Zane's hand trembled at those words. He didn't want to look—but how could he not? Slowly, he lowered his hands… and his heart nearly stopped.
There was a face staring back at him.
Except it wasn't a face.
Its skin was stretched too wide. Its eyes were nothing but hollow sockets. Its jaw hung loose, twitching with a sick, snapping sound. And it reeked—God, it reeked—of rotting flesh.
[Task Failed. Penalty: -10 HP.]
The second the message appeared, that same excruciating pain struck him like a lightning bolt tearing through his organs. He dropped to his knees, clutching his side and gasping in agony.
It was unbearable.
But that wasn't all.
The next thing he felt was a cold hand brushing the back of his neck.
His eyes widened in horror. There was still something in front of him.
He raised his head, shaking, only to see the creature leaning closer—grinning ear to ear, its face twisted into a grotesque expression of joy.
Zane didn't know what came over him. Maybe it was the pain. Maybe it was instinct.
He screamed, then swung.
His fist connected with something cold and rubbery. The creature let out a shrill, ear-piercing screech that made Zane's ears ring, but he didn't wait to see what happened next.
He shoved it with all his strength, hearing something snap as it stumbled back.
And he RAN!
He didn't look back. Nope, not once. He just ran through the dark hallway, reached the door, yanked it open, and stumbled out.
SLAM!
He slammed the door shut behind him and locked it with shaking hands.
BANG!
The creature slammed its body against the door—again and again.
Zane grabbed a broken table leg nearby and wedged it under the doorknob. Then he pressed his back to the door, using all his weight to keep it shut.
He groaned when he felt a sharp sting in his neck. His fingers went up, and when they came back, they were wet with blood.
The creature had just touched him. Just one touch, and it had already left a mark.
The banging continued, each blow shaking the entire frame. His arms were trembling, and the pain he'd forgotten was creeping back in.
Then… silence.
Zane held his breath, his heart beating faster… waiting.
Nothing.
The banging stopped.
He took one slow step back, then another. Every part of his body was aching.
He kept stepping back until his back hit something—and he screamed. But he wasn't the only one screaming.
When he turned around, he saw a man. The man was wide-eyed, his face pale as a ghost, and he was trembling just as hard as Zane was.
"You…" the man whispered, pointing a shaky finger at Zane. "You're human, right?"
Zane nodded fast.
"You—You sure?" the man asked again, and Zane nodded again.
The man let out a breath that sounded half like a sob. "Oh, thank God. I—I thought I was the only one. I was just fishing, man. Fishing! One second I'm on my boat, next thing I know, I'm running for my life in this hellhole with—"
The man kept talking, but Zane's mind wasn't there. All he could think about was the creature that wasn't human.
"I swear something grabbed me, and I ran, and I don't even know where I am. Plus, there's this weird sh—"
SLASH!
The creature dropped from above like a nightmare made flesh.
Its claw sliced through the man's neck in one clean motion.
The man choked bloodily from his mouth, his eyes bulged, then his head rolled off his shoulders.
Blood sprayed everywhere, and Zane still stood frozen in place, the man's blood dripping down his cheek.
The creature landed silently in front of him and grinned.
"Fooooouuuuund… yooooouuu…"
Zane slowly looked down at the headless corpse that was still twitching and gushing blood.
He swallowed nothing and slowly lifted his head.
[New Task: Run.]
He didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted in the opposite direction, but the creature was hot on his tail.
Zane ran through the empty street. He ran so fast his legs almost gave out under him. The street was dark, the world around him dead silent—except for the sound of his heavy breathing and the horrifying, skittering sound right behind him.
He turned a corner and nearly slipped, but caught himself on a trash bin and kept going. His eyes darted around. That's when he saw a car up ahead with its door open and headlights flickering.
There was a key attached to it, so if he could get inside, he'd be able to drive ahead. That's what he thought.
He ran straight to it, grabbed the handle—but just as he was about to climb in, he stole a glance over his shoulder.
"Holy fuck!" he cursed.
The creature was high up in the air, leaping from a rooftop. It landed hard on the car roof, crushing it like paper. The sound was so loud Zane jumped and fell flat on his ass.
The creature slowly stood up, its grin widening, then it leaned forward and slashed Zane across the hand.
Zane screamed, holding his hand that was now gushing with blood. He cursed again under his breath, scrambled to his feet, and began running.
But his legs were giving out. His head was spinning. Every part of him screamed to stop.
To make matters worse, he tripped on a pavement, hitting his head on the curb. His vision blurred, and the world spun like a broken carousel.
Zane managed to drag himself to his knees, coughing while his body trembled. He pressed his back against the cold dumpster, and in that moment, the creature leapt again—claws out, its eyes locked on its prey.
That was it.
There was no escaping this thing. He was going to die.
Zane closed his eyes, preparing himself for death.
This is it. This is it. This is—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound of gunshots made his eyes fly back open—just in time to see the creature twist mid-air as multiple bullets ripped through its body.
It crashed right in front of him, convulsing and shrieking, then went still.
Zane gasped, not even realizing he was crying. He was still breathing heavily, feeling a bit relieved—then he heard voices, followed by footsteps.
His vision was starting to fade, but he caught a glimpse of a pair of pink, glossy boots skipping toward him. The boots stopped in front of the creature… then jumped over it.
He wanted to look up and see who it was. Say thank you or help me or WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!
But his head slumped to the side—and instead, he lost consciousness.