A few days later.
After gathering their gear, they set out toward the depths of the abyss.
Arrows, knife, provisions — everything packed into a wooden basket. Nothing more. Nothing extra.
Resolved to risk their lives to tear answers from a world that still refused to give them any.
They walked on. Bodies heavy. Fear lodged in their throats.
The place promised nothing else.
They left during the day, hoping the light might pierce the filthy gloom, thick with ash and the stench of death that smothered the world like a burial shroud.
They took a steep, deserted route, avoiding the dogs… and the other abominations.
The path was relatively short.
Then they descended into a harsher passage, where dust, buried buildings, and rubble dominated the ruined landscape.
But very quickly, darkness reclaimed its ground.
Rough echoes rang through the gloom. Heavy footsteps pounded against stone. And that acrid smell of sulfur… mixed with rust.
All their senses screamed. Maximum alert.
Sweat ran down Reiboku's back. Every crack made him flinch, as if claws had brushed his neck.
Yūshin's gaze darted from one shadow to another, unable to settle.
Every sound became a threat.
The deeper they went, the harder it became to think.
The air pressed down on them.
Reiboku felt watched. Wherever he looked, the shadows seemed to move with him.
Then a howl tore through the darkness.
A distorted silhouette burst from the rubble.
Its bestial cry echoed through the abyss.
More howls answered at once.
Distant at first… then close.
As if they had been hunting them from the start.
"We're exposed!"
"We need cover!" Yūshin shouted, breath short, anxiety tightening his voice.
He scanned the surroundings for an exit… nothing.
The sounds were getting closer.
Yūshin tensed.
Then pointed at something.
"A narrow path or higher ground. Better angle for our arrows!"
"I'm with you!" Reiboku replied, gripping his bow, veins taut, eyes locked on the shifting shadows.
Without wasting a second, they dashed into a long, narrow corridor through the collapsed ruins of an old building.
"This way!" Yūshin called, pointing toward a half-buried passage.
They slipped inside, panting. The creatures' footsteps thundered behind them. Close. Too close…
Then the howls stopped.
Silence fell. Sudden. Too sudden to be reassuring.
"Looks like we lost them… Nice call, Yūshin," Reiboku muttered, a faint smile crossing his lips.
But Yūshin didn't smile. His eyes kept scanning the darkness, his face locked in suspicion.
He swept the shadows from side to side.
"We're not safe," he murmured.
"The mutants aren't charging anymore…
They're waiting."
"Don't lower your guard. Ever."
Reiboku nodded and leaned forward to glance outside.
Silence. No sound. No silhouette on the horizon. Nothing but ruins, shadows… and dust hanging in the air.
"Looks like… it's over."
He turned.
And at that exact moment, a low rumble erupted behind him.
Too late.
A mass burst from the shadows in a flash of fangs and claws. A dark, gray-striped mutant dog lunged at him with savage ferocity.
Its paw slammed into the wooden basket, sending it crashing into a wall that shattered on impact.
ARRGH!
Their gear scattered everywhere. Arrows skidded across the ground with a sharp clatter. Food rolled into the dust.
Reiboku was thrown backward, hit the ground hard, rolled several meters — pain crushing his chest…
But his hand stayed locked around his weapon. He refused to let go.
Breath short. Eyes wide. The dog was already growling, ready to leap again.
And his arrows… were out of reach.
"Don't move!" Yūshin shouted.
He drew his bow, arms tense, breath tight. Then released.
The arrow ricocheted off a rock.
Yūshin clenched his teeth.
"Damn."
He grabbed another arrow.
Fired again.
It sliced through the air, kicked up dust… and sank into the mutant dog's flank.
A raw howl tore through the moment.
The creature staggered. Claws scraped against stone.
But it wasn't finished. Bloody and drooling, it growled and launched itself once more toward Reiboku.
Yūshin fired again without hesitation.
This time, the arrow buried itself deep in its skull.
The air left his lungs.
The mutant collapsed into the dust.
Reiboku remained on the ground.
Yūshin rushed to him immediately.
"You okay? Nothing broken?"
Reiboku grimaced as he pushed himself upright, brushing dust from his tunic and cloak.
"Shit… I'm fine. Except I don't have a basket anymore."
"We just stepped out and we're already under attack."
"One second of distraction. That's all it takes to disappear," Yūshin shot back.
He nodded toward the scattered remains of their gear.
"It's fine," Yūshin added. "We take only the essentials and get the hell out of here."
They recovered the arrows still intact. The rest — useless or too heavy — was left behind.
They exited the building, senses on edge. No other monsters in sight.
And then they saw it.
The second mutant dog. Standing in front of them. Motionless.
But something was wrong.
It wasn't growling.
It was trembling.
Its red eyes, usually filled with rage, were wide. Frozen. Pleading.
And most of all… it wasn't looking at them.
It was staring at something behind them.
Reiboku realized too late what was wrong. The dog wasn't afraid of them.
Yūshin glanced at Reiboku. The backs of their necks went rigid at the same instant.
Then a shrill roar exploded through the air. A scream so powerful it made the ground tremble.
ROOOOAR!
Like thunder torn from the throat of a beast from hell.
They turned in the same motion.
Tense. Sweating.
And then—
KRRRAAAHHH!
A cloud of dust burst around them.
And in the darkness… two amber eyes ignited.
Fixed. Inhuman.
They didn't blink.
They had already chosen their prey.