Unable the hold back my smile, I looked upon the confused couple. "Haha, what the hell was I thinking. As if I would be the deciding factor in this."

Grabbing me from under his arm he pinned me to the wall with one hand, "WHAT?"

Raising her hand I could see the powerful poison dripping from her fingers, "Care to enlighten us!" Her hand inching closer to me.

"She's already taken out half of them. This is nothing more than their last stand."

I could see the smugness come back to her face, replacing the anger "You think this is all of them, this is just his main force. He-"

"He what? Sent the rest to search for Veronica? HAHAHA. They're as good as dead."

Leaning forward she stared into my eyes, "You're bluffing."

My response was only one word, "Red."

Whether it was sweat or the poison, it began to run down her face. Her mind must have been racing but she held my gaze.

Tap, tap, tap. Her footsteps grew further away as the tub of lard stared at me before following after her. I hit the ground but the jingle of the chain caught my attention. Reaching over I grabbed my knives, filling a longing within me. Bracing myself with the wall I made my way out, basking in the sounds of conflict and readying myself.

With each step I could feel my blood flowing faster, the momentum carrying me. The commander didn't notice me, all his focus was on staying alive. However, that didn't apply to his entourage. Having only just begun to get my rhythm back several of them readied themselves to intercept me from reaching their commander. I wasn't going for the Commander though.

Leaving myself open, one out of the bunch leaps forward, impaling my side with a punch.

Fuck that hurts!

Focusing on their easy victory, the three standing behind him had their necks opened up before they realized I had swung my chain. Leaning to the side I dodged the chain as it pivoted, wrapping around the neck of the one with his hand in my side. Pulling back I downed one of the last vials. It was as I healed that I noticed something was off. The chain I was pulling tight around his neck didn't seem to bother him.

Fuck, he's not strong, he's durable.

Letting go of the chain I pushed off him to put some distance between us. As the three bleed out behind him his eyes widened. Looking back his voice quivered, "Oh, FUCK!" No longer paying attention to me he looked towards his commander, "Sir, RUN!"

"So you're tough" He turns around. "Luckily I've thought quite a lot about how to kill someone like you." Well, I don't have any water, but this should do. Reaching down I grab a fist full of the gravel and sand that coats the ground.

Instinctively he brought up his hands to protect his eyes. Using his momentary blindness, I rolled towards my chain. While I was grabbing one of the knives he dropped his arms, but it was too late. I jammed the knife in his mouth, prying it open, and shoved the gravel in it. With one arm he launched me off of him. Not stopping for a second, hitting the ground I dropped the chain and grabbed two fists full. I shoved them both in his gasping mouth. With every cough, some of it flew out of his mouth but it didn't matter. It was already starting to clump together in his throat because of the moisture.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Picking up my chain I wrapped it around his wrists. Using what remaining strength I had to pin him to the ground while he suffocated. As soon as I stopped feeling resistance my body collapsed on top of his.

Responding to the screams, my eyes darted in the direction of Carnie and the Commander. The Commander screamed and punched Carnie in the head but his punches didn't seem to carry the same weight they once did. Unlike before, Carnie's hands shredded his flesh now.

It looks like she's eating him from the legs up.

Wait, why are there two Carnies?

Reaching my hand out towards them, I saw it come into my view. The only problem, it was followed by another arm.

"Fuck." This can't be good, I'm seeing double.

Forcing myself to stand, I tried to get a reading on my body. I don't feel any vertigo. My heart and head are pounding. My whole body is shaking. Those are all effects of the healing solution, but this?

Everything in my view looked normal except for Carnie and the half-eaten Commander, afterimages followed them.

Having eaten one of his legs to just above the knee, Carnie's head snaps in my direction.

"Shit!" It doesn't take a sane person to realize I'm no match for her. Maybe three seconds, no, two. Her nightmarish altered body was in front of me within two seconds. Fingers spread, claws dripping she reached out for me, followed by her afterimage.

My brain told me I couldn't dodge it, but that didn't stop my body from moving. Stepping back I watched the inevitable happen. Her claws reached my chest...and, passed through it?

The afterimage of her hand missed my chest, only barely, confusing me. The air, I felt a gust of air on my chest from the afterimage?

Without hesitation, she pivoted and threw a backhanded slash at my throat. Only able to move inches in the time it takes her to move feet, I once again expected the inevitable, but my throat didn't open.

This can't be.

Reaching out I grabbed her afterimage. My hand, which should have held nothing but air, now grasped a blood-soaked arm. Carnies eyes widened.

"Hahahahhahahaha!" Now, this is interesting!

Her arm easily ripped out of my grasp with her incredible strength and began slashing at my stomach, or rather the air in front of it. Frustrated she lunged towards me with her arms wide.

I don't know what is happening but that doesn't mean I won't use it to my advantage! Take this you tantrum-throwing bitch!

I jammed the knife in her eye. Just like her, my blade stabbed into nothing but air, but then the afterimage came forward.

Having used her own momentum against her she couldn't dodge, but a knife in the eye wouldn't stop her. The image ahead of her reached forward and ripped out my throat, allowing me to dodge her before she could get ahold of me. While I danced around her attacks thanks to the image that moved ahead of her, letting me know exactly what she would do, I saw the commander wrapping something around the thigh of his missing leg, making a tourniquet.

The more of her attacks I dodged the more I started to realize. Even with the image helping me, my body was slowing, my all but gone stamina finally starting to reach its limit.

"FUCK!" I can't do anything but dodge, and if all I keep doing is dodging she'll catch me eventually. Come on, think dammit!

Gusts of wind brushed my neck, arms, and chest while I thought, almost making me miss the round objects that shot through her head and then mine. No, it was just images, but if that's the case then.

I quickly stepped to the side while blood and chunks of flesh splattered my face. Carnies body hit the ground next to me. Following the trajectory of the objects, I looked in the direction of the Commander. Two familiar-looking kids stood next to him, two twins.