Flash Freeze Horror

"Priya, should we head outside? I feel we may need to melt some water." Hendrix stated while feeling his mouth dry.

"I think so too. I can't survive more than three days without water." Priya replied before getting up and picking Hendrix up despite her gritting her teeth.

"Priya, if it hurts you more to carry me, then put me down." Hendrix expressed.

"No need Hendrix. It's alright. I'll still carry you." Priya replied.

"You know we both have broken bones. And you have more broken." Hendrix countered.

"It's alright. I want to carry you right now." Priya comforted while thinking about what if she followed through with Hendrix's decision before imagining him crying in agony and misery.

"Priya, are you okay?" Hendrix asked.

"I will not let you go and allow you to suffer more. You've had enough torment in your life, Hendrix!" Priya yelled as her eyes began glowing brightly.

Hendrix nodded after realizing how much Priya cared about him and knowing he wasn't strong enough to leave her embrace.

"I'm glad you're okay with this. Now I will move you off of me, and when we're out, I'll carry you again. I don't want you to suffer, Hendrix." Priya stated while squeezing Hendrix tightly subconsciously.

"Priya! You're hugging me too tight!" Hendrix yelled while feeling his body's bones creak and tears fall from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Hendrix." Priya expressed while loosening her grip and rubbing Hendrix's back.

Hendrix wheezed and cried in Priya's embrace from the pain.

"I-I hurt you. I-I-I." Priya stuttered before kissing Hendrix's forehead while guilt ate her up. It became even worse after realizing she cracked a lot of his bones a bit as she lay with Hendrix on her.

Priya wanted to cry but couldn't and just rubbed Hendrix's head and back and tried to comfort him. After about an hour, he calmed down.

"Hendrix, are you okay?" Priya asked while nuzzling his forehead softly.

"I'm better now. Let's continue with the plan." Hendrix suggested.

Priya nodded before picking up Hendrix and placing him on the ground. Afterward, she left the cave, and at the entrance, she turned around and opened her arms.

Not long after, Hendrix also left the cave, and Priya picked him up gently and laid his head on her chest.

"Now relax and listen to my heartbeat, the wind and humming Hendrix. Let them lull you into a relaxed state." Priya stated while she began softly humming while walking.

'I think I should stay here now.' Hendrix thought before he followed Priya's suggestion and listened to her gentle heartbeat and humming while the wind whistled by.

After about fifteen minutes, Priya stopped walking after pondering about their options.

"Hendrix, rest here. I'll get us some snow to consume cold." Priya stated while putting Hendrix down.

"Wait, why are we going to consume them cold? These might be pathogens or fungi within." Hendrix stated.

"If I could, I would, Hendrix. However, we don't have anything to boil water inside. So we'll have to make do with eating frozen water, besides we only have one day before we can leave this place." Priya explained.

"Alright, let's just hope the snow doesn't have anything hazardous. My body is pitifully weak." Hendrix replied.

Priya nodded before grabbing plenty of snow and sitting and eating some, and giving some to Hendrix. When Hendrix received it, he began chewing the snow. However, the taste made him cringe and gag, but he still ate it.

"It doesn't taste good, Hendrix, but it'll hopefully help us survive until this trial ends." Priya stated.

Hendrix agreed while eating as much snow as he could before he felt full and felt it melt inside himself. Additionally, he felt his body's core temperature drop dramatically. Consequently, his body began to shiver violently.

Luckily Priya noticed this, and after eating enough snow to quench her thirst, she picked him up and hugged his face into her chest.

"Shh. I got you. I'll keep you and myself warm, Hendrix. Just relax, and we'll rest here until we can leave." Priya stated before she began rubbing Hendrix's back.

"Thanks, Priya." Hendrix replied In a muffled tone.

"Your welcome, Hendrix." Priya replied while gently ruffling Hendrix's hair.

For about four hours, Priya and Hendrix rested. However, this was the calm before the storm, as from afar, they saw Thiago running in their direction with a ghastly expression.

"Run!" Thiago yelled while running past the duo and heading toward the cave.

Priya looked back in Thiago's direction before gazing at where he came from, and her eyes contracted. However, she stayed calm and didn't tell Hendrix what she saw.

The creature she saw had four long spindly limbs connected to a thin circular part in the middle. Above this part was a small pillar with a giant crescent-like head upon it that elongated far backward. Below the head's front lay three octopus-like eyes, One large one in the middle and two smaller ones further back and on each side of the middle eye. Additionally, five long claw-like appendages were at the bottom of the pillar.

Below and between its legs lay a sea of tentacles. Additionally, a metal covering surrounded most of its body except the three eyes. Subsequently, the creature let out a loud sound that sounded like a mix between a loud wolf howl and a horn.

"Hendrix heading back to the cave. There is something that resembles the Necromechanical Terror in your memories looking at us." Priya expressed while she began to run in a zigzag pattern.

"My goodness, my curse of Majesty is horrible!" Hendrix yelled in a muffled voice.

The thing brought out a single tendril from its right side and aimed it at Priya. It glowed an eerie blue hue briefly before shooting a blue beam at Priya. However, it missed by a few inches and seemed to do nothing that could harm it.

'Although that beam seems harmless, I'm not willing to risk our safety testing it.' Priya thought while continuing to dodge the beams and trying to escape pursuit.

After about ten minutes of running, the pain of her broken bones got worse, and exhaustion started to show.

'Oh no, I'm going to tire too quickly.' Priya thought before she saw the cave and entered with Hendrix in her arms, not caring about the pain.

Subsequently, the thing stopped firing beams. However, it approached the cave and began stomping on the ground above it, trying to break inside.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, Thiago also hid, crying violently.

"What is that thing!?" Thiago yelled.

Priya stayed silent and cradled Hendrix gently. And for the rest of the day, the thing stomped on the ground above the cave, trying to scare its occupants out. However, five minutes before the three days were up, the cave ceiling started showing signs of weakening.

"Priya, let me go, and I'll face the thing alone and draw its attention away from you two." Hendrix ordered.

"I-I. Okay, but we'll talk when we leave this place." Priya stated before letting Hendrix go.

"You're going to face that thing alone?" Thiago asked.

"Yes. Now goodbye." Hendrix replied before rushing out of the cave and waving his hands at the thing while gritting his teeth in pain as tears fell from his eyes. However, when that didn't work, he threw rocks at it.

The thing turned to Hendrix and aimed its tendril at him, preparing to fire. However, Hendrix readied himself, and when the beam fired, he tried to avoid it. However, his right foot was too slow and instantly froze.

'This thing's rays flash freeze?!' Hendrix thought as his eyes widened as he struggled to walk with a frozen foot.

The thing readied its tendril and shot another ray at Hendrix.

This time Hendrix tried to dodge to the side. However, his left arm was flash-frozen. Additionally, Hendrix felt mind-numbing pain from his snapped spine and frozen foot and arm.

Five minutes eventually pass as Hendrix distracts the thing. However, he paid a grievous price. All his limbs were frozen solid, and his torso was as well.

"Ugh..."

[Three-day duration of your stay has ended. Teleporting all survivors back to Palmerth Academies portal room]

[3...2...1]

[Teleport commencing]

Afterward, Hendrix, Priya, and Thiago Teleported out of the forbidden section of the Pocket dimension of the dead.