The corpse of the Behemoth still twitched, its burnt flesh crackling with the last remnants of electricity. But there was no time to celebrate.
A deep tremor rumbled beneath their feet.
Evelyn froze, her eyes darting toward the shadows at the far end of the tunnel.
Something else was coming.
Leon tightened his grip on his machete, sweat sliding down his dirt-caked face. "Tell me that's not another one."
From the darkness, a figure emerged.
At first, it looked human—a twisted, skeletal thing draped in torn flesh. But then it unfolded.
A monstrous head split open, revealing rows of jagged, dripping teeth. A barbed tongue lashed the air, tasting the fear.
Lucas stumbled backward, face pale. "What the hell is that?"
Evelyn's voice was barely above a whisper.
The thing lurched forward, moving with unnatural grace on its elongated limbs. Every step was accompanied by a wet, slithering sound, as if its flesh was still…growing.
The bullets shredded through its torso, but instead of falling, the creature twitched and reformed, its tendons reknitting in seconds.
The guttural, wheezing sound sent a shiver through Evelyn's bones.
The Maw lunged at Mia, its tongue wrapping around her rifle and yanking it away before she could react.
She hit the ground hard, gasping.
Leon charged, blade flashing. He aimed for the neck, but the Maw caught his wrist with clawed fingers.
Its grip tightened—bone snapped.
Leon cried out as he was flung against the wall.
Evelyn grabbed a steel rod from the debris, adrenaline drowning out her fear.
The Maw turned to her, its many teeth grinning.
"Come, doctor," it rasped. "Let me taste your mind."
She swung with everything she had.
The rod slammed into its head, crushing part of its exposed brain. The Maw reeled back, screeching.
Lucas and Mia didn't waste the opening.
They grabbed Leon, dragging him toward the collapsed tunnel ahead.
Evelyn ran after them.
Its muscles spasmed as new limbs split from its back, clawing at the ground. Its tongue stretched, splitting into serpentine tendrils that reached for them.
Lucas spotted a gas line beneath the rubble. "Shoot it!"
The tunnel erupted in flames.
The shockwave hurled them forward as the explosion engulfed the Maw.
They landed in the darkness of the next chamber, ears ringing.
Behind them, the fire raged… but the laughter hadn't stopped.
The Maw was still alive.