CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44 – CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES (PART 4)

Chapter 44 – Choices and Consequences (Part 4)

The creature looming in front of Zane was, without question, the most grotesque thing he had ever laid eyes on. It was also, disturbingly, the first time he had gotten a clear, uninterrupted view of a monster. Every prior glimpse had either come from a heavily filtered photo or a fleeting second before the knights annihilated it.

This time, there were no filters. No distractions. No protection.

The monster had thick, black spider limbs that dug into the train’s floor with a wet squelch, each step leaving behind a trail of viscous, murky liquid. Its body was oval-shaped, but it wasn’t anything like a spider’s carapace—it looked like malformed flesh, bloated and pulsing like a living tumor. Its body was riddled with dozens of eyes, scattered randomly across its hide. Some twitched erratically, others blinked in eerie unison. At the center of it all, gaping and impossibly wide, was a mouth lined with rows—no, layers—of jagged, overlapping teeth, six tiers deep, each soaked with thick saliva that dripped incessantly to the floor.

Zane’s skin crawled just looking at it. His expression darkened.

’Vile...’ The thought came unbidden, accompanied by a wave of nausea. He instinctively wanted to turn away, but he couldn’t afford to.

"N-No..." Elizabeth’s voice trembled. She tried to crawl backward on the floor, but the moment she moved, the creature hissed, sharp and high-pitched.

"Don’t move," Zane said coldly, stepping in front of her as he summoned his sword. A deep hum filled the air as energy coursed through the blade, glowing faintly along its edge. "It’s focused on you."

"Z-Zane... W-What should we do?! This thing... It’s going to kill us!" Elizabeth was on the verge of a breakdown, her body frozen by fear, her eyes swimming with tears.

The creature took another step forward, its mass squelching grotesquely with every motion. It didn’t strike just yet—it was calculating, sizing up the boy standing in its way. There was intelligence in its gaze, malevolent and focused.

But hunger was stronger than caution.

Without further warning, it released a piercing screech and charged forward, its limbs scraping the floor like nails on steel.

Zane narrowed his eyes. ’Here it comes.’ He oddly felt calm even when faced with his very first monster fight. His mind and heart were tranquil, even his aura stayed completely under his control as he readied himself.

He remembered Fiora’s lessons. His stance shifted instinctively—feet grounded, arms loose but ready, sword raised high. Energy exploded around him, forming a chaotic aura that cracked the floor beneath him.

The sheer pressure pushed Elizabeth back several feet. "W-What... What is...?" she whispered, unable to comprehend the raw power emanating from him.

The moment the creature lunged, Zane was ready. His blade sliced down with a ferocious arc, cutting through the air and slamming into the monster’s skull. A spray of thick, blackish-red blood exploded outward as the impact cracked through the top of its head and sent it crashing to the floor.

The monster shrieked in agony.

But it wasn’t finished.

Before Zane could retreat or follow through, the creature’s body twitched—and it lunged again, impossibly fast.

CHOMP.

"AGHH!!"

Pain ripped through Zane’s leg as the creature’s jaws locked around his shin. Its teeth sank deep into his flesh, and Zane screamed, stumbling backward. He kicked violently, trying to shake the thing off, but it refused to let go.

"LET GO!" he roared, fury and pain twisting his face as he stabbed downward with his blade.

Once. Twice. A third time.

Blood sprayed with every thrust, coating his arms and soaking into his clothes. But the monster only bit harder, its teeth grinding into his bone. He screamed louder, eyes wide with raw agony. His leg throbbed as a white-hot fire spread through it.

Finally, on the fifth or sixth desperate stab, his sword pierced straight through the monster’s head, exiting from the other side.

The creature shuddered.

Its many eyes rolled back in unison, and with one last wheeze, it collapsed. Dead.

"Hah... hah..." Zane stared down at the twitching corpse, blinking rapidly. His vision blurred from the pain. Blood streamed down his leg in thick waves, pooling on the floor beneath him. He tried to stand, but his body gave out, sending him crashing to the ground again. "Dammit... this hurts..."

The pain was so intense, it made it hard to breathe. He’d underestimated it. He should’ve finished it off cleanly—but he’d hesitated, let his guard down too soon. ’I was reckless... stupid.’

He pressed a shaking hand to his leg. Blood kept seeping out between his fingers, soaking into his pants. He needed to stop the bleeding—fast. The adrenaline was the only thing keeping him conscious right now.

"Z-Zane!" Elizabeth had finally snapped out of her shock and rushed to his side. "Are you okay? Oh God—oh no! You’re bleeding, Zane, you’re bleeding so much!"

"I’m fine," he grunted through gritted teeth. He yanked his shirt off and quickly wrapped it around his leg, tying it tightly as a makeshift tourniquet. "It’ll hold... for now..."

But even as he said that, something caught his ear. A faint scraping noise.

He looked up.

His heart dropped.

More of the spider-like monsters were crawling in through the shattered window—legs twitching, teeth bared, bodies slithering grotesquely over the edge.

"Shit!" He reached out. "Elizabeth, help me up!"

The girl, though pale with fear, nodded quickly. She ducked under his arm, using all her strength to lift him.

"What do we do now?!"

"We leave this cart, now! They’re going to pour in through that window!"

But even with her help, Zane was slow—his wounded leg barely able to support his weight. He limped desperately toward the cart door, each step agonizing. The screeches behind them grew louder. Closer.

He slammed his fist into the cart door. "Open up! Conductor! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!!"

No answer.

He tried the knob—nothing. Locked.

"Goddammit!" he hissed. "Come on!!"

Behind them, the monsters were closing in. Their spindly legs clattered against the metal floor as they moved like a black tide.

"Z-Zane..." Elizabeth whimpered, grabbing his sleeve as she backed away with him.

Trapped.

He looked left. Right. Up. Down. There was no way out. The only way forward was locked. Behind them, death approached on multiple legs.

’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

"Alright..." He took a deep breath and pushed Elizabeth behind him. His sword reappeared in his hand, glowing faintly with unstable energy. His body was soaked in blood, his arms trembling, but his eyes held nothing but grim determination.

"Come at me, you rotten bastards!" he roared.

His silhouette, cloaked in shadow and crimson, looked almost inhuman—more beast than boy. At that moment, logic fled. There was no time to think, no room for calculation. The only choice was fight or die.

’I won’t fall. Not now. Not here.’

The monsters surged forward, all at once, a mass of claws, teeth, and rage.

Zane braced himself—

Then, suddenly—

FLASH!

A brilliant light erupted, flooding the entire cart in a blinding, white glow. It struck so suddenly and so intensely that Zane and Elizabeth both recoiled.

What the hell?! His eyes snapped shut instinctively.

The light vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.

Silence followed.

For a split second, Zane thought he had imagined it. A trick of the mind under too much pressure.

But then he opened his eyes.

And everything changed.

The monsters were gone. Every last one of them. All that remained were puddles of blood, smeared across the floor like paint. No bodies. No movement. Just the eerie hum of the train and the sound of Elizabeth’s panicked breathing beside him.

Zane blinked.

"What... the hell just happened...?"