Thief Of Existence

ŪNDECIM

As a hunter, Arian had met wild boars bigger than her but even with her smaller frame, she took them down easily and confidently. She was swift and agile with her moments that made her look like a spinning top. She killed those boars efficiently because she had the right weapons to use that day. She had her trusted crossbow with her and a backup handgun. But it's different now; there's no wild boar but a distorted and massive beast who looked like somewhere between a spider and a gigantic zombie. Blood dripped down its flesh as a broken fountain and Arian quivered at the sight of it. It was bigger than anything she had ever hunted and certainly the most dangerous, too. But she had to save herself and get out of there in one piece.

She had to save Reigh, too.

"Come on, Reigh! We have to run!" Arian screamed. It was a selfish command, considering the severity of Reigh's wounds but they had no choice. The monster stood on its slimy legs, making loud clicking noises as it did. It just looked at them menacingly, not making a move. Reigh was thankful for it but Arian was not. She knew better.

The monster was simply mocking them.

It knew it would be faster than them so it gave them enough time for a head start, a false hope. It was hopeless right from the start. But of course, Arian chose not to tell the truth to Reigh. She was already suffering physically and it won't be best to lessen her survival chances more. So Arian used all her strength, carried Reigh on her back, and ran as fast as she could. Reigh complained about being too heavy but Arian ignored it. The creature still didn't move from its position. It still had no eyes but its body was positioned straight towards their line of view. Arian was running quickly but with Reigh's weight pulling her down, it was too slow.

"I can run, Arian..."

"No, you can't. You and I both know that."

"I'm just slowing you down this way."

"Then we'll find a way to be quicker together."

Reigh sighed and tightened her grip around Arian's shoulders. How was it posible that the person she had hated as a child was the one saving her life now? It didn't make perfect sense but she wasn't complaining about it. She was thankful for Arian's existence.

Arian's existence.

She suddenly remembered that she was being saved by a Thief of Existence, a high-profile criminal. She could get a huge reward for turning Arian in but something inside of her was stoppping her from doing that, and it wasn't just guilt.

Arian covered a good amount of distance and she realized that running wouldn't be the only way to get around the monster. They would have to hide but a clever hiding space would be too hard to look for. They were in a mall and all the stores were wide open. The bathrooms and other staff rooms could be good hiding spots but the creature would surely think of looking for them there. From a far distance, the two of them could hear the creature cackling with a distorted voice mixed with clicking sounds.

"You should be hidden by now," it said, "but don't expect that I won't find you."

"Where should we hide" Arian hastily asked Reigh. She was running out of ideas and the constant pressure from the ten-legged beast wasn't helping. Reigh looked around then pointed at an elevator. "We can slip out of the elevator shaft and hide along with the wires and stuff," she suggested. "That doesn't sound like a good idea," Arian immediately rebutted. "I know but it's the one place that thing won't fit. We have a chance here other than hiding in restrooms," Reigh explained. She had a point and it wasn't like they had any other choice.

"Are you done? I'd like to start the hunt now," the creature's voice echoed through the mall. Panicked, Arian immediately adjusted Reigh on her back then made a mad dash to the elevator. Once the doors closed, she put down Reigh for a while to open the shaft. Without tools, it was quite hard but adrenaline does great wonders. She helped Reigh to get through the small exit first before she helped herself up. Arian closed the shaft again and looked up at the dark void above them.