The grip of fear was suffocating, so tight it clouded her mind, blurring every instinct she had. Her first thought wasn’t to fight—no, the only thing screaming in her head was to run. The sound of growling filled the tunnel as the undead ogres advanced, their guttural snarls feeding the terror that paralyzed her limbs. Her breath came in ragged, shallow gasps as she bolted, fleeing to the next train car.

“Run, just run!”

The dim light flickered overhead as she sprinted through the narrow passage, her breath ragged, heart pounding in her ears. The sound of her boots echoed off the metal floor, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the guttural growls behind her. She stole a glance back, terror tightening her chest.

An ogre, massive and grotesque, burst through the train car door ahead, its twisted form blocking her only exit. Its rotting skin hung in tatters, eyes glowing with malice as it lumbered toward her.

“No... no, no!” she muttered, panic swelling in her chest. Her legs felt like lead, exhaustion already creeping in. Every step took more effort, every breath heavier than the last.

She spun on her heel to flee, but her path was blocked—more of them, undead ogres, their decaying faces twisted in hunger, closing in from behind.

“There must be another way!” Her voice was frantic, her mind racing, but there was no time. She had seconds, maybe less.

Without thinking, she hurled herself toward the window. The glass shattered, shards flying as she broke through, her helmet absorbing most of the impact, but the force still sent shockwaves of pain through her body.

She landed hard outside, panting, her body trembling with the strain. She knew the healing factor was already kicking in, but every repair it made sapped her energy. She could feel it—her bones knitting back together, bruises fading. The process was fast, almost instantaneous, but it drained her, each burst of healing making her limbs heavier.

“Dammit...,” she hissed, forcing herself to stand. She couldn’t afford to stop. Not now.

"Where should I go?" Her eyes darted around, landing on the sealed door at the far end of the train car. Sarah was in there. If she could just reach her... maybe they'd have a chance.

She broke into a run, but her vision was narrowing, her field of view limited by the helmet. Her body was healing, but her energy was waning.

Then she saw it—a shadow too large, too close. An ogre, standing at the train car door.

Before she could react, the ogre swung. She barely had time to register the movement before the massive arm slammed into her side.

“NO!”

The impact sent her flying, slamming into the cold stone wall of the tunnel with a bone-crushing thud. The force left an imprint in the wall, her body folding in on itself as pain shot through her like a lightning bolt. She gasped, her breath torn from her lungs as she hit the ground.

She forced herself to her feet, wobbling, but the exhaustion clawed at her mind. She was surrounded now, a circle of undead ogres, their grotesque faces twisted in sickening glee as they closed in.

“Get away from me!” she screamed, her voice cracking as she waved her makeshift weapon. Her arms heavy with fatigue, her heart pounding dangerously fast.

An ogre stepped forward, its fist crashing into her side, flinging her against the twisted metal of the train car. The impact wrecked the car, shattering her helmet’s visor completely. She let out a blood-curdling scream as her bones crunched under the blow, the pain so intense it stole her breath.

Her healing factor kicked in once more, dragging her body back from the brink. Bones snapped back into place with a sickening crack, her shattered ribs re-forming under her skin. The pain faded, but exhaustion weighed her down like lead.

“I... I can’t...,” she gasped, her hands trembling, barely able to lift them. Her vision was swimming, darkening at the edges as the healing factor drained her strength.

But the ogres weren’t stopping. They were closing in.

“I’m gonna die,” she whispered, tears mixing with sweat as she backed into the wall, her heart racing too fast, too weak.

Her legs buckled as her healing factor worked overtime, repairing everything, but leaving her more tired, more drained with every second.

The undead ogres loomed closer, their twisted faces leering at her with grotesque delight. Her breaths were shallow, her vision darkening, but then—just beyond the mass of monsters—she saw it.

A figure, cloaked in tattered robes, holding a staff, stood unmoving. Unlike the hulking ogres, it was the size of a human. Pale skin, long white hair, and cold, dark eyes. The figure radiated something sinister, but its presence was different—like it controlled the horror unfolding before her; a Necromancer.

“You!” Alexia shouted, adrenaline flooding her system. Her focus snapped like a whip, her exhaustion forgotten as her eyes narrowed on the figure. “Are you the one controlling these ogres?!”

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The Necromancer didn’t respond.

“Answer me!!” Her voice cracked like thunder, vibrating with a rage that bubbled to the surface. But the figure stood in eerie silence.

Then, with a slight twitch of his lips, the Necromancer mumbled something—something that sounded like a spell.

“What are you saying?... This fear... this fear was your spell?!” Her realization hit like a lightning bolt, cutting through the fog in her mind. She blinked, suddenly feeling the weight of the fear lift ever so slightly. “Yeah, that’s right,” she growled, a wild grin spreading across her face, her energy returning in an overwhelming surge. “There’s no way this fear is real! You know why?! Because I was designed to be free from that wretched feeling!”

Without hesitation, she hurled her makeshift weapon at the figure with all her strength. The force behind the throw was incredible, the weapon cutting through the air like a missile.

The Necromancer dodged, swift and disturbingly inhuman, but the weapon buried itself deep into the wall, shaking the tunnel with the sheer power of the strike. The impact sent cracks spider-webbing through the wall, and in that moment, the oppressive weight of the fear spell shattered.

Alexia’s eyes flared as her chest heaved, the feeling of suffocating terror evaporating in an instant. The fog was gone. Her mind was clear, sharp. And now, all that remained was fury.

The undead ogres hesitated, sensing the shift in power. Alexia’s grin widened, her body vibrating with energy as she cracked her knuckles, eyeing them with newfound clarity.

"Come on, then," she taunted, her voice steady, sharp. "I'm not afraid of you anymore."

An ogre lunged at her, its massive arm swinging down like a wrecking ball. Alexia sidestepped effortlessly, her speed inhuman.

"Too slow," she spat, driving her elbow into its ribs with a sickening crunch. The ogre staggered, its grotesque body folding under the impact.

Another ogre charged from the side. Alexia caught its movement in her peripheral vision and spun around, snatching a jagged piece of metal from the train wreckage.

"You really think you're scary?" she shouted, her voice rising as she leaped into the air. She brought the metal shard down like a blade, slicing clean through the creature's neck. "Think again!"

The ogre’s head tumbled to the ground, its body collapsing soon after.

"Who's next?!" she roared, turning to face the remaining monsters. The fear was gone. Now all that was left was pure, unbridled rage.

Two ogres rushed her at once, their decaying forms closing in fast. Alexia smirked, her blood pumping with adrenaline.

“Good,” she whispered, crouching low. “Let’s make this fun.”

The first ogre swung at her, its claws aiming for her legs. She vaulted over its arm with ease, landing on its broad back.

"Too easy," she muttered before driving her heel into the back of its skull, the force cracking bone and sending the creature face-first into the dirt.

The second ogre didn’t have time to react. Before it could swing, Alexia was already there, grabbing its throat with a vicious snarl.

“Nice try!” she growled, lifting the massive creature off the ground and slamming it into the floor with bone-shattering force. "But I’ve had enough of this."

The ground cracked under the impact, the ogre's body crushed under the weight of her fury.

"Still not done?" she snapped, turning as another ogre stumbled toward her. It hesitated, its rotting form trembling as it met her eyes.

Alexia smirked. “Smart choice.”

But the ogre still advanced, slow and unsteady, its mindless hunger driving it forward. Alexia shook her head, almost pitying the thing.

“Alright, fine," she muttered, cracking her neck. "But this is the last one."

The ogre swung a massive fist at her, and Alexia dodged effortlessly, her body twisting like a dancer. As it swung again, she caught its arm mid-swing, her grip ironclad.

“Too predictable,” she sneered, twisting its arm until bones snapped like dry twigs. The ogre howled in pain, but she silenced it with a brutal punch to its head, caving its skull in with one swift motion.

As the last ogre hit the ground, Alexia stood in the middle of the carnage, her breath coming out in steady, controlled bursts. She wiped blood from her knuckles and looked up, her eyes locking onto the robed figure at the end of the tunnel.

“You,” she called out, her voice echoing through the ruined tunnel. “Your little spell didn’t work on me anymore.”

The Necromancer remained silent, but his dark eyes flickered with something—surprise, maybe even fear.

Alexia’s lips curled into a grin as she began to walk toward it, her boots crunching over the shattered bones and debris. “Now, it’s your turn.”

The Necromancer's grip on the staff tightened, but Alexia kept moving forward, unrelenting, unafraid.

"I'll make this quick," she added, her voice low and dangerous, "or maybe not.”

Sensing the threat, the Necromancer’s hand flicked, and a fireball erupted from his palm, hurtling toward Alexia with blazing heat.

Her reflexes kicked in, and she dove out of the way just in time, the fireball exploding against the tunnel wall behind her, sending a shower of sparks everywhere.

She rolled to her feet, laughing breathlessly. "Wait, was that a fireball? Really? Is that all you’ve got?" she taunted, brushing off some soot.

The Necromancer narrowed its eyes, and with a snarl, began casting again—this time, summoning a flurry of elemental magic. Fireballs, ice spikes, wind blades, and even chunks of earth began flying her way in a chaotic storm of destruction.

“Oh, crap!” Alexia yelped, ducking and weaving as best she could. “God dammit, why did I have to be so arrogant?!”

She dodged an ice spike by mere inches, her boots slipping on the cold stone floor. “This is getting ridiculous! Why didn’t I shut up when I had the chance?”

The Necromancer didn’t relent, launching attack after attack. Alexia stumbled, barely managing to roll out of the way of a huge boulder, her breath ragged as she threw herself behind some debris for cover. "This guy’s like an angry magic blender!"

But then, suddenly, the Necromancer stopped. Alexia peeked from behind her makeshift barricade, hoping it was over, only to see him standing still, his body suddenly enveloped by a crackling aura of lightning.

“Oh, no…” she muttered, feeling a sudden chill of dread.

With a swift motion, the Necromancer gestured toward her, and tiny clouds of swirling lightning materialized, forming a circle around her.

"Uh, okay, this looks bad," she said, backing up, her pulse racing. “Oh man, I can survive this, right? I’m sure my body will—"

Before she could finish, the clouds released their fury, and bolts of lightning struck her from every angle. Alexia's entire body seized up, the electricity crackling through her, her muscles locking in place as she screamed through clenched teeth.

"AGHHH!! This… SUUUUCKS!" she shouted, her body jerking as each jolt hit like a sledgehammer. Her clothes began to smoke, singed by the relentless strikes.

"Okay, I’m fine, I’m fine!" she groaned, struggling to keep her humor despite the situation. “Just a little… electrocution... no big deal…” Another bolt struck, and her jacket slowly disintegrated from the heat. “No, no, not my favorite jacket!”

The lightning didn’t let up, and piece by piece, her clothes were getting zapped off her body. Her pants tore, her shoes fried, leaving her standing only on top of the soles of her shoes.

“Are you kidding me?! This is getting personal!” she yelled, as another bolt shredded the last of her shirt. "I swear, if all I’m left with is—"

She looked down, mid-electrocution, to see that somehow, only the essentials had survived.

“Oh, great!” she groaned between gasps of pain, barely able to keep her eyes open through the barrage. “Of course the lightning only leaves the parts covering my sexy bits. Lucky me! Man, I really need a supersuit” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, even as her body twitched violently from the continuing shocks.

The lightning continued to crackle and zap her for what felt like an eternity. Five minutes of non-stop torment, her muscles twitching uncontrollably as the magic tore into her body. Her hair stood on end, her skin sizzling. Despite the agony, her healing factor kicked in, repairing the damage almost instantly—but at a tremendous cost to her energy reserves.

Finally, with one last burst, the lightning clouds dissipated, leaving Alexia standing in a haze of smoke. Her body completely healed, but the cost was staggering. She wobbled for a moment, blinking in the dazed aftermath.

Then, with a groan, her knees buckled, and she collapsed face-first onto the cold stone floor.

Flat on her stomach, she let out a weak groan, her body completely drained. “I’m alive…,” she muttered weakly, her voice muffled by the ground.

She tried to lift a finger—just one—but nothing responded. Her entire body was drained, every ounce of energy burned out.

"Lying here face-down in what’s left of my dignity… and my helmet," she mumbled, her head still pressed into the cold, unforgiving floor. "At least the important stuff stays covered… but seriously, what the hell was that?!"

Another groan escaped her lips as she remained face-down, unable to do anything but wait for the exhaustion to fade. “This is it… This is how I die. Half-naked and fried to a crisp... What a legacy.”