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“This way!” Talan urged, directing me in a zigzag pattern, a desperate attempt to confuse our pursuer.
But each turn, each effort to divert our path, felt increasingly futile.
The creature’s presence was like a dark cloud over us, closing in faster than we could run.
Suddenly, our frantic escape led us to a precipice we hadn’t anticipated.
A sheer cliff face stretched high above us, its craggy surface offering no easy handholds, no means of ascent.
It was as if the world had run out of space for us.
We were cornered.
Heart racing, I turned with Talan to face our doom.
Bursting from the forest’s edge, the creature finally came into view, and its sheer size was awe-inspiring.
Its eyes, deep-set and devoid of warmth, locked onto Talan.
A menacing rumble rolled off its frame, vibrating the very air we breathed.
Time seemed to stretch, each second feeling like an eternity.
Memories of our journey together played out in my mind’s eye.
From our tumultuous first meeting to the intricate dance of trust we’d built in this foreign land, every shared glance, every moment of vulnerability.
The thought of losing him was unbearable.
With the creature’s attention fixed on Talan, and him squaring off against it, I realized the truth of my earlier comment:
“If you die, you won’t reset. If anyone should bear the brunt of danger, it should be me.”
Without a second thought, I moved to act on this impulse.
With all the strength left in me, I thrust myself between Talan and the oncoming behemoth, just as it prepared to snap its jaws around him.
I could hear Talan’s shout of protest, feel the tension in the hand that still held mine.
I released his hold, just in case he was consumed along with me.
But it was too late to turn back.
My vision filled with the image of those massive jaws, the stink of rotting flesh in its mouth, and an overpowering sense of finality washed over me.
Snap!
Its jaws slammed shut around me, consuming me with darkness.
* * *
“Ten…”
I blinked my eyes open to the familiar translucent walls of the pod.
The greenish hue that always greeted my resurrection was still unsettling.
My heart raced, recalling the final moments of that terrifying beast and the sharp bite of its jaws.
