We all stood outside the cave, bathed in the faint glow of the moonlight. The surroundings were hazy, but our minds were crystal clear—head south, reach the sea, build a raft, and escape this hellhole.
"Everyone ready?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. But inside, my heart was pounding like a drum. This mountain had shown us so much—fear, battles, loss. Everyone nodded.
"Alright," I said. "No noise. Keep your eyes peeled. This place is crawling with danger. Move south."
We started descending slowly. The slope was slippery, covered in leaves, rocks, and mud. The air carried a strange scent—rotting foliage mixed with something else, like the breath of a beast. Memories flooded back of the hardships since entering the tunnel—fights, injuries, betrayal. Thinking of Daniel ignited my anger, but I suppressed it. Focus on survival now.
Before long, we reached the base of the mountain. The night's darkness had thickened so much that even the moonlight barely pierced through. We were surrounded by towering trees, blocking the light from reaching the ground. I activated the night vision mode on my lenses. Suddenly, I could see clearly in the pitch black. I zoomed in south for about a kilometer—no signs of beasts. So, we proceeded cautiously southward, with me guiding them forward.
I gripped my sharp sword tightly, as if it were my only lifeline. Grace had Neon perched on her shoulder—that little bird chick I'd once wanted to eat, but now it was part of our team. Its eyes sparkled in the moonlight, alert as ever.
We hadn't gone far when... a sound echoed: "Ssss... ssss..." Like whispering, but not human. A chill ran down my spine.
"Stop!" I signaled with my hand. Everyone froze.
In the moonlight, something dangled between the trees ahead—a web-like net of white threads. No, not ordinary webs—spider silk! And in the center, a giant spider. Its body was nearly two meters long, black and hairy, with eight legs like razor blades, eyes glowing red. Behind it, more descended from the trees, swinging on threads. My heart leaped. These things were venomous, fast, deadly.
"Giant spiders!" Nora whispered, fear evident in her voice.
From the side, Mr. Jackson said, "Ryan, didn't you zoom in properly? Didn't you spot these spiders?"
I replied calmly, "No. They're coming down from the treetops. I didn't check up there."
Disappointment washed over everyone's faces. The giant spiders had surrounded us from all sides.
Then Mr. Jackson shouted, "Scatter! Ryan and I will handle the front ones. Kaito, take the right. Grace, Nora, Ayaka—support from the rear!"
The situation had turned dire; we all knew this fight would be brutal.
From the front, a spider leaped at me, stabbing with its two sharp legs, trying to impale my body. I dodged sideways, my sword flashing in the moonlight. I struck one of its legs—crack! The leg broke, black fluid spraying out. The spider screeched, "Screech!" and spun, opening its mouth. Venom droplets flew toward me. I jumped back, but one hit my hand—burning like fire. I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain. "Aim for the legs! They're weak there!" I yelled for everyone to hear.
Kaito swung his sword at the spider on the right. Thwack! It recoiled, but tangled in its web and leaped again. I saw its leg slash Kaito's shoulder—blood flowed, staining his shirt red. "Ah!" Kaito cried out, but he didn't stop, stabbing the spider's eye. It burst, green fluid splattering everywhere. The spider shuddered and fell, its venom spraying—I dodged to avoid it.
Grace, with Neon on her shoulder, hurled her spear at the left spider. Puch! It pierced its abdomen. The spider screeched and shot web at Grace's feet. She tripped, about to fall. "Grace!" I started to shout, but Nora leaped in, slicing the web with her medium-sized sword. "Grace, move!" Nora yelled, then hacked at the spider's leg—crack! It broke, and the spider toppled over, unable to balance. I glanced at Grace—she was okay, but her eyes were wide with fear. Neon trembled on her shoulder, chirping softly.
Ayaka fired her pistol from the rear at the spiders. She'd lost her fighting instruments, so Nora had given her the gun. Meanwhile, Mr. Jackson was in front of me, using his studded gloves to tear off spider legs. Everyone was giving their all. But with only one sword, I couldn't fight at full capacity. My special technique, Rolling Slash, was perfect for cutting their legs—but it required two swords. Only five spiders left around us. Mr. Jackson could handle at most one more. Kaito was battling another. Ayaka's bullets ran out, Grace had thrown her spear to kill one and was now unarmed. Nora was exhausted, struggling to focus.
With no other choice, I shouted for Nora and asked for her sword. Without thinking, she tossed it to me. I leaped and caught it. Now gripping two swords tightly. Three spiders faced me. But...
Rolling Slash...
Slash... Slash...
In an instant, I shredded the three spiders into pieces. The high-speed attack broke my sword in half. Anyway, I returned Nora's sword. Over there, Mr. Jackson had killed one too.
Now only one spider remained—the one fighting Kaito. It shot web at him, sticking to his hand. Kaito tried to pull free, but the spider bounded toward him. Just as it was about to attack, he swung his sword with blinding speed, stabbing its belly—puch! The spider died, its body going limp.
We all stood there, panting. Blood, venom, webs scattered everywhere. My hand burned, Kaito's shoulder bled, Nora's hands were red and raw.
"Everyone okay?" I asked, my voice trembling. They nodded, but I knew we were battered. "Let's move. The sea's close." I said, though fear gnawed at me inside—how many more dangers?
Anyway, we continued south. The venom made my hand numb, but I clenched my teeth and pressed on. Once, Nora nearly fell into a ravine; I grabbed her hand and pulled her up—gratitude in her eyes. Grace tucked Neon into her bag for safety, shivering from fatigue. Kaito clutched his shoulder, trying to stem the blood. Mr. Jackson trailed behind, his eyes somber. Finally, dawn's light broke. Ahead—the sea! Blue waves crashed on the sand. Tears welled in Nora's eyes—joy or exhaustion, I couldn't tell. "We made it!" Grace cheered, a smile breaking through.
"Now, build the raft," I said, despite the fatigue. We headed to the nearby jungle. Tall trees stood there—strong like bamboo, straight. Kaito and I started chopping with our swords. I struck the base of one—crack! It trembled and fell. Sweat soaked us, but we didn't stop, cutting four long branches. "These will be the base. Tie them tight with ropes." Nora and Ayaka gathered vines; we laid the branches side by side, crossing smaller ones and binding with vines and our remaining ropes. It took two hours, but the rafts were ready—about two meters long, sturdy enough. We made two.
As we prepared to launch them... a roar from behind: "Grrr!" I turned—a pack of small dinosaurs! About a meter tall, with sharp teeth, greedy eyes, and lightning speed. They charged in a group. "Like velociraptors!" Kaito shouted. My body went cold. "Run!"
But Mr. Jackson stepped back. "No! You go. I'll hold them off. Ryan, you're the team leader now. Get them out. I... my time has come."
"What are you saying?" I yelled, voice shaking. "Come with us! We'll all go!"
"No, Ryan. Go!" Mr. Jackson said calmly. "I told you one day I'd have to fulfill my final duty, and you'd have to accept leadership of this team."
I stood silent, unable to speak. The situation demanded someone stay behind, or we'd all die. So, without further thought, I pushed the raft toward the sea. Kaito helped. He said, "Ryan, what's the plan? The dinos are close; we can't escape. We have to fight."
I said softly, "No, we don't fight. We escape now—that's Mr. Jackson's final decision."
Everyone fell silent, understanding my words.
Grace burst out, "No, this can't happen. We can't leave him like this."
"No, Grace, no emotions now. Get on the raft. Nora, Ayaka, Kaito—you too," I told them.
Over there, Mr. Jackson struck the first dino—thwack! It reeled, but others advanced. He charged them, "Go! I'm doing this for you!"
Hearing him, Nora, Kaito, and Ayaka launched one raft into the sea. But Grace was emotional, refusing to go. She started crying. With no choice, I grabbed her and forced her onto the raft. It floated out on the waves. Looking back, I saw Mr. Jackson fighting. One bit his leg, blood spurting, but he smashed its head with his studded gloves—crack! Another leaped on his back; he spun and threw it off. He held them for minutes, his roars mixing with their screeches. But they were too many. Finally... one clamped on his throat—blood sprayed, staining the sand red. He fell, body going still. The dinos surrounded him, and we watched from afar like cowards. Grace sobbed hysterically at the horrific sight. I couldn't hold back my tears either. My heart tore apart.
Mr. Jackson's past was full of sorrow. Back when we stood outside the cave talking, he shared it with me.
Jackson's Past...
He was a professional boxer in Mexico, a legend in the ring. He lived happily with his wife and daughter. But one match, he accidentally killed an opponent. His boxing license was revoked, barring him from national or international fights. Forced into underground bouts, his fearsome strength caught a sponsor's eye—a son of a famous Mexican businessman. Under him, Jackson became an underground champion. But one day, the sponsor told him to throw a match intentionally, having bet on the opponent. Jackson agreed. During the fight, he took the beating as planned. Then his opponent trash-talked him and his family. Unable to endure, Jackson unleashed, beating him senseless and winning. The sponsor lost the bet and a fortune, enraged. He sent bodyguards to Jackson's home, who murdered his wife and little girl. Jackson returned post-fight, opening the door to silence. Before him lay their bodies. He screamed and cried, realizing who did it. Eyes burning with vengeance, he rushed to the sponsor's house. Two guards at the entrance—he donned his studded gloves and killed them instantly. Inside, ten more guards. In his rage, he slaughtered them in under ten minutes. The noise drew the sponsor out. Seeing Jackson, he looked monstrous. Before he could speak, Jackson brutally ended him. Returning home, Jackson buried his family, then crossed the border to Russia.
Past End...
From that day, he blamed himself. "I couldn't save them." After the loss, he joined missions to save others, seeking atonement. He came on this one for redemption—saving our team to escape his past's shadow. In his final moments, I swear I saw a smile on his face—peace, because he'd succeeded. We'd survived, thanks to his sacrifice. We drifted on the sea's waves, tears in my eyes, his memory in my heart. But now, we had to move forward—toward a new beginning.
To be continued.