Johnquis looked away, his heart pounding, but his voice stayed calm.
"It's alright. We have to stay quiet. We can't let it know we're here. Let's just hope it goes away."
They stayed quiet, listening to the runner brutally tearing through Randy and Mars. After a few moments, the sounds stopped. It was done eating.
The silence pressed down hard, heavier than the darkness itself. Johnquis's heart slammed in his chest each beat loud in the silence.
He pressed his back against the cold metal floor of the bus, eyes fixed on the cracked window above them. Lex was trembling beside him, barely breathing.
Then, slowly, the Runner moved. A massive shadow shifted outside.
Johnquis's breath caught as he sensed its heavy steps circling the bus, claws scraping the ground, searching.
"It knows we're here."
The creature's snarls grew louder, a low growl that shook the wreckage. Lex whimpered softly, clutching Johnquis's arm.
Johnquis whispered,
"Stay still."
Outside, the Runner's claws scratched the metals just inches from their faces. Each step made the bus creak.
Johnquis could feel its hot breath through the cracks, smell the stench of death and rage.
Lex's fingers trembled, digging into his arm. Johnquis forced himself to remain calm, heart racing.
The Runner's snarl turned into a guttural hiss and silence. Johnquis held his breath. So did Lex.
However, the Runner moved across the top of the flipped bus, its steps slow and deliberate. The metal groaned under its weight as it crept directly above them.
Each step caused the glass above to crack, groan, and tremble. A faint rain of dust and tiny shards drifted down as its claws slid along the metal.
Johnquis held his breath.
Lex had both hands clamped over her mouth, shaking violently. Her soaked pants clung to her legs. Her breathing was rapid and shallow, trying to stay quiet—but panic was rising like bile in her throat.
"Don't move. Don't breathe."
A new crack spidered across the glass window above them—right above Lex. Her eyes widened. The Runner's claw slammed down hard on the glass.
The impact sent a ripple of sound through the bus. The metal frame moaned.
Lex gasped.
It was a small sound. Barely louder than a breath. But it was enough. The Runner halted. The cracking above them stopped.
Nothing moved.
Until—
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
It was moving again. Faster now. Hunting for more flesh.
It let out a chilling growl, crouched low, and peeked upside down through one of the broken upper windows. It's face pressed against the glass, inches from them.
Johnquis froze, staring into its eyes…
A second later, their eyes met.
He whispered, but too late.
"Run."
The Runner screeched.
"RRAHHSSSHHKKK!"
It burst through the narrow window frame, twisting its limbs and collapsing into the narrow bus interior.
Johnquis grabbed Lex and tried to shove her back, deeper into the flipped bus, but the corridor was too tight. No room to run. No escape route.
The Runner's claws scraped the floor as it crawled low.
Lex screamed, panicked, and kicked back.
"NO, NO, NO! PLEASE!"
The Runner slammed into her, claw pinning her chest, fangs dripping inches from her face.
Lex screamed so loud.
"GET IT OFF ME! JOHNQUIS PLEASE! HELP!!!!"
Johnquis charged forward,
"LET HER GO!"
He swung, hitting the creature's shoulder. It didn't even flinch.
Lex was sobbing now, screaming through blood.
"HELP ME! PLEASE! IT HURTS!!! REX!!! BROTHER!!!"
SLASH!
Its claw carved through her abdomen.
Lex wailed.
Johnquis lunged again but the Runner kicked him, knocking him sideways, slamming him against the bus wall.
Lex reached for him.
"JOHN—!"
Her voice choked mid-word.
The Runner bit down.
CRUNCH!
Her throat collapsed between its jaws. Her scream died in a wet gurgle.
Blood sprayed across the inside of the bus as the Runner tore into her open abdomen.
Johnquis gasped.
"LEX... No…"
The Runner turned toward him, jaw soaked in blood. Its claws twitched, dripping red. Its breath came in wet, hungry growls.
It didn't wait.
It moved again, limbs clicking like a spider's, crooked joints scraping the walls and ceiling as it crawled toward him, one limb at a time.
Johnquis didn't run.
He couldn't.
His legs locked in place. His heart thundered in his chest. His hands shook, fists clenched at his sides.
"I've stared death in the face more times than I can count…"
He took one step forward.
"And I'm not done yet."
Another step.
"I still need to see my sister."
His eyes narrowed. Muscles tensed.
"Come on, you Nemesis. Let's finish this!"
SLASH!
It lunged, claws dragging across the wall of the bus as Johnquis ducked and rolled under a pair of shredded seats. Sparks flew. The narrow width of the flipped bus kept the runner's swings awkward, forced to twist and contort just to move forward.
Johnquis panted under the seats.
"Think! Use the space."
The Runner pounced from behind, slamming its claws into the low bus ceiling. The metal groaned as its limbs punched through but the space was too tight. It couldn't fully extend. Its long limbs scraped and twisted awkwardly between the rows, skin scraped against on ripped seats and bent handrails.
Johnquis moved fast.
He popped up from behind a seat and drove his elbow into a side panel. The impact shook the frame, disorienting the Eater. Before it could react, he dropped low and slammed both knees into the back of its leg.
CRACK!
The Runner staggered and crashed sideways into the wall of the bus, one arm wedging itself between two rows of seats. It hissed and tried to pull free but the confined aisle twisted its limbs at the wrong angles. The more it struggled, the more tangled it became.
Johnquis stood at the far end of the aisle, blood dripping down his chest. He watched it thrash, trapped, snarling, helpless in the crush of seats and steel.
"C'mon, I'm right here! Come get me in here. I dare you!"
The Runner snarled, tangled in the wreckage, claws scraping against the floor in a frenzy.
Johnquis pressed his back to the dented rear wall of the flipped bus, breathing hard, until—
[SYSTEM NOTICE!]
An Eater has been restrained.
Skill activation possible:
[CHAIN SLAVE - LVL 1]
A sharp pulse echoed in his skull.
"Fucker shit, what…? Chain Slave? I can use—wait…"
He pulled up the skill menu and read aloud:
[SKILL: CHAIN SLAVE LVL 1 - BLOOD COST: 0%]
- Allows you to forcibly bind a target. If the target is already restrained, weakened, or otherwise vulnerable, activating this skill will turn them into your slave. The SLAVE becomes loyal and cannot resist commands. Success depends on your willpower versus theirs.
[Note]: Skill activates with no initial blood cost. During the Willpower clash, blood cost increases over time until the target submit or breaks free.
Before he could finish reading, the Runner let out a deafening shriek and bucked hard.
CRACK!
Seat frames snapped. The metal groaned under its force.
"WON'T YOU GIVE ME SOME SECONDS MORE?!"
Johnquis yelled as the Runner's arm began to slip free.
Panic surged through him.
"SHIT! Whatever this is—this slave thing… If this saves my ass tonight, I'm all in!"
He slammed his hand forward, palm glowing with pulsing violet.
"CHAIN SLAVE!"
A shockwave burst from his hand.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: CHAIN SLAVE LVL 1]