"We are finally getting out of here!" one from the thugs spoke excitingly as he sees a ray of hope.
They raise up their speed further just to reach their destination.
They don't stop even with faces of hundred men were standing in front of them.
Do not stop or else you lose, you lose you will not escape, you will not escape you will die.
This is what is in the minds of the people struggling to escape.
They don't know how they will be killed and don't even bother to know it.
Just three meters ahead.
Leo, Riza, and Jacob are still fighting non-stop like a human-machine, Leo is the only one taking attention as he beat more guards than the others leaving the two to do surprise attacks freely without any of the guards' attention.
Just two meters ahead.
Mike has done so far is only hiding at the thugs' back and staring at the dinghies that were already in a position to be dropped.
He questions himself; (Is this coincidence?)
But even with him overthinking it will not help them in this situation.
Their means of escape is already in their sight, why would they hesitate?
One meter ahead.
And just that.
A sound of screeching noise comes from above of their heads.
The people did not bother to look up nor to notice as they are only focusing on their front.
Mike is the only one who looks up.
His nightmares that he thought that he could just run away is there at the roof of the ship.
The creepy like-parasite bigger than the size of a human is crawling down from the walls of the ship towards them.
Like it deceives your eyes the worm's speed is fast as the speed of a running dog.
Mike gathers his breath but this time he only puts a little power.
"EVERYONE THERE IS SOMETHING AT THE TOP! DO NOT STOP RUNNING! RUN AWAY FROM IT!"
With his loud voice, he gathers everyone's attention to look up and saw the worm-like creature crawling to them.
"GAH! What the fuck is that!?"
"I don't want to be eaten by that!"
"Oy! Don't stop running I don't want to die here!"
They don't know what the fuck is that worm nor asks if that thing is hostile or not.
With its razor-sharp teeth going around its mouth with blood dripping from the edges. Does it show that its a harmless creature?
Following their instincts, they know that thing is a bad thing especially for Daniel and Mike who sees that thing eating human flesh.
"Seriously!?" shouted in a complaint by Daniel who is getting carried by Ray.
"What i-is that thing!?" even the guards were surprised and terrified seeing the creature showing that the worm is not from their side.
(It was supposed to be dead! How!?) thought in frustration by Mike.
Still, the thing has still not reached them so everyone runs with all of their might that even the guards are running away from it.
With that thing crawling like the speed of a dog with blood dripping out from its mouth no wonder everyone is terrified.
The frontline has reached their destination and the young ones and the girls quickly get on board on the boats first.
The looks of the boats are different than those you see. Maybe because this is a large vessel the small boats are not actually that small as it can fit more than thirty people.
Mike may call it a small boats but this is a boat where it secures people's lives in an emergency, a lifeboat.
The lifeboats are covered from bottom to top with an orange color roof and a white color bottom with two doors on every side.
Others are trying to bring down the boats into the sea but don't know how would they do it as they are only staring at the ropes.
"Is this how complicated just to bring down the boat!?" Someone from the people voiced in the complaint.
No one replies to his complaint as he only staring at the boat but after a few seconds, the boat goes down on its own making the man bewilder at the scene even tho the boat is still not full.
"You can make the boat go down from inside! No need to do something with the ropes!" Mike shouted giving them clear information on what to do.
Good thing that the lifeboats are large enough for all of the people even if one was already deployed.
With Mike quick thinking he divides the people into three groups for them to go in the remaining boats without extra time wasted.
The middle group where Ray and Daniel are arrived at the place in time and proceed to let the girls and the young one get on board first.
They throw(literally) the bodies of the people who are unconscious inside like throwing the trash to the garbage. Mike was the one who suggested that because he thinks that it was a quick way to transport people in this situation.
"Oy! That damn hurts!" Daniel raised his complaint as he got thrown into the floor inside the boat by Ray.
"Sorry!" Ray apologize but Mike didn't as he focuses himself arranging the people to go inside in every lifeboat available.
"Ray, get into the boat first."
"B-but I can't leave-"
"Just listen to me this is not your usual danger that even I normally face."
"....Okay. I'll wait for you down there."
"Yeah. thanks."
After their conversation, Ray gets in the lifeboat along with Daniel who was already inside.
While they are in the middle of boarding the lifeboats, a shout of agony voice can be heard near their distance.
"GAH!!"
Mike quickly take a look and saw three thugs are headless as they are getting chewed by the worm creature.
Blood flows out from their necks as they are now just a lump of food for the worm.
Bullets still can be seen from the worm's body making Mike feel hopeless as he thought that this worm was supposed to be dead when he shot it with a fully loaded gun.
Not only that after the worm ate two thugs it grew countless human-like feet and hands from all over its body making the worm more terrifying and disgusting.
The vicinity of the worm is now empty as most of the people left the scene because of the terrifying scene that the worm made.
No one dares to take revenge when they saw their friends dying in front of them in agony.
Carlo's group arrived at the scene and saw the spectacle and feel scared and hopeless as he saw his thugs dying.
The worm did not stop as he has now limbs he leaps through the air and landed in the middle of the crowd of people who were trying to escape in boats.
The people tried to run away from it but it was futile as they got their necks grabbed by the worm with its multiple limbs.
Without even a single second of delay, a snapping sound can be heard from their necks as they died in an instant.
They thought that their only enemies are human guards but did not- no, no one expects that they would encounter something that even their nightmare could not show.
Only one lifeboat had been dropped into the sea and the people inside It didn't know what's happening at the deck as they only stay inside waiting for others also to be dropped down.
Thirteen thugs and eight guards were eaten alive in just a short time.
If they had their stomach full of food they would probably vomit right now because of the scene.
A pool of blood is all around the floor and the people near are been showered by blood because the worm is wiggling its hole head as it eating something.
They could call it good news or not because the guards are cannot be seen around as they run away, maybe because of their higher-up's order or because they were overwhelmed by the sense of fear. No one knew.
Leo is trying to force Riza and Jacob to go inside one of the lifeboats because it was inside dangerous outside.
"No! We will stay beside you no matter what!" said Riza in angry and sad tone as Riza can't leave Leo his brother behind.
"We don't need your permission for us to not stay behind so get lost, Leo!" said Jacob in an aggressive manner.
They may have a bad mouth to talk to Leo like that because they cared about their leader Leo as no matter how experienced fighter he can be it's futile as he can't fight a creature that has countless creepy limbs.
Still even Leo felt their determination he can't let them die here nor let himself die.
(I want to be a better fighter. If only I practice more often.)
"Sorry," Leo apologizes to the two as he looks down to the ground hiding his face to them.
The two didn't know what he means as they feel that their feet are not touching the ground.
"W-what!? Hey!"
"Brother!"
They are being carried by the two tallest men in the thugs.
Carlo notice that Leo really cared about them as he orders his people to take care of two even without Leo's permission. The two have been carried inside the lifeboat as they struggle in falter.
And two lifeboats were dropped into the sea.
One left.
Leo raises his head and realizes what Carlo has done but instead to be angry he thanks him.
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I don't care about your feelings right now. I need you to stall the monster until everyone has been on board."
"O-Okay. That is an easy task." Leo tried to keep his cool expression but can't as his mouth is forcing to go down preventing him to smile like he used to.
Leo heard Carlo's order loud and clear that he will prevent that thing to reach them. He thought that he has been ordered to die in battle sacrificing his single life in exchange for hundreds of them.
While he looks at the monster who is still busy eating more than twenty people into its mouth someone goes beside him touching his shoulder.
He turns his head slightly to look at the one who is beside him, It was Carlo.
"You must follow my order for everyone's sake. If you thought that you will die alone as a hero too bad because I will take all of the honor. I even told Rin that spread the story of me staying behind alone and die as a hero. Of course, you are not included in my story because I still hate you especially that brat."
Leo can't comprehend what did he mean but he knows that Carlo will also stay behind.
He feels like a heavy sensation has been lifted from his heart.
(That fucker eats too much of my people like hell I will let that monster be alive.)
Still, the casualties are still rising as others are still near to the worm's reach. It can't be helped that even Carlo who deeply cares about his thugs is holding his feelings as he only watches them die.
Leo brings out a baton that he gotten from the man in the military suits and Carlo also brings out his baton but different than Leo's.
This is the only weapon they obtained so they got no choice to use this wishing that it could hurt the monster even a little with their weapon in hand.
While they are waiting for the monster to get near them, Mike is planning to escape along with others as he only thinks of his safety.
He knew that Carlo and Leo are gonna sacrifice their lives but didn't give a shit.
(As long I take the casualties into a minimum Carlo will thank me in the afterlife.) He didn't try to hold back his feeling like he stopping the feeling of guilt on his heart. If he wanted to escape he will be already inside the lifeboat sailing away without waiting for any of them but he didn't instead he let others go onboard first.
He let others go first not because of guilt... He didn't even feel guilty in the first place.
Instead... He feels...
Envy.
Not to the people who are escaping, but he envies Carlo and Leo who were about to fight that monster.
(Tch.)
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