Irvin stared at the carcass, his mind wandering to the augments he'd acquired. Suddenly, the world around him faded, and he found himself pulled into his subconscious. A human shape materialized before him, its belly emanating a soft grey light while the rest of its body remained shrouded in pitch-black voids.

Six light orbs circled around him, each pulsing with potential. Irvin's eyes widened, a mix of confusion and excitement washing over him.

"How the hell did I get so many of them at once?" he muttered, bewildered at the abundance of free augments. Failing to piece together the events that led to this windfall.

Did killing those monsters really give me this many?

Irvin's gaze darted between the orbs, each one representing a chance to reshape his abilities. He reached out, hesitating for a moment before touching one. Pushing it towards his legs he saw the void fill with greyish glow, pushing second one in the same direction again, his agility went to 2.

The change felt subtle, but he sensed a new fluidity in his movements. Next, his attention turned to strength. "The more the better right?" With some hesitation, he pulled augments into it, watching as the the light got brighter. 3... 4... 5.

As his strength hit 5, a jolt of energy surged through him. The void in his belly split, forming a second dark space. Instinctively, Irvin knew he'd unlocked additional augment, Constitution.

"Well, that's interesting," he mused, flexing his mental muscles. The boost in strength felt good, powerful. Yet it got replaced by dreadful emptiness in the rest of his body quickly.

Irvin eyed the remaining orb. Part of him itched to diversify, to spread his augments across Intelligence or Spirit. The logical part of his brain argued for balance, reminding him of the dangers of overspecialization.

"If I put everything into strength and constitution, I might be able to take on those monsters head-on," he reasoned. "But what if I run into something that brute force can't solve?"

Images from his recent encounter flashed through his mind. The terror, the chaos, the split-second decisions that meant life or death.

Over-specialization could be suicidal, yet. Irvin reached out, attempting to push his Strength higher. The augment resisted, refusing to budge. "Shit, there is actually limit to this? Well maybe its for the better," he muttered, withdrawing his hand.

He turned his attention to Constitution, weighing the benefits. He had general idea of what it did based on its name, but nothing specific.

"Intelligence could help me think better? Maybe find ways to avoid fights altogether," Irvin argued with himself. "And Spirit... who knows what that could unlock? This is turning into fantasy bullshit world fast."

He paced in the void of his subconscious, the decision weighing heavily on him. Each choice felt heavy, potentially life-altering in this new, dangerous world.

Finally, Irvin took a deep breath. "Balance," he said.

"Fuck balance."

He reached out, pushing the last spec of light into his Constitution. The second void in his belly grew slightly, a tangible representation of his increased durability.

As the last orb faded, new sense of dread assaulted him. Cold sweat broke all over his body, his heart pumped rapidly as he was expelled from his subconsciousness with gasps for air.

Derek watched as Irvin suddenly started shaking, sweating profusely. "Are you alright man?"

Irvin blinked, his vision clearing as he came back to reality. Derek's concerned face loomed over him, eyes wide with worry.

"What happened?" Derek asked, his voice tinged with fear.

Irvin's mind raced, searching for a plausible explanation. He couldn't reveal the truth about his sudden power increase. I need something believable, something that wouldn't put target on my back.

"I... I remembered the fight," Irvin lied, his voice shaky but convincing. "It's all coming back to me now. I think I know how we can butcher this monster."

Derek's eyebrows shot up, a mix of surprise and skepticism crossing his face. "Really? How?"

Irvin's gaze darted around, landing on a jagged rock amidst the rubble. He snatched it up, feeling its weight in his hand. It was perfect.

"Watch this," he said, approaching the monster's carcass.

Irvin pressed the rock against the creature's neck, right where he remembered striking it earlier. With a deep breath, he pushed. The skin gave way with surprising ease, tearing open like wet paper.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Shit, too fast, Irvin thought, catching himself. He immediately slowed his movements, feigning struggle as he continued to cut through the beast's flesh.

"It's... tougher than I thought," he grunted, his ears heating up.

Derek just stared, mouth agape. "How are you doing that?"

Irvin shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant as he continued his grisly work. "Must be the weak spot where I pierced it during the fight. Help me out here, will you?"

Derek hesitantly joined in, grabbing its torso as Irvin split it in half. This strength is insane. I need to be careful not to show too much. Can't have them asking questions I can't answer.

They worked in silence for a while, Irvin constantly adjusting his efforts to appear normal. The stench of the creature's innards filled the air, making them both gag.

"We should probably ditch the organs," Irvin suggested, wrinkling his nose. "No telling what's acid and what isn't in this thing."

Derek nodded, looking relieved. "I'll take care of that. You finish up here."

As Derek dragged the discarded guts away, Irvin found himself alone with the remaining torso and wings of the creature. He stared at the meat, a new problem presenting itself.

How the hell are we supposed to cook this? he wondered. We can't exactly pop it in the microwave.

Irvin wiped the sweat from his brow, his hands sticky with the creature's blood. He turned to Derek, who was still looking a bit green from their gory task.

"Hey, Derek," Irvin said, trying to sound casual. "You wouldn't happen to know how to start a fire, would you?"

Derek stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "A fire? Are you serious?"

Irvin felt heat rising to his cheeks. He hadn't meant to sound so naive, but the words had slipped out before he could stop them. "Yeah, uh, never mind. It was a far-fetched idea."

"No shit," Derek snorted. "Yeah, no chance we can start a fire ourselves. Rubbing sticks or something."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment, both acutely aware of their predicament. Derek cleared his throat.

"You know," he said hesitantly, "I saw some videos a while back about eating raw meat. It's not ideal, but it might be our only option right now."

Irvin stared at the man, considering the idea. Fuck no. No chance I'm eating raw meat.

As they pondered their next move, movement caught Irvin's eye. The rest of the women were emerging from the rubble, looking hungry and upset.

It had been almost a full day without food or water, and they were on their third day with very limited food compared to him. The last of their water and fruit had run out the previous day.

Irvin quickly finished separating the feathers and claws from the animal. He tried not to think about how surreal this all was – just days ago, he'd been a regular college student, and now here he was, elbow-deep in monster guts.

The women approached, their eyes darting between Irvin, Derek, and the pile of meat.

"Where are the others?" one of them asked, her voice hoarse.

Another chimed in, "What's the plan with all this stuff?"

Irvin still crouched over his work, trying to project confidence he didn't feel. "The plan is to start a fire," he said, ignoring Derek's incredulous look.

Derek, seemingly unable to help himself, stared at the women for a beat too long. His gaze lingered on one of the dark haired girls in her early twenties, Irvin noticed the woman smiled at him, before her gaze shifted back to Derek.

A tall blonde noticed their stare, her eyes narrowing. "What are you looking at?" she snapped, her patience clearly worn thin by hunger and stress.

"Nothing," Derek mumbled, averting his gaze.

"Better be nothing," another woman said. "We've got enough problems without you being a creep."

The tension in the air was palpable. Irvin could see the strain etched on everyone's faces, the desperation in their eyes.

***

Melissa watched from a distance as Irvin and Derek worked on the strange creature they'd brought back. Her stomach growled, a constant reminder of their dire situation. She couldn't help but be impressed by Irvin's strength and resourcefulness. He actually managed to bring back food, she thought, a mix of relief and wariness washing over her.

As she observed Irvin, covered in the creature's blood, a shiver ran down her spine. There was something unsettling about him, an air of danger that both intrigued and frightened her. Melissa found herself torn between curiosity and caution.

Her gaze shifted to the empty space where Dave should have been. He'd left with Mike and the others to search for supplies, leaving her feeling vulnerable and conflicted. I hope they're okay out there, she worried, fidgeting, trying to touch her clothes only to be reminded she was naked.

Melissa's eyes locked with Irvin's for a brief moment. She quickly looked away, her heart racing. He's an outsider, she reminded herself. I barely know him. Dave's been looking out for me since this whole mess started.

But as she watched Irvin continue to work, doubt crept into her thoughts. Dave left me here. What if he doesn't come back? She shook her head, trying to dispel the traitorous idea. No, he'll be back. He has to be.

The other women began to approach Irvin and Derek, their voices carrying a mix of hope and frustration. Melissa hung back, content to observe from afar. She noticed Derek's lingering gaze on one of the younger women and saw how quickly the situation became tense.

This is such a mess, Melissa thought, hugging herself. We're all hungry, scared, and on edge. How long can we keep this up?

As the tension rose between the group members, Melissa remained silent, watching. She couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to change, and she needed to be prepared.

She remained rooted to her spot, unwilling to abandon her loyalty to Dave just yet. I'll wait, she decided. If Dave comes back soon, great. If not... She left the thought unfinished, her eyes drifting back to Irvin as he continued to work on their potential meal.

***

Irvin's eyes narrowed as he looked over the naked women. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face, his jaw clenching slightly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the irritation bubbling up inside him.

"You know," he said, his voice carrying an edge that not everyone picked up on, "it's not like you're not looking at us being naked either."

The younger women in the group giggled nervously, seemingly oblivious to the sharpness in Irvin's tone. One of them, short girl who couldn't have been more than nineteen, quipped, "Well, there's not much to look at anyway."

Her friends laughed, but some of the older women exchanged uneasy glances. They sensed the barely contained frustration simmering beneath the surface.

Irvin's gaze swept over the group, his eyes cold and calculating. "If you're uncomfortable with people looking at you naked, maybe you should just go back behind the rubble."