The first thing Leonard noticed was the silence—an oppressive, unnatural stillness that pressed down on him like a heavy shroud. His breath came in shallow gasps, and the air tasted metallic, tinged with an acrid bitterness that burned the back of his throat.
He pushed himself up, wincing as a sharp pain flared in his ribs. The ground beneath him was cold and unyielding, but as he ran his fingers over its surface, he realized it wasn’t stone. It was something... else. Smooth yet uneven, like a patchwork of scales and metal fused together.
“What the hell is this place?” he muttered, his voice sounding small and hollow in the vast emptiness.
The sky above was an endless expanse of swirling darkness, broken only by streaks of neon green and violet that illuminated the jagged landscape in brief, flickering bursts. In the distance, he could make out towering spires that seemed to defy gravity, their shapes twisting unnaturally as they reached skyward.
Leonard’s mind raced as he tried to piece together what had happened. The mission. The device. The light. And now... this.
His fingers brushed against something cold and hard, and he looked down to see a blade lying beside him. It was crude, its jagged edges glinting faintly in the dim light, but it was better than nothing. He gripped it tightly, its weight oddly comforting.
Suddenly, a low growl pierced the oppressive silence, freezing Leonard in place. His heartbeat quickened, each thud loud in the still air. Slowly, he turned toward the sound, his fingers tightening around the crude, jagged blade he had found beside him.
It emerged from the shadows like a nightmare given form. The creature's elongated frame moved unnaturally, its limbs too long and joints bending in ways that defied logic. Its skin was a grotesque blend of decayed flesh and metallic plating, and its glowing red eyes locked onto Leonard with an intelligence that chilled him to his core.
Leonard swallowed hard, his mind racing. He had faced threats before-human threats, ones he could predict. But this... this was something else entirely.
“By the cursed toenails of a Victorian ghost-BLOODY HELL!” he exclaimed.
The creature let out a guttural snarl and lunged, its claws glinting in the faint light of the swirling sky. Leonard barely had time to react. He threw himself to the side, the creature's claws slashing through the air where his head had been moments before.
He hit the ground hard, the impact jarring his already bruised ribs. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Leonard rolled onto his feet and raised his blade. The creature didn't hesitate; it charged again, its speed and fluidity unnatural, almost hypnotic.
Leonard swung the blade in a desperate arc, the jagged edge scraping against the creature's metallic hide. Sparks flew, but the creature seemed unfazed. It swiped at him, its claws catching his arm and ripping through his coat. A searing pain shot up his arm as blood dripped onto the ground.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Damn it," Leonard hissed, stumbling back.
The creature circled him, its movements slow and deliberate, as if savoring the hunt. Leonard's mind raced, analyzing its patterns, its weak points. He spotted the exposed flesh around its neck-vulnerable, if he could just get close enough.
The creature lunged again, and this time Leonard didn’t dodge. Instead, he stepped forward, slipping under its strike and driving the blade upward toward its neck. The weapon bit into flesh, and the creature screeched, a sound so piercing it rattled Leonard's skull.
But the victory was short-lived. The creature twisted violently, its claws raking across Leonard's chest and sending him sprawling to the ground., He gasped for air, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.
His vision blurred as the creature loomed over him, its glowing eyes narrowing. Leonard gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body screaming in protest as he forced himself to move. He grabbed a nearby shard of jagged rock and hurled it at the creature's face.
The projectile struck its eye, and the creature reared back, shrieking in agony. Leonard seized the opportunity. Ignoring the pain, he surged to his feet and drove the blade deep into the creature's exposed neck.
The creature thrashed wildly, its movements growing weaker as black ichor poured from the wound. With a final, guttural cry, it collapsed to the ground, its body twitching before falling still.
Leonard staggered back, his chest heaving as he clutched his wounded arm. Blood dripped steadily onto the alien terrain, and his legs threatened to give out beneath him.
As he stared at the lifeless form, its body began to dissolve, melting into a dark, viscous pool. From the center of the pool rose a small, glowing orb, its light pulsating faintly.
Leonard's instincts screamed at him to leave it alone, but something deeper-something primal-drew him toward it. He reached out and grasped the orb.
“Well,” he said, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, “let’s hope this doesn’t kill me.”
The moment his fingers closed around it, a surge of energy coursed through his body. He gasped as warmth spread through his limbs, dulling the pain and knitting the torn flesh of his wounds. His breathing steadied, and the fog in his mind began to lift.
He looked at his arm, where the creature's claws had torn through, and watched in stunned silence as the wounds sealed themselves, leaving behind faint scars.
"What the hell." Leonard whispered; his voice barely audible.
The energy from the orb faded, and Leonard tucked it into his pocket, his mind still reeling. In the distance, more growls echoed across the desolate landscape.
Leonard tightened his grip on the blade, his jaw set in grim determination. He was still alive. He didn't know how or why, but he wasn't about to let this world take him down without a fight.
Straightening his back, he cast one last glance at the dissolving remnants of the creature before turning toward the horizon, whatever awaited him, he would face it. And so, he walked into the darkness, his resolve hardening with every step. Survival was no longer just a mission—it was a test. And Leonard had never failed a test in his life.