The basement's dim candlelight cast shadows on the faces of Tom's family and friends, their expressions full of wide-eyed terror.

Tom managed a dry-mouthed whisper. “No one do anything dangerous. Kids, stay back! I don't want anyone to get hurt.”

He picked up the bats. Both handles were slick in his hands; the rubber had disappeared from both handles, exposing the cold metal underneath. He tossed one to Bo.

Bo caught it and nodded at Tom. Bo gripped the bat tightly, his jaw set, but Tom could see the subtle signs of exhaustion and worry creeping in around the edges.

BAM. The door creaked as a creature slammed against it.

How long will it hold up?

Hana moved backward, pulling the kids along with her in silence. She positioned herself as a barrier between them and the rest of the room.

Kate stood close behind Tom. She scanned the basement and grabbed a golf club, giving it a quick practice swing.

Amber shed her coat and grasped the fireplace poker she had brought from home. Tom locked eyes with her and shook his head, signaling for her to stay put with the other children.

BAM. BAM. BAM.

There was a crack of splintering wood. The basement door groaned.

Tom held position. His bat was raised, his muscles taut; the others were tense statues in his periphery.

The door burst open.

A hulking [Level 1 Headless Marauder: Dungeon Born] creature stood at the top of the stairs, its grotesque form accented by residual light from upstairs. Behind the Marauder were two smaller [Level 1 Headless Pygmy: Dungeon Born] creatures. The three monsters sniffed and roared.

Then, as one, they charged down the steps.

“Bo, big one!” Tom called.

“Copy.”

The Headless Marauder’s tongue writhed in the air, seeming to sample the atmosphere as it reached the bottom steps. Close on its heels, the two smaller Headless Pygmies squealed their insatiable bloodlust.

The Headless Marauder let out a guttural roar and lunged toward them.

Tom swung his bat hard at the Headless creature, hitting it square on its huge upper lip. The monster’s lip exploded, blood spraying out and splattering Bo, who was mid-swing himself. Bo landed his own solid hit on the creature's mouth, chipping one of its large canine teeth.

Bo’s hit should have done more damage.

One of the Pygmies screamed and launched itself from the bottom step. It crashed into Tom, and he stumbled across the room. The second Pygmy was right behind the first.

“Dad!” Chloe cried out, stepping forward.

“Stay back!” Tom yelled as he righted himself.

The two Pygmies closed in on him. The first one showed no fear as it grabbed his leg, yanked itself toward him, and bit down on his inner thigh.

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The pain was excruciating, and his mind shut down.

However, after a few seconds of pain, it disappeared. Clarity returned.

Tom ignored the one latched onto his leg and focused on the second creature reaching for him. He swung his bat; it smashed into the creature’s torso before it too could latch onto him. The Pygmy hunched over, squealing and moaning.

Kate brought the golf club down on its body and sent it crashing to the floor. She continued to beat it as it struggled to stand.

Tom dropped his bat, and tried to pry the first one off his leg. Despite his lack of pain, the ripping and tearing sensation told him the creature’s gnawing was causing serious damage.

“Damn it!” Tom hissed through clenched teeth.

“Got it!” Amber shouted. She launched herself into the fray, and plunged the poker into the creature's back.

The Headless Pygmy dropped Tom, turned, and bit Amber's arm. It yanked her forward, sinking its teeth deep into her bicep. Amber let out a scream, and Tom’s heart clenched at the sound. Kate spun away from the now-lifeless second Pygmy, still holding the blood-stained golf club above her head.

Tom roared. He grabbed the creature's arm and forced it around to face him, but this yanked Amber forward and she screamed again. Tom rammed the butt of his bat into the monster over and over again, fighting to free Amber from its grip. Kate rained blows on its back with the golf club.

Finally, it released Amber, and she staggered into Kate. Kate grabbed her and pulled her away from the fight.

Tom pummeled the creature until it fell limp, his anger boiling over at the harm it had caused his child.

By the stairs, Bo was still circling the large Headless, taking swings whenever an opening appeared, holding it at bay. The creature took a step back and screamed at the top of its lungs.

Bo stopped his swing. “What the hell?”

Tom turned to Chloe.

Her eyes were locked onto the monster. Her face was creased with concentration, and a faint gray haze emanated from her eyes.

Kate held Amber, her hands protectively covering the wound on her daughter’s arm as blood seeped through her fingers. Hana, Finn, Loo, and Tess huddled beside them.

One of the Pygmies was starting to get its feet underneath it, so Tom moved to block its path.

“There’s another one coming fast,” Tess said, her eyes unfocused.

Seconds later, footsteps thundered across the upper floor.

The Pygmy in front of him needed to be put down as fast as possible. He stepped forward to meet it. It squealed and lunged, but Tom swung his bat with every ounce of strength he had, connecting solidly with the monster’s torso. It stumbled and squealed again, its arms held up defensively.

Tom was jolted by a pang of guilt and nausea at the violence, especially toward something almost child-sized. However, the thought one of these things latched onto Amber quickly quashed those feelings.

“Fucker!” Tom growled, delivering a final lethal blow to the creature’s body. It crashed backward onto the floor.

He stared at the twitching body, his heartbeat loud in his ears and his breath ragged.

He glanced down at his leg. The bleeding had slowed, but the exposed area still resembled ground beef.

Bo was still facing off against the blind Headless Marauder.

Tess snatched up a pool cue and, executing a baton-like twirl, stabbed it into the Headless Marauder’s mouth.

“Holy shit! Tess?” Bo yelled.

The Marauder roared louder and reached toward the Robinsons, but they jumped back. It searched for them with its overly huge tongue.

“Look out!” Hana yelled. She was looking at the top of the stairs, her eyes bulging.

It was another big one, a [Level 1 Headless Marauder: Dungeon Born]. Now they knew what Tess had sensed moving around upstairs.

It paused at the top, long enough to listen and get its bearings. Then it stampeded down the steps with a loud pig-like roar.

A bright green light caught Tom's eye, and he glanced over to see Finn's hands on Amber's bloody arm, glowing with green energy. He didn't have time to question it; he ran back to the steps to stop this new Marauder from reaching into the group. This one was the biggest one he had seen yet; he was surprised it was still a Level 1.

Tom took a swing at it as it charged. The hit connected and was solid, but the Headless whipped its tongue around his leg. Tom kept his footing, but the Marauder used its tongue to pull them together.

“Shit!” Tom battled the urge to panic. He dropped the bat once again and used both hands to push against the monster’s body, trying to keep its giant gaping stomach-mouth away from his own abdomen. His muscles strained, and sweat flowed down his back. It was like trying to bench press a car.

Bo and Tess’s Headless opponent swayed unsteadily, its tongue attacks directionless and weak. They might soon be able to help him; he just had to hold out a little longer.

Amber approached with the poker.

“Stay back, Amber!” If this one caught her, she could lose an arm like Hana, or worse.

Amber ignored him and crept forward, her eyes locked on the monster.

“Damn it, Amber!” Tom cursed, his frustration mounting. He couldn't risk her getting hurt again.

His worry caused his focus to slip.

As the giant Headless shifted and lunged, Tom barely managed to twist his torso. He cried out in pain as the monster clamped down on his side, crushing his flesh like a vice.

“Dad!” Amber screamed. She dashed forward and thrust the poker into the creature's armpit.

Blood sprayed across the floor, and the creature released Tom with a pained wail. It staggered back. Its tongue felt around the wound, and let it out an almost-reprimanding squeal.

Tess, quick as a snake, switched targets and stabbed the creature through the back with her pool cue. The tip poked out of the front of the monster, just above its upper lip. It squawked, swayed for a second, then crumpled to the ground.

Finn placed his hands on Tom, green light pouring from them once more. Close-up, there were tiny mystical flowers that grew from Finn’s skin. They bloomed, releasing a green healing energy, then faded away to nothing.

“Thanks,” Tom gasped, feeling the weird bubbling sensation of rapid healing along his injured side and leg. His mangled flesh slowly knitting back together was both fascinating and nauseating.

Tom anxiously waited for the healing to complete so he could help with the last Headless. However, it seemed the others were on top of it.

Kate delivered a powerful swing to the Marauder’s back, catching it off balance and sending it toppling to the ground.

Amber, Bo, Kate, and Tess didn't hesitate; they pounced on the monster, beating and stabbing it, until it stopped moving for good.

Tom flopped back onto the ground, heaving for breath. The silence of the house echoed around him. The adrenaline was fading, and a fresh wave of pain and exhaustion washed over him.

Pushing through the pulsing pain in his body, he forced himself to sit up again, surveying the aftermath of the battle.

A few moments passed. The clinking of loot falling to the ground announced the monsters’ departure.