Mad Dash

A mad dash for survival. How do they escape the Ruin and what happens next?

Kai kept thinking about this as he ran for his dear life with Gerald and Fred ahead of him.

The three of them ran as fast as they could, their hearts pounding in their chests. They could hear the sound of something massive crashing through the rubble behind them, and the ground shook with every step it took.

It was destroying the very tunnel they were running in with impunity.

There were loud crashing sounds and pieces of debris coming from behind them.

Kai risked a glance over his shoulder and gasped in terror.

"...We are gonna die!"

It was a monstrous creature, easily ten feet tall, with massive tentacles and razor-sharp teeth. It was chasing after them, it's red eyes glowing with a fierce hunger and burning with madness.

"Keep running and don't lose hope!" Fred yelled, his voice strained with exertion.

They darted around fallen debris and dodged broken pieces of equipment, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the creature as possible. But it was fast, and it was gaining on them.

Kai's legs burned with exhaustion, and his lungs were on fire, but he pushed himself to keep going. He could hear the creature's hot breath on his heels, feel the wind from its tentacles whipping past him.

Just when they thought they couldn't run anymore, they burst through an enormous opening and found themselves in a large circular open space.

Unfortunately for them and fortunately for the creature. The opening was also big enough for its hefty frame to pass through it with ease.

Kai hurriedly glanced around his surroundings, and saw a massive and heavy steel gate above the entrance they came through.

He thought of something quickly and yelled to Gerald and Fred, pointing towards the massive steel gate above the entrance they came through.

"Hey!, both of you look for a lever or a crank to lower the gate!"

Gerald and Fred were still reeling in from exhaustion but still did what Kai said as they did not have any options if they wanted to survive this.

Kai was also searching for the lever or crank to lower the gate but then he heard the deafening sound which made his hairs stand on end.

"....SCREENED"

"F-F*king hell..."

He glanced towards the gate and saw the glowing red eyes of the monster closing in on the entrance.

Kai's heart sank as he saw the creature approaching the gate, its massive tentacles slamming into the walls on either side. He knew they had only seconds to find the lever or crank to lower the gate.

He saw Gerald sprint towards the far end of the circular space, scanning the area for anything that could help them. He spotted a metal box sitting in the corner, and he rushed towards it, hoping it contained the lever they needed.

Gerald slammed his shoulder into the metal box, causing it to shake violently. It finally gave way, revealing the lever they needed.

Gerald pulled with all his might, and the gate began to lower slowly. The mechanism creaked and groaned under the weight of its massive frame, with the heavy metal hinges straining to support the load

Because of this, it was too slow; the creature was almost upon them.

"Come on! Come on!" Kai yelled, urging the gate to move faster.

Fred was also eyeing the gate nervously, following its slow descent with anticipation.

With a final burst of energy, the gate managed to close, just as the creature's tentacles smashed into it. The creature roared in frustration and slammed its massive bulk into the gate, trying to force its way through.

"ROOAAARRR!!!"

*Thump!*

*Thump!*

But the gate held, its massive and heavy steel frame providing an impenetrable barrier. The creature raged and thrashed, trying to find a way through, but eventually, it gave up and disappeared back into the ruin.

Large deafening sounds of destruction following its wake.

A moment later.

Kai, Gerald, and Fred collapsed on the ground, panting and sweating from exhaustion and fear.

"We made it," Gerald said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kai nodded, his heart still racing from the encounter.

"Let's rest for half an hour and then we need to get out of here," Gerald said, looking around nervously, exhaustion evident on his face.

Kai and Fred nodded in agreement, their bodies still shaking from the adrenaline rush. They lay splayed on the ground, grateful for the chance to rest.

For the next half-hour, they sat in silence, catching their breath and trying to calm their nerves. The ruin was quiet now, and they could hear nothing but the sound of their own breathing.

Eventually, Gerald got up and stretched his legs. "We can't stay here for long," he said, looking around. "We need to find a way out."

"...You have a strength enhancement! We don't!, so let us rest for some time more" Fred protested and Kai nodded his head in approval.

"Let's go, there's no time for that, if the monster decides to come back again and this door does not hold, its over for us"

Kai and Fred sighed and got up slowly, their muscles protesting at the sudden movement. They knew Gerald was right; they couldn't stay here any longer. They needed to find a way out and get as far away from the ruin as possible.

They searched for another door or gate and found one on the opposite side of big steel gate.

Fortunately, this one was of normal height only...unlike the previous one.

They made their way towards the exit, their senses on high alert.

Surprisingly it swung open quite easily, making Gerald break not even a sweat.

They walked through it cautiously, ready for anything that might come their way from the other side.

As they walked, they saw signs of the creature's rampage. The tunnel was destroyed, and rubble was everywhere. The walls were cracked and shattered, and there were holes in the ceiling. It was clear that the creature was immensely powerful and dangerous.

"It's good that we found a safe place to hide from it or else...."

Kai glanced at his surrounding in thought.

After this, the trio continued to walk towards the gate they came through in this Ruin with their nerves stretched taut.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the exit. They pushed open the heavy metal doors and stepped outside into the bright sunlight. They blinked against the sudden glare, their eyes taking a moment to adjust.