I'm back again…
The out of body experience and the similar surroundings indicate that I've returned back to the same point again. For the third time now.
I feel the same sickness in my stomach as each loop.
But this death was different… I heard it.
That voice—right before it happened.
It was the same one from the very beginning.
The one who brought us here.
The one behind my suffering. My resets. My pain.
My hands tremble at my sides before curling into fists, knuckles turning white.
The air feels heavier than before—like it's laughing at me. Watching me.
I clench my jaw, biting down so hard it aches.
Alright. You want fun? I'll give you the best fucking show you've ever seen. Enjoy it. Until the day I come to kill you for all the shit you've put me through.
I'm snapped back to reality, as Kai speaks.
- Kai: "Yo? You good? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Okay, I'm getting sick of hearing the same thing again.
I brush off the thought and take a look at my already open status screen, with its unchanging red hue.
——————————————————————
STATUS SCREEN
Name: Ayden
Level: 1
XP: 0
Attribute Points: 0
[ATTRIBUTES]:
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Perception: 6
Intelligence: 6
Vigor: 6
[SKILLS]:
Phantom's Reset: Lvl 0 –> Death will never rule you.
Mental Fortitude: Lvl 1 –> The user has the strength to stand on their feet under extreme stress. Increased resistance to mind-affecting and sleep-based effects. Improved focus and clarity under duress.
——————————————————————
Vigor went up now… No new skills though.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I got something called 'Adaptive Reflex.' Increases my evasion slightly when I'm in danger. Strength 5, Speed 7, Perception 6, Intelligence 5, Vigor 4."
- Kai: "That sucks…"
It was a lot easier composing myself this time around for some reason. The events are the exact same as the first loop. As we walk down the tunnel, I think back to the voice I heard before dying.
- ???: "Well, that's no fun now, is it? Can't have you running your mouth and ruining all the fun."
He's watching me… Which means I'm not allowed to speak about my skills. I'm really alone…
The weight of everything is on my shoulders.
I'm the only one who knows what's going to happen.
I'm the only one who can stop it.
I clench my fist without realizing.
Fine then. I'll handle everything. I'll protect them. All on my own.
The real question is how to do so. The left path will cause us to lose our sanity. The right, we'll lose our lives. Whichever path is chosen, death will follow.
I nervously bite my nails, trying to think of a solution.
I don't want to die again…
- Christy: "The path splits into two."
We're here… Now to make my choice.
The conversation goes the same way it did the first loop. I decide to not interrupt for now.
Why provide us with only two paths? There has to be something I missed… There has to be a way to survive this without losing anything.
- Christy: "So it's a majority vote. Do you two agree with this?"
She says this while looking at me and Isabella.
"I'm fine with it."
- Isabella: "Um… I guess so."
- Christy: "Alright then. Let's get going."
We carry on down the right path.
This is the only choice…
As we continue down the path, the same rancid smell I've become accustomed to infiltrates my nose.
Blood.
This time, however, it doesn't bother me as much, since I can tolerate it.
I'm getting used to this… Is that really a good thing? I'm more concerned with what lies ahead. How can We defeat that monster? Does it have any weaknesses? Everything happened way too fast last time…
- Kai: "Ugh, it fucking stinks in here!"
- Lena: "Ew, my shoes are all sticky! Gross"
- Blair: "If there's blood here, it suggests there's something down here with us. Most probably still ahead."
- Christy: "Everyone, be careful."
We continue down the corridor until we reach the corner. The corner where that thing is waiting to kill us. The sound of blood and chewing is much louder now.
Christy is behind me again, trying to see the source of the noise.
We're almost there… What should I do?
I scan the narrow hallway for any clues, maybe an opening we missed.
Nothing.
There are no signs of the previous tunnel that opened during my first death.
The only way to move forward is towards death itself.
There has to be something.
I look at Christy, a thought passing my mind.
Maybe we should leave her behind as a distraction… She killed me. She deserves to die.
Before Christy can turn the corner, despite my thoughts, I gesture for her to stay behind.
I need to stay focused. I need to figure this out for myself, without putting them at risk.
There it stood, just like last time. That same twisted, deformed thing hunched over its meal, the grotesque shape I'd seen before. Its body was a nightmare of patchy, sickly skin stretched over muscles that didn't belong, veins pulsing and twitching underneath. Its limbs were too long, fingers like claws flexing in a grotesque dance. The face… or rather, the lack of one. A gaping slit for a mouth, lined with crooked, mismatched teeth, and that damned tongue—slithering, tasting the air. Its eyes were still there, though, scattered across its body like some kind of nightmare decoration. Some blinked. Most just stared, lifeless. The whole thing was just as disgusting as I remembered. Nothing about it was right.
It's very presence makes my skin crawl.
Why hasn't it noticed us yet? Last time it was almost instantaneous…
As I'm thinking this, it turns its grotesque figure in my direction, looking directly at me. I instantly hide behind cover as fast as I can.
Shit! It's going to kill us!
- Isabella: "Ayden? What's happening?"
I gesture to her with a finger to my mouth, telling them all to keep quiet.
After a few minutes, it returns back to eating whatever meat it's enjoying.
How? It definitely saw me.
The realization slams into me like a freight train.
It's blind!
That explains why it paused. Why it sniffed the air instead of looking.
It reacts to scent and smell.
I look around the room again, seeing several pillars keeping the ceiling from falling on us.
An idea pops in my head.
I scan the floor, searching. A few jagged rocks, fallen debris—anything I can use.
My hand wraps around one, cold and sharp in my palm.
A plan forms. Risky. Stupid.
But it might be the only shot we've got.
I hand Christy a rock, whispering just loud enough for her to hear.
"Don't move. Don't scream. Stay calm. Only throw when I do."
She looks confused, terrified—but quickly composes herself and nods.
I hurl the first rock toward the far-left pillar, one of 6.
CRACK.
The sound echoes.
Almost immediately the pillar is destroyed as the amalgamation slams its body directly into it with a deafening screech.
Debris rains down. Dust chokes the air.
It worked! YES!
With the beast gone, whatever was behind it becomes clear.
A hole in the wall. At the back of the room, opposite of us.
I point to the other side as I begin to prepare my next throw, aimed at the second left pillar, closer to where the monster once was.
Lena, Christy, and the others begin inching toward the hole in the far wall, their footsteps light, too slow to avoid detection. I stay in place, to keep track of the monster's movements. I point to the next pillar. Christy follows my lead, tossing another rock toward the second left pillar.
The creature roars in frustration, snapping its head toward the sound, and they continue moving, step by step, inch by inch. It doesn't seem to know where any of us are, but we can't take any chances.
I prepare the next rock in my hand, my eyes never leaving the beast, and hurl it toward the next pillar.
CRACK.
It crumbles under the weight of the attack, the monster screeching louder than before as it charges forward again. The rumbling of its body is deafening. The air shakes with every step it takes.
They're almost there. Just a little further. We can do this!
After what feels like an eternity, they make it.
Now it's my turn.
I start to move toward the hole, my footfalls too heavy. My nerves tighten, every sound amplified in my ears. The dust in the air is thick, and I can't seem to shake the feeling that it's all too quiet.
Then, my foot lands in something wet.
Squish.
I freeze. My blood runs cold as the thick, sticky liquid oozes up around my ankle. The stench hits me—foul, rancid, like rot and decay. The thing it had been eating. The blood. It's everywhere.
I hold my breath, my entire body tense. Every nerve is on high alert.
The noise. It's too loud.
The sound of my foot pressing into the pool echoes in the room, too perfect, too clear.
The creature jerks its head toward me and rushes over to me, stopping right in front of my face.
I don't dare move. Not an inch. The ground beneath me seems to hum with anticipation. I hold my breath, praying it doesn't hear the pounding of my heart. The monster's hot breath fills the space between us. I can hear it sniffing, inhaling deeply.
Please, God, don't let it find me.
I try not to blink, afraid that even the slightest movement will give me away. The creature's massive head swings slowly, its nostrils flaring. Its body quivers with the effort to pinpoint where the sound came from.
I don't know how much longer I can stay still, how much longer I can hold my breath before I pass out from fear.
Then, a rock sails through the air.
Christy throws another stone at the wall opposite of me.
In practically an instance, it shoots to the other side of the room, slashing the wall to pieces where the rock had hit.
I get up as fast as I can in a panic, feeling lightheaded. Is it the panic? Who knows. Regardless, I start to sprint as fast as I can to the others.
- Lena: "BEHIND YOU!"
Lena's voice snaps me out of my fear, the urgency in her tone cutting through the fog of panic.
I twist around just in time to see the creature's talon swinging toward me. My breath catches in my throat. I dive down, barely avoiding the strike, the jagged claws missing my neck by inches. The sharp air from the swipe cuts across my face, and I can feel the heat of its breath.
The final pillar…
It shatters with a deafening crack, collapsing under the weight of the creature's assault. The ground beneath us shakes violently, a deep rumbling that seems to split the room in two.
Shit!
The ceiling above groans, and I realize too late what's happening.
The roof gives way with a deafening roar. Massive chunks of stone and debris cascade downward. The weight of the world crashes around me, and before I can even take a full breath, the ceiling falls on me.
The last thing I hear is Isabella's voice, sharp and desperate.
- Isabella: "Ayden!"
Finally—
Everything goes dark as my vision fades to black.