The Error Eyes Off The Beast

The beast's orange eyes glimmered. Its blood-coated jaws dripping as it slowly raised itself above the remains of Terry. Its tongue flicked quickly, and the whipcrack sound echoed around the cavern.

I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. Perhaps I was frozen in fear, or perhaps it was because I knew the moment I turned, it would strike. There was absolutely no way I could outrun the beast, which meant only one thing.

I had to fight the reptilian creature.

However, I was outmatched in power and speed. And overall, my lack of skills was a significant hindrance. The only thing I had going for me in this battle was that the creature no longer had the element of surprise. That wasn't so much a benefit for me, but rather a handicap for the creature.

I gripped my blade as tightly as I could as I watched for even the slightest of movements.

It began to circle, looking for an opportunity to pounce. I was doing everything I could to prevent even the slightest of openings.

Perhaps getting bored of waiting, the beast's tongue came flicking towards me, darting about in many different directions. I carefully watched as it whipped around, but I was far more concerned by the thing moving in my peripheral vision. The beast hadn’t stayed still. It was rapidly closing in on me.

At the last possible second, I jumped out of the way, forced to roll along the ground. One of my blazer’s sleeves tore apart on the jagged rocks protruding from the ground. Despite the less-than-elegant appearance of my outfit, I remained unscathed, except for some minor scratches and bruises. Most of all, the roll allowed me to keep the creature in my sights as I sprang to my feet.

Although my manoeuvre only bought me a few extra seconds of life. I didn't even have time to breathe before the creature charged again, this time with its mouth extended wide.

I once again turned to dodge out of the way as it collided headfirst with a rock pillar. The pillar shattered into hundreds of tiny rocks, and the reptile tumbled over onto its back.

That must’ve hurt…

The beast shrugged it off like it was nothing and got back to its feet.

Or not, I guess.

It turned around to look me dead in the eyes. The look in its orange eyes was like staring into the flames of hell.

I readied my blade, trying my best to leave no opening. The creature once again used its tongue, this time launching it forward without any feints or tricks, just raw speed. I barely had time to jump out of the way as it shot behind me, shattering a rock in the process.

I was certainly glad to have avoided that attack; a direct hit would have been fatal. Before I could even regain my balance, I saw the gleeful glint in the creature's eyes.

Why would it?...

The creature turned its head, and the tongue, which I'd just put all my effort into avoiding, snapped like a whip across my ribs.

Wham

I could feel the breath leaving my body as I flew sideways into the wall. The impact stole the rest of my breath, leaving only the taste of iron.

I staggered, trying to remain on my feet. I lost grip on my blade, using all my strength just to stand. It clanged against the ground. Everything hurt.

I looked up, trying to focus on the creature, but instead, I saw its sharp claws inches away from my face. In the short time I had taken my eyes off the beast, it had already closed the distance.

At this distance, I couldn’t dodge. I couldn’t run, as the beast’s claws swiped at my face.

I recoiled as half my vision blurred crimson, then flashed white several times before vanishing entirely. The sharp, piercing pain was immeasurable. I instinctively reached up to my face. I could feel the damp stickiness of the blood pouring from my face.

Even with my blurred vision, I could see fresh blood coating the creature's claws. It lifted the blood-soaked claw and licked it clean with its tongue, never once breaking eye contact with me.

The creature’s reaction all but confirmed that it was intelligent. Worst of all, it was relishing in tormenting me. That annoyed me more than anything.

The creature stopped licking the blood and placed its foot back on the ground.

I had hoped, by some miracle, that my vision would return within that time, but only blackness remained. My situation had grown even more dire. I was backed up against a wall, hurting all over and notably, my eye was shooting sharp, stinging pain, leaving me with limited vision.

The creature's tongue began to spin like a vortex as I tried my best to keep track with my limited sight. Perhaps recognising my limited capabilities, the beast opted to close the distance once more. I was pinned against the wall.

I stopped trying to track it. Every second wasted looking was a second closer to death. I used my one working eye to scan around until I spotted it.

The tetanus blade.

It lay just beyond the creature. If I could just reach it, I'd still have a fighting chance.

The creature lifted itself to stand on its back legs, so it was face to face with me. The iron scent of blood was heavy on its breath. Then again, the blood I was smelling could well have been my own.

You would think being face to face with death would scare the hell out of you, but all I could do was let out a maddening laugh.

To hell with this reptilian beast.

To hell with the system.

To hell with everyone who ever looked down on me.

I might be on the brink of death, I might be unarmed, but I wouldn't fall so easily. Not until I'd taken everything from all those bastards.

I spat a mouthful of blood at the creature.

The blood sprayed across the creature’s face, making it flinch just long enough for me to barrel roll behind it and snatch up the blade.

The creature used its tongue to try to wipe the blood off its face. It turned to face me, its lips curling into a snarl.

“What? Are you sad I’m not going down that easily? Well, you better kill me quickly, because if not,” I pointed my blade at the beast, “I will kill you.”

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End of chapter 5