CHAPTER 11: Behind the Door - Uninvited Guest

Frozen. Kaelen didn't dare breathe. Every muscle in his body was locked tight, tighter than a drum. His palms felt sticky with the [Adhesive Slime] he'd activated without thinking. His eyes were glued to the thin metal sheet he'd used as a door, straining in the near-total darkness.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

There it was again. Soft. Almost gentle? No, that couldn't be right. Nothing in this world felt gentle. Was it testing the barrier? Trying to figure out what it was? Who was behind it?

"Who is it? What is it?" The questions screamed inside his head, but he didn't make a sound. His mind raced. Could it be the Chrome Hound, playing some kind of sick game? No, the sound wasn't right. The Hound was sharp clicks and metal scraping. This was… softer. Could it be one of the fungus people? Maybe, but his [Spore Resonance] wasn't picking up anything from that direction. It felt… blank. Empty.

He focused his [Chemoreception]. What did it smell like? He took a tiny, silent breath, tasting the air filtering under the metal sheet. Dust. Rust. Damp concrete. And something else… faint, but there. Earthy. Like wet soil or worms. Not fungus. Not metal. Something… different.

The tapping stopped. Kaelen held his breath, waiting. Then came a new sound. A soft scraping, lower down, near the bottom edge of the metal sheet. He watched, heart pounding, as the thin metal began to bend inward, just a little, near the floor. A small gap appeared.

Something pale pushed through the gap. Not fingers. Not claws. It looked like… thick, white worms? Or maybe pale, boneless feelers, blindly exploring the space inside his hiding spot. They moved slowly, tapping the floor, the wall.

Kaelen jerked back instinctively, a choked gasp escaping him. The pale feelers instantly snapped back, disappearing through the gap. The metal sheet creaked back into place.

In that split second, the System flashed a notification. It had caught a glimpse, registered a bio-signature.

[Target Identified: Chthonian Larva (Subterranean Scavenger)]

[Threat Level: Low (Individually) / Moderate (Swarm)]

[Analysis: Blind, uses touch/vibration senses. Weak shell. Secretes mild paralyzing enzyme on contact.]

[Potential Biomass Yield: 0.3 Units]

[Potential Genetic Data: Vibration Sense (Basic), Enzyme Secretion (Trace), Subterranean Adaptation (Trace)]

Larva? Like a baby bug? Kaelen's fear shifted slightly, mixed with disgust. So, it wasn't the Hound. It wasn't the fungus people. It was some kind of blind, underground worm-thing. Low threat individually. But 'swarm' and 'paralyzing enzyme' didn't sound good at all. And 'larva' meant there were probably bigger, nastier adults somewhere. Great. Just great. Things lived inside the damn walls.

Okay. Okay, think. It was blind. It used touch and vibration. It was probably attracted by his movement or maybe just exploring. Should he stay quiet and hope it (or they) went away? Or should he deal with it now, before more showed up? The thought of being paralyzed, even mildly, by some creepy wall-worm… no. He had to deal with it. Quickly. Quietly.

He took another shaky breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He needed to be smart about this. He carefully, slowly pushed the metal sheet aside just a crack, maybe six inches wide. He peered out. He could see two of the Larvae now, pale and slug-like, maybe a foot long each, blindly probing the area near the opening.

He acted fast. Using his [Adhesive Slime Generation], he coated the floor right outside the opening. Then, he grabbed a loose chunk of broken pipe he'd noticed earlier in the closet – heavy, solid.

He waited. One of the Larvae, sensing the opening perhaps, moved towards it. Its front end touched the sticky slime. It stopped, confused, trying to pull back. Too late. Kaelen kicked the metal sheet fully aside and lunged out, bringing the pipe down hard on the trapped Larva. There was a wet, crunching sound. Disgusting.

The other Larva reacted instantly to the vibration, turning towards the noise, its pale body writhing. Kaelen didn't give it a chance. Another swing of the pipe, another sickening crunch. He scanned the area quickly. No more seemed to be coming, for now.

"Consume," he whispered, the word feeling thick and sour in his mouth. He touched the remains. The assimilation was fast, the creatures dissolving into faint light particles flowing into him.

[Biomass Consumed: +0.7 Units]

[Energy Level: 91/120]

[Trace Genetic Data Secured: Vibration Sense, Paralytic Enzyme Resistance, Subterranean Adaptation]

Tiny gains. Almost nothing. But it was biomass. And maybe that enzyme resistance would be useful later.

He stood there for a moment, breathing hard, the pipe still gripped tight in his hand. The immediate danger was gone, but the encounter left him feeling even more exposed, more unsafe. Nowhere was secure. Not even a tiny, hidden closet. Things lived in the deep places, in the walls, under the floors. Things that could paralyze you. Things that came in swarms.

He looked back at the small, dark closet. It didn't feel like shelter anymore. It felt like a trap waiting to happen. He absolutely had to get out of here. Find somewhere else. Somewhere… better? Did anywhere 'better' even exist in this world?

Pushing down the exhaustion and the fear that threatened to swallow him whole, Kaelen cautiously peered out of the closet opening, down the dark, silent tunnel. He had to keep moving. He had to keep hunting. He had to keep evolving. It was the only way.