Chapter 2: Man Versus Minotaur

I stiffened, eyes glued to the massacre unfolding before my very eyes. The cries of anguish from the carnage further intensified, followed by frequent roars from the cow-like monsters. I heard gunshots from the outside for a few seconds, but it immediately died down and were followed by the sound of bodies crashing against concrete. It was only then that reality finally struck me.

My son and my wife—they were also inside this mall-turned-hell-hole. I choked as the thought of them dying crossed my mind. I cannot let it happen. I cannot let it happen. I cannot let it happen!

I bit my lips, sending a thin line of red down my chin, as I ran forward. My skeletal body whizzed by the pile of corpses that had been thrown by the abhorrent monsters. Shards of glass, broken tables, and disfigured corpses: I jumped over each and every one of them as my eyes frantically turned left and right as it scanned the surroundings for familiar figures.

Odd sounds were heard from my left, and I deemed that it was the sound of walls cracking and breaking. A second after, a large shadow loomed over me as a hand flew towards my direction, definitely trying to squash than grab as its ferocious force crushed the man beside me, sending the innards of his head splattering in all directions.

My sunken face turned even paler as a momentary sense of relief washed over me; I had brushed with death just a second ago. The stomping sounds from before got louder as I craned my neck to the rear, and to my horror, I saw the beast chasing after me, drools dripping down its mouth.

A deafening roar that muffled every other sound made me cringe as I resisted the urge to cover my ears. My hands would definitely be more useful for other purposes. I ran. I ran. I ran. I ran through slabs of broken walls, pieces of furniture, and disfigured bodies. I ran until my lungs were exploding, crying and begging for me to stop and recuperate.

I afforded a cursory glance at my rear and checked the status of the monster: still chasing. At the corner of my eyes, I saw the entrance towards the comfort room, thin and seemingly decrepit from the numerous cracks from the quake. A second of hesitation hit me before my body eventually leapt to the left, crashing into the entrance of the comfort room. It was wide enough for a person or two to pass through, but definitely small for a four-meter tall monster to traverse.

The beast roared in frustration as it tried to squeeze its way inside, but to no avail. It kept reaching out its thick arms out towards me as I crawled my way backwards, eventually bumping onto the tiled walls.

For a moment, I was worried that the entrance would break as I noticed cracks forming from each of the Minotaur’s futile struggles. After around five more minutes, something that seemed like eternity of roars and deathblows, the Minotaur stopped then snorted, creating a steam in its wake. It glared at me before it eventually turned around and squeezed its way out. I had never been so grateful for comfort rooms in my entire life.

The roars and cries of anguish from the outside continued as I sat there, my head underneath the sink. The smelly, almost putrid room felt like home; pleasant, friendly, and welcoming. It had become my haven, a temporary haven.

“Francesca… Marco,” I mumbled the two names repeatedly like mantra. They were my source of strength in this pandemonium, and I would do anything just to ensure their safety.

I lingered inside for five more minutes, catching my breath, before I eventually craned my neck outside, checking for any pursuer. To my relief, the Minotaur had left entirely. I wasted no time as I immediately ran with my life on the line, eyes desperately again searching for the familiar figures.

I skidded to a halt when a disfigured corpse caught my attention. I stared at it for a moment as I witnessed its last moments, dry tears evident on its cheeks. It was the waitress from the coffee shop before. Her arms were missing, probably ripped apart in a single stroke, and half her head was crushed like paste. Her corpse was disfigured, but I was sure that it was her. Her innards ornamented the cracked floor, painting it with red and green-yellow.

My stomach churned and I puked on the ground. I turned around when I heard loud rumbling sounds coming towards my direction, and it was coming at a frightening speed. I almost lost my sanity when I saw three Minotaurs charging towards me, nostrils flaring up with occasional steams of rage.

I ran. I ran. I ran.

It was the only thing that I could do; the only thing that separated me from the soothing embrace called death. I have not valued life much before, but now that I was close to losing it, I realized how much I want to cling to dear life. I cannot die—at least not until I saved the both of them, until I had ensured their safety. Right now, they were my top priority. Everything else was secondary.

Suddenly, series of gunshots echoed, and the three Minotaurs chasing after me stumbled backwards, only to again regain momentum as they continued with their chase. Their cowheads turned fiery and red, and roars erupted in a screeching pitch. My hairs stood on edge as I desperately gasped for air. At my left, I saw the man that shot the beasts: a policeman.

“Keep running!” the policeman said in hysteria. He reloaded his gun then momentarily turned around as he again fired shots one after another.

The shells from the pistol inflicted nothing but small cuts onto the bodies of the beasts, and it served as nothing but dried wood that fueled the burning rage of the monsters.

Seconds ticked by, and the towering monsters eventually gained momentum, crashing corpses underneath their feet. A hand shot towards my left and I evaded by jumping to the side, making my body bump head-first onto the wall, my pallid face now blooming with a bruise on the forehead.

“H-Help! Help!” The policeman from before was caught by the monsters, and he cast a pleading glance at my direction before his skull was eventually crushed by the gargantuan hands of the beasts.

Urine uncontrollably oozed down my trousers as I sat there on the ground, eyes wide with shock. I was next. I was next. I was next.

I was about to close my eyes and embrace my fate when a figure was seen from the distance. The child’s red hair was a distinct feature, and his saucer eyes were swimming in tears, snot dripping down his nose. The woman beside him had both her arms opened wide, assuming the role of a human shield.

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“Francesca! Marco!” I yelled with all my might. My voice echoed despite the numerous roars and stomping sounds, and the woman named Francesca cast a glance my way. Her eyes, brown and almost hazel, met mine.

I swore that a bitter smile filled with helplessness and regret flashed across her face as the beast before her approached at a tip-toe speed.

My eyes glanced at my family’s figures then to the beasts in front of me, then back. I cannot die yet. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet!

The moment my eyes landed on the pistol the policeman held before, I dived towards it without regards for the consequence. I large hoof missed me by a whisper as my body rolled thrice before coming to a halt. I immediately stood up, and ignoring the three beasts before me, I ran past them and towards my family.

My heart pumped violently as I ran with the gun pointed at the Minotaur before Francesca, veins evident on my ashen face. After a roar that contained all my might, resolve and retribution, I pulled the trigger and the ammunition hit the beast right at the forehead. It momentarily lost its balance but eventually, it stood up straight as it glared at my direction.

As expected, guns did not work, but I kept firing regardless. I fired. I fired. I fired. I fired until I was out of ammo, and knowing that it was not enough, I ran forward and tackled the beast head-on. My almost skeletal body did nothing but bounce back after the impact, and I was sent rolling onto the ground.

I was expecting a hoof to come cruising towards my fallen body but to my surprise, none came. It was then that I noticed the thin line of blood that oozed out of the beast’s head. The metallic ammunitions had been partly engraved inside its skull. It was not enough to deal a deathblow, but was definitely enough to make the beast momentarily lose its focus and totter all over.

My ears perked up as numerous rumbling sounds came towards my direction, our direction. Without a second wasted, I carried my son. Tears still uncontrollably flowed down his cheeks. Voice raspy and coarse, I screamed, “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

It took a full second before Francesca broke out of her trance, and she came running with the both of us for dear life. My blood was boiling and my heart was violently thumping. My body was filled with inexplicable energy that made my body move forward despite the fatigue that blatantly enveloped it.

I heard the beasts stop for a moment and stare at their light-headed comrade, the one that I shot indiscriminately before. A couple of seconds passed before a furious roar echoed and was accompanied by mad rumbling sounds. The ground quaked and creaked, but to my relief, we arrived at the haven from before: the comfort room. It was murky and putrid, but it was our best shot for survival.

I grabbed Francesca’s hand and tossed her inside along with our son, not minding the bruises that would without doubt form after the impact. After affording a glance at our pursuers, I immediately dived headfirst into our shelter, narrowly avoiding the gargantuan hand that passed through the air.

At the corner of the room, I noticed a lone figure crouching with her knees bent, body violently shaking. A student. It seemed that another survivor had found her solace in the bathroom.

“We’ll be safe here,” I said as I tried to reassure the woman and the child beside me, all the while the beast before us struggled to squeeze their bodies inside, creating small cracks on the entrance, taking our breath away with every popping sound.

“Those monsters can’t get inside,” I added in affirmation, more to myself than to those beside me. Even I doubted my words. Eventually, to our relief, the beasts gave up after a few more tries. They again snorted then turned back towards the outside.

A minute of absolute silence inside the putrid room emanated, and to my surprise, the other survivor inside the bathroom wailed and sobbed; she was in hysteria. Probably due to the fact that she had survived till now, or to the fact that she had seen another survivor, she unrestrainedly cried her soul out. Her wails echoed loudly, and for a minute, I thought that her lungs would break apart from the tension. I was so wasted that I did not have the energy to hush her, moreover reprimand her for giving out our location. All I did was sit there, bruised and battered, eyes longingly staring at the two people beside me.

“Richard…” My voice trailed off as I wiped the sweat on my forehead. By now, the cries from the other survivor had calmed down to a hiccup. “What happened to him? Where is he? Why is he not with you?!”

My voice escalated to a snarl. Instead of questions, they were more of accusations. Why was that bastard not with my family when they needed him the most? Why was he not with them when they were in peril? Why was he not with them when they were facing imminent death? I had so many questions and curses running through my head as I bit my lips in bitter fury.

Francesca lowered her head and hugged our eight-year-old son. Marco had fallen asleep by now, dried tears evident on his sleeping face. She turned her face toward me and whispered, “I don’t know.”

Those words were simple, but they held everything I needed to know. So, that bastard disappeared the moment the first sign of danger manifested itself? I was becoming pessimistic and overly accusing, but the rage boiling inside of me had yet to fully calm itself. I wanted to punch him and tear him from limb to limb, to cut his neck and feed him to the Minotaurs. That fucking bastard, how dare he abandon my wife and son!

I breathed in and out, and after almost a minute, calmed myself to a white-knuckled fist. Another series of gunshots from the outside was heard. The barrage of papapa! sounds continued for a while before dying out, eventually being replaced by sounds of horror, of bones breaking and flesh tearing. Within me, I knew that the police forces were currently useless. Their guns did not work; something I did not blame them for. Those Minotaurs were simply immortal bastards with skulls as strong as an iron plate.

The light above flickered for a couple of times, casting ominous shadows around, before eventually turning everything pitch black. It seemed that the electricity inside the mall had failed altogether, and we were now inside an abyss, mortified with the unknown just right behind the corner.

The sonorous cries and roars from the outside continued, and our family of three plus the other survivor sat inside our solace, unmoving, trying our best not to make noticeable sounds. Eventually, the sounds of anguish turned into background, our fatigue kicked in, and we dozed off into dreamland.