Feast.

Mark was completely petrified. He felt his bladder loosening but had no will to stop its contents from leaking. The lizardmen raised their heads and released blood-curdling roars.

Despite the incomprehensible sounds they made, Mark felt that they were cheering and celebrating.

A giant reptilian body. Claws that could carve through buildings. Jaws that could crush several humans at once. A thick and long tail that could flatten anything with a single swing, and wings so large they cast shadows over several city blocks.

The black dragon was as majestic as it was terrifying, but that image didn't start and end with its appearance. The presence it permeated was suffocating, like an invisible force pressing on anything that dared to look its way.

It was the sensation of being in the vicinity of a predator one couldn't hope to beat or escape.

As he gazed at it in terrified awe, Mark noticed something that stood out even with its proximity to the majestic creature.

From the shape alone it appeared like a crown; a glowing red ornament with sharp points and edges. However, the way it hovered over the black dragon's head made it seem like a halo. A demonic one that inspired nothing but fear and terror.

The dragon folded its massive wings and looked down at the gathered humans. If any of them had been awake before, the pressure emanated by the otherworldly monster was enough to knock them out. But that might've been for the better as no one would want to be conscious of what is about to take place.

Without delay, the dragon plunged its head into the pile of inert people. Digging its fangs into the ground, it scooped most of them in one go, crushed everything between its mighty jaws then swallowed with an audible gurgle. Mark watched it happen for the second time.

After the third, not a single human remained on the ground. The dragon raised its head to the sky once more and released another bone-chilling cry.

For some reason, Mark could tell it wasn't one of celebration but a show of dissatisfaction. It swallowed several dozen humans whole but that did little to satisfy its hunger.

The surrounding lizardmen seemed to get the idea and began rushing around looking for more helpless humans.

"Master!!!"

Mark felt his body being hurled back before his mind registered Lara's voice. An instant later, he heard the whistling sound of missiles as they cut through the air. 

The entire area trembled violently following a series of devastating explosions then everything went still for a very long second.

Though he felt himself coughing, Mark couldn't hear any of it through the ringing in his ears. He struggled to open his eyes, and as if to make things worse, his heart seemed to be out of sync, beating at an irregular pace that made him scared for his life.

'Out… out of here…' As the explosion's effects gradually faded, he began to regain the ability to think. "We need to get out of here!!!"

As soon as he shouted that sentence he felt someone grab his arm and yank him to his feet. Even with his sight having yet to recover, he began running with everything he had.

Fortunately, the child he was carrying was still in his arms. She moved ever so slightly granting him some sense of relief, but that didn't last for long as he remembered his maid and the two boys who had been following him.

"Lara!" Mark yelled, noticing that his hearing was back. "The boys!!!?"

"They're with me!" She replied, her voice sounding closer than he had expected.

He instinctively turned around to look and saw nothing but a blur, prompting him to rub his eyes furiously in an attempt to get the dust out of them. It took some time but he was finally able to regain proper vision.

Lara seemed uninjured. She was carrying the two boys under her arms, but from the looks of it both were unconscious and one of them was bleeding from his head.

For some reason, the silver-haired maid was the only one who wasn't covered in dust. That line of thought was torn out of Mark's mind as soon as he saw three lizardmen chasing after them, one on the ground while the other two scaled the walls on both sides.

A distant boom caught his attention. A moment later several fighter jets flew right over their heads blowing violent winds into the narrow back alley.

'GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!!!!' Mark cried on the inside. 'WHO WAS THE FUCKING IDIOT WHO SUGGESTED WE GO THIS WAY!!!'

Of course, Mark was aware of the mistake being entirely his. The plan should've been flawless, but somehow it led them to the place where it all started.

The Whispers had finally stopped and for a while, he got a glimpse of a normal life, but then a maid from his game appeared and now monsters showed up. As if that wasn't bad enough, they somehow run into a dragon of all things.

The nightmare had been going on for far too long, but despite all the pain he felt, there was no sign of him waking up anytime soon.

'New plan…' Mark thought, looking over his shoulder at the monsters chasing after them. 'I need a new plan!!!'

One silver lining, if he could even call it that, was that the lizardmen chasing them were fried by the missiles from earlier. The damage slowed their movements, allowing him and the maid to keep a certain distance between them.

Having arrived at the road they crossed earlier, Mark immediately turned in the direction opposite to the one Lara took the first time. His mind was still working at full capacity trying to find a way out, but nothing seemed like it would work.

More explosions shook the area followed by another nightmarish roar from the black dragon. The lizardmen still chased after them but were slowed down even further by the cars scattered around.

'That's it!' Mark suddenly realized.

He didn't know the state of the road ahead so the whole thing was a gamble, but escaping on foot was impossible to pull off as shown by his rough breath and aching legs.

They need a car, one that could take them out of the area faster than the lizards could keep up with.

For better or for worse, there were many vehicles scattered around. Most didn't look in good shape, though, so he had to look farther from the center of the chaos. Fortunately, his search didn't last for too long.

A lot of people were slaughtered by the giant lizards, but many were quick to flee as well. The smart ones abandoned their vehicles in fear of getting stuck in traffic, and the less bright ones opened a path by trying to drive away instead.

"The SUV near the corner!" Mark turned to the silver-haired maid and gave his order. "Put them in the back and buy us some time!"