"RUN!"
Kai didn't need to hear it twice.
Both of them sprinted the moment the creature lunged forward. Its massive limbs slammed against the metal floor with terrifying force, each step echoing through the chamber like thunder.
Ren dashed toward the nearest corridor exit.
"Left!" he shouted.
Kai followed without questioning it.
Behind them, the monster crashed into the crystal platform they had been standing beside just seconds earlier. The impact shook the entire room, sending metallic vibrations through the walls.
But the creature didn't slow down.
Its long tail whipped behind it, the three pointed tips stabbing into the floor like anchors as it pivoted with unnatural speed.
Kai glanced back.
Instant regret.
The thing was already on the wall.
Not climbing.
Running.
Its slick limbs clung to the vertical metal surface as it sprinted sideways along the chamber walls like gravity meant nothing to it.
Kai nearly tripped.
"Ren, it's on the WALL!"
"I noticed!"
The creature's jaw opened again, those human-like teeth grinding together with a wet clicking noise as it pursued them.
It didn't roar.
It didn't scream.
It just kept making that awful chewing sound.
Ren and Kai burst through the corridor entrance just as the creature slammed into the doorway behind them.
The metal frame bent inward from the force.
Kai wheezed while running.
"Tell me that door is gonna slow it down!"
Ren didn't look back.
"It won't."
A second later the corridor exploded with noise.
The creature forced its body through the doorway with brutal strength, its claws gouging deep marks into the walls as it pushed forward.
They ran again without wasting a second.
Kai looked back while running.
"Tell me that door slowed it down!"
Ren didn't look behind.
"It didn't."
The sound of claws scraping the corridor confirmed it.
They kept running, turning through the dim hallways of the facility while the creature's heavy steps echoed somewhere behind them.
Kai's breathing grew uneven.
"Where are we even going?!"
Ren slowed slightly as they reached another doorway.
Then he stopped.
Kai nearly ran into him.
"…Ren?"
They were back.
The crystal room.
The glowing crystal still pulsed faintly in the center of the chamber, casting pale light across the walls.
Kai looked around in disbelief.
"You're telling me we just ran in a circle?!"
A slow scraping sound came from the corridor behind them.
The creature stepped into the doorway.
Its long limbs stretched against the metal frame as it slowly entered the chamber, blocking the only exit.
Kai swallowed.
"…That's bad."
Ren stepped back toward the crystal platform.
Behind them was nothing but the solid wall of the chamber.
A dead end.
The creature tilted its head slightly, those flat human-like teeth visible as its jaw opened.
Its three-pointed tail lifted slowly into the air.
Kai glanced between the monster… and the wall behind them.
"…Ren."
Ren didn't respond.
"Yeah?"
Kai forced a nervous laugh.
"…We're cornered."
The creature stepped fully into the chamber, its long limbs unfolding as it blocked the doorway. The pale glow of the crystal reflected across its slick skin while its tail slowly rose behind it, the three pointed tips twitching in the air.
Kai took a slow step back until he stood beside Ren.
"…Well," he muttered quietly, "that's definitely not the tour guide."
The creature moved forward.
One step.
Metal scraped beneath its claws.
Ren glanced around the chamber quickly, but there was nowhere left to go. The wall behind them was solid steel. The only exit was the doorway now completely occupied by the creature.
Kai exhaled slowly.
Then he suddenly stepped in front of Ren.
Ren frowned.
"Kai"
Kai didn't turn around.
"I'll hold it off."
Ren blinked.
"What?"
Kai clenched his fists, forcing a shaky grin.
"Look… this whole thing started because I wanted to check this place out, right? My idea."
The creature lowered its head slightly, its strange human-like teeth grinding together as it watched them.
Kai continued, quieter now.
"So yeah… this one's on me."
Ren grabbed his arm.
"That's not how this works."
Kai shook his head.
"Ren, listen."
He took another step forward, putting a little more distance between them and the crystal.
"If one of us runs, maybe one of us actually gets out of here."
The creature's tail lifted higher.
Kai glanced back just once.
"…So when I say go and don't stop. Just keep running"
Ren didn't move.
"Kai."
Kai smirked nervously.
"Don't make it dramatic, man."
The creature suddenly tensed.
Kai's voice dropped to a whisper.
"…Run."
Coming soon
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