The red lightning continued tearing across the sky.
It didn't look like natural lightning.
Each strike cracked through the clouds like the sky itself was breaking apart.
The Jallikattu arena, which had been roaring with excitement only minutes ago, slowly fell into uneasy silence.
Thousands of people stared upward.
Students whispered nervously.
"Bro… what kind of weather thing?" Lakshman asked.
His voice tried to sound calm.
But the tension in it was obvious.
Aljasheem squinted toward the distant horizon.
"That red beam… it's still there."
"Look carefully."
"It's coming from that direction."
Benedict leaned forward on the metal railing.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Isn't that where the Kalapashana temple area is?"
Shiva didn't answer.
He stood still, staring at the crimson beam piercing the sky.
Something about it felt wrong.
Deeply wrong.
Riya crossed her arms uneasily.
"This is creepy."
"It's only four-thirty… but it looks like night already."
Franklin Iyer, standing a few rows above them, adjusted his glasses and frowned at the sky.
"This is not normal atmospheric behavior," he muttered.
Rajasekeran nodded slowly.
"Yes… the clouds are reacting to something."
Suddenly—
A loud snort echoed from the arena below.
The massive Jallikattu bull standing in the center stopped moving.
Its hooves scraped against the dirt.
Dust rose around its legs.
The bull's chest heaved violently.
It inhaled again and again, breathing like something was choking it.
A thin line of smoke began rising from its back.
At first, no one noticed.
Then one of the players shouted.
"Hey! Look at the bull!"
The crowd leaned forward.
People still recording.
The smoke thickened.
It curled upward from the bull's skin like steam rising from boiling water.
The animal let out a long, painful roar.
"MMOOOOOOOOOO!"
Its muscles trembled violently.
The bull slammed its hoof against the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Riya frowned.
"Why is it acting like that?"
Lakshman shook his head slowly.
"That doesn't look normal."
Then suddenly—
Flames erupted across the bull's body.
The entire animal ignited inside of the bull house.
Fire wrapped around its back and horns like a living creature.
The crowd gasped in horror.
Some people screamed.
Others stood frozen.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Benedict shouted.
But the fire didn't behave normally.
The bull didn't collapse.
It didn't burn like flesh should burn.
Instead…
Its body began hardening.
The flames folded inward.
Wrapping tighter.
Thicker.
Slowly, the burning body reshaped itself into something else.
Something unnatural.
Within seconds, the bull was no longer visible.
Only a massive burning cocoon remained.
The cocoon stood in the center of the arena.
Black.
Cracked.
Glowing faint red through the shell.
The players inside the arena stepped backward nervously.
One of them whispered,
"What… is that thing?"
A deep cracking sound echoed.
CRRRRKKKK
The cocoon trembled.
Then another crack appeared across its surface.
Shiva's eyes narrowed slowly.
Something deep inside his instincts screamed danger.
"Everyone move back," Shiva muttered quietly.
The cocoon split open.
A massive skeletal horn burst through the shell.
Then another.
The entire cocoon exploded inside.
Fragments scattered across the arena.
Standing in the center…
Was something that used to be a bull.
But now it was something far worse.
The creature stood on powerful legs.
But its body had grown larger.
More muscular.
Its head was no longer flesh.
It was bone.
A skull shaped like a bull's head, hollow and monstrous.
Two jagged horns burned with fire.
Flames crawled along their length like living snakes.
Sharp bone spikes erupted from its spine.
Each spike glowed with smoldering heat.
The creature exhaled.
Smoke poured from its mouth.
The entire arena fell silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Then the monster charged.
One Jallikattu player barely had time to react.
The creature slammed into him with terrifying speed.
The man flew several meters through the air.
His body crashed into the ground like a broken doll.
Screams erupted across the stadium.
Another player tried to run.
But the creature swung its skull sideways.
The flaming horn pierced the man's chest.
Blood sprayed across the dirt.
The crowd panicked instantly.
"RUN!"
"RUN!"
Inside the holding gate where the bulls were normally released, a man tried to close the wooden barrier.
But flames burst through the entrance.
The man screamed.
Fire wrapped around his body.
He fell to the ground rolling desperately.
Then the Minotaur-like creature smashed the wooden gate apart.
The burning man lay on the ground crying for help.
The monster stepped forward.
Then it crushed the man with a single brutal strike.
The wooden arena wall shattered moments later.
The creature burst through it like an explosion.
Outside the arena…
Chaos erupted.
Students screamed.
Families ran.
Vendors abandoned their stalls.
Franklin Iyer raised his voice immediately.
"Everyone to the bus!"
"Move now!"
Rajasekeran helped guide the panicking students.
"Stay together!"
"Don't scatter!"
Lakshman grabbed Shiva's shoulder.
"Bro! Come on!"
Aljasheem shouted from the stairs.
"Shiva!"
"Lets Go to our Bus! Now!"
But Shiva didn't move.
His eyes were locked on the chaos below.
People were falling.
Being trampled.
Screaming for help.
Without thinking, Shiva ran forward.
He helped a fallen man stand up.
"Go! Run!"
Shiva helped a man to made him escape
Then another one
Again
Then...
Something strange happened nearby.
One of the dead Jallikattu players twitched.
A man rushed toward him.
"Hey! He's alive!"
The injured player slowly opened his eyes.
But something about them looked wrong.
They were glowing faint red.
The man helping him frowned.
"Brother…?"
Suddenly—
The injured player grabbed his throat violently.
With a brutal motion, he bit into the man's neck.
Blood sprayed across the dirt.
Then the injured player's body twisted unnaturally.
His bones cracked.
His skin darkened.
Within seconds…
Another demon-like creature stood there.
Shiva watched in horror.
His mind raced quickly.
The bull doesn't just kill people…
It infects them.
A single scratch.
A single impact.
That was enough.
More victims began rising.
More bodies twisted.
More demons formed.
Shiva looked around desperately.
Then he saw Riya.
She was helping two frightened girls stand up.
"Come! This way!"
But behind her…
The Minotaur creature lowered its head.
Its flaming hoof scraped the ground slowly.
Preparing to charge.
"RIYA!" Shiva shouted.
She turned slightly.
Confused.
But before she could react—
Shiva sprinted forward.
He grabbed her suddenly and dove.
Both of them crashed to the ground.
Shiva's body landed on top of hers.
His chest pressed against hers.
His legs tangled with hers as they rolled into the dirt.
The Minotaur's horn sliced through the air above them.
Missing them by inches.
The creature stopped.
Its burning skull turned slowly.
Searching.
Shiva held his breath.
His entire body remained perfectly still.
The monster sniffed the air once.
Then it noticed another group of people running.
With a roar, it charged after them instead.
Shiva slowly exhaled.
Riya stared up at him, shocked.
"You… saved me," she whispered.
Shiva blinked.
Realizing their position.
He was still lying on top of her.
Completely pressed against her body.
Before either could move—
A voice shouted above them.
"SHIVAAAA!"
They both looked up.
Lakshman, Benedict, Aljasheem, Franklin Iyer, and Rajasekeran stood on the bus stairs.
All staring down at them.
Lakshman grinned immediately.
"OHHHHH BROOOOO!"
Benedict laughed nervously.
"In the middle of a demon invasion?"
Aljasheem raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously, Shiva?"
Franklin Iyer sighed deeply.
Rajasekeran shook his head.
"Get up and run!"
Riya's face turned bright red.
She pushed Shiva off instantly.
Her face is turned into a red like tomato
Shiva stood up quickly.
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
Behind them…
More screams echoed.
More demons were rising.
And the Minotaur monster was still hunting.
The bus engine roared to life.
Students climbed inside in a rush, pushing and pulling each other in panic as the screams from the festival grounds grew louder behind them.
The night sky glowed with flashes of red lightning, illuminating the chaos like brief photographs of a nightmare.
"Move! Move!" Rajasekeran shouted, waving students inside.
Franklin Iyer stood near the bus door, helping terrified girls climb the steps.
"Hurry! Don't stop!"
Lakshman leaned out of the bus doorway, scanning the crowd.
"Where's Shiva?!" he shouted.
Benedict pointed toward the arena. "He was right behind us!"
Riya and her friends are already in the bus
Riya turned quickly.
Her heart skipped.
"Shiva…?"
Across the festival grounds, Shiva ran between abandoned food stalls and overturned chairs.
His breathing was heavy, but his eyes kept scanning the area.
People were still trapped everywhere.
A scream echoed from the side of the road.
Not the scream of an adult.
A child.
Shiva turned immediately.
Near the edge of the field, two children stood frozen against a wooden fence.
A boy around fifteen.
A girl no older than twelve.
Behind them stood a narrow alley of stacked crates.
A dead end.
No escape.
And standing at the entrance…
The Minotaur.
Its skeletal skull tilted slowly as smoke escaped its nostrils.
The fire along its horns burned brighter.
The creature's massive hoof scraped against the ground once.
The children clung to each other.
The girl whispered weakly, "Anna… we're going to die…"
Shiva's fists clenched.
His friends' voices echoed from far away.
"SHIVA!" Lakshman shouted.
"COME BACK!"
Aljasheem yelled from the bus, "Don't do anything stupid!"
Shiva didn't respond.
His eyes were fixed on the monster.
The Minotaur lowered its head slightly.
Preparing to charge.
Shiva grabbed a stone from the ground.
He took a deep breath.
The stone flew through the air.
"HEY!"
It struck the Minotaur's skull with a sharp CRACK.
The monster stopped.
Slowly… it turned its burning eyes toward Shiva.
Shiva stood there, breathing heavily.
"Yeah," he said under his breath.
"Look at me."
Lakshman's voice cracked in panic.
"BRO WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Riya covered her mouth.
"No… Shiva… no…"
Shiva looked back once toward the children.
"Run!" he shouted.
"RUN NOW!"
The two kids didn't hesitate.
They sprinted past the crates and disappeared toward the crowd.
The Minotaur roared.
A thunderous, monstrous sound.
Its hooves slammed into the ground as it charged.
Straight at Shiva.
"Okay," Shiva muttered.
"Now chase me."
He turned and sprinted.
Shiva dashed across the open field and toward the edge of the festival grounds.
Ahead of him stood the dark outline of the dense forest surrounding the hills.
Behind him—
BOOM.
The Minotaur smashed through a wooden cart, sending splinters flying in every direction.
Shiva ran faster.
His lungs burned.
But adrenaline kept his legs moving.
He reached the forest line and dove through the thick bushes.
Branches scratched across his arms as he forced his way deeper into the trees.
The ground became uneven.
Roots twisted across the soil like traps waiting to trip him.
Behind him—
CRASH.
The Minotaur entered the forest.
Trees snapped like dry twigs under its weight.
Shiva jumped over a fallen log.
His shoes barely cleared the bark.
The monster slammed into the same log seconds later.
The wood shattered into pieces.
"Damn it!" Shiva gritted his teeth.
He leapt across a narrow stream, landing hard on the opposite bank.
Mud splashed up his legs.
The Minotaur jumped too.
Its massive body crushed the stones beneath its hooves.
Shiva glanced back.
Too close.
Way too close.
"Why are you so fast?!" he shouted breathlessly.
The Minotaur roared again.
The sound shook the trees.
Then something strange happened.
The bone spikes along the creature's back began moving.
Shiva's eyes widened.
"What now—?"
The spikes split open.
From them erupted long, jagged bone tentacles.
They lashed outward violently.
Like living spears.
One shot toward Shiva's head.
He ducked just in time.
The bone spike shattered a tree behind him.
Another shot past his shoulder.
It embedded into a rock, cracking it instantly.
"Are you kidding me?!" Shiva shouted.
The forest erupted into chaos as bone spikes fired everywhere.
Trees splintered.
Branches exploded.
Rocks shattered.
Shiva zigzagged between trunks, barely avoiding the deadly projectiles.
Then—
One spike struck him.
The needle-like tip pierced the side of his neck.
Not deep.
But enough.
"AH!" Shiva gasped.
The sudden pain made him lose his footing.
His shoe struck a loose stone.
He slipped.
His body rolled across the rocky ground.
Downhill.
Faster.
Gravity had already taken him.
The forest suddenly opened ahead.
The ground vanished.
A cliff.
Shiva's body rolled one last time—
Then he fell.
Everything slowed.
The wind rushed past his ears.
His arms flailed instinctively.
The red lightning in the sky flashed again.
For a brief second, the entire valley below became visible.
Shiva's thoughts raced wildly.
So this is it…
This is how my life ends?
Falling off a cliff… chased by a demon bull…
A strange calm washed over him.
Images flashed through his mind.
Lakshman laughing.
Benedict joking.
Aljasheem arguing.
Riya smiling.
Shiva's eyes slowly closed.
"Damn…"
he whispered.
Then darkness swallowed everything.
CUT TO BLACK.
At the edge of the cliff above—
The Minotaur stopped.
It stared down into the abyss.
Smoke rose from its skull.
For a moment, the monster simply watched.
Then it moved.
The Minotaur stepped onto the cliff edge.
Instead of jumping directly—
It leapt onto a lower stone ledge.
CRACK.
The rock shattered under its weight.
Then another jump.
Another ledge.
Another broken stone.
Each landing destroyed the rocks beneath it.
Fragments tumbled down the mountain.
The monster was descending.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Following Shiva.
TO BE CONTINUED