Bian silently sobbed, his body still trembling in the unrelenting grip of the grayling. His chest rose and fell in uneven gasps, but the sound of his crying was subdued—barely audible now. He was too afraid to make noise. Too terrified of what the thing might do next.
The grayling's many eyes glimmered in the dark, its glistening maw twitching as it clicked once… twice… and then spoke again in its broken attempt at human language.
"Human… noisy."
The tentacle around his midsection squeezed, pressing his ribs so tightly he couldn't breathe for a moment.
Bian froze, instantly biting into his lip to stifle the next sob that tried to escape. His mouth filled with the faint taste of blood. The pain didn't matter. Nothing did—not when that monster hovered inches away from his face, eyeing him like he was an insect caught under glass.
He nodded, trembling. His lips quivered, but he forced himself into silence.
