Two bullets shot toward the back of the large creature's head, but it quickly ducked, causing both bullets to merely pass over and hit the distant wall. The creature had already gathered momentum, its arms braced against the ground as if ready to perform a push-up. It sneered, and a powerful kick launched from its right leg. The strike was so fast and strong that Feshikha failed to react in time.
"THUD!" Feshikha felt a crushing force in her stomach, her eyes widening in shock as her view was filled with the calf of the towering creature before her. That moment was followed by the sensation of her body becoming weightless, as if she were floating.
"BLAAAM!" Feshikha's body was hurled away, crashing against the wall behind her.
"Ack!!" She spat out a red fluid.
Her body slumped down, leaning against the wall. Her vision blurred, her entire frame weakened and racked with pain—especially in her chest and stomach, making it difficult to breathe. The red fluid she had vomited coated her mouth, trickling down and staining her clothes. In the midst of the pain and her battered state, Feshikha still forced herself to keep her eyes on the creature before her.
The towering being rose and stood upright, its movement still hindered by an injury to its left leg. Without glancing at Feshikha, it slowly advanced toward the people within the protective circle. Mr. Jaya continued praying while aiming the halo shard at the massive creature, while Tita and Yana, visibly terrified, backed away slowly.
"Officer Feshikha!" Yana cried out.
The creature lowered its gaze, drawing closer with a slight drag to its left leg, while Feshikha gave no response to Yana's call. Mr. Jaya's prayers grew louder. Yana's and Tita's faces turned pale, their ragged breaths visible in the cold air. The three of them trembled in fear, forcing themselves to stand on unsteady legs, huddling together with shaking hands and fingers.
"D-Don't worry, as long as we're inside the circle, we'll be safe," Tita stammered.
The massive creature stopped just in front of the protective circle, slowly lifting its head that had been hanging low, turning toward Pak Jaya, Tita, and Yana. Its once expressionless face suddenly shifted, forming a wide, horrifying grin. Rows of sharp fangs lined its mouth, the sight pressing a deep sense of fear onto them.
"BANG!" A bullet whizzed past the left cheek of the massive creature, struck the wall, and ricocheted away. The creature turned slightly to glance behind it. Feshikha, breathing heavily, was struggling to hold the pistol aimed at the creature. But it didn't last long—her hands trembled, unable to bear the weight of the weapon, and her aim dropped downward.
"Damn, I thought I was strong enough to take on this thing," Feshikha muttered in her mind.
The massive creature then grinned even wider as it stared at her. It didn't attack, as if waiting for something. Feshikha took advantage of the moment to try and get up, then took a gulp of the laceration liquid from the bottle she carried. Slowly, she stood and readied herself to face the creature.
"For now, Tita and the others will be safe. I have to focus on taking this thing down as quickly as possible," Feshikha thought to herself.
Suddenly, the massive creature made a move—its right hand slowly lifted forward to shoulder height, with its middle finger meeting its thumb as if preparing to snap. Feshikha immediately took aim, ready for whatever it was about to do. "SNAP—FWOOOSH!" The instant the creature snapped its fingers, a gust of wind surged outward from within the protective salt circle in all directions. The powerful blast scattered the salt grains as if they had been swept away. Time seemed to slow, and an abrupt silence blanketed the area. The massive creature lowered its right hand, then began to turn its gaze in a different direction. Feshikha's expression shifted, revealing panic. Her eyes widened sharply, and she quickly stepped forward to run ahead.
"EVERYONE RUN!" Feshikha shouted loudly.
Tita instantly felt her legs weaken, her face showing a complex expression. The sinister grin of the massive creature staring at her brought an overwhelming sense of fear. Pak Jaya stepped back slightly, trembling as he continued to pray, raising his Halo shard toward the creature. "BANG!" A bullet shot toward the massive creature. "CHLUK!" But the creature swiftly turned and blocked the attack with its left hand. It appeared to be in pain as a stream of red liquid poured from the bullet hole that had just landed.
"Ah… I'm out of here!" Yana shouted, attempting to run.
Yana dashed to the left toward the double doors flanked by two large jars. The massive creature immediately noticed her. Suddenly, Yana felt herself getting farther away from her intended destination. A powerful gust of wind blew at the back of her head, pushing her hair forward. It felt like the sensation of riding a fast-moving motorbike while facing backward from the direction of travel.
"Damn it!" cursed Feshikha.
With the momentum of its right arm, the massive creature grabbed Yana. Its grip was so tight it made Yana squirm in pain as she tried to pound on its hand. Feshikha quickly took aim, but the creature swiftly shielded itself by putting Yana in the line of fire. Feshikha couldn't take the shot and pulled back her aim with a frustrated expression. The massive creature now held the upper hand with Yana as its captive.
"You damn creature!" Feshikha cursed.
Without much delay, the giant creature immediately turned toward Tita. It forced its injured left leg and left arm to lunge forward, attempting to seize its next prey. Tita could only stand frozen, her legs refusing to move, her face showing overwhelming fear. Pak Jaya swiftly pushed Tita out of the creature's charging path, causing her to fall to the left side and escape harm. The creature's grasp caught only air, scraping the floor. Failing to catch its prey, the giant creature glared at Pak Jaya with rage.
The giant creature swung its left arm at Pak Jaya, trying to strike him. Realizing the creature's intent, Pak Jaya tried to retreat. His hasty movement made him stumble over his own feet, causing the swing of the creature's left arm to miss and nearly graze Pak Jaya's face. Yana, trapped in the creature's right hand, could only sway helplessly, still struggling to break free.
Seeing Pak Jaya fall to the floor, the giant creature immediately tried to lunge again, as if unwilling to let its attack fail a second time. "BANG!" Feshikha did not remain idle; a bullet shot out, striking the left side of the creature's left palm as it tried to reach Pak Jaya. The giant creature recoiled in pain and immediately turned toward Feshikha with intense fury. Feshikha aimed her pistol, ready with her dagger.
Seeing the monster's attention diverted, Pak Jaya and Tita tried to quietly move away. Tita also attempted to move Maya's still-unconscious body. The giant creature stomped its left foot, testing whether the previously injured leg was now ready for more movement. In an instant, the giant creature charged at Feshikha, using Yana as a living shield to make her hesitate with the gun.
When its prey was within striking range, the giant creature's left hand clenched tightly, delivering a powerful punch toward Feshikha. "BRUAKK!" Feshikha quickly evaded, leaping to the creature's right side, away from the left hand that slammed into the floor. "SLASH – SLASH!" Feshikha worked her dagger skillfully, slicing around the armpit of the creature's right arm; the blade then slid down, leaving another slash along the arm to the elbow, making red fluid spurt from each cut.
The massive creature, writhing in pain, swung its right arm while using the momentum to drive its left arm in an attack toward Feshikha. Feshikha had no trouble dodging by ducking, the creature's punch passing just above her head. "SLASH – SLASH" Fresh cuts landed on the creature's right and left thighs. The massive creature, now in greater pain, swung its left arm in an attempt to strike Feshikha with the back of its hand, but Feshikha leapt between its wide-spread legs, rolled, and quickly turned around to face the enemy whose back was now to her.
"SLASH – SLASH!" Two slashes landed on the back of both the creature's knees, forcing it to kneel and lose balance. Feshikha wasted no time seizing the opportunity—she aimed at the creature's head, exhaling as her index finger curled inward. "BANG! – CLICK!" Twice the trigger was pulled, a bullet shot forth, and the sound of an empty pistol echoed. The massive creature threw its body forward, rolling over its left shoulder, causing Feshikha's shot to miss.
The massive creature quickly got up, taking a kneeling stance. Feshikha immediately aimed again, but the creature swiftly grabbed Yana, using her as a living shield in the line of fire. Feshikha remembered the pistol's magazine was already empty—she quickly snapped the gun to eject the spent magazine faster and hastily reached for a replacement with the hand holding her dagger.
"STOMP!" The massive creature noticed Feshikha's momentary distraction while reloading, moved in quickly, and in a blink was already right in front of her. The massive creature immediately gathered momentum in its left arm and launched what looked to be a powerful punch.
"Damn it!" cursed Feshikha.
Feshikha swiftly crossed her arms, trying to form a shield for her body. "BLUNT!" The large creature's punch landed squarely on Feshikha. The powerful impact pressed against her arms, making her visibly grimace in pain; worse, the blow sent her flying backward. Her magazine and dagger slipped from her grasp, and she landed between Tita and Mr. Jaya. When she tried to get up, Feshikha felt pain in her right arm, where a swollen bruise was clearly visible.
"Are you alright, Officer?!" Tita said as she rushed toward Feshikha.
Feshikha nodded in response to Tita's question, though it was clear she was enduring the pain. She then grabbed a bottle of laceration fluid to drink it immediately. "GRRK!" Suddenly, the hand holding the bottle was gripped tightly by the large creature's left hand. Everyone was shocked to see the massive creature already standing in front of Feshikha, wearing a wide, menacing smile. Feshikha's eyes widened in fear, the terror spreading across her face.
The large creature lifted its left hand higher, worsening the pain from Feshikha's injuries. The laceration fluid was useless in the creature's iron grip, while her other hand was already wounded and powerless. Mr. Jaya and Tita could only watch in fear. Despite the cold air, they were sweating, trembling under the intimidation of the massive creature's wide grin as it leaned closer to Feshikha, as if plotting something horrifying.
"Tchink!" The sound of an injection tool clattering to the floor rang out. "SLASH! – JLEB!" Suddenly, a swift, shadowed swing with a faint metallic gleam passed right before Feshikha's eyes. She flinched in surprise, then her face lit up with renewed spirit. The back of the large creature's left hand was struck hard by a silver axe, embedding deep into its thick flesh. Crimson liquid dripped heavily from the wound. The grip on Feshikha's hand weakened, freeing her from its grasp. "BRUGH!" She fell to the floor and quickly moved away from the large creature. Despite their fear, Tita and Mr. Jaya rushed in, helping to pull Feshikha back while the large creature was momentarily distracted.
"It seems things are quite tough here as well," said someone.
On the left hand of the giant creature hung a figure clinging to a lodged axe, aiming a silver revolver at another target. "BANG! – BANG! – BANG!" A burst of bullets rained down on the creature's right wrist that was gripping Yana. All the bullets embedded into the pierced flesh, causing a stream of red liquid to gush out. The giant creature, now in pain, lost strength in its right hand, and Yana fell to the floor. She quickly crawled away in a rush, overwhelmed by fear.
"You took your time, Haidar!" Feshikha called out with a slight shout.
Haidar then positioned himself by standing on the back of the creature's left hand while still holding onto the lodged axe. With a burst of momentum, he thrust both legs, launching himself into a backward roll as he yanked the axe free. Haidar landed firmly on one knee, his back facing Feshikha, Tita, and Pak Jaya. Slowly, he rose to his feet with both arms outstretched, holding the revolver in his left hand and the silver axe in his right.
To be continued.