[07: 06: 36: 10]

  ...

  Cassian barely had time to catch his breath when the blast door began to close behind him. But in that split second, a clawed hand shot through the narrowing gap. Cassian barely registered the Kalrach’s snarl before it lunged, slamming him to the ground, his skull cracked against concrete. Stars bloomed.

  The thing stank of rot and burnt metal. He gagged, thrashing, but the Kalrach’s weight pinned him. The monster’s talon pierced his left bicep. Cassian screamed. The sound was raw and animalistic. His free hand scrabbled for the machete—gone, lost in the chaos—while the Kalrach’s jaws dripped saliva onto his face. Then the monster howled in agony as the blast door slammed shut with a deafening crash, and it severed the Kalrach’s legs as its grip on Cassian loosened.

  He slammed his hands against the creature’s chest and attempted to cast [Lightning Bolt].

  Persisting to cast the spell as a faint flickering, red surge of lightning crackled at his fingertips. But along with it an intense, searing pain shot through his chest as his body gave various warnings, but he ignored them and screamed, "[Lightning Bolt]"

  The red energy seared across the Kalrach’s body, its flesh instantly burning and turning charred. The creature convulsed, muscles locking, its screech shrill and gurgling. Seizing that fleeting advantage, Cassian gritted his teeth and drove his fingers into the monster's eyes. The Kalrach thrashed blindly, blood oozing from its ruined sockets. With a forceful jerk, Cassian managed to break free from the creature’s grasp.

  Gasping for air, he rolled away from the sprawled Kalrach, scrambled to his feet, and kicked its jaw with his boot.

  The machete? Where the fuck—

  In that critical second, the monster stirred again.

  Damnit… can’t you stay dead?

  Cassian’s backpack lay nearby, half-crushed against the wall. He ripped it open, hands trembling. Rations. A canteen. There—the cast-iron frying pan he’d scavenged earlier, its handle wrapped in duct tape.

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  He laughed. A broken, breathless sound.

  The Kalrach dragged itself toward him, jaws gnashing. Cassian gripped the pan. “Come on, then.”

  It moved a little, and Cassian brought the pan down.

  Clang.

  The impact shuddered up his arm. The Kalrach’s head snapped sideways, but it kept coming, claws raking his thigh. Cassian stumbled, swung again—

  Clang.

  Clang.

  Clang.

  Iron dented. The creature’s skull caved, black blood pooling beneath it. Cassian didn’t stop. Couldn’t. Adrenaline sang in his veins as he brought the pan down again. And again. And—

  Cassian stood panting, every muscle trembling with pain and exhaustion. The thing lay motionless, its head a pulp of chitin and ooze. The deformed skillet slipped from his grip with a clatter.

  Silence.

  Arghhh

  Then the pain hit—a tidal wave. His arm screamed where the talon had pierced it. His chest burned, each breath a knife twist. Essence depletion gnawed at his bones, hollow and cold. He slumped against the wall, sliding down until he sat in the Kalrach’s blood. He steadied himself, wiping sweat and blood from his face as he listened to the pounding of his heart. The room spun. He fumbled for his canteen, gulped tepid water, and spat out the metallic taste flooding his mouth.

  Alive. Still alive… but this damn pain… I’m barely holding on… but somehow the pain is tolerable… I wonder why.

  “No shit, Sherlock” he croaked.

  Breathe. Breathe.

  But his lungs refused—air came in ragged, useless hitches. Black spots danced at the edges of his vision.

  If I pass out now, I’ll surely die before I can cast heal.

  He dug his nails into his wounded arm, letting fresh pain jolt him awake.

  Damn… 40 minutes… Fuuu~ I don’t know if I can hold that long.

  He blinked at the flickering text. He fumbled for his backpack, fingers slipping in blood. Gauze tumbled out. Cassian grabbed it, pressed the wad to his bicep—then froze. His hands were shaking too hard to tie it. “Fucking useless!” he hurled the gauze aside.

  Water. He needed water. The canteen was half-crushed, but he gulped what remained, tepid liquid mixing with the copper tang in his mouth. His throat burned. His ribs burned. Everything burned.

  A low boom shook the room.

  Dust rained from the ceiling. Another boom. The blast door groaned; its metal surface dented inward.

  Oh, come on—why the fuck is that thing still here…

  The behemoth. Still alive and probably wasn’t done with him.

  BOOM.

  Cassian’s heart pounded in his ears as the heavy, ominous booms rocked the doors and the rooms. The ground trembled once more, and the distant roar of the behemoth followed the blast door’s slam. The door buckled, hinges screaming as he backed into the room, away from the doors.

  CRACK.

  A claw burst through the door, its talons glinting. The behemoth's roar vibrated in Cassian's teeth as the door bent slightly inwards creating a small gap, and the behemoth's face peered through the gap.

  ...

  A/N :Really sorry for the short chapter was prepping for mid sem exams and presentations~

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