Don't give up on me ✓

[66] The Visit

'I won't let you be disappointed. I will show you my fighting spirit' - Kris Wu

Chapter 66: The Visit

I entered into a dark cave and my eyes lost the ability to see. A damp scent engulfed my nostrils until I could no longer breathe. I gasped for breath, clutching my throat in desperation. 

The stone crumbled underneath me and suddenly I could see: A pool of crystal blue engulfed me.

I dropped into the sea of blue, though I didn't feel wet. Currents washed past me, twisting me, turning me, and a searing pain ripped through me. It felt as though my body was disintegrating and the pain became so intense, that I went numb - before passing out.

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Am I alive?

How many fingers do I have? Ten. That's a good sign.

Did I make it?

I stared around me at the charred ground. Black soil, barren all the way out until my eyes could see. Rocks and ground, that was it.

My lips were cracked, and my tongue had swollen in my mouth. My eyes stung from the sand and wind that flew against me. I pulled my sleeve across my hand and pressed it against my nose and mouth, squeezing my eyes shut as another gust blew past. I coughed into my hand. 

I heard a coughing sound. I turned around, still unable to stand. I wasn't quite used to my body yet. Then I saw another body, lying on the earth ahead. I wasn't alone. We had made it together. I crawled towards him, trying to make out who it was.

Who....

It was a boy from the boot camp group. 

I tried to say something when all hell broke loose. An animal pounced on him and he immediately responded by sticking his spear in the air to kill it. Another three pounced on him and ripped him apart.

I screamed.

Bad idea. They turned to me. While the rest finished him off, one animal came towards me. 

It ran quickly across the ground and pounced on me, baring its fangs. Its mouth opened wide and saliva dripped over me as it roared. Its eyes were red – demon eyes. I had one chance. One second and one chance. In one hand I held my sword. In the other I held my staff.

It lunged down at me. I braced myself. In one quick movement, my right arm raised to stick the staff against his teeth, pushing with all my strength as it lunged for my face. My other hand gripped a sword to stab it in the side. He wriggled and roared but I held steadfast. My arm pushed the creature back with my staff and the other arm stabbed its side again. The staff cracked, and I tried to shield my face with my arm as it came down on me.

But instead of biting me, it had collapsed in a mound of fur on top of me. I croaked under it and, releasing my weapons, I opened my hands to push it off me. It rolled off, fur turning a dark red. I breathed out, lying on the sand, when I heard another roar. I sat up and saw an even bigger creature in the horizon. Three more showed up.

It was part of a pack.

I scrambled to my feet, clutching both staff and sword and tried to run. I ran as fast as I could, pushing myself to the limit, knowing they were eating the distance up behind me. Skilled runners. Expert hunters.

I headed straight for the mound of rocks up ahead. I tried to scale it as quickly as possible. The creatures reached me and were jumping to bite me. One came close. I looked down in time to see another seize up to grab me. I stabbed it with my staff and lost the staff with it.