The room shook under the newborn horrors' shrieks. The walls rattled as if about to collapse, every plank dripping with black ichor. The creatures poured from the corpse in waves—half-formed, twitching bodies with gnashing teeth and clawed fingers.
Argon staggered to his feet, hacksaw in hand, though his bloodied body was barely able to move. His wounds burned, his back screamed, and every breath tasted of iron. Yet the sight of the swarm clawing toward him forced his battered legs to steady.
"F*ck me…" he rasped. "Of course there's more."
The swarm screeched as one, hundreds of malformed throats crying out. The floor was already slick with his blood, but now black slime spread with every step of the horrors.
And then, above it all—
The voice.
Cold. Amused. Merciless.
"Argon. Your next dare."
The world seemed to freeze. Even the newborn horrors paused, twitching but not advancing, their grotesque bodies quivering like strings on a puppet.
Argon's stomach dropped. "Not now… you've gotta be kidding me…"
"To survive this round, you must wound one of your companions. Selene… or Vanessa. Choose. Obey. Bleed them, or die yourself."
Twisted Silence
The room went still. Only Argon's ragged breathing filled the silence.
Selene stiffened, shadows flickering wildly around her hands. Her pale face twisted with something that might have been fear—though she hid it behind her usual cold mask. "Don't. Don't even think about it."
Vanessa, however, smiled like a cat in heat. She brushed her blood-smeared fingers across her lips, eyes glittering with amusement.
"Oh, darling," she purred, stepping closer despite the horrors writhing around them. "What a delicious dare. Hurt me… or hurt her." She tilted her head toward Selene. "Whose blood will you spill?"
Argon's grip on the hacksaw trembled. His chest rose and fell like bellows, blood dripping down his side. "You've gotta be f*cking kidding me. After all this—now I have to…"
The voice echoed again.
"Choose, Argon. Cut one… or be consumed."
The horrors twitched eagerly, waiting.
Selene's Crack
Selene stepped forward, her shadows flaring weakly around her. She was drained, her body trembling from the forbidden power already eating away at her strength. Still, her voice was sharp.
"Don't do it. Don't let the Game turn you into its dog. If you strike me, you'll regret it more than death."
Her words bit, but there was a crack in her voice. For the first time, she wasn't certain.
Argon's chest tightened. His thoughts spun like a storm. He could barely stand—how could he make this choice?
Vanessa's Wicked Seduction
Vanessa, of course, reveled in it. She sauntered toward him, heels clicking softly, her dress dragging blood along the floor. She stopped inches from his battered body, looking him up and down like prey.
"Mmm," she hummed, leaning close, her breath warm against his ear. "Imagine it. Your blade kissing my skin. My blood mixing with yours. Wouldn't that be divine?"
Her hand slid across his chest, smearing blood as her nails dug into him—not painfully, but enough to make his breath hitch.
"Or," she whispered, lips grazing his ear, "will you carve into her instead? Cold, beautiful Selene… she'd probably scream. I'd love to hear it."
"Vanessa…" Argon growled, but his voice cracked.
She chuckled, biting her lip. "Don't be shy, darling. I'll even help you. Here." She tilted her head back, exposing her pale throat, veins pulsing. "One cut. One taste. Then we'll both see what kind of man you really are."
The world seemed to tilt. Fear, pain, and twisted desire swirled in Argon's head until he could barely think.
Argon's Torment
His knuckles whitened on the hacksaw. Every instinct screamed at him to fight the monsters, not his companions. But the Game… the Game would kill him if he refused.
The horrors circled, jaws snapping, eyes glowing hungrily. They waited like wolves for him to make the choice.
"Fck," he muttered, voice breaking. "Fck, fck, fck!"
Selene's voice cut through, sharp but strained. "Don't do it, Argon. Don't give in."
Vanessa's laugh was softer, sultrier. "Do it. Do it, and make me yours in blood."
His knees buckled. His chest heaved. The hacksaw trembled, the blade inches from Vanessa's throat, then Selene's pale arm, then back again.
He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't—
Cliffhanger: The First Swing
The horrors screeched suddenly, a sound like a hundred knives on glass, as if demanding his decision.
Argon roared in rage, pain, and desperation. His blood-soaked hand lifted the hacksaw high.
Vanessa's eyes glittered with desire. Selene's lips parted, her mask cracking into raw fear.
And Argon—
Brought the blade down.
The chapter ended in a wet, bloody sound.
Next Chapter Preview
One companion bleeds, the Game roars in satisfaction, and Argon crosses a line he can never return from. But survival comes with a cost—and the newborn horrors aren't done with him yet.