----
A flurry of bullets rang out as the bodyguards fired into the
earth around Aran, their shots echoing through the cave.
Aran gritted his teeth and pulled with all his strength. The
thing under the earth was relentless, tightening its grip,
determined to drag him under.
David aimed and fired several shots at Aran’s feet, hitting
the ground with precision.
With a guttural growl, the creature let go, and Aran was
yanked free by thebined strength of the guards. He
scrambled away, shaken but alive.
“Aran, what was that?" David’s voice was cold, his eyes
narrowing.
----
"I don’t kn@v, Mr. Charrington," Aran
said, his @ice shaky. "I was walking,
and theground felt soft. Then >
suddenly, my foot was caughtby
asia like an octopusO
wrapping around me."
----
No one was rised at this
point—thereNtad been plenty of
strange creatures lurking inthe
caves. Bt the bodyguards were S
sweating bullets. If David hadnt
spotted the danger, they all would
ne been dead by now.
----
“Aran, what’s that smell?” Nathan asked, wrinkling his
nose. The stench was foul, a disgusting mix of rancid fish
and rotten durian.
Everyone turned to look at Aran’s legs, now coated in thick,
sticky slime.
“That must be from the creature," Aran muttered, looking
disgusted as he wiped off the muck. "God, it’s revolting.”
Nathan tossed Aran a wet wipe. "Wipe it off. As much as
you can. You’re a walking biohazard right now."
Aran nodded and started scrubbing at his leg.
The group now faced a new problem. The creature clearly
lived underground, but they didn’t know where its territory
started or ended. They couldn’t just walk blindly ahead.
----
"We can’t go ugh that whole
section in frant of us. Now that we
know there’s something oO
undergrotind, we can’t just walk S
through it like before. Our eyesGan’t
evervtell what’s underfoot," Jaden
sata, his voice grim.
"I think we should shoot as we go," one of the bodyguards
suggested. "The creature was hit by Mr. Charrington’s
shots, maybe we can keep it at bay that way."
----
Jaden gave the guard a look that could melt ice. "Go
ahead, try it."
The guard shrank back, feeling foolish. "Mr. Johnson, I... I
was just suggesting."
Aran, wiping off thest of the slime, spoke up. "We’re
running low on bullets. We can’t waste them here—who
knows what else is ahead?"
They needed a better n, and quickly.
"Do we have any food?" David asked suddenly, his tone
casual, but his eyes sharp.
Jaden blinked, caught off guard. "Food? Are you hungry,
Mr. Charrington?"
One of the bodyguards opened his pack, revealing it was
stuffed with provisions—bread, sausages, crackers, even
fruit.
----
“Whoa, are you on a mission, or just out for a pic?"
Nathan joked, shocked by the sight.
The burly bodyguard looked embarrassed. "Just a little
hobby of mine," he muttered, scratching his head.
David grabbed an apple and a pear from the pack, slipping
them into his pocket as he turned toward the dark path
where the creature had appeared.
“Mr. Charrington, get back! There are monsters ahead!"
Nathan shouted, rmed. He sprinted after David,
snatching a rope from another guard.
David didn’t even nce back. "You wait here."
“Mr. Charrington, it’s dangerous! Please, be careful!"
Nathan pleaded, his voice full of concern.
David walked on, each step steady, while the bodyguards
followed at a tense distance, eyes never leaving him. They
knew something was about to happen, but they didn’t know
what.