I had never been this scared before.
Not when my father died.
Not when I first entered Emmory.
Not when the Code Red Alert rang through the halls.
But standing before this beetle—the thing that had slaughtered everyone else—I was terrified.
The monster clicked its mandibles, shifting its jagged legs as if analyzing me. I felt its cold, unfeeling gaze settle on me, like I wasn't even a person. Just another victim.
Then—it lunged.
My body reacted before my mind did.
I jumped left, just in time for the beetle's blade-like leg to slice through the air where I had been standing. Too close. I didn't have time to think—I turned and ran.
I ran like my life depended on it.
Because it did.
The world around me blurred as I sprinted through the wreckage of my school. Dead bodies. Collapsed columns. Smoke rising from flames that had no right to exist in a place of learning.
I heard the beetle skittering behind me, its heavy limbs crashing against the rubble. It was fast. Too fast.
I vaulted over a broken desk, my heart pounding in my ears. My lungs burned. My legs screamed for relief. But I couldn't stop.
Not now.
Not when I had—
WHAM!
The impact hit me like a train.
I didn't even see it coming. The beetle had caught up and slammed its massive body into me.
The world flipped.
I felt the wind rush out of my lungs as my body crashed through a pile of stone and debris. My vision blurred. The pain was immediate—it shot through my ribs, my spine, my arms.
I barely registered the sound of rocks tumbling around me before I hit the ground, face-first into the dust.
I coughed.
Blood.
My head pounded. My limbs felt like lead. I couldn't move—I couldn't—
No.
I had to.
I forced myself up, ignoring the agony screaming through my body. The beetle stood over me, its eyes dark, lifeless.
It was toying with me.
Testing me.
I spat blood and brought up my fists.
I wasn't dying here.
I refused.
The beetle lunged again—I barely ducked under its razor-sharp leg and threw a punch. My knuckles smashed into its armored shell.
Nothing.
The thing didn't even budge.
I didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
A punch—
An uppercut—
A kick—
My fists battered against its body, landing blow after blow. I knew it was useless. I knew my attacks weren't doing anything.
But I kept going.
Because if I stopped, I was dead.
The beetle suddenly caught my right hand mid-swing.
I felt its body shift—a strange, mechanical whir.
Then—
SHHNNK!
"AGHHHHHH"
A bladed limb shot forward, impaling me through the shoulder.
Pain.
I screamed. A scream filled with fear, pain, tears.
White-hot, searing pain.
The beetle ripped its leg out, and blood gushed from the wound. My vision blurred—my knees buckled.
I hit the ground.
The world felt far away.
Was this it?
Was this how it ended?
I tried to move my arm, but my fingers wouldn't obey. My breath was shaky. Weak. I couldn't fight anymore.
I was going to die.
I lifted my head, forcing my blurry gaze toward my classmates.
Benny. Kenya. Toma. Paul. Emi.
Montiro. Beth. Threya.
Threya.
She was staring at me, her green eyes wide with horror.
I saw tears.
Her mouth moved, but I couldn't hear what she was saying.
She looked terrified.
I never wanted to see her like that again.
I clenched my teeth, trying to move. My body was barely listening. I could feel my consciousness fading.
But I wouldn't let it.
Not yet.
I dug my uninjured hand into the ground, forcing myself up.
I wouldn't let this be the end.
I couldn't.
With a shaky breath, I stood.