A monster covered in blood with four arms sat on the ground, opening the flesh of another dying monster with its sharp, long claws, precisely slicing the tough skin of the dying monster.
Still alive, the dying monster moved its tail, repeatedly hitting the four-limbed monster weakly on the head.
The monster finished running its claw on the tough skin of the barely alive monster, blood pouring out and revealing the flesh of the monster with its heart weakly beating.
It grinned, taking pleasure in making the weaker monster in front of it suffer.
The four-armed monster took a chunk of flesh, sndnd with its superior intelligence and sadistic desire, it purposely missed the vital organs to keep the dying monster alive.
Screeeeeek!
An ear deafening screech came out of the dying monster, crying out from the pain inflicted by the stronger monster.
It continued hitting the four-armed monster with its tail, with every hit getting weaker and weaker.
The four-armed monster took another chunk, enjoying the suffering of the monster.
Fortunately for the dying monster, the bite killed it off, its tail falling to the ground with a loud thud.
The grin of the four-armed monster vanished, replaced by a frown.
It stood up, its source of joy disappearing, and a bored look appeared on its face.
Just as it was about to turn back, two figures exited a building and walked cautiously, piquing its curiosity.
Having seen its new toy, it followed the two figure, making sure not to be seen by them.
***
Holding her hand tightly, the soldier led the way, cautiously and carefully traversing the path ahead of them.
Although they haven't seen any monsters and monsters not having seen the two of them—or so he thought—he remained guarded, not wanting to risk the safety of the frail girl and guarantee a safe adventure.
"Mister, do you know where the path is?" Her voice barely above a whisper, not liking the idea of her voice getting the two of them killed.
He nodded in response. He knew the path, after all, this is the path he and the platoon took to get in this area.
The path they took was not safe but not dangerous either.
"It only took us fifteen hours to get from The Camp to this area without taking a break."
"I'm not sure how long it would take for us to get back to The Camp," he added.
He isn't sure how long it'll take. It's safer that they're taking their time to ensure a safe path, but they're moving slower compared to when he was with his platoon.
They don't have food and water, so they can't take longer than they're already doing. He doesn't mind not eating and drinking anything for a day, but what about the frail girl next to him? Sure, she's used to that, but he can see the frail girl next to him having a hard time from the lack of energy.
"How are you feeling, Miya?" The soldier asked, worried about the frail girl's health.
The frail girl smiled. "Better than I've ever been," she jokingly said, trying to lighten up the mood.
Still worried, he returned the smile, appreciating her attempt to reassure him.
He raises his hand, gesturing for the girl to crouch, still holding her hand while quietly hiding behind a short debri.
An abandoned, barely standing house in front of them, taken over by nature, suddenly exploded and crumbled, dust covering everything.
Panicked, he hid together with the girl under a small hole, barely fitting the two of them inside.
ROAAAAR!
The hair in his body stood up straight after hearing the roar by a monster. The frail girl, on the other hand, covered her ears and lowered her head, afraid of being seen.
Krrraaaaak! Ark… ark.
The roar was quickly followed by another roar, less louder, but having the same effect on the two.
Hesitantly, he peeks his head out, the dust from the ruined house clearing, revealing two monsters fighting each other.
The first monster looks like a humanoid beast, having two arms, standing with two legs, and a long tail. It has a muscular build, at least four meters tall and a tongue longer than its body.
The other monster has the body of a scorpion, but having eight legs that look like a spider's, having three tails, and having the claw of a lobster. Its body is at least three meters in length.
The soldier's mouth dropped, unable to believe the sight in front of him.
The scorpion-like monster uses its fast and agile movement to launch attacks to the humanoid monster while keeping a fair distance.
The humanoid monster stood on the same spot, getting hit multiple times by the agile monster, unable to launch a proper counterattack.
The agile monster jumped, striking the humanoid monster with its three tails.
As the three tails came rushing down from above, the humanoid monster dodged, extending its arm and try to grab at least one of the three tails. But the agile monster, noticing the humanoid arm reaching for its tail, quickly retracted all three, landing on the ground and letting out another roar, as if mocking the humanoid monster for failing.
The humanoid monster threw itself at the agile monster in a fit of rage, swinging its arms violently with every attack easily avoided by the monster.
The agile monster continued to back away, avoiding every attack launched by the humanoid monster.
The soldier noticed the monsters getting closer and closer towards them. Without thinking twice, he grabbed the frail girl's hand, dragging her out of the hole and running away from the spot.
They successfully avoided the monsters, but they didn't have time to rest, continuing to run away from the two.
A little farther away, the frail girl succumbed to the exhaustion, her knee giving up.
The monsters in the distance still fought, with the agile monster completely dominating the fight.
The humanoid monster has lost its left arm and body covered in deep cuts.
He wanted to watch more, but the thought of being the agile monster's next target terrified him.
He looked at the panting girl, and bent down, his back facing the girl.
She was caught off guard by the soldier, her face showed confusion. But realizing what the man wanted her to do, she climbed on his back, wrapping her arm around the man's neck.
Feeling the girl's weight on his back, he ran from the monster, hating the idea of being its next meal.
The humanoid monster collapsed on the ground, both arms gone and head decapitated. The agile monster screechess, showing dominance to the defeated and lifeless body of the humanoid monster.
The agile monster didn't notice the two escaping, focusing on the meal in front of it. It sunk its claw in the lifeless body, then took a huge piece of flesh, bringing it to its mouth to feast on.
***
The two of them are at least two hundred meters away from the battleground, resting on a ruined building once more
The sun slowly sets to the west, the light disappearing from the world, and darkness once again appearing to devour everything it reaches.
Roars, screeches and every noise monsters are capable of producing are heard deep within the darkness from the building they stayed.
The frail girl was fast asleep on the floor, clearly exhausted from their journey, while the soldier took watch, wanting to make sure the place was safe before dozing off.
We're closer to The Camp. We're going to reach it soon tomorrow in the afternoon.
The thought of being closer to The Camp made him smile a bit. He would live and see his precious wife, his treasure that adores.
Confirming that it's safe, the soldier made himself comfortable on the ground, closing his eyes and quickly falling asleep from being exhausted today.
Outside the building, far away in the dark, a four-armed monster eating a big lobster claw sat on a scorpion-like body, taking pleasure in watching its prey rest comfortably, not knowing that a disaster would soon fall upon them.
***
The next day, early in the morning, the two continued to travel cautiously, with the soldier leading the way once more.
Their hunger and thirst only grew after waking up from their sleep, but their desire to leave this place alive was clearly stronger than the desire to eat and drink. Fortunately for them, it's only a matter of time before they reach The Camp.
The frail girl tugged at the soldier's uniform.
"Is something wrong?" The soldier asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Mister, I feel like… something is following us." The girl said which left the soldier feeling confused.
He was always looking around, carefully looking every corner and the back, but not seeing and sensing something close to them. He felt the frail girl's hand shaking in his hand, feeling terrified about what she said herself.
With a smile he said, "I don't think we're followed. And didn't I tell you? I'll protect you no matter what."
The frail girl slightly relaxed, but starting to doubt if it's really safe, growing paranoid every second.
Clang!
A metal fell, producing a loud noise and terrifying the frail girl.
She closed her eyes and covered her ears, not wanting to see or hear a monster coming out from the source of the noise. She felt something hold her shoulder, causing her to flinch and be more terrified..
"Miya, it's just me. Everything's fine."
Hearing the man's voice, she opened her eyes slowly and lowered her arms, realizing that nothing came out from the source of the noise. She felt embarrassed for being scared and terrified, looking away from the man.
"Sorry…" She muttered, her voice shaking.
"There's nothing to be worried about. Let's go."
He gently grabbed the girl's hand once more, leading the way forward.
Everything is quiet around them, with the exception of the strong gusts of wind howling every time they take form. And monsters they constantly hide from and avoid, appearing less and less the more the two of them approach The Camp.
Instead of feeling happy from the lack of monsters, the soldier felt strangely… tense and worried.
They continue to move forward. And suddenly, another strong gust of wind hit them. Unprepared Miya leaned back from the force of the wind, her helmet falling off and rolling on the ground.
"Ah! My hat!" Not very educated, she called the helmet a hat. She let go of the man, following the rolling helmet.
He chucked after hearing the word hat. He looked behind him, his chuckle coming to an abrupt stop, his eyes widening. He saw a familiar figure, a figure he cannot forget, a figure with four arms, a figure behind the frail girl looking at him, wearing the helmet back on her head while smiling slightly.