I was taken out for another stroll by Lily. She was quite shy during the first few days, but then she gradually got accustomed to this and it became a daily routine for her to visit and help.

It wasn’t absolutely necessary for her to help me get around, but she insisted on doing so. I didn’t really have any reason to refuse.

Tomorrow would be the day the inspector would come to ask me questions. I just need to explain to him some details about the Kirelian Pulsar project and its emergency mechanisms. After that, get him to contact an embassy for me to get back home. Maybe even invest in this medieval style park.

We are going back to the market again because I wanted to try making a sweet and sour bouillabaisse using some more of the local fishes. The cod really hit differently here so I wanted to see how the other fishes taste. 

Lily was humming a happy tune as she pushed the wheelchair forward. In the past few days, my recovery has been nothing short of remarkable. Many wounds and bruises had already closed up and almost faded away completely. However, my broken bones still remain broken. A week’s worth of rest isn’t enough to fix shattered bone tissue completely after all, even with advanced medical technologies being applied. Because of this, I’m still unable to walk on my own.

As we were walking through the outer edges of the marketplace, suddenly we heard a racket nearby. It is sounded like some people were shouting and screaming.

“What is that?” Lily sounded very concerned.

“Let’s find out.” I was also curious so I urged her to move us toward the noise.

When we turned the corner, we found a crowd of people looking at someone. It was a man, a very injured man.

He limped unsteadily toward the marketplace. His left hand clutched whatever was left of his right arm. He was bloodied all over, and his clothes were badly torn. From the direction he came from, it looks like he came from the Eastern wall. How did he get all the way here? What were those patrols doing. Something’s odd about him too. 

Suddenly, the man collapsed. The bystanders only looked on. I couldn’t bear to see the bystander effect happening so blatantly so I spoke to Lily.

“Lily, run to doctor Jayr, tell him someone is seriously injured at the market.”

“Huh? B-but, I can’t just leave you alone...” she stuttered.

“I’ll be fine. I can move the wheelchair on my own. Quickly, call him.”

“Okay...”

Lily sprinted away in the direction of the clinic. I turned the wheels to move toward the injured man. As I came closer, I realized why I thought he looked somewhat familiar. He was wearing the same uniform those soldiers at the clinic were wearing. That’s half of an explanation as to why he would come from the frontier wall. But why would he be walking around like this?

I put introspection to the back of my mind. First was treatment. At this rate, the man will just die without anyone helping him.

I call out to some of the bystanders. As much as I try, it’s impossible for me to help him on my own with my current condition.

“I need help here! Someone help me carry him up to a table.”

Of course, the people still hesitated. In times like this, you have to single someone out. I pointed at a muscular man, one of the fishermen I saw who carried the massive fish in.

“You there. Help me here.”

He was momentarily stunned, but he decided to go along and help. He pulled along one of his buddies and helped carry a man up to one of the empty tables. There were empty tables since it wasn’t peak hour, and this is on the outer edge of the marketplace.

I wheeled closer to get a good look. His bodily condition wasn’t as bad as mine was back then, but that doesn’t mean it’s not bad at all. He was a mangled mess.

We put him down on his back and spread his body into a more comfortable position. I asked for clean cloth and water from some of the vendors nearby and I told them I’d pay for them later.

One of the vendors gave me a few lengths of cloth and said that I didn’t need to pay for them. Another gave me a pot of water from the nearby well. I thanked them and started first aid.

I tore away some of the bloodied clothes so that I could see the wounds clearly.

Horrible. It looked like the wounds were caused by large animal attacks. His shoulders had large puncture wounds that probably came from the fangs of something like a tiger. His torso was ripped by claw marks nearly an inch wide.

I generously poured water over the wounds in order to wash away dirt. I needed antiseptics, but that’s Jayr’s job. I just have to keep him alive long enough. The man barely responded, but at least he was breathing.

I started with the biggest wounds first. I struggled to wrap the cloth around his torso, since my positioning was awkward, but I managed. In moments, the cloth was dyed red so I tied another round. Then I wrapped his shoulder.

Finally, I wrapped his stump. It looked gruesome. His forearm was basically ripped in half, and a sharp bone peeked out from the wound.

The cloth was already beginning to turn red, but this was the best I could do before more help arrived. I made sure to apply appropriate pressure to slow blood flow. I lifted his arm stump up so that it wouldn’t bleed out as we waited.

The crowd dispersed after a while, but some people still looked on curiously. I thanked the guys who helped out and told them that I would stay here and wait. They left somewhat reluctantly after, and it was only me and a few other bystanders remaining. 

This side of the market is covered by an old stone brick wall from a collapsed building. It made for a nice cover of the gruesome and bloody sight over here which would kill the atmosphere of the market. Not everyone would be in the mood for shopping when a bloody, half-dead man was plainly visible. 

Suddenly the man who looked half dead grabbed onto my hand that was holding his other arm up. I was startled and I tried to pull my arm away, but his grip was surprisingly firm.

His eyes were bloodshot as he spoke.

“RUN...!”

“Run? Run from what?” I was very confused, but a foreboding feeling came over me.

*AWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!*

A loud howl came from the forest, followed by faint screams.

The man continued speaking hoarsely. “Run...! run...!”

It was terribly inappropriate to simply leave a badly injured man alone, but I was just like him. Even if you were trying to do the right thing, getting yourself killed in the process is just making this worse.

I don’t know what caused his injuries, or what those howls were, but I am not in a condition to find out. My own safety is my biggest priority.

Before I knew it, there was nobody around anymore. I tried my best to push the wheelchair as fast as I could, but the blood on my hands made it hard to do quickly.

I moved at a snails pace, and I only reached a few dozen meters when I heard the man scream.

“ITS HERE! RUN!”

I tried to move faster as I fought the temptation to look. The ominous feeling in my gut just kept growing.

Then, I heard faint thuds on the dirt floor from far away. I could hear the man start screaming again.

“I’M HEAR YOU MANGY MUTT! F*CK YOUUUUUU!”

Once I started hearing the snarls and heavy panting, I couldn’t resist and I turned my head to look.

I shouldn’t have looked.

That... thing, is not natural. It’s not real. It shouldn’t be real. It was massive, just a little smaller than an adult African elephant. It was covered in matted and bloody fur. It’s face looked like a repugnant cross between a wolf and a bat. However, that face was half mangled, with part of its skull caved in.

Its body was very bloody, and horrific. Its ribcage was exposed to open air, and organs like the lungs and hear were very visible. Dark liquid spilled out of its wounds with every step, but the creature didn’t lose speed at all. Instead, it rushed even faster at the man on the table.

“COME AT ME YOU PIECE OF SH*T! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH—!”

I could only watch, stunned at the gruesome sight before me. I was in denial this entire time. I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to believe it. I mean, who would? It’s ridiculous.

These sorts of things only happen in fiction. Nothing but fantasy. The existence of alternate realities is only mere speculation, and is nothing but a fancy of human imagination.

Rationally, these events should all be impossible. This should only be a national park, an amusement show. If anything, a dream. That’s right, that’s the most rational explanation. I’m in a coma right now, the impact of the escape pod caused a concussion and I’m currently unconscious, making absurd realities in my own head. I’ll soon wake up on a nice hospital bed in an air conditioned room within familiar Union soil. Nightmares usually reach their climax right after the worst parts after all.

As I was escaping reality, the beast enjoyed its feast with relish, gouging and tearing the flesh of the man I once operated on. It took a short moment before I finally snapped out of my reverie. Dream or not, I had to get out of here, fast. Hurry, before it notices me. 

I pushed my arms to the limit, trying to move as fast as I could on this damned iron chair. My adrenaline pumped hard as I moved at the pace of a slow jog.

I was only able to advance a few dozen more meters before the sounds of flesh tearing and bone breaking stopped behind me. A chill went up my spine as I urged myself further away faster.

I heard the panting, the hoarse growls, and the loud thuds of its paws crashing against the dirt floor at a terrible speed. Quickly getting louder and louder. My heart pumped as I felt the feeling of death approach swiftly and mercilessly. 

I just barely managed to get around and behind the old stone wall when I felt a strong impact on my back. Before I knew it, I felt a sense of weightlessness before I crashed back to the ground and rolled around the dirt.

My body ached in pain. I felt a sharp pain in my chest, probably a broken rib cage or two. I could only groan as I lifted my body off the floor and looked up.

The creature had torn straight through the stone wall with its claw. Even if it was the wall of an old building, it was still made out of solid stone bricks. To the beast however, it was just like piled hay. It easily crumbled against its incredible strength.

It panted heavily as it looked hungrily towards me. Its bloodthirst basically dripping out from it like caustic ooze. It approached me, its prey, slowly. Each heavy step bringing me closer to my own doom.

My mind went into overdrive. What could I do to survive? My eyes darted around to look for a solution. I quickly fixed my gaze on the remains of my wheelchair. Iron rods and wooden shards were scattered about. The only thing barely intact was the sturdy metal frame below the chair. I immediately made a move for it, crawling toward it and grabbing it.

My movement stimulated the beast as it rushed toward me with its mouth wide open, as if to swallow me whole.

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