Paula's breath hitched in her throat as the shape stepped forward from the edge of the crater.
Its body was tall, bones too long, joints bending in ways that broke the eye. Its limbs cracked as it walked, each movement like a shadow stretched too far. Veins glowed faintly violet beneath pale skin, pulsing. And its face…
Its mouth was smiling.
A crooked, stretched grin full of jagged, wet teeth.
Its black, pupil-less eyes locked onto Paula and it knew. It knew what fear smelled like. It fed on it.
[ABNORMAL HIGH EATER]
[CLASS: RUNNER]
[LEVEL: 2]
[FEED POINTS: +2000]
She couldn't move.
Her legs felt like sandbags. Her blade trembled in her grip. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst out of her chest.
"Move. MOVE."
But nothing.
Paula's lips parted to call out, to order a fallback, to warn the girls but no sound came. Her throat had closed. Her breath hitched. Her knees weakened.
Behind her, Mina started to sob again. "W-What… what is that? What is that?!"
