Scary. Jason gulped. A minute. He needed to hold him for at most a minute before Anna and Ezekiel arrives. Jason’s arm quivered. Could he even do that? Maybe with Micah, he could do so. But then again, this monster is different. Somehow, Jason could tell that this monster was looking at them. Its body was surrounded by a faint bubble, an aura of sorts. He was not quite sure about what he was seeing. Micah has been silent for a while now. He could not ask. He did not dare to take his eyes off the monster in front of him.

It breathed, or at least it did a motion similar to breathing. The monster’s aura expanded. Terror. A second. He saw himself. Dead. His head was blown off. He was ripped in half. His heart was punched through his spine. Jason lost the feeling in his legs but he caught himself right when he was about to fall. Cold sweat dropped from the top of his head and dripped on his chin. His heartbeat was silenced. His fingertips froze.

The monster tilted its head. It drew back the aura it expanded and it breathed again. Its bark turned ashen white. Jason smiled. The best option right now is to wait. He knows nothing about this monster. The best action, probably, is to wait for it to move and to counter it immediately. And it did. For a second, all the aura it gathered shifted into its legs. It disappeared.

“Jason, duck!”

Micah’s booming voice seemed faint. Shadow. Everything in front of him turned darker. Jason looked up. Then, it occurred to him. It would actually be funny if he saw a giant duck. However, the ashen oakwalker was already in front of him and about to deliver a punch. The ground cracked beneath him. The dust where the monster was turned into a cloud. Less than a second. Jason’s eyes widened.

There came the memory again. He saw his parents hugging him. Then, it shifted to him standing in the middle of a burning house. It changed. He found himself standing at the top of the mountain. The skies were once again descending.

Jason snapped. His body begged him to move, and he saved himself. He gritted his teeth and moved his head away from the monster’s fist at the very last second. The monster scraped the flesh off the side of his forehead. He froze again in terror. He could have died. But the burning wound slapped at the side of his head woke him up. Jason kicked himself off from the monster to disengage.

What now? Where’s everyone? Jason tried to catch his breath but the monster was already in front of him. He dodged another punch that chipped at the side of his cheek. Blood sprayed in the air. What now? He tried to outmaneuver him, but his breath felt short. He had to dodge another blow that was meant to bite through his ribs; he barely succeeded. What now? What can he do? Jason used the trees as cover. The monster chased him twice, thrice, even four times. It’s relentless as ever. He didn’t even want to imagine what happened to the trees that took the blow for him. Jason’s lungs started to burn.

“You damn… zombie…”

Jason groaned. Someone was screaming. It was faint, but he could hear it somehow. They’re fighting? No. Jason dodged another punch, purely by luck this time. The monster's head was snagged by a vine, causing his attack to miss. Jason continued to weave through the trees, begging for his legs to move even though they cried for him to stop. Jason won’t be able to run forever. He didn’t even have enough time to wipe the blood covering the right side of his face. And yes, he’s alone right now. The monster was coming. At least, the others were safe. He’s tired… He’s…

“MY FUCKING FOOT SHALL PEIRCE THE HEAVENS!” 

Ezekiel. Just when his heart was about to sink, Jason heard his friend’s voice. The dumbass came flying into battle and drop-kicked the monstrosity away. No. There was no powerful force behind it. His dropkick was off. But Ezekiel’s sheer weight was able to push the monster back.

“Dumbass.” Jason grinned. It felt like he tapped into an energy he didn’t know he had. “You could have run.”

“Get your shit together, man. I'm taking you with me,” Ezekiel immediately picked himself up, but he lost the feeling in his legs and fell onto one knee.

The monster, relentless as it is, immediately dashed to kill Ezekiel. It shifted its aura towards its right fist. A massive tell. Jason screamed for Ezekiel to get down. When the dumbass asked a question instead of actually doing it, he kicked his face to the ground.

Jason dodged the monster’s attack and slammed his mace on the monster’s right elbow, breaking it apart. The monster flinched. Jason attacked with his dagger next, but the tip of his weapon could not break through its chest. The monster shifted its aura towards its left arm. It was an attack that Jason could no longer dodge, but Micah finally caught up and used his axe to send the monster flying to a nearby tree. The impact kicked up a cloud of dust. Finally, they could breathe.

Micah faced Jason, scared and about to cry. “I’m sorry… I… I didn’t know what came over me. I just wasn’t able to…”

“It’s alright man. Thanks for saving me.” Jason tried to keep his smile even as his head pulsed with his own heartbeat. “Now, I owe you one…”

Micah’s lips shivered. “I’ll save my word for later. Gotta focus… my axe got lodged in the monster’s body. I don’t have a weapon anymore.”

“I told you, man. I told you.” Ezekiel sighed. “When you see an enemy, try your best to lure them into an open area, then gain some distance between you and them. That way, I can shoot them. But no, you fucking took him to the trees. Shit. You could have died. I know I’m being unreasonable right now, but…” Ezekiel materialized his bow. “Shit. Now, we can’t run. What’s the plan?”

Jason laughed. Everything was in pain, except for his heart which oddly felt pleasant.“You’re asking me?”

“Of course I am,” Ezekiel replied. “I ain’t good with pressure. You know that. I’m the fucking stealth archer. If my enemy doesn’t die on the first hit, I run. I don’t have the plans for this… What am I even…”

“Calm down.”

“Shut up.”

“Fine.” Jason froze with a dumb smile.“Let me do it for you.”

The monster finally emerged from the smoke. It did not regrow its right arm, which was a blessing in itself. On the other hand, it carried Micah’s axe on its right. Given its strength, this monster will probably cleave a person in one hit.

“We’ll hit it until it dies?” Anna arrived. She materialized a wooden club and tossed it to Micah. “Sent the signal. People are coming to rescue us. We’ll just have to hold out until then… or if that is too boring, we kill it.”

Jason raised a brow. “I had that. Did you just steal my thunder?”

“You both are,” Ezekiel butted in, chuckling nervously. “You’re getting a lot of lines for my underlings.”

“I like this plan,” Micah commented, his positivity beaming on them. “Are we finally bonding? This is nice.”

“Listen to me,” Jason raised his voice as everyone was about to have their slice-of-life moment in front of a deadly enemy. “This monster is fast when it rushes towards you. Do not get spooked. It stops right in front of you before it attacks, so focus on dodging. You are to dodge first when you attack.”

“Okay, Master,” Micah joked.

Jason groaned, flustered. “Shut up, Micah.”

“Wait, are you actually blushing?” Anna followed.

“No…”

Ezekiel laughed. “Hah, look at this fucker.”

“First order of business,” Jason screamed, begging for everyone to let the moment pass. “We get the axe away from that monster. Do not try to steal it. Either you break the weapon or the guy’s arm. Next, we take off its arms and legs. Then, once it can’t move, we jump him.”

“Jump… him?”

“We hit it till it dies, Micah,” Jason continued.

“I really like this plan.”

Jason stepped forward. Micah followed his lead. Anna raised her spear and positioned herself between Micah and Ezekiel. The monster tilted its head. It expanded its aura again, flooding Jason’s head with theoretical images of his death. He froze for a bit, but he felt Micah’s hand on his shoulder. He’s not alone anymore. Anna is there, too, smiling. Ezekiel was trying to pretend like he wasn’t affected by it all; he was sweating as if he’s holding a big-ass fart.

Jason grinned. “Are you guys ready? I’ll give the signal.”

“Nah, you need to focus. It's my time,” Ezekiel replied. He drew his bow and prepared to take a shot. “I’ll give you the mark. Get ready to jump him.”