As he was dragged deeper and deeper, the soft light of the moon seemed more distant as the darkness enveloped his world yet again.

  His eyes stinging from the water and his vision blurred, he had tried to lure the monster and kill it before it could react, but it seemed that the creature had the same plan.

  Damn it all. His body felt slow and sluggish in the water.

  Then an idea made of desperation seeped into his mind, his only choice.

  The stone felt heavy in his hand, slick and slippery from the water, but it was his last hope. His muscles burned, but he gritted his teeth and swung the stone, a primal yet his only weapon, with all the strength he could muster.

  The water offered a lot of resistance to his movements, but it couldn’t fully prevent the strike.

  The stone found its mark, hitting against the monster’s wrist. Though it was a last-ditch effort and Akira thought the stone had no chance of penetrating the creature’s scales, but in the end it paid off.

  A glowing green liquid spilled from the monster’s shallow wound.

  Without a second to waste this chance, Akira twisted his body and kicked at the creature's wrist.

  It wasn't much, but the combined force of his kick and the pain of the wound allowed him to break free.

  The creature, however, only glanced back once at the boy with an irritated expression before swimming forward and hiding itself in the darkness of the abyss.

  Shit, I need to get some air. No, if I try to surface now, it will strike again. Akira was now stuck in quite the predicament, on one hand, he needed to surface and breathe air, on the other, he needed to stay vigilant so the monster wouldn’t strike him immediately.

  He clutched the stone tightly, his fingers trembling as he scanned the murky darkness. The faint glow of the creature’s blood still lingered, a sickly green trail in the water. It vanished deeper into the dark, but Akira knew it wasn’t retreating, it was prowling, waiting for its next moment to strike.

  Outlasting it underwater wasn't a possibility, that much was clear. But he could use its predatory instincts against it.

  He closed his cut palm, squeezing it until more blood seeped into the water.

  The trail, dark red and murky, mixed with the creature’s glowing green, creating a sinister pattern that floated downward. He kicked his legs, pushing himself toward the riverbed, his movements slow and deliberate.

  I know what it’s like to be hungry, you lose yourself and sometimes even reason. The monster had not eaten in God knows how long, maybe hours or maybe days, all Akira could hope was that its belly would overpower its brain and it would try to attack him directly from the front.

  Akira felt his chest tighten as his lungs screamed for air. His body begged him to rise, to break the surface and breathe, but he forced himself to remain below. His silver eyes darted through the murky water, trying to track the faint flicker of green where the creature had disappeared.

  Every muscle in his body was coiled, ready to strike or flee, when the moment came. He knew that the creature had to attack before he could escape, it wouldn’t let all its patience and effort go to waste.

  The blood trail he created drifted in a mesmerizing dance through the water as it mingled with the creature’s own. Akira clutched the jagged stone tighter, his knuckles white, his fingers trembling. He couldn’t stay under much longer, but he had to make this count.

  Suddenly, the glow reappeared, faint but growing. The creature was coming. Its eerie, hollow eyes cut through the darkness like twin moons, fixated on Akira. Its elongated body swayed with an unnerving grace, the powerful tail propelling it forward with terrifying speed.

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  Its open jaws revealed sharp, jagged teeth that looked like they could break bones as if they were light snacks, the current churned violently in its wake.

  Timing was everything.

  The creature lunged, its powerful tail whipping behind it, sending it barreling toward him like a spear. In the split second before its jaws snapped shut around him, Akira twisted his body and impaled the stone into its neck, the stone connected with the creature’s neck, the sharp tip cutting through its scales, and a sickening squelch followed as the blade of stone dug into the soft, unprotected flesh of its gills.

  A surge of glowing green liquid burst from the wound, the bioluminescent blood creating a grotesque mosaic.

  But Akira wasn’t safe yet, the jaws of the monster slammed shut around his clavicle, the sensation of pain shot through Akira, making him want to scream. Despite that, he held it in, knowing opening his mouth would most certainly mean death. SHIT!

  Viciously, he started twisting the stone that he had embedded in the creature’s flesh.

  His breath caught in his throat, the crushing force against his collarbone threatening to snap it in two. His vision blurred, and for a moment, all he could hear was the deafening pulse of his own heartbeat. But his mind was sharp, he couldn't afford to lose control.

  He suddenly let go of the stone, which remained lodged in the monster’s neck, winding back his hand before slamming it back against the makeshift weapon, burying it all the way in. DIE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!

  Although the creature’s bite seemed to weaken, by the time Akira had slammed the stone deeper, the monster was most likely already dead.

  Akira’s world was turning black, and the curtains were closing. It’s not fair, you asshole, you’re dragging me down to hell with you. His consciousness was weakening. The corpse’s weight was dragging him down, making him sink deeper.

  His eyes closed as the tired feeling spread through his body, making his body heavy and his mind light. The monster’s glowing blood seemed to form ribbons around his body as he fell deeper and deeper.

  AWAKEN! The voice in his head screamed, it was the same one, like a demon sent from hell clawing at his mind. MOVE, DEVOUR, SURVIVE!

  Akira’s eyes snapped open as he started clawing at the water like a wild beast, the corpse didn’t matter, the wound didn’t matter, nothing mattered except surviving.

  His chest burned as if his lungs were collapsing, but he didn’t stop. SURVIVE! That single, unrelenting thought drove him forward as he kicked and clawed his way upward.

  Every stroke sent waves of agony through his battered body, his bitten shoulder radiating pain with every movement as if feeling each and every tooth that had embedded itself in his flesh.

  As he broke the surface, Akira gasped, his lungs heaving as he sucked in sweet, life-saving air.

  He coughed violently, expelling water and blood from his throat. The river felt colder now, the chill seeping into his bones, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins kept him moving.

  Swimming to the nearest bank, his arms trembling with exhaustion as he dragged himself onto the shore before rolling onto his back, the corpse of the monster, which was almost twice as long as he was, weighing heavy on his body. “I’ll make you pay for that, you bastard, even if you’re dead.” The pain from the bite throbbed. “But for now, let’s figure out how the hell to get you off of me.”

  He put his hand in its neck, grabbing the stone and he started cutting away slowly. Akira’s plan was to cut the head off the body, then somehow dismantle the head or take the teeth out of his flesh.

  Just as he started moving the stone to cut the head off, its jaws suddenly tightened. “DAMN IT! Can’t you just give me a break? You're dead anyway!”

  He adjusted his grip on the stone, its slick surface now warm and sticky with the monster's bioluminescent blood. Akira dug the blade-like edge into the creature’s gills, his hand trembling as he worked. He sawed tirelessly.

  …

  Finally, with a wet, sickening sound, the stone cut through the last of the creature's sinews. Its head came free, the jaws still clamped around his shoulder like a grotesque trophy. Akira pushed the lifeless body off his chest, letting it slump heavily to the side.

  The weight lifted, but the head remained a gruesome pendant.

  Putting the sharp stone on the ground, he muttered to himself. “Good, now it's time for you to go too, you fishy smelling bastard.” He tried to open the jaws of the monster slowly with his hands, however, a wave of pain sent through his body. He let out a strained breath, trying to suppress the urge to scream. He quickly let go of it. The teeth had dug themselves so deep in him they had mingled with his flesh.

  He let out a sigh, the situation could have ended way worse after all, he should be grateful he didn’t lose his life.

  Akira sat up, taking the stone with him and placing it in between the rope at his waist and his tunic, using the tension like a holster.