Escape in Blood and Shadows

Caspian's breath came in ragged gasps, his lungs burning as if he had been breathing fire.

His grip on Bloodmoon tightened, the blade slick with blood-his, theirs, he wasn't sure anymore.

His body was failing him.

His wounds screamed with every breath, every movement.

And yet, the monsters didn't stop.

They knew.

They could smell the exhaustion clinging to him, could hear the weakness in his breathing.

Predators.

The six-legged beast, its crimson eyes glowing, let out a deep, guttural growl.

Its claws, already dripping with blood, dug into the earth, carving trenches as it prepared to lunge

The others followed, their twisted bodies forming a semicircle around him, each step deliberate, each second bringing them closer.

Caspian staggered back, his boots slipping against the bloodied dirt.

Zareth lay behind him-unmoving, defenseless.

Too many.

Too fast.

Too strong.