Azad lay frozen on the cold cavern floor, heart pounding so loudly he was sure the creature could hear it. Its distorted body straightened with a jerky, unnatural movement, as if it had lost interest. Without even a glance back, the creature began to lumber away, the haunting echoes of its song fading into the cavernous silence. Azad couldn't breathe, his chest tight and his body tense. The creature's eerie refrain lingered in the air, leaving an oppressive silence in its wake.
He exhaled, the sound escaping his lips in a shaky whisper. "I'm alive… somehow." He let out a ragged breath. "I need to get out. Now. Before it finds me again."
Summoning every ounce of courage, Azad began to crawl back the way he had come. Every scrap of his hand against the stone floor seemed loud, a potential betrayal that could alert the monster lurking in the shadows. He paused, his body breaking into a cold sweat as the sound of footsteps approached. That horrific voice filled the air again, low and drawn-out, but with an eerie, almost playful cadence.
The notes of the twisted lullaby echoed off the stone walls, chilling him to the bone. Azad's fingers trembled as he crawled along the jagged floor, each breath a painful, quiet gasp. "I can't move… can't breathe… not until it leaves," he murmured, clutching the ground as though it were the only thing keeping him tethered to reality.
Inching forward, his every nerve was on edge. As he drew closer to the edge of the cave's entrance, the hope of escape started to kindle in his heart. Just a few more steps, he thought, his breathing speeding up. Almost there…
But then, a terrifying silence filled the cave, heavy and absolute. The creature stopped singing, and Azad froze mid-crawl. A new wave of fear flooded him as a voice boomed through the darkness.
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"
Azad felt as though icy hands wrapped around his heart, squeezing the life out of him. His stomach clenched, and a wave of dread washed over him. He scrambled to his feet, his limbs shaking. "No, no, no…" he gasped, the words tumbling out of him as he backed away. The creature's shadow moved toward him, its piercing blue glow pulsing in sync with his pounding heartbeat.
"I have to… I have to run!" Azad's feet took off in a desperate sprint, his mind blank with terror as he bolted back down the winding tunnel, back toward the treacherous path that had led him into this nightmare. The cavern shook with the creature's growl, its thunderous footfalls gaining on him.
A deafening, bone-rattling roar filled the air, and in an instant, a powerful sonic boom exploded behind him. The force hit him square in the back, sending him flying through the air. He crashed against the jagged stone floor with a sickening thud, the air forced from his lungs as he tumbled, bruised and bloodied, deeper into the city.
Azad's body screamed in agony. He could feel the sharp pang of a broken rib every time he tried to breathe, and his vision swam. But when he heard the creature's roars tearing through the cavern walls, Azad clawed himself to his feet. His instincts were louder than the pain, screaming at him to keep moving.
"Get up," he grunted, gritting his teeth as he forced himself forward, ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest. "Just keep going. Get out… get out…"
A strange energy barrier surged up between him and the creature, shimmering like a mirage. The monster halted, snarling in rage, its claws raking against the barrier as it let out an earth-shattering roar. Azad watched, dazed, as the creature was dragged back into the depths of the ancient city. It clawed and howled, its voice reverberating through the cave as it slammed against the barrier, its cries filled with a terrifying, insatiable hunger.
Azad didn't wait. He had no time to process what had happened; his only thought was escape. Using his bare hands, he clawed his way up the rocky tunnel, punching into the stone and pulling himself higher. Every movement was torture, each breath sending fresh waves of pain through his ribs, but he continued, driven by sheer desperation.
When he finally made it to a stable surface, Azad piled blocks on top of the entrance, one after another, his body running on the last shreds of energy. Only when he'd sealed it completely did he finally let himself collapse, leaning back against the cold stone wall as his breathing slowed.
His voice came out in a ragged whisper. "I… I survived." The pain and exhaustion washed over him, pulling him into darkness as he let his body surrender to unconsciousness.