As the first scream of an unlucky scavenger resounded, Scrappy tried to hide behind a corroded metal door.
Holding his knife tightly, he placed it in front of his chest, as he tried to calm his breathing while checking his own heartbeat.
Metabeasts are all unique, like Mutants... some could spit fire and lightning, while others were fast and had a strong physique.
Even the smallest mutated ant could eat a Human alone.
Because the once considered apex predator of Earth had become the lowest being in the food chain of the Mutated World.
Scrappy, after calming his nerves, slowly lowered his body, alert to any movements or vibrations he could feel weakly.
Then...
Another scream reverberated, then followed by numerous footsteps and the rattling of metallic objects.
'Please scream more, so I could eat.'
This is the start, the race towards the heart of the Ancient Ruins.
Like a giant anthill, Metabeasts, as if written in their genes, were finding different kinds of food: a dead fruit that could eat one's head, some small chunk of poisonous meat, even tree bark couldn't escape.
No one knew why, as if they were preparing for another apocalypse to come, but one thing Scavengers were sure of... it was the only food they could eat aside from the bread the Mutants gave and the waste that came inside the Settlement.
Unlike Mutants who could kill a Metabeast for a feast, Scavengers could only rely on luck, on the whim of the Mutants, or on being smelled by those Metabeasts.
Then, as Scrappy wished... another one served itself to the Metabeasts, screaming... calling all those Metabeasts that are hidden in the darkness.
Scrappy lowered himself and moved swiftly and silently, peeking around every corner he found despite the blinding darkness with its touch of despair and the uncertainty of a Metabeast lurking.
He continued to move, even though death already held one of his heels.
And then, before he could turn to another corner, Scrappy was immediately pulled by another Scavenger, blocking his mouth while silencing him.
No one talked, both of them knew, at that corner a Metabeast was waiting, either sleeping or searching.
'I need to get out now.'
This is where the usefulness of the Scavenger comes after they meet a Metabeast.
To run for their life, outside of the Ancient Ruin, where the Mutants were waiting for them to deliver the Meat.
Yet, before Scrappy could step out to run, the other Scavenger... panicked and selfish... driven a fist hard into Scrappy's stomach, making him cough, a muffled one.
But it was enough for it to be heard by the Metabeast.
Scrappy couldn't force himself to move. That punch that suddenly hit his abdomen almost extinguished all his remaining strength. He could only writhe in pain, while he was hearing the slow footsteps of the Metabeast.
It was also heard by the other Scavenger, as panic engulfed him. He ran, leaving Scrappy as the bait.
Scrappy smiled, and held the rusty knife with a rope firmly, waiting for the Metabeast to show itself.
'Please... please, don't come here...'
Then...
A large Metabeast, that looked like a skinned dog, rabid, with a green mucus slowly coming out of its mouth, sniffed the walls with its no-hole nose.
Scrappy crawled back, and rested his back against the wall, holding his rusted knife firmly, pointing it at the Evolved Rabid Dog.
Then it ran, towards Scrappy...
Making him close his eyes and accept his fate.
'I'll pay it back, next life.'
As he waited for a few seconds, tensing his muscles to endure the bite, he opened his eyes and saw the Metabeast pass by him.
'So, It was blind... I guess it's not my time yet.'
Scrappy, once again, silently crawled.
Now, he knew the traits of the Metabeasts that owned this Ancient Ruin.
A blind Rabid Dog, that had a heightened hearing.
Seeing their mouth salivating green mucus, He also added that they were poisonous, or worse, acidic.
A few minutes of Hide and Seek passed, the sounds of screamings were getting fewer and fewer.
And then, as a loud explosion that even caused the Ancient Ruin to shake, dusting itself from it... Scrappy found himself at the heart of the Ancient Ruins, full of wastes and their food.
'What a Harvest!'
He gulped, and first found a place where he could hide if a Metabeast came back.
Scrappy then saw a small rectangular room, he walked towards it and checked... it was so dark, making him unable to see what was below, but he knew one thing... It was deep.
Sighing, he latched the rusted knife with rope onto the metallic bar, before putting all the remaining rope down the rectangular room he saw.
And walked back again towards one of the food storages of the Metabeasts.
Without a bag to store the food, Scrappy let his stomach be full from it.
He bit anything he could bite, as long as his fingers didn't corrode from a touch, or there was no stinging pain from his tongue when he tasted it, he ate that thing with gusto.
But, the place he was in was never a heaven for people like them.
One of the Metabeasts came back, bringing a corpse of a Scavenger, dragging it on the metallic floor, drawing a trace of blood on it.
Scrappy tensed, and silently moved towards his hiding point, holding a plate.
Then, the Metabeast sensed his movement... as it released its bite from the corpse, dropping it with a wet sound... and faced Scrappy, who was not moving and just observing the Metabeast.
Scrappy with impaired vision because of the darkness, and the Metabeast that couldn't see, faced off... unmoving.
Then Scrappy took a small step back, watching the Metabeast's reaction to the sound... before throwing the plate from his hands towards the room with their food...
The Metabeast ran, not towards the room... but to Scrappy.
Making him curse himself for his wrong foolish action.
It wasn't that the Metabeast was blind, it was just that their ears acted as a sonar... bouncing images depending on sound.
And the first Metabeast that Scrappy met just didn't see him moving... thinking he wasn't a living object, disregarding him.
But not this time.
Scrappy ran, as fast as he could, but the Metabeast was much faster...
Then, as he got near the room, he forced himself to slide... and held the rope, burning his palm from the friction as he fell into the elevator shaft.
The Metabeast, committed to the kill, leaped after him into the open shaft.
For a terrifying moment, it was all snapping jaws and falling mucus, and then it was gone, swallowed by the darkness below.
But before Scrappy could even form a thought of relief...
Snap!
The rope, like a thread that held his life... snapped.