The monster slowly leaned its head forward.
A pair of glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness.
William tightened his grip on his gun, his voice low and controlled.
"I have a pistol on my right holster," he said without looking back. "Take it—for protection."
Vella quickly reached for it, her hands trembling.
William stepped forward slightly, eyes locked on the creature, carefully watching every movement it made.
Then—
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The monster unleashed a deafening scream.
The sound echoed violently through every hallway of the mall, shaking the air itself.
Vella flinched.
William didn't.
The creature suddenly lunged.
Fast.
Too fast.
"MOVE!" William shouted.
He shoved Vella aside and rolled across the floor, narrowly dodging the monster's massive claws as they slammed into the tiles, cracking them on impact.
William raised his gun—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunfire exploded through the mall.
The muzzle flash lit up the darkness in violent bursts.
The clawed monster sprinted like a wild animal, closing the distance instantly. It swung again—
William flipped backward, barely avoiding the strike, then sprinted sideways while continuing to fire.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets tore into the creature's body.
But it didn't stop.
It kept coming.
Relentless.
Savage.
William gritted his teeth.
"Die already!"
He reloaded—
Then fired again.
And again.
Three magazines.
Gone.
The creature let out another ear-piercing scream—
SKREEEEEEEEE!
For a split second…
It paused.
William saw it.
An opening.
He dropped to one knee, steadying his aim.
Everything slowed.
His breathing.
His heartbeat.
His focus locked onto the monster's head.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three precise shots.
One bullet pierced straight through its skull.
The monster staggered.
It didn't fall.
But it stopped.
Frozen.
Stunned.
"That's it…" William muttered.
He stood up instantly and kept firing.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
More bullets slammed into its head.
The creature finally dropped to its knees.
William didn't hesitate.
He slung the empty gun aside and reached for the axe strapped to his back.
With a powerful step forward—
He swung with everything he had.
WHACK!
The blade tore clean through the monster's neck.
Its head separated from its body and crashed onto the floor.
The body collapsed a second later.
Silence.
Heavy.
Deadly.
William stood still, chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. Blood dripped from the axe in his hand.
Then slowly…
He lifted his head and looked up into the dark upper floor of the mall.
His voice came out cold.
"…If there's more of you…"
He tightened his grip on the axe.
"Come out."