"Hmmm?"
'I'm not dead yet?'
In a dark burrow of the deserted wasteland and ruins. Covered in a grim stench of blood, his own blood, the seemingly lifeless body of a youth around seventeen twitched and regained life. A miracle.
Liam didn't just feel acute headache and sharp pains all over his body, he felt nauseous and suffocated.
Subconsciously struggling to breath for unknown reasons, he battled with his thoughts about being dead.
Just now, or rather, a few moments ago , a bomb had been dropped over their bunker with him inside.
Finally faced with the terror of death after two months since he was enlisted to join the army for world war 2, Liam held onto the faint possibility that he might be alive and not in hell.
'Too hot, am I in hell?'
Desperately clinging for a air through his lungs, the high temperature and coursing pain inside him proved to be no better hell.
'True I am no innocent boy, I have killed, but isn't this too much?' subconsciously clenching his hand even though he couldn't feel the rest of his body, Liam felt something solid form within.
'Huh?'
His subconscious thought broke, and a faint sense of reality slipped into him.
'Wait… If this is hell, I can't possibly the only one right?'
Following this realisation, Liam fought against the burning pain and clenched his fist more tighter. The solid feel came again, and this time Liam's eyes shot open.
'Ehn?'
Up above, the sky that was supposed to be dark and black was a deep hue of purple and violet color.
'Where am I?'
Dazed by the alien sky-
"Snrrt" a quiet snort disrupted his thought, causing him to tilt his head towards the source.
However, a split second later he deeply regretted this action as sudden, unannounced pain tore through him.
"Argh!" At the same time, he grunted out loud and also caught sight of where the snort came from.
For unknown reasons he could see clearly in this dark, limited space, so every detail he saw was vivid.
A hulky, mole-shaped beast with charred black fur that streaked with glowing cracks, like veins of molten lava, laid bartered and gravely injured.
Steam hissed softly from its gaping wounds, especially the one that tore through its underside belly and spewed guts. Done by a deliberate savage strike.
Using every ounce of will he had to not shout, Liam's pupils dilated and his heart was gripped with horror as he stared at the larva mole monster.
Skipping the thoughts of what could have dealt the monster such a wound and where he was, he wanted nothing but to escape from it. The monster's blood coated claws alone could easily impale him.
"Argh!"
However as he jerked up his body, wanting to stand and run as far as possible. His eyes dilated, and he almost lost consciousness from the sharp pain that tore through him, again.
Just happening to freeze, he saw his own body.
His chest had been ripped open. His ribs broken, impaled his own flesh. His heart, still beating, was exposed through the torn cavity,and pulsated weakly as dark blood spilled silently.
"Snrrt!"
The sound sliced through the haze.
Unfortunately, Liam wasn't given the chance to feel nauseous.
Filled with a grim sense of trepidation the next instant, Liam slowly tilted his neck, ignoring the pain.
And then he saw it, eyes like twin coals flickered open with a warm amber glow.
Casting its gaze upon him, as if speechless yet seething, the mole let out a low, guttural snort.
Its charred fur bristled, standing on end like a forest of scorched quills. Heat radiated from its body in wavering waves, distorting the air.
'...Is this how I'm going to die?' paralyzed by fear, Liam watched as the monster mole rose on its front legs. Revealing two sharp, black canines enough to pierce through his neck and probably rip it off, the mole towered a meter in height, and poised to pounce on him.
'What should I do? I can't even move to begin with. What a bastard world.'
Panic stricken, Liam's thoughts drowned in shambles. Filled with resignation and unwillingness.
With a sudden boom of motion that betrayed its size, the mole launched forward with his black canines hoping to sink deep into his head and crack his skull, spilling brain matter over the scourged earth.
However, Liam's thoughts suddenly cleared.
Unwilling to die, he instinctively threw his arm over his head, thrusting his elbow into the Mole's open jaws in a desperate attempt to save his life.
However, the impact was much worse than anything he could have imagined.
Luckily missing the canines, there was a sickening crunch, followed by a sharp severe pain of molten iron sinking deep into his flesh.
"Arrrggh" Liam grunted, tightly gritting his teeth to stifle the pain and sustain his consciousness.
The Mole's weight bore down on him, its teeth like molten iron crushing his bone.
Just then, Liam felt it, gritting his teeth, all the muscles in his body stretched taut and the solid feel in his left grip came again.
With blood shot eyes, Liam acted like a beast himself, one that was unwilling to give up on life against its will. His mind subconsciously prompted for the weak spot and he plunged his left hand towards the Mole's belly.
Through its open gut, he felt it, boiling sticky blood like that burned his flesh.
"Arrrggh!" Liam screamed, a bestial tone, and then he did it. The solid thing in his grip began to rip the Mole's stomach upward, spilling more of its bloody guts over him.
It felt like a boiling pot of meat stew was poured over him, however Max still managed to hold. His blood shot eyes meeting the Mole's seething amber eyes as it also began to fight for its life.
To think the human it already killed would rise with such tenacity again and try to take it away with him. The Mole's almost spent desire to survive was unleashed again. However, it was already too late.
Before its jaw could be enforced by its will, and completely shatter Liam's arm, something sharp tore through its chest, and then managed to plunge its heart.
Time seemed to come to a stand still. Liam saw the Mole's eyes rapidly lose its red amber glow as its bared teeth froze and slackened.
Motionless.
Silence reigned.
Liam's bloodshot eyes began to retract, thinking he had won. However, a wave of blood red larva suddenly spilled out from the dead Mole's chest. Not only melting his flesh but spilled on his heart, sizzling through it.
To Liam, everywhere suddenly became black, like the light was turned off.
However in the depth of this abyss, a clear neutral female voice sounded.
[Ding!]