Kai's mind and heart raced as he thought about what he should do. The Dragon Hound assaulting the door was twice the size of the last one he had fought. The easy choice was to turn and run, but it was obvious that someone was trapped in that room. Kai was desperate for human contact after his week of isolation.
He gripped the pipe tighter, knuckles turning white, as he weighed his options. His instincts screamed at him to flee, to save himself. But the faint cries from the room tugged at his conscience. He couldn't just abandon someone to that monstrous beast.
Kai gripped the pipe tighter, his knuckles turning white as he steeled himself. The memory of that flimsy railing flashed in his mind, and he knew it could be his key to survival. If he could just lure the Dragon Hound back to that bridge, its weight might be enough to send it plummeting to its doom.
Kai took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He couldn't afford to let fear paralyze him, not when someone's life was on the line. Swallowing hard, he stepped out from his hiding place, pipe raised, and let out a defiant yell.
"Hey, you ugly beast! Over here!"
The Dragon Hound's massive head snapped in his direction, its sickly yellow eyes narrowing. With a bone-chilling roar, it charged towards Kai, its powerful legs propelling it forward with frightening speed.
Kai turned and ran, his feet pounding against the metal floor as he led the creature back towards the bridge. His lungs burned, but he pushed on, determined to reach his destination. The sound of the Dragon Hound's claws scraping against the ground spurred him to move faster.
As Kai reached the bridge, he glanced back, gauging the distance between him and the beast. Just a little farther, he told himself, his heart hammering in his chest. He stood his ground and waited with held breath. The Dragon Hound closed the distance and with a final burst of speed, he dashed across the bridge, the Dragon Hound hot on his heels.
Kai reached the other side and whirled around, bracing himself as the massive creature crashed into the railing. The flimsy metal groaned and buckled under the beast's weight, and for a heart-stopping moment, Kai thought it might hold.
But then, with a deafening snap, the railing gave way, and the Dragon Hound tumbled over the edge, its agonized howls echoing through the chamber. Kai watched, transfixed, as the creature plummeted, its massive body crashing against the floor below.
Silence fell, save for the faint sound of Kai's ragged breathing. He stared down into the darkness that claimed the massive beast. He sagged against the wall and tried to catch his breath but they came in shaky and labored.
Kai's legs trembled, and he sank to the floor, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He had faced death head-on and emerged victorious, but the weight of what he had done threatened to overwhelm him. He was collecting near-death experiences like trading cards.
* * *
Kai sat on the metal floor, his back against the wall, his heart still pounding from the confrontation. In the silence that followed, his breathing settled down and his heart rate returned to normal. He was surprised to find that his first thought was to check the overlay and see if he received a beast token towards his quest.
[Echelon Quest - (1/3)
[1. Collect Ten Beast Tokens (3/10)]
Kai stared at the message, a frown creasing his brow. "Damn. I guess I have to be able to physically retrieve the token for it to count."
He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling a twinge of discomfort. Logically, he knew that the Silo was a harsh and unforgiving place. It just felt unfair that it didn't count for a token, he did directly lead to its death.
"Am I..." Kai paused, the words catching in his throat. "Am I losing it?"
Kai closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He needed to focus.
With a renewed sense of determination, Kai opened his eyes and scanned the Silo Overlay once more. The overlay was unchanged. The Dragon Hound felt so much larger than the first he kinda hoped it would be enough to make him level again.
[Kai Jones - Level 2 - Highest Echelon - First]
[Skills : None]
[Endurance : 3]
[Strength : 2 ]
[Dexterity : 3]
[Perception : 2]
[Intelligence : 2]
[Charisma : 2]
[Echelon Quest - (1/3)
[1. Collect Ten Beast Tokens (3/10)]
* * *
Kai sighs and gets up, his muscles protesting from the exertion. He walks back to the large chamber, his footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. As he approaches, the sight of the humans lifeless bodies strewn about makes Kai's stomach churn. Without the adrenaline surge from the fight, the reality of it hits him hard.
Kai feels bile rising in his throat, and he stumbles over to the nearest planter box, doubling over as he retches. The acrid taste lingers in his mouth, a visceral reminder of the violence.
Kai Jones wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, grimacing at the acrid taste that lingered. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving him shaken by the violence he had just witnessed and participated in.
As he backed away from the planter box, his gaze was drawn to the closed door, behind which he had heard the desperate screams earlier. Steeling himself, Kai approached the door, his footsteps echoing in the cavernous chamber.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"Hello?" he called out, his voice carrying a slight tremor. "The Dragon Hound is gone. It's safe."
Kai waited, but no response came. He knocked on the door, feeling a strange sense of self-consciousness at the gesture. "Hello? It's safe now. You can come out."
This time, Kai heard a faint rustling from the other side of the door. His heart quickened as he waited, unsure of what to expect. Slowly, he backed away, giving the occupants space to emerge.
Kai watched as the door slowly opened, revealing a young woman covered in blood and limping. She met his gaze with weary eyes.
"Hello," she said weakly.
Kai hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward. "Hello. Are you alright? Do you need help?"
The woman looked down at her leg, sliding part of her pants over to reveal a large gash. Tears began to stream down her face as she nodded.
Kai moved quickly to her side, helping her back to the cot in the small room. He rummaged through the cabinet, finding a shirt that he could use as a makeshift bandage. Carefully, he wrapped it around the woman's leg, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.
"Whats your name?"
"Anya." She responded in a thick accent.
"What happened, Anya?
Kai listened intently as Anya recounted her harrowing tale, his heart aching for the pain and loss she had endured. She took a shaky breath, her voice trembling as she spoke. "I... I arrived here a few days ago with my three friends from college. We all woke up in separate rooms, but in the same chamber."
With a sweep of her arm, she gestured towards the lifeless bodies lying on the cold, hard floor, their faces frozen in expressions of terror and anguish. Kai followed her gaze, his stomach churning at the sight of the fallen, their lives cut short by the cruel machinations of the Silo.
In that moment, he was grateful his friends weren't trapped in this hell with him. To watch his friends die at the hands of the fowl beasts he had encountered would be too much to bear. Anya's shoulders rose and fell as she silently sobbed.
He could only imagine the horror and confusion Anya and her friends must have felt upon waking in this nightmarish place, torn from the comfort and safety of their previous lives and thrust into a world of danger and despair.
Kai continued tending to Anya's wound, his movements gentle and precise. As he worked, he couldn't help but wonder about the fate of her friends and how they had ended up in this nightmarish place. The thought of more innocent lives lost to the horrors of the Silo weighed heavily on his mind.
"Where did you go to college?" Kai asked her, trying to keep the conversation light.
"Ljubljana,"
"Uh.."
"Slovenia, It's where I live."
"Oh, yeah okay. I live in San Diego. Well I did live there…" Kai trailed off. A heavy silence blanketed the room and Kai didn't break it.
Once the bandage was in place, Kai helped Anya settle back onto the cot, ensuring she was as comfortable as possible. He could see the tension slowly leaving her body as she allowed herself to relax, if only for a moment.
"Try to get some rest," Kai said, his voice soft. "I'll be close by if you need anything."
A nodded, her eyelids already growing heavy. "Thank you, Kai," she whispered, before succumbing to the exhaustion that had been weighing her down.
Kai took a deep, shuddering breath, steeling himself for the grim task ahead. His gaze swept over the lifeless forms of Anya's friends, their bodies contorted in a macabre tableau of horror and despair. He knew he couldn't leave them like this, exposed and on display.
With a heavy heart, Kai approached the first body, a young man whose eyes were frozen wide in an expression of abject terror. Gently, Kai closed the man's eyes, offering him a small measure of dignity in death. He then carefully lifted the body, his muscles straining under the weight, and carried it to the far side of the chamber.
One by one, Kai moved the bodies of Anya's friends, treating each with the same reverence and care. It was a grueling, emotionally draining process, but Kai refused to let their final resting place be the cold, unforgiving floor of the Silo.
As he worked, anger began to simmer within him, a slow-burning fury that grew with each lifeless form he moved. The senseless violence, the loss of innocent lives, it all felt like a cruel mockery.
By the time he had placed the last body alongside the others, Kai's hands were trembling with rage. He paced back and forth, his jaw clenched, his eyes burning with unshed tears. The injustice of it all threatened to overwhelm him, and he found himself lashing out at the unyielding walls of the Silo, pounding his fists against the cold metal until they were raw and bloody.
In that moment, Kai made a silent vow, a promise to himself and to the souls of the departed. He would find a way to exact revenge on those responsible for this hell, for the pain and suffering inflicted upon the innocent. A burning desire for vengeance coursed through his veins, fueling his determination to survive, to uncover the truth, and to make those accountable pay for their crimes.
But as quickly as the fury had consumed him, it began to ebb away, replaced by a sense of futility and helplessness. What chance did he, a lone survivor, have against the forces that had created this nightmare? He was but a speck in the grand scheme of things, a mere mortal pitted against powers he could scarcely comprehend.
Kai sank to his knees, his hands falling limply to his sides as the weight of his situation bore down upon him. The anger that had driven him moments ago now seemed foolish, a childish tantrum in the face of a force far greater than himself.
He looked around at the bodies of Anya's friends, their final resting place now obscured by a large sheet of metal he had draped over them. It was a meager gesture, but it was all he could offer in the face of such tragedy.
As he rose to his feet, Kai felt a profound sense of sadness and loss, not just for the lives that had been taken, but for the innocence and naivety he had once possessed. The Silo had changed him, hardened him in ways he couldn't fully comprehend, and he knew that the path ahead would be fraught with even greater challenges and horrors.
Kai quietly stepped back into the small room, his eyes immediately drawn to the sleeping form of Anya on the cot. Her face, once etched with pain and fear, now appeared peaceful in her slumber. He paused for a moment, taking in her delicate features, the way her dark hair framed her face, and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.
Turning his gaze away, Kai walked over to the opposite wall, where he noticed a single nutrition bar remaining in the cabinet. Kai broke off a piece of the bar and popped it into his mouth, savoring the familiar, if bland, taste.
After finishing the nutrition bar, Kai took a long sip from the water dispenser, feeling the cool liquid quench his thirst. He cupped his hands and splashed some water on his face, relishing the refreshing sensation against his skin. Kai then made his way to the far wall, settling down with his backpack as a makeshift pillow.
Kai's thoughts drifted to his own friends and family, and a pang of guilt and longing tugged at his heart. He wondered if they were searching for him, if they had any idea of the dangers he had faced. The uncertainty of his situation only served to amplify his desire to find a way out, to return to the life he once knew.
As Kai drifted off to sleep, his mind replayed the harrowing encounter with the Dragon Hound, the creature's savage roar echoing in his ears. He could still feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the desperate need to survive driving him forward.
Kai's brow furrowed, his sleep becoming restless as the events of the day continued to play out in his mind. The sight of Anya's friends, their bodies lying motionless on the floor, haunted him, a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the cruelty of the Silo.
Despite his efforts to push the images away, Kai found himself unable to escape the weight of the tragedy. He tossed and turned, his sleep becoming fitful and unrestful. The shadows in the room seemed to close in around him, the eerie silence broken only by the occasional creak of the Silo's ancient walls.
Kai's eyes snapped open, and he found himself staring up at the dimly lit ceiling, his heart pounding in his chest. The Silo's oppressive presence seemed to press down on him, a tangible force that threatened to suffocate him. He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm his nerves and regain control of his thoughts.
Glancing over at Anya, Kai was relieved to see that she was still sleeping, her expression serene and undisturbed. He envied her ability to find rest in this hellish place, a luxury he seemed unable to afford. With a sigh, Kai shifted his position, trying to find a more comfortable spot on the hard floor.
Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out his grandfather's knife, the familiar weight and shape offering a sense of comfort and security.
Kai ran his fingers over the blade, feeling the slight grooves and imperfections in the metal. It was a reminder of his past, a connection to a world that seemed so far removed from the one he now found himself in. He laid it across his chest and finally drifted off to sleep.