The entrance to Blackstone Caves loomed like a gaping wound in the hillside, the jagged rocks at its mouth resembling rows of broken teeth. A foul stench rolled out of the darkness, carrying the unmistakable scent of rot and decay. The faint glow emanating from deep within cast grotesque shadows, dancing like twisted specters against the rocky walls.
Ethan’s group stood silently, each of them grim-faced and ready. Blood from previous battles still stained their gear, a testament to the escalating violence of the past months.
Ethan, his energy blade humming faintly in his hand, turned to his team. His muscular frame, hardened by relentless training, gleamed with sweat under the moonlight. His scars, visible through the tears in his shirt, were reminders of the battles he had fought and the apocalypse he had already survived once in his memories.
“This is it,” he said, his voice low but resolute. “We destroy this thing. No hesitation. No mistakes.”
“Or we all end up like those Guard patrols,” Mason muttered, gripping one of his core grenades. His hands were steady, but the blood caked under his nails showed how close his fights had been.
“Stop talking,” Dakota growled, resting his crowbar on his shoulder. His muscular arms flexed as he tightened his grip. His face, streaked with dirt and dried blood, was set with determination. “We go in, we wreck it, we get out alive.”
Kyle adjusted the strap on his crossbow. His lean frame moved with a predator’s grace as he shifted to the rear, his sharp eyes scanning the shadows. “If this thing is what’s making them stronger, then yeah, we end it. But let’s not pretend we’re walking out of this clean.”
Ethan nodded. “Stay sharp. We’re not just fighting to survive anymore. We’re fighting to win.”
With that, they entered the cave.
The cavern opened into a grotesque cathedral of flesh and light. The walls were veined with glowing cores, pulsating rhythmically like the heartbeat of some monstrous creature. At the center of the chamber sat the nest—a tangled mass of tendrils, flesh, and embedded cores that pulsed with a blinding green light. The air vibrated with an ominous hum.
Around the nest prowled mutated abominations. Wolves with exposed bone and too many eyes snapped at the air, their glowing maws drooling black ichor. Oversized raccoons with claws like knives darted between the shadows. At the far end of the chamber, a bear-like monstrosity stood taller than a truck, its fur patchy and its limbs grotesquely elongated.
The creatures turned as the group entered, their glowing eyes locking onto the intruders. For a moment, there was silence—then the air erupted with snarls and screeches as the monsters charged.
“Formation!” Ethan shouted, raising his energy blade. “One at a time—don’t let them surround you!”
The creatures came like a flood of claws and teeth, and the chamber exploded into violence.
A mutated wolf lunged at Ethan, its glowing fangs aiming for his throat. He sidestepped, his footwork a flawless execution of his martial arts training. With a swift twist, he brought his energy blade down in a diagonal slash. The weapon hissed as it sliced through the wolf’s side, its glowing entrails spilling onto the ground in a steaming heap. The creature howled, its cry echoing before it collapsed in a twitching pile.
Another wolf darted toward him from the left. Ethan dropped low, driving the hilt of his blade into its jaw with a sickening crack. Teeth flew as the wolf staggered back, and Ethan wasted no time. He surged forward, thrusting the blade into its chest. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the wolf’s body convulsed, its glowing eyes dimming.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
A raccoon with claws like machetes darted from the shadows, aiming for his legs. Ethan spun, his boot catching it mid-lunge. The crunch of bone was drowned out by its shrill screech as it hit the ground. Ethan brought his blade down in a savage arc, splitting the raccoon’s head clean in two. Blood and brain matter splattered across his boots, pooling around the creature’s twitching body.
Ethan glanced at his team, his voice sharp and commanding. “Stay in control! Don’t let them overwhelm you!”
Dakota squared off against a pair of wolves, their grotesque forms circling him like sharks. One lunged, and Dakota swung his crowbar in a wide arc, the electrified metal connecting with the wolf’s skull. The sound of bone shattering was followed by a burst of sparks as the wolf’s body convulsed violently before collapsing in a heap, its head split open and leaking dark blood.
The second wolf lunged, its claws raking across Dakota’s side. Blood seeped through his shirt, but he didn’t falter. With a roar, he grabbed the creature by the scruff of its neck, slamming it into the ground with earth-shaking force. The wolf thrashed, its glowing eyes wild, but Dakota ended it with a downward swing of his crowbar. The weapon buried itself in the wolf’s skull, electricity dancing along its corpse as blood pooled beneath it.
Another creature—a raccoon with grotesquely oversized claws—charged at him. Dakota sidestepped and used a Krav Maga throw Ethan had drilled into him, flipping the raccoon onto its back. Before it could recover, he crushed its ribcage with a brutal stomp, blood and viscera splattering across the floor.
“Come on, you freaks!” Dakota bellowed, his voice echoing through the cavern. “I’m just getting started!”
Mason stumbled as a raccoon slashed at his leg, its claws tearing through his pants and leaving a deep gash. Blood dripped onto the ground as Mason gritted his teeth, swinging his spiked flail wildly. The spikes connected with the raccoon’s face, caving in its skull with a grotesque pop. Bone fragments and blood sprayed across Mason’s arm, but he didn’t stop.
“Grenade’s ready!” he shouted, activating one of his core-powered devices. The grenade emitted a sharp beep before he hurled it into a cluster of creatures near the nest. The explosion sent a geyser of blood, limbs, and glowing fragments flying. The ground was slick with gore, the creatures reduced to steaming piles of flesh.
A wolf charged him, its jaws snapping. Mason ducked under its attack, using his flail to wrap around its neck. With a sharp tug, he crushed its windpipe, the creature gurgling as blood poured from its mouth. He let it drop, panting, his hands trembling from the adrenaline.
“This place is a nightmare,” he muttered, grabbing another grenade.
From his vantage point on a rock outcropping, Kyle tracked the bear-like monstrosity as it lumbered toward Ethan. Its grotesque limbs left bloody gouges in the ground as it roared, the sound reverberating through the cavern.
“Not today,” Kyle whispered, his crossbow steady. He released a bolt, the projectile striking the bear’s shoulder. Black ichor poured from the wound, but the creature barely slowed. It turned its glowing eyes on Kyle and charged.
Kyle fired another bolt, this one piercing the bear’s eye. It howled in agony, thrashing wildly. Kyle scrambled down from his perch as the bear swiped at the rock, shattering it into rubble.
Gripping his machete, Kyle darted behind the bear, slashing at its exposed tendons. The blade bit deep, severing muscle and spraying blood across the cavern floor. The bear toppled, its massive body shaking the ground. Kyle climbed onto its back, driving his blade into its neck repeatedly. Blood geysered from the wounds, soaking Kyle as the creature’s movements slowed and finally stopped.
“Stay down,” he muttered, retrieving his crossbow.
The last creature fell, leaving the cavern filled with the wet sounds of dripping blood and the ragged breathing of the group. Ethan approached the nest, its pulsating light casting a sickly glow over the carnage.
“This is it,” he said, his voice heavy. “We destroy it now.”
Mason handed him the grenade. “Set it at the base. This thing’s done.”
Ethan planted the grenade, activating its timer. The device beeped ominously as the cores began to pulse faster, their light intensifying. “Move!” Ethan shouted, and the group sprinted for the exit.
The explosion rocked the cave, sending a shockwave through the ground. The nest erupted in a blinding flash of light, its glowing cores shattering into fragments. The veins of light embedded in the walls began to spread outward, racing through the earth like fire.
Outside, the group turned to see the sky above Silver Rock turn crimson, the horizon pulsing with waves of light. A deafening roar echoed through the air, the ground trembling beneath their feet.
“What the hell did we do?” Mason asked, his voice trembling.
“We didn’t stop it,” Ethan said, his face pale. “We accelerated it.”
----------------------------------------
Time Until Cataclysm: 90 Days, 6 Hours, 12 Minutes.