.
Her arms shook, they wouldn't listen.
Thud....Thud....Thud.
The footsteps stopped.
Maya slowly lifted her head, the monster was standing over her. Its lifeless eyes stared silently into hers.
Its immense shadow swallowed her completely.
Her heart pounded wildly, her injured leg refused to obey, she tried to move but there was nowhere left to go.
The Chimera leaned closer...Its pale, unblinking eyes remained fixed on her.
Maya tightened her grip around the metal hairpin, her hand trembled.It was tiny almost meaningless against a creature like this.
She drew one shaky breath.
This is my only chance...
As the Chimera reached toward her—
With every ounce of strength she could gather she thrust the pointed hairpin toward the creature's neck.
The monster froze for the briefest instant
Its whole body recoiled at once.
It staggered back with a thunderous step, letting out a deep, furious roar that echoed through the white chamber.
The muscles along its distorted neck spasmed .
She stared in disbelief, It had worked.
The hairpin hadn't defeated the Chimera
But she had found a weakness.
For the first time, it wasn't advancing.
Ignoring the searing pain in her injured leg, Maya forced herself forward.
Her lungs burned with every breath.
The world around her seemed to blur, narrowing until there was only one thing left—
The Chimera.
She knew she couldn't outrun it, she couldn't overpower it.
Before the towering creature could recover from the first strike, Maya threw herself toward it with everything she had left.
She ran straight at the monster, the distance vanished in an instant. Then she leaped.
For one terrifying heartbeat, she was suspended in the air.
She crashed into the Chimera's enormous body. The impact rattled every bone in her
tiny frame.
Its pale skin was unnaturally smooth and cold beneath her hands, offering almost nothing to grip.
Her feet immediately slipped, "No...!"
Her body began sliding downward.
Panic surged through her chest.
If she fell now...It was over.
With a desperate cry, she threw one arm around the creature's twisted shoulder while her other hand clawed wildly across its slick skin, searching for anything she could hold.
Her fingers scraped against rough ridges hidden beneath the creature's flesh.
She seized them, every finger locked tight.
The Chimera reacted instantly... It let out a deafening roar that shook the white chamber.
The monstrous body lurched violently from side to side.
Maya was thrown upward, then downward, then sideways as though she were nothing more than a leaf caught in a storm.
Her injured leg slammed against the creature's body.
A bolt of pain exploded through it, "Aah—!"
Her grip nearly failed. One hand slipped.
For one horrifying second, she dangled
by only a single arm.
Below her waited the cold white floor.
One fall that was all it would take.
Her heart pounded wildly, "No...!"
With a burst of desperate strength, she reached back up, grabbing hold again
with trembling fingers.
Her nails dug painfully into the creature's pale flesh. She refused to let go.
The Chimera twisted violently, trying to crush her against the walls. It slammed itself into the smooth steel barrier.
The impact shook the entire chamber. The force nearly knocked the air from Maya's lungs. Her vision flashed white.
Still...She held on.
The monster bucked again, then again.
Its massive arms clawed behind itself, blindly reaching for the tiny girl clinging to its neck.
The enormous fingers swept only inches away from her.
She flattened herself against its body.
Another swing. Closer.
She barely escaped being grabbed.
Every second she remained there felt impossible.
Her tiny fingers were beginning to lose their strength. They trembled uncontrollably.
Sweat made her grip slippery.
She could feel herself slipping.
Little by little.
Centimeter by centimeter, "I have to..."
Her shaking hand tightened around the small metal hairpin. she had already seen the creature recoil once.
The neck.
That was the only place.
That was the only hope.
Drawing one ragged breath, she pulled herself higher. The movement sent fresh agony through her injured leg.
She raised the tiny hairpin.
The Chimera sensed the movement.
Its entire body convulsed.It threw itself backward with terrifying force.
Maya nearly lost her balance. The hairpin slipped from the perfect angle, "No!"
She caught herself at the last possible moment. With every ounce of strength remaining in her exhausted little body...
She drove the pointed metal into the vulnerable place beneath the creature's neck.
STRUCK.
The Chimera released a roar so powerful that the air itself seemed to tremble.
Its entire body jerked violently.
The muscles beneath Maya rippled uncontrollably.
She pulled the hairpin back, her arm felt unbearably heavy. Every movement hurt.
Still...She struck again.
STRUCK.
The Chimera staggered, another roar.
More desperate.
Her breathing came in broken gasps.
"Haa...Haa..."
The white chamber faded in and out of focus.
She could barely hear the Chimera's furious roars anymore.
All she knew was that she couldn't stop.
If she stopped...It would kill her.
So she kept driving the little hairpin toward the same vulnerable place.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The monster's movements slowly began to change.The violent thrashing became slower.
Its balance faltered, Its enormous legs stumbled.
The thunderous footsteps that had shaken the chamber only moments before became uneven.
Then a stumble.
It let out one last strained roar that echoed through the white chamber before fading into silence.
Its towering frame trembled.
The pale, unblinking eyes that had been fixed upon her moments before gradually lost their focus.
The enormous body swayed once...Then again. Finally, its knees buckled.
[ THUD ]
With a heavy thud, the Chimera collapsed onto the cold floor.
Its slow, labored breathing grew quieter,
And quieter .... until even that faded into silence.
She didn't notice it had stopped moving.
Her arm kept thrusting.
Her breaths came in broken gasps.
Tears blurred her vision.
~~
The projection showed only one thing—
A tiny, exhausted four-year-old girl kneeling atop the fallen Chimera.
Her little hand still Thrust the bloodstained hairpin.Not because she was angry.
Because somewhere inside her terrified mind..She still believed the monster might stand up again.
....
The room felt impossibly cold.
Mahi's lips trembled ,"Stop....please."
The little girl on the screen couldn't hear her.
She kept moving.
Each weak strike grew slower than the last.
Her tiny arm was shaking so violently it looked as though it would simply give out.
She covered her mouth, tears spilled through her fingers.
"Oh, sweetheart..."
She sank onto the sofa without realizing she had moved,
"My baby It's already down....Please, you don't have to fight anymore."
...
Ohi stared at the screen. His expression had completely emptied.
He wasn't looking at the Chimera, he wasn't even looking at the room.
His eyes were fixed on Maya,
"She thinks if she stops...she'll die."
...
Fahim rubbed both hands over his face.
"I've studied trauma for years...But seeing it...is different. She's trapped in survival mode."
His usual calm voice sounded strained.
"Look carefully, she's exhausted, her muscles are failing but she refuses to stop."
He pointed quietly toward the screen.
"This isn't rage, this is neurological.
The fear center of her brain is completely overriding everything else.Her brain still believes the threat is alive."
...
Faha stared at Maya with watery eyes.
Then, despite everything...A tiny, broken smile appeared, "Our little rascal..."
Everyone looked at him.
He laughed once, it sounded more like a sob.
"She looked at a monster three times her size and decided...'Fine. I'll fight anyway.'"
He wiped his eyes.
"She was terrified, so terrified she couldn't even scream but she still fought."
The projection continued.
~~
She didn't realize she was still clutching the metal hairpin.Her fingers had become so stiff that they refused to loosen.
The room was silent,deafeningly silent.
The only sound was her own breathing.
Her heart still pounded against her chest as though it refused to believe the danger had passed.
Her tiny arm slowed, another weak strike.
Then another.
Her fingers finally loosened.
The little metal hairpin slipped from her hand.
Clink.....
It rolled across the white floor.
She remained frozen over the fallen monster her chest rose and fell in desperate, uneven breaths.
She was shaking, her breaths came in short, uneven gasps.Tears blurred her vision.
The Chimera lay motionless before her.
Yet she couldn't bring herself to believe it
was over.
Every terrifying moment of the chase still echoed inside her mind.
The feeling of being hunted.
Her shoulders rose and fell with rapid, uneven breaths, she stared blankly ahead.
A strange sensation twisted inside her stomach,her face suddenly turned pale.
Her breathing caught.
She instinctively covered her mouth with one hand. A wave of nausea surged upward without warning.
"Ugh..."
Before she even realized what was happening, one trembling hand flew
to her mouth.
Her shoulders trembled. For a moment, she thought she was going to be sick.
She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard, struggling to steady her breathing.
"...Haa..." A shaky breath escaped her lips.
Her face remained deathly pale.
Her small body trembled uncontrollably, and tears still clung to the corners of her eyes.
The nausea gradually subsided.
She swallowed hard one last time and lowered her trembling hand from her mouth.
Her heartbeat was still racing, but she forced herself to stay calm.
She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with the back of her sleeve.
Her entire body felt heavy, every muscle ached.Her injured leg throbbed with each small movement.
Even so...She slowly pushed herself to her feet.Her knees wavered beneath her weight.
For a moment, she thought they might give way again. But she steadied herself.
~~
Mahim slowly lowered his head,
"She's just a child.My little girl....How frightened must she have been..."
Fahad's voice was barely audible,
"I can't watch this anymore...They made her fight that thing alone. Alone..."
Naya covered her mouth with both hands,
"She's trying so hard not to throw up...Look
at her hands, they're still shaking....She's terrified."
Fahish slammed his fist lightly against the wall "Damn it..She's only a little girl.I can't imagine how scared she must be."
Fahim watched Maya's trembling hands...
Her pale face...The exhaustion in her eyes.
His jaw tightened.
"So this...is what she's been carrying by herself. "
The words were almost too quiet to hear.
A long silence followed.
"I've never felt this helpless."
Mahi let out a slow, shaky breath.
"...This is why. This is why Maya kept refusing to tell us about her past."
Nahi slowly covered his mouth.
"She wasn't hiding it because she didn't trust us.....She was trying to protect herself from reliving it."
Fahan looked at the screen, unable to take his eyes off Maya,
"No wonder she always changed the subject."
No wonder she'd go quiet."
~~
HISS...HISS.
A deep mechanical hum vibrated through the white room as the enormous steel door slowly slid open.
Rumble...
The doorway widened inch by inch.
A cold draft drifted through the opening.
Maya flinched, her entire body stiffened.
Every muscle tightened before she could even think. Her frightened eyes snapped toward the sound.
Beyond the doorway...There was only another stretch of unfamiliar white.
No movement.
That frightened her even more.
Her breathing became shallow.
Her heart pounded painfully inside her chest.
"..."
She didn't move even a single step.
Her tiny fingers instinctively curled against the Chimera beneath her feet, as if letting go would somehow make everything around her become real.
She simply stared.
Surely...
Something would come out again. Another Chimera. Another impossible creature.
Wasn't that how this place worked?
Her frightened mind refused to believe this door could simply be...open.
Seconds passed, nothing happened.
Still...She couldn't force herself any closer.
Her exhausted body wanted to move.
Her terrified mind refused.
She slowly turned her head.
The monster's gigantic body remained motionless across the smooth white floor.
She stared at it for several long moments.
It wasn't moving...Was it?
What if it suddenly stood back up?
What if it was pretending?
What if the moment I turned my back.....
It attacked again?
The thought alone made her stomach twist.
The creature didn't move. Its pale eyes remained empty, its chest no longer rose.
She looked toward the open doorway again.
Then back at the Chimera. As though unable to decide which frightened her more.
The unknown waiting ahead or the nightmare she had barely survived behind her.
A shaky breath escaped her lips, "...I..."
She slowly loosened her grip on the creature.
Her fingers resisted...They had remained clenched for so long that they almost refused to open.
Finally—She let go carefully, almost reluctantly.....She climbed down from
the Chimera's enormous body.
The instant her injured leg touched the floor—
A sharp bolt of pain shot through it, "Ah..."
Her knees buckled beneath her tiny frame.
She caught herself with both hands against the cold white floor before she could fall completely.
For several seconds she remained there, breathing hard. The pain pulsed through
her leg with every heartbeat.
It felt heavy as though it no longer belonged to her.
Slowly...She pushed herself upright again.
Her legs shook violently beneath her weight.
She stood completely still until the dizziness faded. Only then did she dare take her first step.
[ TAP ]
The tiny sound echoed throughout the enormous chamber.
She immediately stopped, her wide eyes darted toward the open doorway.
Only silence answered.
She took another step.
Each footstep felt unbearably loud.
She hated that sound.
What if something was standing just beyond the doorway where she couldn't see?
Waiting.
Ready to rush out the moment she got close.
She stared at the empty opening for what felt like forever.
One more step then another.
Every movement felt painfully slow...
Her injured leg dragged ever so slightly behind her.
The doorway waited before her.
Its empty whiteness seemed endless.
She couldn't see what lay beyond.
Another hesitant step then another.
Every few steps she glanced behind her again. Every time she expected the thing
to be standing.
Every time she expected those pale eyes to be staring back at her.
Every time...It remained still.
She stood before the massive steel threshold.
One more step...That was all yet her feet refused.
Crossing that line meant leaving behind the only place she understood.
Terrifying as it had been, at least she knew what was here. Beyond this doorway....
Anything could be waiting.
For several long seconds, she stared at the opening, unable to force herself any closer.
Finally..... After one last moment of hesitation, with trembling determination, she slowly stepped through the second door.
The moment Maya stepped beyond the steel doorway, she froze.
The corridor beyond was just as cold and impossibly white as the chamber she had left behind.
Endless rows of fluorescent lights stretched across the ceiling, bathing every surface in a harsh glow.
Silence.
Not a single sound reached her ears.
Her exhausted eyes slowly scanned the seemingly endless corridor.
At first....She thought it was empty.
Then, far in the distance, something interrupted the perfect symmetry of
the hallway.
Two dark shapes, standing perfectly still.
For a brief moment, they were little more than silhouettes against the overwhelming white, their features swallowed by the brightness surrounding them.
They did not move, they simply stood there.
Watching.
A chill crept down Maya's spine.
Her heart tightened. As her eyes adjusted to the unforgiving light, the figures gradually became clearer.
White laboratory coats, neatly pressed uniforms beneath them.
Identification cards hanging from their collars.
Thin gloves covering their hands.
Neither looked alarmed.
Instead.....They looked quietly satisfied.
As though everything unfolding before them had happened exactly as expected.
Her chest rose and fell in uneven, desperate breaths, each one burning her aching lungs.
Her legs felt as though they could give way beneath her at any moment, yet she couldn't force herself to move.
She stared at the two figures in the distance.
Confusion slowly replaced the terror that had consumed her moments before.
They weren't monsters.
They weren't running.
Her gaze flickered from the scientists to the motionless body of the monster lying behind her.
Why did these people look so... calm?
A cold knot tightened in her stomach.
They weren't afraid of the monster...They are scarry.
The thought sent another shiver through her exhausted body.
Instinct urged her to step back.
Her foot shifted only a few centimeters before pain shot through her body, forcing her to stop.
Her wide eyes never left the two strangers.