A new beginning with her (P.3) - Chapter 4

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In a dimly lit hallway, the only sound echoing through the stale air was the clanking of someone's footsteps against the old brick ground. The flickering torches mounted on the plain walls cast a dim orange glow that dances across the surface of the bricks, revealing their rough and weathered texture.

And in this weirdly long hallway that didn't seem to have an end, was Aoi. Her expression, which was that of a confused one, continued walking while holding what seemed to be like a chocolate in her hand.

'Where am I?' She thought to herself as she continued walking down what seemed to be a long hallway.

Even though she was simply trying to get something to eat near the storage area, she seemed to have found this weird place that could only be seen as an underground passage.

She didn't know from which direction she had come, which is why she attempted to walk forward with at least the objective of finding herself free from this place. Maybe that was the reason the boy never told her of this secret passage. This was the only way she could escape that land.

As she continued walking forward, her eyes darted to the side until she found a wider hallway and less light coming from the torches. 

She felt a bit uneasy, but if this meant her escape, she knew she had to swallow her fear away and keep moving forward.

"....."

However, she came to a stop the moment she heard clicking and thumping noises that were coming in front of her.

Even though those strange noises were coming nearby, there was nothing in front of her. It was as if something that wasn't there was gradually moving towards her. Slowly but steadily, those noises grew in number, making the pink-haired girl anxious about them.

She found them creepy and strange. However, the moment she glanced above, she noticed several green blobs of jelly-like things sticking on the ceiling of this hallway.

"A-ah…" She gasped for air as her eyes widened to their full extent, trying not to release any sounds. 

Those strange jelly-like creatures seemed to be moving weirdly as they continued making thumping noises, sticking every time they moved closer to Aoi. 

She wasn't sure or grasping any idea of what those were or what they were doing. That's why she looked at them while trying not to make any sudden movements or noises as she tried walking backwards.

However, the moment she took her second step back, one of the jelly-like blobs jumped down in an attempt to fall over Aoi's head.

"Kya!!"

Luckily, Aoi accidentally tripped on her own legs, dodging the crushing speed of this green jelly-like creature. While the jelly-like monster did not seem to be harmful, the impact of its body smashing the ground left a loud thump that indicated it would leave someone unconscious from its impact.

"N-no…"

As she tried to raise her head and sit on her butt, she looked a bit further down her legs and saw the jelly creature that seemed to have missed her.

But that jelly-like monster wasn't the only one. After the first one had fallen to the ground, several more attempted to finish their objective and send Aoi unconscious with their squishy weight.

"Agh!"

Aoi had already noticed that the other creatures were about to do the same as the first one, which is why she quickly got up and tried running away from them.

*Thump!* *squish* *Thump!* *squish* *Thump!* *squish* *Thump!* *squish*

Countless noises could be heard from behind as many of those jelly-like creatures that were the size of four footballs attempted to crash over the girl's head.

As she continued running with all of her might, she noticed the noises behind her were growing louder and closer to her. She knew that if she stopped even for a moment, those things would definitely get her. Even the ones on the ground that had fallen still continued humping great distances in order to get to her.

"Ha, haa, ha, ha, ha," Her panting grew faster and louder as the adrenaline went through her body.

If she slowed down even for a bit, she knew that her life would come to an end. That's why she sprinted with all she had, only to make herself waste all of her stamina.

As she continued running with all of her might, her eyes filled with slight tears from the speed she was running and the dust falling down the dusty hallways.

However, in one slight mistake of trying to clear her blurred, teary eyes, she tripped on her own legs once again, also straining her ankle from the way she felt.

"KYAA!!"

She tried getting up once again, but the moment she attempted to do so, she felt all of her strength fade away in an instant. She couldn't bring herself to get up again, and the fear of what was coming towards her made her lose track of what was going on.

As she continued panting in fear, she looked up at the upcoming jelly-like creatures that continued jumping towards her.

'No,' she thought to herself as tears started to flow down her cheeks, 'I don't want to die….'

She attempted to push herself away with one leg and her hands while remaining on her butt. But her speed was way too slow compared to the upcoming jelly-like creatures. And she was aware that any second now, those creatures were going to reach her.

It was simply a matter of seconds before she met her end.

And as the creatures grew closer, her panting grew louder as warm tears continued rolling down her cheeks.