Astel reached his cave. He was tired—not physically, but mentally. He looked back in the direction of the house, but it had already disappeared. The terrain was completely different now.
He sighed and turned back around. The only thing welcoming him was a rock with a smile painted on it in insect blood.
"I'm home," he said in a somber tone.
His mind was full of old memories. He wished—just once—that someone would welcome him. But there was no one. He was alone. He had been for a long time.
Astel's desire to find other survivors was starting to reignite. Where once there had been only a snuffed-out flame, now there was a small spark.
He thought about continuing his journey to the mountains, but it still felt like an unnecessary risk. So, instead, he entered his cave to rest.
But something felt wrong.
As soon as he climbed inside, he felt the atmosphere shift. There was a strange pressure in the air—something that made it harder to breathe.
Astel considered climbing back out, but he wasn't sure what had caused such a sudden change. Perhaps it would be safer if he climbed further inside.
At least he had the small pond and his sand-encased ants. With food and water secured, this was still better than being stuck outside.
But the further he climbed, the more his gut screamed for him to turn around and run.
He realized now—the danger might be inside the cave after all. Yet it didn't stop him from continuing deeper, toward his little sanctuary. Toward his home.
Ants and other insects were alright, but if the presence he felt was something bigger... something with actual flesh... he wouldn't have to scrape by on those disgusting ants anymore.
Astel licked his lips, salivating. He wasn't scared.
He was excited.
Eventually, he reached the pond—but saw nothing.
Staying on guard, he slowly moved toward his sleeping corner. As he approached, he started to feel nervous.
'Is there actually nothing here? I don't see any signs of anything having climbed inside my home…' he thought, his blood pressure rising.
'Am I really that delusional? No way. I'm perfectly sane, right?'
His thoughts weren't aimed at anyone in particular. Under normal circumstances, he would've said them aloud. But something told him announcing his presence now was a terrible idea.
Reaching the edge of the cave where he slept, he peered into the deep darkness of the shadows. He took careful steps, each one bringing him closer to the wall of dark stone.
After just a few paces, he reached it.
'There's really nothing here.'
He let out a sigh of relief. But the pressure didn't go away.
Instead, the voices in his mind intensified.
It was the same feeling he had when the Scavenger appeared.
Astel swiftly turned around—only to see two large amber, reptilian eyes staring directly at him.
He couldn't see the full figure of whatever stood before him, but he could feel its hot breath slipping through sharp teeth. The only light in the cave streamed in from behind the creature. Without that, he wouldn't have even seen its eyes.
Astel immediately ducked and rolled beneath the beast. He landed sprawled out between its four scaly feet and began crawling, trying to get away.
But the creature was faster.
It moved with disturbing precision, cutting off his escape route. Its maw opened and lowered toward Astel's head.
He had only a split second to react.
In that moment, he summoned the chitinous dagger and shoved it into the creature's open mouth.
The monster tried to bite down, but instead of crushing Astel's skull, its upper maw was impaled by a sharp blade, while the lower one was stopped by the dagger's blunt hilt. The beast winced and reeled back a few steps, maw open once again.
Given this chance, Astel sprang to his feet and ran toward the pond—
No. He ran toward the light.
Reaching into his improvised bag, he pulled out a small shard of mirror. He didn't know whether his idea would work, but if it did, it might be the difference between life and death.
The beast had already recovered and, seeing its prey run, lunged after him.
Thanks to Astel's smaller frame, he ducked just in time for the monster to soar over his head, missing him by a hair's breadth.
Reaching the light, he held the mirror shard up, angling it into the beam.
The light reflected off the shard and struck the recovering beast straight in the eyes—blinding it for a few short moments.
Astel didn't hesitate.
Fighting inside this dark, narrow cave would be suicide. He couldn't see well, and the creature had the advantage.
There was only one logical decision: run.
He dashed toward the slim exit, into the series of narrow tunnels. The beast was far too large to fit through them, and it seemed like a predator that hunted in darkness.
He just hoped that would keep it from following.
Behind him, the beast had already shaken off the temporary blindness. It located its prey and charged.
Astel was in serious danger—and he knew it. The creature was stronger and faster, but the exit was within reach.
'Just a few more steps!'
He could almost feel the monster's hot breath on his back. A shiver ran down his spine, but he didn't stop.
He had made it.
The monster was a second too slow. He was already between the narrow rocks.
He just had to push a little farther. A few more steps and he'd be clear—
The jaws snapped shut behind him.
Astel hadn't even realized his hand was still outside the gap. But his instincts flared a heartbeat before it happened. He yanked his arm back, narrowly avoiding the crushing bite.
The creature's teeth only managed to catch his makeshift glove.
In that same hand, he had been holding the mirror shard.
It slipped from his grasp as he pulled away.
'What the hell!' he almost screamed, only then realizing his glove was gone—along with the mirror shard.
It took him a moment to form a coherent thought.
'It's a shame… but at least I'm alive. All my limbs are intact,' he thought, letting out a shaky sigh of relief. His heart was pounding out of his chest.
If he could sweat, he would be drenched.
His breathing was ragged and inconsistent. The air was still heavy, and he had pushed his body to the absolute limit—just to survive.
He didn't stop crawling.
He had to reach the outside.
Whether he'd be safe there or not, he didn't care. He couldn't bear to stay in that cave another second.
When he finally emerged, he looked around, confirming that his immediate surroundings were safe.
Then he collapsed.
All the air left his lungs in a single, drawn-out sigh of relief.
"I survived… again," he said aloud, tears in his eyes.
"Foolish! I've been so foolish!" he shouted, slowly regaining his posture.
"Why did I think there was anywhere safe in this place?" His voice trembled with anger—at himself.
"I got too comfortable… too proud just for surviving. I clung to the good—the routine—so hard I didn't see how stupid I was being."
He frowned, wanting to punch himself in the face. But he was far too exhausted—even if he truly wished to.
"This is just amazing. I've not only lost my shelter, but also my water and food supplies…"
Then he paused, thinking about how the monster had even gotten inside in the first place.
'Something's odd… If it's too big to use the entrance, then how did it appear inside? I made sure to explore every nook and cranny of that dark, damp cave…'
His face twisted with confusion.
Then, a horrifying idea came to him—an outrageous one, sure, but still possible.
'What if the beast didn't need to enter the cave… What if it was there all along?'
A particularly cold shiver ran down his spine.
'Have I been sleeping next to a murderous monster this whole time?'