We tore through the halls, the dog a relentless shadow at our backs. The damn thing wouldn’t be easy to shake—not even if I were alone, and now I had Jack to worry about.

I spared him a glance. His face was twisted with something…was that excitement? No. Adrenaline. He always reacted to danger in ways I couldn’t understand.

We burst into a room filled with trees, the scent of damp earth and leaves hitting me like a slap. If not for the death hound on our heels, I might’ve marveled at the sight…a pocket of untouched nature hidden within this gilded prison. But there was no time for wonder.

I grabbed Jack’s wrist and yanked him up into the nearest tree. He barely had time to scramble onto the thick branch before I followed. From up here, we had a clear view of the room…every door visible beneath us, every possible escape route laid bare.

The dog entered, its movements eerily controlled. It paused just inside the doorway, scanning the space with methodical precision. Its mechanical eyes flickered as it sniffed the air, head tilting in an almost calculated manner. The soft whir of gears accompanied each step as it moved deeper, its gaze sweeping the room with an unsettling patience. It slowed, sniffing the air, its mechanical jaw clicking softly as the gears inside whirred. Jack and I held our breath.

It let out a low, distorted growl before retracing its steps. Seconds stretched like hours as it hesitated at the threshold, scanning the room one last time before slipping out.

My shoulders sagged, relief short-lived. It would come back.

I swallowed, gripping the brim of my hat, fingers pressing into the worn fabric. I needed a plan—fast. My mind spun through every option, every possibility, but then... a memory surfaced.

Jack’s voice echoed in my mind, brimming with pride. "Press here," he had said, tapping the emblem on the front—an elegant, polished 'E.' "It’s subtle, but deadly."

The memory bled into the present as my fingers found the emblem, pressing down without hesitation.

With a quiet click, the hidden blade extended from the brim, catching the dim light. I exhaled slowly.

A large moss-covered rock sat below us, a perfect spot to strike.

“Jack,” I whispered, keeping my voice steady, “I have a plan. I need you to lead that thing over there. I need a clean throw.”

Jack’s eyes flicked between the rock and my hat, uncertainty shadowing his face. His fingers twitched, shoulders tight with hesitation. He swallowed hard, finally meeting my gaze with a mixture of fear and fragile trust. “You won’t let it get me, right?” His voice was barely above a breath. “You won’t leave me?”

“I would never leave you.” I forced a reassuring smile and pinched his cheek lightly, the way I used to when we were younger. His lips quivered in a nervous grin, but his eyes still held doubt.

“Stand with your back to the rock,” I instructed. “When I say move, dive away.”

He nodded, though his hands clenched at his sides. Then, with a deep breath, he hopped down from the tree, landing with a crunch of leaves. The sound snapped the dog's attention back into the room,

The dog reentered, nose to the ground, following his scent with mechanical precision. Jack went rigid when the creature's ears twitched as it zeroed in on him. Its low, rumbling growl vibrating through the space. It prowled forward, slow and deliberate, lowering into a predatory stance.

I held my breath. My heartbeat slammed against my ribs as I rose to a crouch, arm pulled back, muscles coiled like a spring.

Just a little closer…

Now!

"Jack, move!" I shouted, flinging the hat with all my strength.

Jack hurled himself to the ground just as the hound pounced. My hat struck the back of its skull, sparks bursting as the blade embedded deep into its plating-but it didn't go all the way through.

The beast slammed head first into the rock with a sickening crunch, its metal limbs twitching and convulsing, gears grinding in a painful shriek. A garbled, snarl tore from its throat as it staggered, shaking violently to dislodge the weapon buried in its head.

I jumped down without hesitation. My boots hit the dirt just as the creature made a last, desperate lunge, its mechanical jaws snapping inches from my leg. I twisted away, yanking my hat free with a wet, scraping sound. Its edge was slick with oil and some black substance.

With a sharp inhale, I tightened my grip and drove the razor-edged brim into its throat, severing the last of its still-functioning components.

The beast collapsed in a heap of broken metal and sparking wires, its body twitching once before going completely still.

I exhaled, my breath ragged, shoulders burning from the tension. Jack stared at me, his wide eyes flickering between horror and awe.

"That was pretty awesome, Ev," he muttered, still catching his breath.

I let out a short laugh and ruffled his hair before retrieving my hat, shaking off the blood and bits of flesh. Just how sharp had Jack made this thing? Had he overdone it, or was I only now realizing how dangerous his work had become? The weight of it in my hands felt different now-heavier. more lethal.

I tucked the thought away, gripping Jack’s wrist as we bolted out of the room and into the hallway. Our footsteps echoed against the cold, metallic walls, hearts pounding like war drums. The dim, flickering lights cast long shadows, distorting the shapes around us as we raced forward, each breath tight with urgency.

We turned a corner, the corridor stretching endlessly ahead...then stopped dead.

The air hit us like a wall, thick with the stench of blood and scorched metal. A faint, unsettling hum lingered, vibrating through the ruined space, as if the room itself was still catching its breath from whatever nightmare had unfolded here.

Senna was gone.

The room was wrecked. Furniture lay in shreds, deep claw marks gouged into the walls. The trail of destruction stretched down the hall…the same path Jack and I had fled through moments ago.

Jack’s voice came small, hesitant. “Ev… is Senna…?”

I squeezed his hand, gripping it tight. “He’s fine. Let’s get home and meet him there, yeah?”

Jack yanked away from me. “We can’t leave Senna. We don’t leave our own behind.”

His glare cut through me, sharper than any blade. I reached for him, but he stepped back. His whole body trembled…whether from fear or anger, I couldn’t tell but his eyes burned with defiance.

“Jack, just listen—”

“No.” His voice was raw, cracking under the weight of the moment.

I clenched my jaw. “This is what Senna wanted.” My voice felt tight, strained. “He made me promise to take care of you. If you go back now, he will have sacrificed himself for nothing.”

A memory flickered—Senna and I rummaging through drawers in a dimly lit chamber, dust swirling in the weak glow of our lantern. The air had been thick with tension, every creak of wood sending a shiver down my spine. Then, the beast struck.

It had come from nowhere, a blur of muscle and malice. Senna had shoved me behind a toppled cabinet, gun raised, jaw set. "If something happens to me, you take Jack and run," he had said, voice like steel even as blood trickled down his temple.

The memory dissolved, snapping me back to the present..

I looked into Jack's eyes. I could see the war raging inside him, the desperate need to believe me clashing with the unbearable weight of what that meant we'd have to do

For a second, I thought he might listen.

Then, he turned and ran.

“Jack, no!” I lunged after him, but he was fast—too fast.

He veered down a long hallway, slipping through a doorway torn apart by the beasts. Deep claw marks raked across the doorframe, the metal warped like it had been gripped by something impossibly strong.

My breath stalled. A cold dread crept down my spine as I ran inside looking for Jack.

My stomach dropped.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Senna stood atop a bookshelf, battered and bleeding, his breaths ragged as he shouted, desperate to keep the beast’s attention. It looked like he had scrambled up there in a last-ditch effort to evade its snapping jaws. His stance was unsteady, but his voice remained strong. Across the room, Jack moved frantically, his eyes scanning the machinery, searching for anything that could tip the scales.

He yanked a lever, then another. The glow of the tubes flared in response, eerie symbols flickering to life as a deep hum rattled through the space. Strange metallic conduits pulsed with energy, feeding into the half-circle table at the room’s center. Shattered glass littered its surface, vividly colored liquids seeping into a dark, viscous pool that spread across the floor. A murky black substance, laced with veins of pulsing purple, twisted like something alive.

Senna’s gaze locked onto mine. For the first time, I saw it—the raw, aching helplessness behind his eyes. His lips parted as if to say something, but they had came muffled to my ears

I had promised him. And I had failed him.

I’m sorry, Senna. I really tried.

His jaw tightened, shaking off whatever words had been lingering on his tongue. “Ev, my gun’s behind me, but I can’t get to it!”

I forced myself to focus, scanning the room for something—anything—we could use.

A sudden blur of motion—too fast. Jack lunged toward the table’s center, his breath ragged, his hands desperate.

My stomach lurched.

“Jack, stop!”

The words barely left my lips before he reached it.

Too late.

Jack’s breath came in ragged gasps as he snatched two metal pipes, his hands trembling. He cast a desperate glance at Senna—then slammed them together. The sharp clang rang through the room, cutting through the hum of machinery like a desperate battle cry. It wasn’t a plan. It wasn’t strategy. It was panic, pure and unthinking, a last-ditch effort to turn the beast’s attention away from Senna.

It worked.

The hound’s head snapped toward Jack, its glowing eyes locking onto him with predatory precision. Then it lunged.

Senna sprang from the bookshelf, his voice raw as he bellowed Jack’s name. I launched forward, every step heavy, like running through quicksand. My pulse roared in my ears, drowning out the chaos around me. My hat was already airborne before I could think, my arm snapping forward with every ounce of strength I had.

"Jack, move!"

The angle was wrong. The realization hit me like ice. The hat sailed past the beast’s shoulder, slicing metal and flesh but failing to stop the inevitable.

The beast hit him like a battering ram. The impact sent them both crashing into the stone table. Glass and metal shattered, exploding outward in jagged shards. The creature skidded from the force, momentarily dazed, but Jack—Jack—

He lay sprawled, motionless.

Blood pooled beneath him, spilling in dark rivulets across the cracked stone. A gash tore across his back, deep and gaping, his small frame unnaturally still.

My stomach twisted into knots so tight I thought I might snap in half.

I had failed.

Senna’s roar ripped through the air.

The beast snarled, dragging itself upright, its fangs dripping with saliva and blood. Senna raised his gun, hands shaking so violently I thought he might drop it.

“Shoot it!” I screamed.

Two shots rang out, slamming into the beast’s head, sending it reeling back with a guttural snarl. Senna’s grip tightened as he pulled the trigger again—

Click. Click.

His face paled. His breath gasped.

"It’s jammed!"

The monster shook itself, blood seeping from the wounds but not enough to stop it. With a guttural snarl, it lunged.

Senna hurled the useless gun at its face before throwing himself to the side, but it was too late. The beast’s jaws closed around him.

His scream tore through the room, raw and agonizing, echoing in a way that made my skin crawl. It wasn’t just pain—it was the sound of something breaking, something being torn away.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t breathe.

I was watching my world collapse.

A muffled crack echoed through the room, the unmistakable sound of splintering bone beneath crushing weight.

Two small holes leaked blood down the beast’s head. Its body stiffened…then collapsed, twitching as the last remnants of life drained from its mechanical limbs.

I didn’t care.

I was already running.

I dropped to my knees beside Senna, my trembling hands grasping at his broken body, trying to pull him free, trying to piece him back together.

"No, no, no! Stay with me, damn it! You hear me? You don’t get to leave me like this!"

Senna groaned, his body wracked with tremors, blood dribbling from the corner of his lips. Too much blood. His breath hitched, shallow and ragged.

"Frankie… that bastard… should’ve known…" He tried to chuckle, but it barely came out—a thin, rasping wheeze. Another cough rattled through him, crimson spattering his chin. His grip trembled as he turned his head slightly, his gaze drifting to the beast’s lifeless form.

"Not… half bad…"

His hand twitched, lifting toward my face. His fingers barely brushed my cheek before faltering, too weak to hold on. He tried to smile, but the effort drained him.

"Ev… keep him—"

The words cut off. A sharp breath hitched in his throat, then silence. His eyes, once burning with defiance, softened—fading like a dying ember. His fingers twitched, grasping at my hand. Then, with a final, shuddering exhale, he stilled.

I sucked in a breath, waiting. Waiting for him to finish. Waiting for one last word, one last breath—any sign that this wasn’t happening.

But there was nothing.

Senna was gone.

A strangled sound caught in my throat, something between a sob and a gasp. My hands clenched into fists as I stared down at Senna, willing him to move, to breathe—to prove me wrong. The world blurred, my pulse a deafening drum in my ears. He was just here, just fighting, just promising—

Gone.

My breath hitched, chest caving under the weight of grief. I wanted to scream, to tear apart the walls, to rewind time to a moment where this wasn’t real. But reality was cruel, and the cold truth settled in like ice in my veins.

A groan pulled my attention away.

Jack stirred beneath the rubble, his small frame trembling, his breath coming in sharp, panicked gasps. His body was twisted unnaturally, pinned by shattered debris, his skin slick with blood. Dark, murky liquid—not his—seeped from his wounds, the same vile substance pooling from the creature Senna had killed.

His voice cracked. "It hurts…" His fingers weakly clawed at the rubble, trying to move, but the effort sent fresh pain wracking through his broken frame. Too much pain. Too much blood.

Then, his swollen eyes met mine, filled with something fragile—hope, desperation, or maybe just the last remnants of innocence clinging on for dear life.

"Ev… is Senna okay?"

I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. The words wouldn't form, trapped behind the crushing weight in my chest.

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. I could only stare at him, my throat closing, my hands shaking as the truth clawed its way into my mind. Senna was gone. Jack was barely holding on. And I—

I had failed them both.

The barking echoed down the hall—closer, louder. More were coming. The vibrations trembled beneath my fingers, a steady, approaching doom. My body locked up, caught between instinct and the unbearable thought of leaving him behind.

I had to move. I had to act.

But I couldn’t.

My fists clenched, nails digging into my palms as my breath came in short, ragged gasps.

Was this cowardice or survival?

Every instinct screamed at me to run, but the weight of my failure pinned me in place. Maybe I could stay. Maybe I could fight. But the distant snarls grew into guttural howls, and the tremors in the floor made the decision for me. If I stayed, we both died.

I looked down at Jack, my chest tightening. His face was pale, streaked with sweat, his breaths short and uneven. The dark liquid seeping into his wounds was pulsing. He was barely holding on.

Then his eyes found mine.

Hope... He still believed I would save him.

My hands trembled as I set my hat beside him, fingers lingering on the brim…as if that single gesture could make up for what I was about to do.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Tears spilled down his cheeks, his entire body convulsing with sobs. "Don’t leave me! Please! Ev, please!"

His hands shot out, weakly grasping at my sleeve, his fingers slipping as he tried to hold on. "You said—you said you wouldn’t leave me!"

My stomach twisted. Everything in me screamed to stay. To find another way. But there was no other way. The snarls were too close, the tremors shaking the ground beneath us.

"I’m sorry," I choked out, my voice cracking as I forced my feet to move.

"Ev!" His cries turned frantic, shrill with desperation. "I don’t wanna die! Please! Ev, don’t—"

His voice broke as I stepped away, his sobs turning to ragged gasps. The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed me was his outstretched hand, trembling, reaching—begging.

I ran down the hall, Jack’s cries fading behind me, each desperate plea carving deeper into my chest. My breath came in ragged gasps as I forced my legs to move, to carry me away from the wreckage I had left behind. The walls blurred past me, the flickering lights casting jagged shadows that seemed to reach for me like accusing hands.

I stumbled into the office, my hands shaking violently as I gripped the elevator lever. My vision swam, Jack’s and Senna’s faces burned into my mind like scars. A strangled scream tore from my throat as I yanked the lever, the weight of my betrayal crushing me.

Why did this happen?

Why was the world so unfair?

A faint shuffle behind me sent a chill down my spine, breaking through the haze of exhaustion clouding my mind. The sound was subtle, almost hesitant—like something testing the air, waiting for the perfect moment. My pulse stuttered. I barely had time to turn, to react, before something struck the back of my head. A burst of pain shot through my skull, white-hot and searing, then—

Darkness.

A rasping chuckle slithered through the void, low and jagged, like rusted metal scraping against stone. The darkness around me seemed to pulse with it, as if the very air carried the weight of its malice.

“Well, ain’t you a little bundle of joy?”