Divide and Conquer

Drip... Drip... Drip... plop... The sound of dripping blood was almost musical, a steady plink... plink... plink, punctuated by the occasional wet thud as a piece of flesh fell to the ground.

A pungent and earthy stench filled the air, like moldy soil or decaying matter, which assaulted their nostrils. The air grew heavy, weighed down by an unseen presence, as the figure's body shifted from Kousuke's corpse to face them.

The axe glinted in the torchlight as the figure took a single step forward. They all flinched in unison. At that moment, Haruki backed away, his red eyes fixed on the figure. 

The figure advanced slowly, its steps deliberate and menacing. They stood frozen in fear, except for Haruki, Yuna, and Ryota, who were already scanning their surroundings for anything that could be used for self-defense.

Haruki grabbed the horror-stricken Hina and muttered, his voice shaking: 

“We need to run, now.” 

“W-What? But what about our frie—"

"Listen to me, if we don’t run now, we're going to die, understand.” 

“But—” 

Haruki yanked Hina's arm and sprinted in the opposite direction, his footsteps thundering on the ground. Ryota saw them fleeing and exchanged a glance with Yuna, and they both nodded, taking off after Haruki and Hina.

The figure raised its axe and hurled it. The blade spun through the air, sinking into Akane's forehead with a sickening crunch, releasing a spray of blood and matter. 

Akane's supporting hand fell away, and her knees buckled, her blood splattering the ground. Everyone stared in horror at Akane, her blood pooling on the floor. Kazune's eyes went wide with terror, while Takumi's eyes shook rapidly as he supported her.

“AhhhHHHH…..” 

“Screeeeeee……”

“AaaaahhhHHHHH….” 

Their blood-curdling screams echoed through the empty hallway, reaching the four escapees' ears. Takumi lifted Kazune onto his back and sprinted towards the light, the others following close behind.

The figure pulled the axe from Akane's head, revealing a deep gash that oozed blood, trickling down her lifeless face. The torn skin was red and puffy, with a jagged edge that seemed to pulse with each heartbeat. 

A flap of skin hung loose, revealing a patch of bone underneath, and blood dripped steadily onto the ground. The figure's body evaporated into thin air, disappearing completely.

*****

Haruki's face tensed as he heard their screams, and he picked up the pace, pulling Hina along. They reached a dead end with two doors on either side. 

Haruki hesitated, knowing that choosing the wrong door would be fatal but Hina's voice broke through his thoughts:

“Haruki, what do we do?” 

Haruki made up his mind as he shook his head slightly, I'm not going to die, not yet—not until I've gotten her out of here… He murmured to himself, opening the left door and pulling Hina through it.

They found themselves in a pitch-black room, the only visible things being their colorful clothes. Haruki leaned against the door, holding Hina close as she trembled in fear. 

Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching the dead end. Haruki's grip tightened, and Hina's eyes locked onto his. The footsteps stopped, and an oppressive silence fell.

When Haruki opened his eyes, he was met with a shocking sight. The door was gone, replaced by a solid wall.

“What—the—F*ck?” 

He stammered, his eyes wide with an intensity. Hina looked at him, a confused expression flashing on her face:

 “Haruki, what's wrong?”

 “The door… it's… it's gone…” 

Hina's eyes widened in horror, “There’s no way… why—why is this happening to us?!!!” she cried, her voice rising to a frantic pitch.

*****

Meanwhile, Ryota and Yuna had reached the dead end and found only one door, the one on the right. They entered, closing the door behind them. The room was dimly lit by the moonlight, it was massive and empty. 

“Hey, Ryota-kun. What should we do about the others? Won't they be killed by that… thing?” Yuna asked. 

“I'm not sure. The only thing we can do is stay alive and hope they'll make it out okay,” Ryota replied.

As they moved forward, Yuna felt a cold touch on her neck, like ice sliding over her skin. She spun around, but then her eyes landed on something in particular. The door. It was now gone, replaced by a smoothly paved bloody wall.

“Uh… Ryota-kun… We might have a slight issue.” 

Ryota turned, his face curious, and saw that the door was indeed gone. Suddenly, a step echoed through the room, and Ryota's heart began to pound. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he clenched his fists. 

A small bloody footprint marked the floor, followed by another. In an instant, Ryota felt an unseen presence constrict his windpipe, his feet dangling in the air. Yuna gasped, frozen in place, as Ryota struggled to catch his breath.

*****

The other four sprinted towards the dead end, their footsteps echoing off the walls. 

"What was that thing?" 

Shinjiro asked, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Takumi's gaze flicked towards the door ahead, his eyes scanning it frantically.

"Not sure, but it's definitely not human."

Mei's sobs broke out, her tears streaming down her face. "I'm so scared... I want to go home..." Her voice cracked, and her round features were distorted by her crying. 

Kazune's eyes welled up with tears, and she joined Mei in sobbing, their cries resonating in unison. Takumi's expression turned grim as he opened the door.

"It's too late for that. Now we need to focus on surviving, that's… The only thing we can do at this point."

He pushed through the doorway, Kazune still clinging to his back. Mei and Shinjiro followed, their footsteps pounding the ground in unison. The door slammed shut behind them with a deafening click.

*****

While Haruki and Hina were about to face a new terror. A creature emerged, its arms disturbingly human-like, its face a twisted mockery of a grin. 

Six eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and its four legs ended in razor-sharp talons that scraped against the ground with a deafening screech. 

"H-huh... huh..." 

Hina took shallow breaths, her lungs refusing to function. Haruki's gaze was fixed on the creature's eyes, his stare unwavering. 

What—the—Hell—is... that?