The murky waters of the river flowed relentlessly as Tony and Clay struggled to catch their breath on the opposite shore. The adrenaline from their escape still pulsed through their veins, but a gnawing fear lingered in the back of their minds. They were not safe yet.
"We need to keep moving," Tony gasped, pushing himself up from the muddy ground. "I doubt they would give up on their meal"
Clay nodded, his mind racing with thoughts of what they had just faced. "But where do we go? Town is exactly the way we dont want to head to. The path we can head to will only turn us into sitting ducks. "
Before Tony could reply, a low, chilling chuckle echoed through the trees. Both boys froze, their hearts sinking as they realized they were not alone. From the shadows emerged a figure cloaked in darkness, his form shifting and blending with the surrounding environment.
Lepig, the smaller of the monster duo, stepped into view with an unsettling grin. His eyes glinted with malicious intent as he surveyed the boys trapped on the riverbank.
"Well, well, well," Lepig taunted, his voice dripping with malevolence. "Looks like we have ourselves a pair of lost lambs."
Tony clenched his fists, his gaze flickering between Lepig and the river behind them.
Lepig chuckled softly, his grin widening. "Oh, I assure you, resistance is futile. Zepig is already on his way to finish what he started."
At that moment, a thunderous crash reverberated through the forest, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Tony and Clay turned, their hearts sinking as Zepig burst through the undergrowth, eyes fixed hungrily on its prey.
"We can't outrun them," Clay muttered, his voice tinged with resignation.
Tony glanced around desperately, searching for any means of escape. His eyes fell on a narrow path leading deeper into the dense woods, shrouded in shadows and uncertainty.
"There!" Tony pointed. "We have to try."
Without hesitation, they sprinted into the forest, Lepig's mocking laughter echoing behind them. The trees blurred past as they pushed their bodies to the limit, driven by fear and determination.
But just as hope flickered in their chests, the ground trembled beneath their feet. Tony stumbled, his breath catching as he glanced over his shoulder. A sinister grin spread across Lepig's face as he raised his hand, fingers curling in a twisted gesture.
In an instant, reality warped around them. The forest melted away, replaced by a dark, swirling vortex of shadows and malice. Tony and Clay were swept up in its embrace, their cries drowned out by the chaos consuming them.
Clay's senses reeled as he was torn from the familiar world, his body twisting and contorting. Darkness engulfed him, swallowing his thoughts and senses in an overwhelming torrent.
Moments later, they landed with a bone-jarring impact on a cold, stone floor. Tony groaned beside him, struggling to push himself up despite the pain radiating through his body. They were no longer in the forest, but the air was thick with a palpable sense of malevolence.
"Tony... where are we?" Clay managed to gasp, his voice hoarse with pain and confusion.
Tony shook his head, his eyes darting around the dimly lit chamber they found themselves in. "I don't know, but we need to find a way out... before they find us."
Before Clay could respond, a deep, guttural growl echoed from the shadows. Zepig emerged, its massive form filling the chamber with menace. Its red eyes gleamed with hunger as it advanced towards them, its hooves scraping against the stone floor.
Clay's heart pounded in his chest as fear gripped him once more. They were trapped, cornered by the relentless monsters that had hunted them through the night.
"Shit. we can't fight it, nor escape." Tony muttered, his voice trembling with dread.
Clay can barely stand, can only look around for hope. But with no avail.
"Brother, you may feast" lepig said as he stood by the side, watching his brother sharpen his claws with his teeth.
Tony stood in front of Clay as a guard
He knew he couldn't do anything. He knew they were both going to die. But, he would rather die first, as he doesn't have the strength to seek his best friend die.
"Oi, Tony-" Clay tried to retort, but Tony cut him
"Stay back, I know its futile, but just stay behind me"
Zepig laced himself on all four, pulling back and, boom. A flash in white and black. Tony could barely see what had happened. He could barely feel anything. All he saw after the flash, was spattered blood. And a sharp claw just inches before his abdomen. The claw, piercing through a body.
Clay's body....
The air in the chamber was thick with the scent of blood and fear. Zepig's claws pierced through Clay's body, holding him aloft like a macabre trophy. Clay's lifeless form dangled, blood streaming down to paint the monster's grotesque frame. Tony, paralyzed by horror, took a step back and stumbled, collapsing to the cold stone floor. His stomach twisted and turned, and he retched violently, unable to tear his eyes away from the grisly sight.
"No... Clay!" Tony choked out, his voice trembling with terror and despair.
Zepig opened his gaping maw, and at first, Tony couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. But as he squinted through his tears, he saw it: a faint, ethereal glow beginning to seep from Clay's body. His soul, being absorbed by the monstrous creature.Lepig stood off to the side, a cruel smile playing on his lips as he watched the spectacle unfold.
"Well, isn't this delightful?" Lepig sneered, his eyes gleaming with malicious amusement. "Watch closely, child, you will be next."
The faded stripes on Zepig's neck began to disappear entirely, absorbing the energy from Clay's soul. Tony's emotions surged within him, his insides growing hotter and hotter. His skin began to glisten with sweat, and he could feel an unfamiliar, searing heat rising from within, but in his shock, he couldn't act.
Suddenly, the soul's absorption halted. Everything in the room froze. Zepig's eyes widened in fear, a sensation he hadn't felt in ages.
"What... what is this?" Zepig growled, his voice tinged with panic.
Before he could react, a dark force surged through the chamber. In a desperate move, Zepig decapitated his own arm to release Clay, stumbling back to stand beside Lepig.
Lepig hissed, eyes narrowing as he sensed the shift in power.
Tony, trembling and bewildered, could barely process what was happening. The chamber was plunged into darkness, and Zepig's fear became palpable. The lifeless body of Clay was enveloped in thick, black smoke, transforming into a sinister silhouette. From this shadowy form, black bones began to materialize, culminating in a skull that was nothing but a void.
Clay's new form levitated, rising to its feet with an eerie grace. His head twisted 360 degrees, fixing a hollow, eyeless gaze on Lepig and Zepig.
"Clay... is that you?" Tony whispered, his voice barely audible over the ominous silence.
Lepig, sensing the imminent danger, attempted to teleport away. "We need to-"
But he was stopped in his tracks. A black scythe, formed from the same dark bones, materialized and swept through the air, decapitating him in an instant.
"No!" Zepig roared, his voice a mix of rage and terror.
Zepig, now desperate to escape, found himself impaled and immobilized by a large black bone blade. Clay, in his terrifying new form, held him fast.
"You... you can't be..." Zepig stammered, his confidence shattered.
Clay spoke, his voice an eerie, otherworldly chant that resonated through the chamber. The words were incomprehensible, yet Tony found himself understanding their dreadful meaning: "Soul... returned..."
Clay opened his mouth wide, mimicking Zepig's earlier attempt to devour his soul. But this time, it was Clay who drew forth Zepig's essence, reclaiming what had been.
With a final, chilling act of vengeance, Clay's shadowy form tore Zepig apart, ending the beast's life. The chamber fell silent, the malevolent presence dissipating as Tony was still overwhelmed.
As the black smoke began to clear, Clay's body fell to the ground, limp and unresponsive, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.