Chapter 4

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Mark’s lungs burned painfully with each breath, feeling like he was inhaling glass shards.

He clutched Nisha’s body, her weight a heavy burden, her stillness a chilling contrast to the frantic beating of his own heart. He could feel her blood seeping through his shirt. I’m so sorry.

It was a nightmarish pursuit through the winding tunnels.

No matter which direction they took or what obstacles they created, the relentless abomination stayed close behind.

Ria, her face pale, conjured ice barriers behind them, but they shattered like glass under the creature’s relentless assault. Caleb led the way, his muscular legs pumping, breathing heavily. Alex, bringing up the rear, unleashed a stream of spells – anything to slow it down – but no use.__

The creature was right on their tail, its monstrous form shifting and changing as it pursued them with terrifying speed.

But then, a stroke of luck - the horror’s ungainly form caught on a tumble of fallen masonry, sending it crashing to the ground in a tangle of thrashing limbs.

Yes!

They didn’t slow down, didn’t waste a second. They pushed on, their breath ragged, their legs burning, the taste of fear thick in their mouths. But even as they gained ground, a cold dread settled in Mark’s stomach. They were too slow, too exhausted. They’d never make it to the surface at this pace.

His breath hitched as he made a decision.

Slowing his pace, he thrust Nisha’s limp form into Alex’s arms. “Take her!”

“The fuck are you doing?” Alex staggered under the sudden weight.

“Keep running. I’ll hold it off.”

Ria skidded to a halt, her breath coming in harsh gasps. “What are you two doing?”

“Your boyfriend’s gone nuts!”

Mark met Ria’s gaze steadily. “You guys need to keep moving. I’ll try to delay that thing as long as I can.”

“See?” Alex said, adjusting his grip on Nisha. “He’s suicidal!”

“He’s right,” Ria said, her voice surprisingly calm.

“What? You can’t be ser-”

“You should go, Alex. Mark and I will hold it off.”

“Ria ... I don’t—”

“If you think I’m going to leave you here alone, then you’ve truly lost your mind,” she cut him off, voice like flint.

“Stop being an idiot!” Mark growled through gritted teeth. “Just go!”

“You first, dumbass!”

They argued, their voices echoing in the narrow tunnel, the precious seconds ticking away.

Caleb, came back, wild-eyed and wheezing. “What in the fucking hells are you lot doing just standing around?!”

The creature’s guttural roar tore through the tunnel, closer now, the sound of its claws scraping against stone a grating reminder of time slipping away.

It’s now or never. Mark grabbed her shoulders. “Listen to me, Ria. You have to go. You have to get out of here. For me ... please.”

“Not a chance! I’m not leaving you behind! If you think for sec—”

He pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her in a tight embrace. I love you. And channeled a jolt of lightning through her body.

“What are—”

Her protests died on her lips as she slumped against him, unconscious.

“Caleb, take her.”

“You didn’t just—”

“She’s fine,” Mark barked. “Take her. Get her out of here.”

Caleb stepped forward, heaving her dead weight onto his back in a fireman’s carry. “You’re a goddamned idiot!!!”

“She’s gonna be wrecking all kinds of hell once she wakes up, you know,” Alex said.

Mark smiled wryly. “I know ... but it’ll be alright.”

”GGGRRRRUUUMMMM... GGGGRAAAAHHH!”

A bone-chilling howl echoed from somewhere behind them - the abomination’s mocking cry of hunger.

He blasted the tunnel ceiling with a torrent of lightning, sending a shower of rocks and debris crashing down, blocking the passage.

“Now run! And don’t look back!”

Caleb and Alex hesitated for a heartbeat, then turned and ran, their footsteps fading into the distance.

He sucked in a deep, steadying breath, willing his racing heart to calm. He cracked his knuckles, his hands sparking, his mind racing. Think, Mark, think! What can you do?

There needs to be a miracle, a Hail Mary pass, something, anything, to give him an edge. Distraction? Diversion? He knew his chances were slim, practically nonexistent, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. If I can just buy them some time, give Ria a chance to escape...

The creature emerged from the darkness, its maws snapping, its talons outstretched.

”SKRREEEEEEEE!!!!”

An earth-shaking bellow reverberated off the cavern walls, causing loose rocks to tremble and dust to rain down. Bring it on, you ugly motherfucker.

It came at him like a whirlwind, claws, and fangs bared, crashing against his shield with a force that rattled his very bones. Holy fucking shit.

He dodged another attack, his enhanced speed barely enough to avoid a talon that would have ripped his head off. He retaliated with a blast of lightning, aiming for one of its eyes, but it twisted its head, the lightning searing its hide, leaving a smoking scorch mark.

It roared, its fury intensifying, its attacks becoming more frenzied, more unpredictable.

I need a new strategy. He couldn’t win a straight-up fight, not in his current state.

He spotted a cluster of stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Perfect. He channeled his lightning, a concentrated blast of energy that shattered one of the stalactites, sending it crashing down toward the creature.

It dodged, but the falling rock created a momentary distraction. Mark seized the opportunity, summoning twin blades, and lunged, slashing at its exposed flank.

His blades struck true, ichor spraying as the creature hissed in pain. But instead of retreating, it surged forward, its movements wild and erratic—a storm of claws and snapping maws.

He slashed, ducked, weaved, his movements a desperate dance of attack and evasion, the cavern echoing with the clang of blades against bone, the sizzle of lightning, the creature’s enraged howls.

A talon grazed his arm, tearing, leaving a deep gash that burned like fire. He stumbled back, narrowly avoiding a blow that would have crushed his skull. Too close.

Sweat burned, blurring his sight, but he couldn’t stop. The thing kept coming at him like a wild storm, all teeth and claws. Its attacks were savage, relentless but also ... mindless.

There’s a pattern here. He started to see it, a subtle rhythm to the chaotic movements, a brief window of opportunity after each attack.

Timing was everything. Too soon, and he’d be caught in the backswing. Too late, and the next attack would land.

He dodged a swipe, his void blade flashing out, slicing through one of its grotesque limbs, the ichorous ooze spraying across the cavern floor. Yessss!

His attacks were hitting their mark, but each strike, each block, drained him, the exhaustion a growing weight on his shoulders.

Just as he started to feel a glimmer of hope, his opponent shifted tactics. Its form blurred, a rippling wave of motion, and then it was on him, a snake-strike of speed and power that shattered his defenses.

His hastily erected barrier exploded, shards of void energy scattering like broken glass.

Agony ripped through his side, talons tearing into his flesh, shredding muscle and sinew.

He was thrown backward, his body impacting the cavern wall, the air whooshing from his lungs.

Fuck.

He struggled to his feet, blood pouring, the creature already advancing, its maws dripping with his blood. Shit, shit, shit...

He unleashed a blast of plasma, a desperate, last-ditch effort, the force of the explosion staggering the creature, buying him a precious few seconds. He pushed himself up, pain lancing through his wounded side.

I’m bleeding out. He didn’t have the energy to heal, to fight, to even run. At least they got away.

The thought of Ria being safe gave him a flicker of solace, a small comfort amidst the overwhelming despair.

The beast lunged, its talons ripping through his stomach with sickening ease.

He looked down, his eyes widening, as claws burst from his back, a spray of blood and gore erupting from the wound.

Mark’s mouth opened in a soundless cry as shock washed over him. His knees buckled, the world spinning wildly.

I ... wasn’t ... enough...

Then, nothing.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

▓▓▓▓▓▓—▓—▓▓▓▓▓□——■■■■■——□□——■■■■■——□—▓▓▓▓▓

A faint resonant hum filled his ears—familiar, otherworldly.

Am I dead?

Where the heck...? He blinked, the decaying grandeur of the mansion’s foyer coming into focus.

Not this shithole again. He lay there for a moment, the silence pressing down on him. His thoughts sluggish and his limbs just wouldn’t cooperate.

He felt... weird. Disconnected.

Like he was watching himself from outside his body. Pushing himself up, he was surprised to find himself completely healed with no trace of the wounds from his fight. What the fuck?

Suddenly, a figure materialized a few feet away, near the bottom of the grand staircase.

Mark jumped. “What the fu-”

It appeared out of thin air as if stepping out of a ripple in the fabric of reality.

The figure was humanoid, tall, slender, with two arms, two legs, a head ... but no features. No eyes, no nose, no mouth. Just a smooth, blank surface. What the hell is that?

It glided towards him – no, it was levitating, its feet not touching the ground – and stopped a few inches away, its presence unsettling, its blank face... staring? It was impossible to tell.

A deep, resonant voice cut through the quiet foyer, sending shivers down spines.

”Whyy did you save her?”

“Save who?” He frowned, his mind still struggling to catch up.

A flash of memory – the supermarket, the masked robbers, the terrified cashier, her name tag reading ‘Sally.’

”Whyy did you save her?”

“I was there. She was in trouble. I helped,” he shrugged, the memory strangely distant, the emotions detached.

The figure tilted its head, its lack of features somehow making the gesture even more unsettling.__

“And her?”

Another memory surfaced – the cold night, the warehouse, the unconscious woman, the men surrounding her, their intentions clear.

“You didn’t even know her name.”

“It was the right thing to ... do, I guess.”

It wasn’t a conscious decision, not a calculated act. It was simply ... instinct. Why wouldn’t I help her?

“How do you know she deserved to be saved? What if she was a murderer? A thief? You knew nothing about her, and yet you risked your life for hers.”

“I guess ... But in that moment, it felt right. You can’t always know the whole story, right? You just have to go with your gut. Do what you think is best, based on what you see, what you feel.”

“But whyy? Whyy risk your life for a stranger? What compelled you to act?”

Why? Mark racked his brain. He’d never really thought about it, never analyzed his reasons. He wasn’t exactly the introspective type. He just ... did things. He acted on instinct, on impulse, rarely questioning his motivations.

“I-I don’t know ... It wasn’t like some ... noble, selfless act. If I’m being honest, I did it for myself. I couldn’t have lived with myself if I’d just stood there and watched. It was ... selfish, I guess. A selfish need to be guilt free. My own conscience, my own ... sense of right and wrong, wouldn’t let me do anything else.”

The figure didn’t respond, its blank face tilted slightly as if considering his words.

The silence stretched, broken only by the sound of Mark’s own breathing, the steady thump of his heart against his ribs. He waited, unsure what to do, what to say.

“Good enough to act but not good enough to stand by your actions. You’re not there yet.”

“Not there yet? What the hell does that even mean?”

“Yet, there is no time,” the figure continued, ignoring his question. “The balance shifts. The dyad is broken for too long.”

“Dyad?”

What the hell is this thing talking about? This cryptic bullshit was giving him a headache.

“Rak’na gath ... suhr’kanti...”

It began chanting in an alien tongue, guttural syllables grating against his ears.