CHAPTER 37: COST OF SURVIVAL

We walked in silence.

Wallace’s weight dragged against me.

He was heavier than he looked. Not just because of his body, but because of what it meant.

One of us was gone.

And we couldn’t even stop to grieve.

The cavern stretched endlessly, damp air thick with the stench of decay. Water dripped from the ceiling, the sound unnervingly loud in the quiet.

No one spoke.

No jokes. No bickering.

Just the sound of our footsteps.

And Wallace’s limp body, still cold in my arms.

I didn’t know how long we walked before Julien whispered, "I hear something."

We all stopped.

A low rumble echoed ahead.

Not the ground shifting. Not water dripping.

Breathing.

Something was waiting for us.

And then—

A growl.

Deep. Hungry.

Predator.

Julien tensed. "That’s—"

Something moved in the shadows.

Massive.

Crouched low.

Eyes gleaming in the dark.

I barely had time to react before it lunged.

A beast of shifting shadows, limbs contorted unnaturally, hungry.

I shoved Wallace’s body aside and grabbed Julien, pulling him back.

The creature’s claws scraped the ground where he’d stood.

Julien gasped. "Holy shit—"

Leo panicked, stumbling back. "RUN."

No time to think.

We ran.

Felix tripped. Julien yanked him up.

Mira cursed. "It’s fast."

Garrick? He turned to fight. "GO!"

"No—!" I started, but it was too late.

Garrick charged.

Met the beast head-on.

His fist slammed into its skull. A crack echoed through the cavern.

The thing barely flinched.

Then its claws sank into his stomach.

Garrick choked.

Blood sprayed.

He didn’t even scream.

Just... looked at us.

Julien’s eyes widened. "GARRICK—!"

I moved. I tried—

The creature tore through him.

Like he was nothing.

His body crumpled.

Lifeless.

Gone.

Just like that.

Felix let out a choked sound. Leo went pale.

Julien stood frozen.

Mira whispered, "Not again."

But we couldn’t stop.

Garrick was dead.

We had to move.

I grabbed Felix. "RUN."

We sprinted, lungs burning.

Behind us?

The sound of bones snapping. Flesh tearing.

I didn’t look back.

I couldn’t.

We ran until our legs screamed. Until our breaths were ragged.

Until—

Felix tripped.

"NO!" Leo grabbed for him—too slow.

Felix hit the ground hard, gasping.

I turned back.

The beast had already seen him.

I lunged forward. "GET UP."

Felix reached out—desperate. "P-Professor—"

The creature pounced.

Teeth sank into his throat.

Felix choked.

Blood spilled down his chest.

His body convulsed.

I reached for him.

His fingers twitched—grasping—

And then they went still.

Felix’s eyes—wide, staring—

Empty.

I froze.

Leo let out a strangled cry. Julien took a step forward, shaking. "No—"

Mira grabbed them both. "We have to GO."

I clenched my fists.

Felix’s body lay there, motionless.

Garrick’s? Already forgotten in the dark.

Two more.

Gone.

And I couldn’t save them.

I forced myself to turn away.

Because if we stayed—

We’d be next.

So we ran.

One less.

Then another.

And I wondered—

How many more would I lose before this was over?

We didn’t stop.

We couldn’t.

Felix’s body was still warm when we left him behind.

Garrick’s was already cold.

The beast didn’t chase us. It didn’t need to.

Because it had won.

And that was worse.

I didn’t look back.

Not at Felix’s empty eyes.

Not at the blood smeared across my hands.

Not at the weight pressing against my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I just ran.

Mira led the way, her movements sharp, precise—too calm for what had just happened.

Leo stumbled but kept going, his breath ragged.

Julien wasn’t talking.

That was bad.

Because Julien never shut up.

And now? His silence screamed louder than any joke he could’ve made.

We turned a corner.

The tunnels stretched endlessly, shadows twisting.

It felt like we were running in circles.

Trapped.

Like the deeper we went, the further we strayed from reality.

Finally, Leo gasped, "Can we—can we stop?"

No one answered.

We just... slowed.

Not because we wanted to.

But because we had no choice.

Because we were exhausted.

And because stopping meant realizing—

They were gone.

Garrick.

Felix.

Dead.

I leaned against the cavern wall, pressing a hand to my face. My palm was sticky.

Blood.

Not mine.

Felix’s.

Garrick’s.

I clenched my fist.

Mira exhaled. "Two."

That was all she said.

But we all knew what she meant.

Two bodies left behind.

Two friends we wouldn’t see again.

Julien finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "We should’ve—" His throat closed up. He swallowed, then tried again. "We should’ve done something."

Leo let out a bitter laugh. "Like what? We tried. And look where that got them."

Julien’s hands curled into fists. "Felix didn’t even—" His breath hitched. "He didn’t even get a chance."

Silence.

Mira’s gaze flickered to me.

Waiting.

Because I was supposed to be in charge.

I was supposed to tell them what came next.

But what the hell was I supposed to say?

That they died for nothing?

That Garrick’s bravery hadn’t mattered?

That Felix’s stupid, useless optimism hadn’t saved him?

That the beast hadn’t even cared enough to chase us afterward—because we weren’t worth it?

I took a slow breath.

Then forced the words out.

"We keep moving."

Leo flinched. "That’s it?"

I met his gaze.

Hard.

Cold.

Because I couldn’t afford anything else.

"What else do you want?" My voice was flat. Empty. "Do you want me to tell you we should go back? That we can fix this?"

Leo’s jaw tightened.

"Do you want me to promise that no one else is going to die?" I stepped forward, blood drying on my hands. "Because I can’t."

Silence.

Leo didn’t look away.

But he didn’t argue, either.

Mira spoke first. "Professor’s right."

Julien let out a slow breath. "I hate it."

Mira gave a humorless smile. "Welcome to life."

Leo’s shoulders trembled. But he nodded.

Because he got it.

Because we all did.

There was no fixing this.

There was no justice.

Only survival.

Only forward.

So we walked.

Not because we wanted to.

But because stopping meant waiting for death to catch up.

And we weren’t ready to die.

Not yet.