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墨書 Inktalez
Looking at the entrance of Branch, I calculated each step carefully. Fortunately, while my body was nearly worn out, my mind remained clear.
Just as I was about to move parallel to Branch, I suddenly pointed the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight behind me. Although my movement wasn't very quick, I had silently rehearsed it many times in my mind, and I managed to execute this crucial step smoothly. I didn't intend to blind it; I just hoped to buy myself a little time so that when its vision returned, I would no longer be in sight. As for what came next, I hoped its intelligence wouldn't exceed that of a chimpanzee.
As the Flashlight turned behind me, my own vision was similarly affected, shifting from bright daylight to complete darkness. I could only rely on my memory to make judgments.
In a split second, I turned off the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight. Then, with all my speed, I turned toward the right passage; given my current state, turning left would slow me down even more.
It was time to run for my life. I had no time to glance at the situation in this passage; everything was pitch black, and perhaps in the next moment, I would crash into the Cave Wall, dead beyond recovery. But before that happened, I had to run—run with all my might.
I was better at long-distance running, but that didn't mean I lacked a foundation in sprinting. Especially now, at this desperate moment, I recited the essentials of short-distance sprints in my mind and did my utmost to lift my knees higher to increase my stride. To my surprise, I heard the sound of wind and felt it brush against my face. Achieving this effect under such conditions showed that I still had potential to tap into. I felt proud of myself.
What worried me now was not crashing into the Cave Wall. If that happened, it would surely be fatal.
However, my worries were spot on. Just as I felt my speed picking up and reached what might be the fastest sprint of my life, I encountered the greatest obstacle. Fortunately, this resistance did not hit me in the head but rather struck my leg.
In an effort to increase my stride length, I had lifted my legs quite high but still couldn't avoid this misfortune. My foot hit something hard—like a stone step—and suddenly, while sprinting at full speed, I stumbled forward.
My body went airborne. Initially, I thought I'd crash headfirst into a protruding rock ahead of me. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around my head. It seemed there were no stone walls or rocks directly in front of me. Moreover, instead of immediately hitting the ground, I felt myself falling forward and downward as if plunging into a large and deep hole.
I opened my mouth in an 'ah' shape; I nearly let out a scream but held back. My brain told me that if I didn't die from the fall, the scream would surely kill me.
However, my thoughts quickly hit a snag. My face slammed down onto a cold hard Ground. The only relief was that the Ground was flat; I wasn't pierced by any protruding Stalactite.
I imagined my face must look like SpongeBob SquarePants. Not necessarily square but definitely flat. At least my nose was gone. Originally, I wanted to touch my handsome face to see how magnificent it looked now, but both arms felt too heavy to lift. I could move them but couldn't raise them above shoulder level.
I suspected I'd broken something and had no idea how many pieces it might be in. If I survived this time and made it back alive, who knows? Maybe I'd boastfully tell Fatty, "You won't need to watch Iron Man anymore; just look at me." Because putting together all these shattered bones would probably require more steel pins than actual bones.
However, I still couldn't feel any pain; it was a rather dull sensation. It left me uncertain whether I was dead or still alive.
I moved my legs a bit; they still worked, but my range of motion was limited, as if I were bound by ropes.
With great effort, I turned my body from a prone position to lying on my back. When I was face down, my eyes could only see the ground. Turning my head felt like a significant burden, and I wanted a broader view; lying on my back seemed to be the best option for now.
Of course, no matter what position I took, as long as I didn't turn on the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, all I could see was darkness. But I knew that if there was a chance, I would be able to see something. That possibility was tied to the Blood-Eyed Monster following me. As long as it appeared, I would definitely see its blood-red eyes.
I propped myself up slightly with my elbows and stared upward.
The fall had left my head buzzing; it felt like my mind wasn't as sharp as before. I had completely lost my sense of direction and could only assume that the direction I faced was where I had come from. I couldn't turn around to look in another direction; even moving my neck was difficult. Although I felt half-dead from the fall, it was clear that the hole or pit wasn't very deep since I hadn't died from it.
I focused intently on the area above me, waiting for the arrival or liberation of the Blood-Eyed Monster. The Flashlight was somewhere unknown; I didn't consciously hold my breath—my breathing was already so faint that it wouldn't attract the attention of any creature two meters away.
Despite being highly focused, my mood wasn't particularly tense. Given my situation, my fear of death had diminished to its lowest point.
"Hiss."
In the pitch-blackness akin to hell, a sound suddenly broke the silence of this space as quiet as outer space.
With that sound, I collapsed back onto the ground with a thud after barely managing to prop myself up.
The word "hiss" encompassed every emotion; it was the best explanation for all unknown issues. However, this sound appearing here and in this situation only served to send chills down my spine.
My mind short-circuited at that moment. Damn it, don't scare me like that.
The voice was unfamiliar; it wasn't Jack's. Who was it?
Hiding no longer made sense. A tremor in my throat escaped as I asked, "Who?"
Silence lingered for less than a second before I received my answer. However, this answer was not a sound, but an action.
My body was ensnared by something, and with a 'thud,' I was slammed against a stone wall, while two hard claws tightened around my throat.
I struggled and made muffled sounds, desperately trying to pry the claws off my neck with both hands.
I felt dense fur on those claws, gripping my throat like two iron pincers. I couldn't budge them at all. My body was firmly pinned against the stone wall; no matter how much I twisted and fought, I couldn't loosen their grip. Of course, my injuries also prevented me from exerting much strength.
My neck was contorted by the pressure of those claws, forcing my head to tilt back painfully. What the hell was I going to die at the hands of?
I grabbed the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight and pressed the switch against whatever was trying to kill me. The flashlight did not turn on.
This flashlight had finally broken. (To Be Continued...)
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