A TROVE OF MONSTERS (I)

The night drew near, and the sounds of beasts continued to echo, seemingly closing in on them.

"Man, I think the blood is attracting them here," Mark said, noticing the distinct smell of blood in the room. If a human could smell it, then the beasts could too.

Without any hesitation, they packed what they felt was needed and stealthily made their way out of the bathroom, careful not to attract any attention.

Leo, however, lagged behind. He returned to the bathroom, quietly snapped the neck of the baby rat, and emerged, following the rest as if nothing had happened.

A notification sounded, adding a point to Leo's soul energy.

The emergency lights dimly illuminated their path as they tried to find a place to hide. Surprisingly they did not come across any beast as most if not all of them seemed to have gone out hunting or been attracted to the blood.

They stumbled upon a surprisingly empty room, once a club room, locked since the torrential flood descended. Mark unskillfully shoved a dagger into the keyhole, breaking it with his newfound strength.

The other two quickly followed him inside, closing the door behind them. The growls hisses, and other beastly sounds felt so close that they seemed just next door.

They huddled together in the dark room, afraid that any lights might attract passing beasts.

"I guess this is where we'll spend the night," Mark declared.

"Yep, if you have a glow stick, break it. it should be safe now" Leo suggested.

Mark broke the glow stick, illuminating the room. The floor of the room was littered with clothes, needles, and broken sewing machines, as it had once been a fashion club's club room.

"Man, do you think we could make use of these electrical sewing machines... the mechanical ones are even here?" Mark inquired.

"Yeah, but that should be tomorrow. Let's rest for now," Leo said as he found himself a sofa to sit on. The sofa was damp, but not entirely uncomfortable. With his endurance stat, he could handle a few cold nights.

"Get yourself somewhere to sleep," he suggested.

"Are we not sleeping together tonight?" Anne asked a puzzled expression on her face.

"No, not tonight. We will be in a pickle if we are all attacked at once," Mark chimed in.

"Okay, that sounds about right."

Every club had at least two leather student mattresses available for those who wished to stay the night. Most students attempted to take advantage of this, but the presence of security cameras prevented them from doing so. This arrangement allowed serious students to use the mattresses without encountering any issues or raising suspicions.

Mark and Anne found suitable mattresses and proceeded to rest, each keeping a weapon by their side.

*******

Leo attempted to speak, but his voice eluded him. His body felt limp, his heart racing. With closed eyes, he willed his status screen and noticed that his vitality had dropped and seemed to be decreasing.

"What's going on... poison, paralysis... I guess I've gotten myself trapped by some kind of monster," Leo thought to himself.

He tried to wiggle his body, but it was in vain. He could barely feel anything, and the strength in his body seemed to be dwindling as time passed. His breathing became heavy, and he started to hyperventilate.

"Leo!"

"Leo!"

"..."

He heard his name as his mind slipped in and out of consciousness. The sounds of his name were faint, making it feel like a dream or hallucination. But he was on the verge of death, so it didn't matter if it was real or not; he would grasp at any glimmer of hope.

Summoning his remaining strength, Leo shouted, "I... am... Here."

He shouted, but he couldn't hear his voice, only feeling the vibration the sound had created.

"Mark, I found him," Anne's almost enchanting voice sounded as it drew closer to the cocoon that held Leo.

Carefully and steadily, Mark cut open the cocoon, and Leo emerged from it.

Leo's eyes fluttered open, his gaze meeting that of his best friend, who looked worried, his breathing heavy.

*******

The night was silent as they sought refuge in the club room, unaware that a lurking predator was hidden amongst them. This stealthy creature silently absorbed air through its book lungs, careful not to draw any attention.

As time passed, the room was filled with the rhythmic sound of their breathing, signaling to the predator that the time for a hunt had come. The closest target was Leo, who lay on a sofa closest to the cupboard the creature his behind.

With its nearly pitch-black body, it blended perfectly into the darkness, striking when least expected. This creature had a massive body, almost the size of a ten-year-old child, and its legs spanned an astonishing 20 inches.

Quietly, it crept up on Leo, injecting him with its paralyzing venom and swiftly carrying him away into the unknown darkness.

However, its insatiable greed would be its undoing. It returned to attempt the same with Mark, who was closer to the cupboard. In doing so, it accidentally stepped on Mark's bag, causing a distinctive metallic clicking sound. Mark, partially asleep, was jolted awake, and his gaze met the creature's eight pitch-black eyes, which seemed to draw you in the longer you stared.

On pure instinct, Mark punched the creature, sending it flying onto the sofa and crashing into the cupboard. The creature, recovering quickly, appeared somewhat embarrassed and rushed behind the cupboard, vanishing into the darkness.

The commotion had awakened Anne, who rubbed her eyes and searched for the source of the disturbance.

"Leo..."

Mark's voice trembled with fear and panic as he uttered their friend's name.

Anne's eyes shifted to the sofa, realizing that Leo was no longer there. Though the room was dimly lit, there was enough illumination to reveal their friend's absence.

Mark swiftly grabbed a few weapons and a couple of glow sticks as he hurried to pursue the arachnid.

Anne followed closely behind, her heart racing with fear, dreading what might have happened to their friend.

Mark pushed the cupboard away, revealing a large hole through which the monster had crawled. It was small, so he had to crawl through it, which he did.

With the glow stick illuminating his way, he finally emerged on the other side, finding a club room similar to the one they were in but unrecognizable. The spider's webs had transformed it, giving it a whole new appearance. Cocoons of different shapes and sizes lay in a corner, serving as the beast's source of sustenance.

In a rush, Mark headed toward the cocoon area, fearing that Leo might be one of the captives.

Anne, who had followed closely behind, surveyed the room, desperately searching for Leo. The glow stick she held illuminated her path as she continued her quest. The arachnid watched them, biding its time for the perfect moment to strike.

Mark called out for Leo, and he responded, enabling them to locate his cocoon.

*******

Leo gazed at his friend's face, a smile of gratitude on his lips. However, his expression changed as he noticed the monster behind them, its front legs raised and poised to attack his friends.

He desperately tried to shout a warning, but his voice was cloaked, leaving him unable to utter a word as he watched impending doom approaching his unsuspecting friends, who had their backs turned toward the creature.