Beast Soul

GRRRRRAAA!

Max's words were interrupted by the loud roar of the spider creature which charged forward at them, arriving in front of the corpse in an instant and swinging its giant arm with a tremendous amount of force.

"Look out!" Gerald screamed as he immediately rushed towards Max and pushed him down, both of them ducking for cover, and the gigantic arm of the spider creature missing them by a hair's breadth.

"Sh*t! I don't want to die!" Alphonso yelled out in horror as he jumped to the corners, and Harold did the same as well.

Screeeee!

The vine monsters which were protruding out from the stomach of the corpse snarled loudly as they shot forward, elongating as they moved towards the spider creature's arm!

TWIP! TWIP! TWIP!

The vine monsters wrapped their bodies around the spider creature's arms and pulled it down forcefully before it could collide with the corpse's body, slamming it onto the ground and resulting in a loud noise!

BAM!

The ground shook for a few seconds because of the tremendous impact of the strike, and the spider creature, now even more angry at the vine monsters for stopping its attack, used its long and sharp legs to kick at the corpse.

Whoosh!

The vine monsters immediately released the spider creature's arms and slammed their heads onto the ground in an instant, pushing the corpse, which was connected to the vine monsters from the other end, up into the air with incredible speed.

WHAM!

The spider creature's legs crashed onto the walls that were directly behind the corpse, causing boulders to fall on top of the creature once again, which just made the monster even more agitated. 

GRRRRRAR!

The spider creature roared loudly and shot upwards with a loud noise, trying to catch the vine monster and the corpse, but they were simply too fast for the creature to keep up with.

"What the hell is happening…" Gerald said as he looked up at the ceiling, watching the two monsters fight each other with amazement and terror in his eyes. He didn't know if he should be scared or in awe. He had never seen anything like this before.

"Gerald!" Harold's voice snapped Gerald out of his trance, and he turned to look at Harold, who was hiding behind one of the pillars near the corner. 

"Come over here!" Harold called out to them, waving his hands towards them, motioning them to come over to his side. "Come on," Gerald said as he knelt down and tapped the shoulders of Max, who got up almost immediately. The two headed towards the spot where Harold was standing, and Alphonso also rushed towards them from the other side.

"The creatures don't seem to be going for the corners." Harold said with a hushed tone as Gerald, Max and Alphonso arrived. 

"Doesn't mean it's too reliable.." Alphonso muttered under his breath as he looked around the pillar. "That is true.." Harold said as he nodded his head. "So what do we do?"

"The only option is to head for the other openings…" Gerald said as he pointed his finger at the pipes. Just then, the spider creature slammed next to the opening that Gerald was pointing at, crashing right in front of it, and covering it with boulders. 

"Okay, maybe not that one.." Gerald waved his hands dismissively and turned around to face the rest of the group. "But those sewer openings are our only shot at escape." 

"Do any of those openings even lead to the outside?" Alphonso asked with his eyebrows raised. "The city didn't do a good job with the removal of the old sewer system, and just remodeled it all without proper supervision. For all we know, any one of these openings could lead to a dead end."

"You're right…" Gerald nodded, agreeing with Alphonso's words. "However, like I said… It's our only shot."

"F*ck this sh*t man…" Alphonso seemed to be in denial. "I don't want to pick whether I'll live or die.." He said while breathing in and out loudly, and sat down on the ground. "I don't think I can do this…"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Gerald knelt down and grabbed Alphonso's shoulders and shook them furiously, forcing him to look Gerald in the eye. "We'll be out of this situation in a short time, alright? Until then, you have to keep it together."

Tap! Tap!

He lightly patted Alphonso on his back as he spoke, and Alphonso, although reluctant, nodded his head.

"F*cking hell, man.." Harold placed his hand on his forehead and leaned back on the pillar, letting out a long sigh.

"How long do you think this place would hold up?" Max asked all of a sudden, and both Gerald and Harold turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Harold asked, and Max pointed at the two monsters fighting. "These two creatures are insanely powerful. I doubt they're going to care about wrecking this entire space just for keeping us safe." He continued. "If they continue fighting like this, I doubt this place will survive."

"F*ck, he's right!" Harold said and he slammed his hand on his head.

Gerald nodded his head. "We'll wait for the creatures to move out of the way of the openings." He said as he pointed at one of the openings. "We'll choose the one that's the furthest."

"How do we know when to head for the opening?" Harold asked, his gaze now on Gerald. "I'll yell it out loud." He said. "I don't think there's any need for safe words, especially when everyone's anxious and nervous." 

He turned his gaze towards Alphonso, and continued. "It could make it confusing and too complicated."

"Alright," Harold nodded his head, agreeing with Gerald's idea. Max nodded his head as well, but his gaze was still on the corpse that was fighting the spider creature.

"Are you alright now?" Gerald asked as he stepped over towards Max, who replied without turning his head. "What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about you being able to communicate with the corpse," Gerald said as he let out a sigh. "You've been different from the moment you heard that noise."

"Have I?" Max whispered under his breath, and Gerald nodded. 

"Maybe I really did change…" Max responded after a few seconds of silence. "I don't know anymore." He then turned his head towards Gerald, and continued. "But I do wish for my friends to be safe. That part has not changed."

"I hope you believe me," Max said with a soft voice.

Gerald wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply nodded his head. 

GRRRRA!

The spider creature roared loudly. It was getting frustrated. No matter how hard it tried, the creature couldn't get hold of the corpse, which was swinging in the air, using the vines to stick onto the roof as it moved with incredible speed.

SCREEEEE!

One of the vine monsters snarled at the spider creature that was keeping up with it, and sprang towards it, showing its sharp teeth!

The spider creature immediately shifted its head, evading the attack of the vine monster, and then stretched out his hand to grab the monster.

Grab!

The spider creature had successfully caught the vine monster this time. The vine monster tried to wiggle out of the creature's hands, but the spider creature opened its mouth, revealing its long, tubular throat that was lined with small teeth-like objects, and from its throat shot out a sticky substance that landed right on top of the spider creature's hands, causing the vine monster to be glued to its palms.

WHAM!

The spider creature grunted loudly as he pulled the vine monster with intense force, causing the corpse that it was connected to, to be pulled back along with it!

The spider creature whipped the vine monster down to the ground while applying tremendous force, and the corpse, along with the rest of the vine monsters that were floating in the air, came crashing down onto the ground with a loud noise as dust and debris flew everywhere.

"Oh f*ck!" Harold said as he closed his eyes and covered his mouth.

"*Cough* *cough*... What the hell?" Alphonso coughed loudly as he turned around and looked over the pillar, trying to get a good look at what was going on.

"This might be our chance!" Gerald said, and he tapped Harold by his shoulders. 

"Wait, right now!" Harold couldn't believe his words. "Ar- Are you being serious, Gerald?!"

"Listen, Harold!" Gerald said as pulled Alphonso up from the ground and tried to move away from behind the pillar. "We don't have much time. If that creature defeats the corpse monster, then who do you think it'll come after next?"

"That… b- but.." Harold wanted to respond, but couldn't find the right words to say.

"He's right!" Max interrupted their conversation, and their attention turned to him.

Max stepped forward and pointed at the opening, and said, "If the outcome of the fight is declared right now, and the spider creature comes out on top, then our deaths will be inevitable."

"Alphonso, are you ready?" Gerald said as he tapped Alphonso on his shoulder. "I- I'm fine.." Alphonso replied.

"Good," Gerald said, and after taking a long breath, he yelled, "LET'S GO!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the boys dashed forward through the dust storm, heading towards the sewer opening, running like crazy.