Rel: "Keep light on your feet, Punjo..."

  Punjo: "Easy fer ya to say!"

  Cold sweat trickled down Punjo’s forehead as he locked eyes with the abomination above.

  It clung to the ceiling, its grotesque mass of eyeballs glistening, fixed on its prey below.

  Rel: "Something’s bubbling in its stomach...!"

  Beneath its skin, black pustules swelled, grotesque and unnatural. Tendrils writhed inside its body, feeding its ever-mutating form.

  And then --

  They burst.

  Tar-black projectiles spewed forth, streaking toward the floor like arrows loosed from a hundred bows.

  Punjo: "Crap...!"

  Rel dodged.

  Punjo -- not so lucky.

  A viscous glob splattered against his shin, thick and heavy, weighing him down instantly.

  Punjo: "The hell is this -- ?!"

  His leg felt like a lead weight, his movements sluggish and uneven.

  Rel: "Dammit... It’s trying to trap us!"

  The creature churned with sickening motion, its bloated torso swelling once more -- ready to fire again.

  Rel’s gaze darted around the lab.

  His eyes landed on a table.

  Rel: "There -- !"

  Without hesitation, he dashed toward it, vaulting over with ease before flipping it onto its side.

  Rel: "Come on, Punjo!"

  Punjo forced his sluggish legs forward. Another pustule ruptured.

  Another wave of tar hurtled toward him.

  Punjo: "Shit -- !"

  One splattered against his back, another latched onto his arm, but he pushed forward -- gritting his teeth, throwing himself behind the table just in time.

  Punjo (panting): "We need a plan, lad... Won’t last long like this!"

  Rel (hurriedly): "I have one -- but it’s risky."

  Punjo’s breathing was labored. His muscles burned from the exertion, but he didn’t flinch.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Punjo: "Bit too late ta be worryin’ ‘bout risks, young Rel...! It’s do or die -- spit it out!"

  Above them, pustules burst in rapid succession --

  Tar splattered against the table’s top. Thud. Thud. Thud.

  Rel ducked low, feeling the vibrations of impact.

  Rel: "It’s *adapting.* If we don’t stop it now, it’s only going to get worse. Right now, it’s focused on slowing us down -- covering us in that crap so we can’t run. The second we can’t move, we’re dead."

  Punjo concealed his ragged breathing, but his body betrayed him. The weight of the tar-like sludge dragged at his limbs, his muscles screaming with every step.

  Punjo: "Not goin’ down so easy... still got plenty o’ fight left in me."

  Rel: "... And yet we can't hope to fight it if we don't get close to it. That’s where my idea comes in..."

  As Rel disclosed his plan, the creature halted its bombardment.

  It shifted along the ceiling, slinking with an eerie, calculated intent.

  It was watching them. Studying them.

  Rel and Punjo froze.

  No longer cornered behind cover, they were wide open -- and the creature knew it.

  The pustules on its stomach swelled once more.

  Punjo: "Move along, then... I'll do what I must."

  A single nod. They split.

  Rel vaulted over the table.

  Punjo... didn’t move.

  Instead, he stood tall, arms wide, feet planted.

  Punjo: "COME ON, THEN!"

  The trap was set.

  The creature seized the opportunity, unloading another volley of tar.

  The sludge splattered against Punjo’s chest, his legs, his arms.

  His body stiffened. Locked in place.

  He was trapped.

  And the creature saw it.

  Rel (whispering): "Yes... That’s right. Take the bait..."

  The monster’s eyestalks twitched.

  It lowered itself from the ceiling.

  It crept forward. Testing. Watching. Calculating.

  Then --

  It attacked.

  With a shriek, it lunged --

  Its four hind legs bent low, while the two front limbs raised high, poised to drive straight through Punjo’s chest.

  Rel: "That’s it...!"

  Rel vaulted the table.

  Sprinted forward.

  Punjo felt the ground tremble beneath him.

  The monster charged.

  This was it.

  With a deep breath, Punjo flexed his core --

  And arched his torso backward.

  The creature’s stab missed.

  It stumbled forward --

  Right into Rel’s path.

  Rel: "EAT THIS!"

  With a burst of speed, Rel leaped --

  Both feet extended, heels aimed straight for the monster’s skull.

  But --

  A thin layer of black sludge oozed up from its burst pustules, covering its cranium just before impact.

  Rel’s boots slammed into the viscous surface.

  Like stone hitting mud.

  The creature barely budged.

  It lurched back a few feet, but the force did little more than annoy it.

  Rel (panicked): "Shit...!"

  He landed -- but his feet stuck.

  Tar clung to his boots, creeping up his ankles like living chains.

  His movements slowed --

  Just like Punjo’s.

  Now -- they were both trapped.

  The creature clicked its mandibles and turned back to Punjo.

  He was the more weakened target.

  Punjo: "Nothin’s ever easy, is it...?!"

  He braced himself as the monster reared back...

  It struck.

  Its two front limbs stabbed downward, aiming to skewer him through the chest.

  Punjo moved.

  His arms shot up, seizing both bony limbs in his hands, holding them inches from piercing his ribs.

  Punjo: "F-fuck...!"

  But...

  ... The bones were razor-sharp.

  Blood poured from his palms, lubricating the abomination's limbs.

  His grip weakened.

  His vision blurred.

  His strength wouldn’t hold forever....

  ... It wouldn't be long now until Punjo's chest became adorned with two gaping holes.