A symphony of agony raged with Ciro’s every move, the jagged earth bit into Ciro’s palms as he clawed at the cracked terrain, with each pull forward a fresh new wave of pain burned like fire pulsating through his body, his muscles protested against every movement, barely drowned out by the pounding of his own heart. He heard the screams grow closer. This was no figment of his imagination. The cries became louder, sharper, more desperate.

  His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, his lungs scraping for air. The acrid tang of dirt coated his tongue, making every inhale feel like swallowing ash. He stumbled, his knees buckling, slamming him into the unforgiving ground. The side of his face hit the dirt, clogging his nostrils with soil. For a fleeting moment, a smothering darkness crept at the edges of his vision, its cold plumes promised release. But then, from somewhere deep inside, he summoned enough willpower, an oasis of strength that lay dormant deep inside of him, hidden from the years of depression and alcohol, drawing from that well deep inside of him, a surge of power rushed through him.

  He got back up, roaring to life, an electric jolt igniting his battered nerves. He forced his limbs to move forward. His legs quivered beneath him, unstable, but he steadied himself using his resolve as crutches. The fog clinging to his mind lifted, though the lingering effects of whatever poison he drank still clouded his senses, leaving him teetering on the edge. Ciro staggered forward, the ground shifting beneath him like it conspired to pull him back down. And still, he moved. The primal instinct to survive outweighed every other thought. His body pushed him onward towards the cacophony of screams behind him that rose to a deafening crescendo.

  “Okay… Come on.” Ciro muttered, rallying himself, knowing whatever he was heading towards could lead to his death.

  The cries were closer than ever now, his body moving towards it like a magnet. His movements were jerky, but full of determination. This was the first sign of potential human life. Then he saw her from a distance.

  A woman.

  Under all the stress, it came to him as a great relief knowing he wasn’t alone, that there were other people with him in this unknown place. He tried to call out to her, but something was off. The woman seemed to scramble backwards from a dark tunnel. Stricken with fear, she tried getting up to run away, only to stumble back to the ground. Her suit, identical to Ciro’s, looked even dirtier than his own. All the relief Ciro felt washed away, only replaced by pure dread.

  Ciro’s gaze shifted from the woman, whose bronze skin and beautiful looks made it hard to look away, to the dark tunnel. He looked to the uneven ground, feeling tremors at the bottom of his feet. With each passing second, the tremors grew stronger and stronger. From the dark abyss inside the tunnel, something was coming out, and it was coming fast. Ciro knew it.

  The tremors became so strong that he struggled to stay on his feet. He could hear the footsteps of something approaching, but were they even feet? It sounded more like a war drum banging in a furious rhythm. The woman just screamed in terror, not moving an inch.

  Appearing out of the shadows, a hulking beast appeared dashing towards her. It loomed over her, watching her struggle to crawl away. At first, Ciro’s sluggish mind thought he was daydreaming. What he saw made little sense. The intense light outlined the beast’s form; its movements were rapid and erratic as the woman struggled beneath it.

  As he staggered closer, the details of the creature became horrifyingly clear.

  “Holy shit…”

  It had the shape of a dog, or at least he thought it was. At first glance, the creature’s shape seemed familiar, but a closer look revealed its grotesque distortion. Its overly muscular frame bulged unnaturally, the thick cords of sinew and veins peaking through the thick patches of matted, greasy fur. The creature’s head was undeniably canine, but marred by horrifying twists in its structure. Jagged teeth lined its maw, gaping too wide, splitting its face asymmetrically.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Eight glowing eyes, trained only on the helpless woman, each eye a sickly, pulsating yellow, set unevenly across its misshapen skull, flickering like dying embers as they scanned its prey. Eight legs spanned its body, long and spider-like, skittering in excitement at finding something to eat.

  The woman screamed in terror, pinned down beneath its weight, pain flared across her body from its clawed limbs, her screams filled the air. Ciro wanted to close his ears, but he stood frozen, watching as the beast raked at her, ripping the side of her suit and tearing her flesh in one swift move. Every motion seemed calculated, as though it were toying with her, savoring her fear. The unnatural glow of its eyes cast a sinister light over her face, revealing her face strife with desperation and tears.

  Ciro’s breath caught itself in his dry throat. Panic rooted him to the ground, his eyes fixated on the beast. The world seemed to blur, the wasteland fading away, his vision only locked on the woman’s cries and the grotesque form on top of her.

  His mind screamed.

  Run.

  But an urge washed over him like a tidal wave. A fierce compulsion. He charged forward before his mind could decide. His legs pumped with energy, each step increasing his momentum. His breathing was sharp and in bursts as the world seemed to come into focus.

  With each step, the creature grew bigger, casting long, grotesque shadows beneath the light of its glowing eyes, which flickered from its uneven blinking. Every instinct in Ciro’s body was screaming at him to stop, but he kept going.

  He closed his eyes, unsure of himself. He couldn’t allow himself to die like this, not after everything that had happened. “Fuck it,” he surged forward, throwing himself into the beast, his shoulder colliding with its side in a desperate attempt to knock it off balance. The impact sent a jolt through his body. The creature was far heavier than he had expected. Its matted fur only cushioned his attack, sending Ciro flying like a trampoline.

  It snarled as it stumbled slightly, a guttural sound that made Ciro’s stomach churn. Ciro dropped to the ground, landing hard, his head pounded from the pain. As the world spun, he forced himself to focus.

  Ciro hit the ground hard, his head pounding. Before he could recover, the creature turned on him, its glowing eyes narrowing onto him with predatory focus. He scrambled backwards, his hands clawing at the dirt for anything he could use. But something forced him to stand his ground.

  “Come on, then, you ugly bitch,” he growled through gritted teeth.

  For a moment, it looked like the beast’s eyes hesitated with a glint of curiosity. The world fell deathly silent, his breathing the only thing breaking the sound. Then, with a deafening roar, it charged.

  Ciro braced himself as the beast lunged. He sidestepped as best as he could, narrowly avoiding its snapping jaws. In one fluid motion, he grabbed a metal shard from the floor, rusted but sharp enough. He swung wildly, catching one of the creature’s legs. It let out a high-pitched yelp, an unnatural sound that sent a shiver through his body.

  The beast returned with a swing of its own, its claws tearing into his shoulder. Searing pain exploded through him, but he remained upright. They circled each other; he readjusted the metal shard in his hand. The creature lunged again, its speed and massive frame terrifying as it barreled towards him. This time, he didn’t dodge. Instead, he lunged forward, meeting it head-on, driving his other shoulder into its chest with all his might.

  He let out a reverberating primal scream of his own, his throat vibrating with tension. They grappled, the beast’s claws raking against his now bare arms, his hands slipping on its greasy fur. He swung once more, aiming the shard for its neck, but it made a last second twist. The blade grazed its fur, escaping from his hand.

  It was relentless and brutal, its sheer force overpowering Ciro. He attempted to take a step back, but his leg gave way. He collapsed to the ground; the beast leaving him no time as it pounced on him. One of its claws digging at his side, the other at his chest.

  His hands shot up instinctively, wrapping around the creature’s thick, muscular neck. He put every ounce of force into pushing, its jaw and teeth gnawing at the air only a few inches from his face. His arms trembled as the beast’s snarling maw edged closer and closer. The smell was unbearable, a rancid mix of rot and bile that made the knot in his stomach twist.

  “Not like this.” His fingers digging into its neck, keeping it at bay.

  The creature roared, a trail of hot, acrid spit landing on his neck. His muscles screamed for any form of relief, but he refused to let go. Ciro clenched his jaw, teeth grinding as he stared into its many glowing eyes.

  In each pupil, he saw his death.