Chapter 8 CHAPTER EIGHT

The scream shook the entire chamber.

Not just loud, but painful. The sound slammed into Adrian hard enough to make his vision blur for a second as the Broodmother pulled itself free from the cocoon. Thick black fluid poured from its enormous body while the newborn predators surrounding the chamber screeched wildly in response, then they rushed forward together.

“Run!” the woman shouted, Adrian moved instantly.

The floor beneath them pulsed violently as they sprinted between piles of bones and organic pillars while pale creatures flooded after them from every direction. Some crawled across the ceiling while others leaped directly over the bone piles with terrifying speed. One landed in front of Adrian He swung the axe hard,the blade split through the creature’s skull, but another one immediately crashed into his back before he could recover. Claws ripped across his shoulder and sent him stumbling forward.

The woman spun beside him and drove her spear through the creature’s throat, “Keep moving!”

The Broodmother shrieked again behind them, the newborn predators became even faster. Adrian could hear their claws scraping against the floor right behind him now. His lungs burned violently while sweat mixed with blood across his face, the chamber ahead narrowed into another tunnel,too narrow. “Don’t stop!” the woman yelled, a creature suddenly dropped from the ceiling directly onto her.

She screamed as both of them crashed hard against the wall. The spear flew from her hands while the newborn predator clawed wildly toward her face.

Adrian reacted before thinking, He buried the axe into the creature’s side and ripped it away from her.

The thing screeched violently and bit deep into his forearm, pain exploded through him, Adrian slammed the creature repeatedly against the tunnel wall until its skull cracked open, black blood splattered across his chest, the woman grabbed her spear again, breathing hard. “You’re bleeding.” “I noticed.”

Another shriek echoed behind them.

Closer,too close the tunnel walls suddenly trembled.

Adrian looked back just in time to see the Broodmother forcing its massive body through the chamber entrance. Bone-like limbs pierced directly through the organic walls as it crawled toward them with horrifying speed despite its size.

And those human eyes never left Adrian.

The system window flashed violently before him.

Broodmother fixation detected, warning. You have been marked. “What does that mean?” Adrian muttered, the woman glanced at him sharply. “What?” He didn’t answer because something inside him twisted painfully at that exact moment.

The hunger.

No; not hunger, Recognition.

The moment the Broodmother looked at him, something deep inside Adrian reacted instinctively. His chest tightened while flashes of unfamiliar memories flickered briefly through his mind,dark tunnels, feeding pits, countless pale creatures surrounding something larger, A queen, Adrian nearly stumbled, the feeling vanished immediately afterward, but it left something behind, Fear, Not his fear the Nest’s.

“Adrian!” The woman grabbed his arm before he slammed into the tunnel wall. The creatures were still chasing them, dozens now the tunnel twisted downward sharply before opening into a larger organic corridor lined with fleshy sacs hanging from the ceiling. Most were empty, some moved. Adrian’s breathing became uneven again, everything down here reproduced, Evolved, Fed. The Nest wasn’t just alive It was building an ecosystem, a loud crack echoed behind them.

The Broodmother had entered the tunnel.

Its enormous limbs tore directly through the walls while smaller predators scattered away from it instinctively. The creature moved strangely for something so large, almost spider-like, dragging itself through the tunnel with bursts of horrifying speed.

The woman cursed under her breath. “We can’t outrun that thing.” Adrian already knew, His stamina was dropping too fast.

Stamina: 8/100 Physical condition critical.

His legs felt heavier with every step, then he noticed something ahead,a narrow gap split through the tunnel wall, partially hidden behind hanging flesh. Water dripped from inside the opening, No, Not water,Black fluid. The woman saw it too. “In there!”

They forced themselves through the gap just as the Broodmother slammed into the corridor behind them. The impact shook the entire tunnel violently.

Adrian barely squeezed through before collapsing hard onto cold stone. Stone, not flesh, he looked up immediately the chamber surrounding them was different from every part of the Nest they had seen so far, The organic growth stopped at the entrance.

Beyond that point, the walls were ancient stone covered in faded symbols and deep claw marks. Massive broken pillars stretched upward into darkness while cold air drifted through the chamber instead of the humid heat of the Nest.

Even the sounds changed, the shrieking outside became distant, Muted.

The woman slowly stood beside him, staring around uneasily. “This place…” Adrian felt it too, the Nest was avoiding this area, a low grinding noise suddenly echoed through the chamber both of them froze.

Something moved in the darkness ahead.

Walking, heavy footsteps approached slowly between the ruined pillars. Adrian tightened his grip around the axe despite his exhaustion, a tall figure emerged from the shadows moments later, Human.

At least mostly, the man wore dark armor stitched together from monster bones and carried a massive blade across one shoulder. Deep scars covered his exposed arms while one side of his face looked partially consumed by black vein-like growths similar to Adrian’s own mutations, the stranger’s eyes locked onto Adrian instantly.

Then his expression changed.

Recognition.

“You,” the armored man said quietly.

The Broodmother outside suddenly screamed loud enough to shake the ruins.

And the stranger slowly reached for his sword.