“Jason,” a soft trembling voice called the man who stood by the broken glass wall.

 

He turned his head and saw a hand reaching out to him. Eugene saw who it was and rushed to her side.

 

“Gina unni,” she called out to the person lay on the floor.

 

Jason knelt beside Gina as his eyes were shaking seeing the state of his cousin. Although he didn’t always agree with her, she was still his cousin. Glass shards riddled across her face and body. Blood seeped out from those wounds as she had trouble to even talk.

 

She didn’t even know what hit her as it all happened in an instant. She stood way too close to the glass wall at the moment of impact and received the full force of the glass shards hurled by the might of the air draft coming from the flight of the creature.

 

“Jason,” she called him as her hand kept on swaying in the air searching for Jason’s hand.

 

He grasped her hand, not letting it go.

 

“Help… me…” she pleaded at her cousin with her eyes glistening. Tears ran down with her lips quivering.

 

Jason could only gnash his teeth, helpless after seeing Gina's current state. He took out his phone and called for an ambulance.

 

“The number you have called is not reachable. Please try again.”

 

The line he didn’t want to hear resounded at the other end of the call.

 

“Damn it,” he said.

 

Thinking back, if more of those things were outside then it made sense that the emergency lines were flooded with calls.

 

“Oppa…” Eugene called Jason.

 

He gazed at Eugene who was fidgeting around. There was definitely something wrong. His ears picked up the sound of people groaning around him and he realized why she was acting like that.

 

“Go find your parents,” he said.

 

Eugene stood up and left in a hurry. He was about to stand up but the grasp in his hand tightened. Jason could see the message in Gina’s eyes. She was telling him not to go.

 

“I’ll go get help. Trust me, I’ll be back,” said Jason.

 

He let go of Gina’s hand and ran across the hall. Everything around him was in utter chaos. Some fainted on the floor while some were in dazed, disbelief of what had happened. They were mumbling as if in a trance. While others started to ran away. It was every man for himself as they forget about others and prioritized their own. He stopped as he felt something tugged his pants.

 

“Hyung, help me,” it was Paul.

 

Jason helped him up, the man who was eating snacks as if it was his last meal was standing there frozen like a statue.

 

“You’re not hurt are you?” he asked.

 

Paul didn’t respond as he just stood there with his eyes quivering. He was in shock.

 

“I’m trying to get help, go look for your parents and then go take care of Gina. She’s there near the broken glass wall.”

 

Jason needed to go.

 

“Hyung,” Paul grabbed Jason by the arm.

 

Jason glared at this pathetic sight of a man. Although he was still a student, shouldn’t he at least man up. He didn’t hesitate and gave a resounding slap right across Paul’s face.

 

“Hyung,” the look on Paul’s face was as if he was about to cry.

 

“Get it together Paul, I don’t have time for this. Man up and go find your parents.”

 

Jason left leaving Paul behind. He opened the door and people were running around from left to right. He almost collided with those frantic people. He ran around until he reached the lobby. The receptionist was nowhere in sight. Made sense since he or she should be running for their lives by now. Jason noticed the phone on the receptionist's desk and called for the emergency line hoping it would connect.

 

“Damn,” he threw the phone as the reply was the same as before.

 

Clueless and not knowing what to do, Jason didn’t think it would be this hard to get help.

 

What should I do?

 

As if a light bulb lightened up above his head.

 

I need a car.

 

With Gina’s condition, he needed to send her to the nearest hospital immediately. Glancing towards the direction of the elevator, he saw people squabbling over a spot in the elevator.

 

“Definitely the stairs,” said Jason.

 

--

 

The emergency staircase was more or less the same. From the hotel staff to the hotel guest were all rushing down.

 

The moment he joined in with these people, he couldn’t stop moving. As if swept by the wave of people, stopping would only mean him being stomped on the ground by these people.

 

Shit…

 

From the 50^th floor, he was now on the ground floor in just mere minutes. He was sweating buckets with the whole staircase jam-packed. It sounds unreasonable but that was what had happened when people are in danger. He was wobbling on the floor trying to get his footing after escaping the staircase. A few people bumped shoulders with him from behind, yet he stood still unfazed. The additional five points in strength really did wonders for his average looking body. He was like a strong pillar standing tall, it was the other people who stumbled after bumping into him.

 

Walking around the lobby, it was chaotic. In every direction, people were running. A pair of eyes were frantic searching for the staircase leading to the underground parking lot. But then something caught Jason's attention.

 

BANG

 

Sound of gunshots came from the street in front of the hotel. His attention turned towards the front entrance and saw a woman entered the hotel with a Glock 17 in her hand. Blood trickled down from her forehead staining the faux fur around her neck. The glint in her eyes was fierce, different from what he had seen before.

 

“Everybody, get inside,” she shouted at the people around her. Yet no one paid attention.

 

She shot another time in the air towards the ceiling. People screamed and panicked, ducking down out of instinct.

 

“It’s dangerous. Don’t go outside,” said Maria.

 

“You’re the dangerous one,” a person among the crowd spoke out and rushed out through the hotel entrance.

 

The others hesitated at first but seeing him getting out just fine, they all followed through. Maria gnashed her teeth in spite. If it wasn’t for that idiotic man these people wouldn’t go out there exposing themselves to danger.

 

“Maria,” a man’s voice called out to her.

 

She turned and saw a man from her memories from years ago. A man she once loved.

 

“Jason?” the tension piling over her head freed after seeing this man.

 

Out of instinct, she threw herself at Jason. Hugging him tight with no intention of letting him go.

 

“You’re bleeding, are you hurt?” Jason parted himself from Maria. His hands look all over Maria’s head. Worry to the point of forgetting something.

 

A second later, he realized what he was doing. He took away his hand in an abrupt manner.

 

“You need to treat your head,” said Jason.

 

Maria noticed what he did. A tint of disappointment flashed across her face but now wasn’t the time.

 

“Jason, we need to get to the upper floor. There are-”

 

Jason intervened.

 

“I can’t Maria, Gina’s injured. I need to take her to a hospital,” for some reason his words pricked her heart.

 

Who is Gina? Why is Gina? What is Gina?

 

The unknown person known as Gina kept on revolving inside her head despite the chaos she just went through.

 

“Go up and treat yourself. I need to go,” Jason turned around and was about to search for a car.

 

But the sleeve of his suit was tugged hard as Maria grasped it tightly. He turned to meet her gaze as if pleading not to go. No sooner than a second as their eyes met, a terrible growl rang out in the air catching Jason’s attention. Screams and cries for help filled the air as they ran like ants being stomped by a boot.

 

A four-legged creature with scales covering its body and a snout similar to a crocodile. Yet it stood on all four like a tiger prancing over its prey. Its limbs were strong and muscular similar to feline predators except bulkier and stronger. As if it was a creature coming out from a fairy-tale.

 

“Shit,” the only word Jason could say.

 

He saw for himself a man being mangled by the snout of this creature who was standing tall at eight feet. Blood splattered across the asphalt road as the gut and organs of that man spilled on the road. People were scared out of their wits. Horrified to the point of a few fainting and a few pissing on their pants while running for their lives.

 

That’s definitely not at the same level as a goblin.

 

Jason’s hand was tugged hard.

 

“Let’s go,” Maria was desperate as her eyes were shaking. Jason himself could feel her trembling hand transmitted over his.

 

Both fled towards the elevator. Jason glanced behind him and saw people coming back into the hotel laced with fear across their faces. Yet something else came along.

 

The sound of metal and glass broke apart as the crocodile-like predator burst over the hotel entrance. Swinging its snout from side to side. A few unfortunate hotel guests were slammed over the wall by the might behind its snout. He didn’t know what happened to them but they might have died.

 

The duo arrived in front of the elevator with a few people alongside them. By their luck, an elevator door opened up.

 

The people who waited rushed inside the elevator not caring about those who were inside. They were hoping to get out but seeing these people desperate to get inside. They were confused and didn't know what was happening.

 

Jason didn’t know why they were taking the elevator in the first place. A slight glance and his heart were beating like mad. More of those reptilian creatures entered the premise. He saw that people were fighting over a spot in the elevator. There were shouting, yelling, screaming, crying and a few throwing some punches. It was chaos. There was no way for them to get inside the elevator.

 

“Stairs, we need to take the stairs,” he pulled Maria and she flew into his arms.

 

Maria was surprised. A slight pain over her arm as she didn’t expect Jason to pull her that hard.

 

“But-” she wanted to refute but the sound of an elevator opened up just opposite of them.

 

Empty with a not soul in sight. It probably came down due to someone randomly pushing the buttons. They were lucky. Jason and Maria didn’t need to speak as both of them ran to the empty elevator. Her hand was quick as she pushed the button to the upper floor. Her finger didn’t leave the panel as she repeatedly pressed the close button. Then a growl trembled in the air as both of them backed away to the far end of the elevator out of reflex as if their bodies were stuck to the elevator wall.

 

A scene of carnage unveiled in front of their very eyes. Those people at the opposite elevator were living in hell as the creature ripped a few of them apart. The elevator door to Jason and Maria started to close not before another creature appeared right in front of the door. Both of them saw the eye of the crocodile-like creature moments before the elevator door closed. Their bodies were shaking as goosebumps spread all over their bodies.

 

DING...

 

The door closed and finally a little time of relief.