The creature's jaws snapped shut inches from Argon's throat, the sound like bones breaking. He stumbled back, heart pounding, his bloody hand slipping against the brass key.
It was bigger than he'd thought. Too big to have fit inside the box. Its body writhed unnaturally, slick with crimson slime, limbs twisting like broken dolls. Its eyes—no, not eyes, but pits of glowing hunger—fixed on him.
"Son of a—" Argon ducked as it lunged again. Its claws raked across the wall, leaving deep gouges in the wood. Splinters flew.
Behind him, Jax whooped like a kid at the circus. "Yeah! Rip him apart!"
Vanessa leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her lips curving in that maddening smirk. Her voice dripped like honey. "Mmm… look at him. Bleeding, desperate, beautiful. Isn't suffering such an aphrodisiac?"
Argon snarled through gritted teeth. "Lady, if I live through this, I'm suing you for sexual harassment."
The beast lunged again.
The Fight for Survival
He rolled across the blood-slick floor, pain shooting through his arm. His saw lay too far away. The brass key slipped from his fingers and clinked across the room.
"Sh*t!"
The creature's claw tore through his shirt, slicing skin. Heat and agony flared, blood welling instantly. Argon staggered, one hand pressed to his chest.
Selene's voice cut sharp through the chaos. "The head. Only the head will kill it!"
Argon shot her a glare. "You could've said that sooner!"
"Would you have listened?"
"Hell no!"
He dove, grabbing a broken chair leg. It wasn't much, but it was sharp enough. The beast snarled, its breath reeking of rot and copper.
"Alright," Argon muttered, squaring his stance. "Let's dance, ugly."
He rammed the wood upward as the beast lunged. The jagged point sank into its jaw, shattering teeth. It shrieked, the sound piercing, enough to rattle the walls.
Blood—thick, black, foul—sprayed across Argon's face. He gagged but didn't let go.
Vanessa's Dangerous Game
The beast thrashed, slamming him against the floor. His vision blurred. The chair leg snapped in half.
It reared back, jaws wide, ready to finish him.
Vanessa stepped forward, heels clicking softly, slowly. Her eyes glittered as she licked her lips. "Say please, darling. Beg… and maybe I'll help you."
Argon coughed blood, glaring at her. "Bite me."
Her smile widened. "Oh, I intend to."
She didn't move. She didn't lift a finger. She wanted to watch him either die… or prove himself worthy.
Selene Cracks
The beast lunged again. Argon rolled, barely dodging. His wounded arm gave out. He hit the ground hard, stars exploding in his vision.
He heard Selene's breath hitch. Her icy mask wavered. For the first time, she took a step forward, her hand lifting. Dark energy rippled around her fingers.
"Don't," Vanessa purred. "If he's too weak, let him be eaten."
Selene's jaw clenched. Her eyes locked on Argon. He was sprawled, bleeding, broken—but still fighting.
"Argon," she said, voice low, almost trembling. "Get up. You don't die here. Not yet."
Something in her tone—command or plea—lit a spark in him.
The Kill
The beast lunged, all fangs and claws. Argon grabbed the broken hacksaw, barely conscious. With a roar, he rammed it upward, shoving the jagged teeth into the monster's skull.
It shrieked, convulsing. Black blood poured, coating his hands, his chest, his face. He screamed back, a raw sound of defiance.
The beast thrashed one final time—then collapsed, twitching, before falling still.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Argon lay gasping, drenched in gore, chest heaving. His hand trembled around the saw.
Jax clapped slowly, mocking. "Bravo. Really. Ten out of ten gore."
Vanessa stepped closer, kneeling beside Argon. She brushed blood from his cheek with a slow, sensual touch. Her eyes burned with hunger. "Mmm… you kill beautifully."
Selene turned away, fists trembling. "This game will destroy him," she whispered.
Cliffhanger Ending
The floor beneath Argon rumbled.
He froze. Everyone froze.
The beast's body twitched. Its head—split, leaking black blood—snapped upward. Its broken jaw cracked open wider than before, a sickening sound echoing.
And then… another head began pushing its way out of the corpse.
Argon's blood ran cold.
"…You've got to be f*cking kidding me."
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"Next chapter: Just when Argon thought he'd won, the true horror awakens. A second beast, stronger, hungrier, born from the corpse of the first. His body is failing, his blood pouring, and Vanessa's twisted desires only grow deeper. Selene must make a choice: watch him die… or reveal a secret that could damn them both. In the Fatal Game, survival is never victory."