Chapter 21: Breathe, breathe, breathe!

"Blackhound!" Leon gasped in a hushed tone.

Simultaneously, a faint bark echoed from the creature's rear.

"Muffin?"

A voice erupted from behind the altar, stirred by the unusual bark.

"Who's there?!" Urgent footsteps approached rapidly.

Time seemed to freeze...

My heart raced, thoughts accelerated, adrenaline surged.

In a split second, one thought prevailed:

'Run.'

As adrenaline surged through my body, I seized the nearest person and bolted, veering to evade the creature's gaze. With a menacing growl, the hound snapped its head towards me, its fangs gleaming like daggers. In that split second, Don and the others seized the opportunity to flee.

"Run! Now!" Don's urgent cry spurred us into action.

The cloaked man bellowed, "Release the hounds and get those brats!!" as the bloodhound gave chase.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone scoop up the small dog, likely one of the children, but I didn't spare a glance. My focus was singular—escape.

No. We all did.

Rushing at full speed, our target was the tunnel we had entered from. Behind us, the hound hesitated, torn between pursuing us or someone else. It was our opportunity, and we had to seize it – we had to reach the tunnel and escape. But just as we approached, a chilling command echoed from the altar across the chapel: "Release the hounds!" Suddenly, we froze in horror. Standing guard at the tunnel entrance was another monstrous hound, its gaping jaws dripping with streams of saliva, each filled with razor-sharp fangs.

A menacing growl emanated from the hound's salivating mouth, sending a shiver down my spine. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the other hound had turned to face us, trapping us with no clear escape route. Beside me, Don and the others stood frozen, panic evident in their eyes. This was a dire situation. As I scanned the walls and expanse of the chapel, memories flashed through my mind in a frantic search for a solution. Where was it? I looked around desperately, trying to recall any details of our surroundings. Then it hit me – when we first entered the chapel from the tunnel, drawn in by the mysterious allure of the ruins, I had glimpsed another tunnel somewhere in the vicinity.

'There it is!'

In a split second, my eyes landed on the partially caved-in entrance of a smaller tunnel just a few meters to my right. "This way!" I yelled, swiftly changing direction toward the smaller tunnel, hoping the others would follow suit quickly and safely. But the hounds weren't passive observers; in the blink of an eye, the hound from behind lunged towards the spot where I had stood just moments before. Simultaneously, Don and the others dashed past it, with the other hound hot on their heels. The smaller tunnel wasn't far, and I reached it without delay. However, the entrance was partially blocked by a collapsed pillar, leaving only a small gap underneath.

Even more debris and rubble cluttered the area behind, almost completely sealing off the tunnel entrance. But amidst the chaos, there was a tiny gap between the rubble that caught my eye. We crawled under the collapsed pillar, scrambling over the rubble as best we could. I reached out and pushed at a particular rock from a specific angle, thankfully finding a small gap underneath. With determined effort, I clawed at other rocks, clearing them out of the way just in time to squeeze through the opening and into the small tunnel. As I stumbled into the other side of the rubble wall and into the tunnel, I felt a surge of relief and urgency, urging me to run deeper into its depths.

Glancing back, I confirmed that Don and the others had all safely made it through the small gap I had created, and they were following closely behind. The furious barking, growling, and aggressive clawing from the hounds on the other side of the rubble slowly faded into the distance as we ran deeper into the tunnel. The gap under the collapsed pillar was too small for the hounds to pass through, and even if they somehow managed it, the rubble wall presented another formidable obstacle. The space I had created between the rubble was just enough for us to squeeze through, with no chance for the hounds to follow. We were now safely out of their reach. Probably.

Driven by pure adrenaline and fear, I didn't pause but continued running down the tunnel, desperate to put as much distance between myself and the rubble wall, and ultimately, the chapel. My entire body was saturated with adrenaline, leaving my mind devoid of any thoughts except for the overwhelming urge to flee. With fear as my only companion, I kept running, making several turns along the way, blindly following the path the tunnel led me down. I had no sense of direction or time; I was simply running for my life. As irrational thoughts flooded my blank mind – What if they managed to bypass the rubble? What if they found another way? – I couldn't shake the feeling that the situation could only worsen, spiraling into possibilities both plausible and utterly insane.

"…eo! Reo! Hey, Reo!" The voice, sounding almost like a ghastly shriek, cut through my thoughts, pulling me to a sudden stop as an opposing force tugged at my arm. "What's wrong? We need to keep moving, the hounds..." I began, turning quickly to face whoever had halted me, only to realize it was Don and the others. Their drained expressions and labored breaths spoke volumes – they looked on the brink of collapse. It dawned on me then, in my single-minded pursuit of escape, I had failed to notice just how long we had been running. While I could push on, they were just kids, and their endurance had its limits. Glancing around, I took in our surroundings: an underground tunnel with rail tracks lining the ground, devoid of any signs of our pursuers. We had managed to create a considerable gap between us and them. Surprisingly, the tunnel's visibility was clear, either due to the absence of glowing spores and gemstones or perhaps because I had adapted to a form of night vision.

As I surveyed the wide and spacious tunnel ahead of us, my gaze shifted to our surroundings. Rail tracks stretched further into the darkness, leading to unknown destinations. But before I could fully process what lay ahead, a sudden and overwhelming sensation gripped me. My body grew heavy, and an empty, tight feeling constricted my chest, threatening to burst open with each passing second. It was as if I were drowning, with a cold, tingling sensation creeping over my entire body. My fingers felt numb and icy, trembling uncontrollably, while my heart pounded erratically in my chest. Light-headedness enveloped me, accompanied by an unsettling coldness that seemed to suffocate me, as if something unseen were strangling the very life out of me.

As I struggled to make sense of the overwhelming sensations coursing through my body, a realization dawned on me – this wasn't just exhaustion. Fatigue had never been this agonizing. Unable to articulate my thoughts, all I could manage were gasps and wheezes, as if I were desperately trying to inhale air. And then it hit me – I had been so consumed by the urgency of escape that I had forgotten to breathe. The lack of oxygen was now wreaking havoc on my body. The adrenaline had likely masked the effects for a while, allowing me to push through, but now that I had calmed down, the consequences of oxygen deprivation were catching up to me.

With a desperate urgency, I realized I needed to breathe or face dire consequences. Panic surged through me as I struggled to draw in air. Each attempt felt futile, like I had forgotten how to breathe altogether. It was a suffocating sensation, reminiscent of what asthmatic patients must endure during an attack. Amidst the haze of my diminishing consciousness, voices called out to me, but they sounded distant, distorted by the encroaching darkness.

 "Hey, Reo. Are you okay?!" The voices grew louder, more urgent. "Reo! Reo!" But I could feel myself slipping away, losing grip on reality as my vision blurred and faded into blackness.

'Breathe!'

'Breathe!'

'Breathe!

'Breathe!'

'With a surge of determination, I refused to let myself perish in that moment. I couldn't die there, not like that. The weight of responsibility pressed down on me – I had taken it upon myself to ensure these guys made it back home safely. It was probably my more mature side speaking, but even as a kid, I couldn't shirk that duty. Besides, if I were to succumb, I knew Don would blame himself, and I couldn't bear to burden him with that guilt. So, I fought to regain control of my breathing.

 'Breathe. Reo FUCKING Bellar, breathe!' I screamed internally all to myself, willing air into my lungs. Eventually, I managed to steady my breathing, though it still came in ragged gasps. 

"Are you okay now, Reo?" Lia's voice broke through the haze of my panic, and I nodded weakly in response, grateful for her concern.

With an ashen dry smile, I turned to Lia and replied, "Yeah, I think I am now." Don and Lia both helped me up, but I couldn't help but notice Lia's flustered cheeks and her shifting gaze. It was an odd reaction, but I didn't dwell on it for long, still reeling from the ordeal I had just endured.

"Ah."

As I followed Lia's gaze, it dawned on me. Back in the chapel, when the first bloodhound appeared, I had instinctively grabbed the closest person and fled. Unintentionally, I had been holding onto that person's hand until now.

"Ah! I-I'm so sorry!" I stammered out an apology, quickly releasing Lia's hand and averting my gaze in embarrassment. My face burned with humiliation as I realized the unintentional intimacy of my actions. As I glanced around, I caught sight of Leon's disapproving glare, filled with both displeasure and scorn. It was clear that my actions had not gone unnoticed or unjudged by him.

***

ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Read "Red: Swordsman in the Apocalypse" about a...well... Swordsman in a post apocalyptic world. 

A Returnee Swordsman returns to earth after braving the the vast dreadful lands of another plane for over 70 years, only to discover the world had fallen within that time... humanity had perished into dwindling numbers, forced behind protective fortresses...and worst of all...

No more Dall of Duty 💀

Follow Huey Blade, an overpowered swordsman in the Apocalypse, and humanity's Number Two public enemy (lol), as he curses the Elder God's responsible for the invasion and fall of mankind...and Call Of Duty.

Please support "RED" for my WSA entry!