“Shit...” Akira muttered at the command his body was uttering to him.

  His snowy eyes flickered back to the bloated body of the larva as his raven hair waved over them, its bulbous form unnaturally still, the thick yellow liquid slowly pooling beneath it.

  The scent of decay, sharp and acidic, assaulted his senses. His throat tightened. He shook his head, recoiling instinctively.

  “No. I can’t... I won’t eat that thing...” He spoke to himself, but the words felt feeble, an argument already lost. The thought of consuming such a grotesque creature twisted his insides, filling him with revulsion.

  But the hunger clawed at him, an insidious whisper curling around his mind, insistent and venomous.

  How long until you find another meal? The voice of survival was louder now, demanding. You need to eat. You need to move. Move, or you die. Eat, or you starve.

  The words echoed through his skull, thumping in rhythm with his pounding heart. His humanity screamed in protest, but it was weak, fragile, crumbling under the weight of primal instinct. The need to live eclipsed everything else. There was no logic anymore, no morality, just the undeniable, gnawing demand to survive.

  “It's just... food.” Akira whispered, though even he could hear the emptiness in his own voice. The hollow reasoning echoed in his mind.

  What difference did it make now? That thing had tried to devour him, it was only fair that he return the favor.

  Akira felt disgusted with himself, but what choice did he have? Starve? He couldn’t survive just based on hope, he needed this, whether he liked it or not.

  Before he could even notice it, his body moved on its own and he was already in front of the grotesque creature’s body.

  With a heavy heart, he released the mantis claw, allowing it to rest against the flabby corpse of the dark-blue skinned larva.

  Kneeling beside it, he placed the crimson sphere next to himself, the faint glow illuminating the chilling scene.

  He positioned himself just above the fresh wound he had carved with such violence, where the blood continued to flow, albeit sluggishly.

  Akira lowered himself, bracing his weight against the ground, his breath hitching as he leaned closer to the repugnant body.

  The moment hung heavy in the air as he steeled himself, a mix of dread and primal hunger coursing through him. With one last glance of trepidation, he closed the distance and allowed his lips to hover over the gaping wound. He sipped at the thick yellow blood, his mouth recoiling at the sour, acrid taste that burned his nostrils.

  It was foul, a sickly sweetness laced with decay, yet it was the only nourishment available. He fought against his body’s instinct to recoil, to spit out the vile liquid and heave it back up.

  His stomach roiled in protest, a tempest of nausea battling against the instinct to survive. Each mouthful felt like a violation, his humanity screaming in defiance.

  This was wrong, so grotesque… but was it any worse than being devoured alive or starving alone in the darkness? He shuddered at the thought, the line between his humanity dissolving in the darkness.

  Akira pulled away, gasping for air as the taste of death lingered on his tongue, a bitter reminder of his choice.

  Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he smeared it with the thick ichor, the reality of his actions settling heavily on him. “What am I doing?” The question hung in the cavernous space, unanswered and haunting.

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  Yet, deep within, a spark of life ignited, a flicker of resilience amidst the chaos.

  With a mix of disgust and determination, he grabbed one of the stubby legs of the dead creature, its texture gelatinous and repulsive, but it tore away easily with a satisfying squelch. The sound echoed in the cavern, a grotesque symphony of survival, a grim reminder of what he was willing to do to live.

  “You would have done the same to me…”

  Akira muttered, the words escaping his lips like a weak justification for the horrific act he was committing.

  He hesitated for a fleeting moment, looking at the glistening remains of the creature, the thick blood still pooling around him.

  Although, the cold truth settled in his mind, he had already crossed a line he shouldn’t have. This was no longer a time for remorse.

  He started eating the monster, ripping pieces from it and eating them like a wild beast filled with an unsatisfiable hunger, his body tried to revoke them, their acidic and revolting taste as if he was eating gelatinous metal.

  Suddenly, while he was devouring his grotesque meal, a bloodcurdling screech could be heard from the darkness, somewhere in the unknown, he recognized the noise, it sounded the same as the larva monster he had killed and was eating.

  His eyes widened with terror as they followed the sound. “Are you for real?”

  He could hear the noise of the stubby legs of the monsters scraping against the ground from the darkness.

  “Come on. Give me a break.” Akira’s heart raced as the familiar screech echoed through the darkness, a harbinger of imminent danger. Panic surged within him, a sharp, icy blade cutting through the haze of hunger and despair.

  He dropped the grotesque meat he had been gnawing on, the gelatinous flesh slipping through his fingers like the last remnants of his humanity.

  The sound of scraping legs drew closer, each scratch against the ground sending shivers down his spine. How many are there? five, ten… no, by the sound of it, it's a whole army.

  The echoes of screeches grew louder, reverberating in the cavern like a sinister choir. They were relentless, filled with rage and hunger, a monstrous symphony that ignited a primal terror within him. Akira's breath came in quick, ragged gasps as he glanced back at the crimson crystal, its soft glow illuminating the scene like a mocking beacon.

  I have to move. NOW! He thought, scrambling to his feet. But the ground felt unsteady beneath him, slick with ichor, a grotesque reminder of his desperate meal.

  His legs wobbled, and the remnants of the creature hung heavy in his stomach, a sickening reminder of his choices.

  With the sounds of the approaching creatures echoing in his ears, he fought against the nausea rising in him. He couldn’t stay here, he had to escape before they got too close.

  He grabbed the giant mantis claw with his right hand and threw it over his shoulder, the only weapon he had, and in his left hand the crimson glowing crystal, the only light source he had, he carried it as if it were a newborn child.

  Their value was irreplaceable, especially in Akira’s current predicament.

  He ran, whichever way the monster came from, he ran the opposite way. Sure, he got lucky and killed one, but what could he do against so many?

  Akira darted down the cavern, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest, each beat urging him forward. The darkness enveloped him, a suffocating shroud that felt alive with menace.

  With each step, the sound of the approaching creatures grew louder, echoing in a chaotic symphony of skittering legs and furious screeches that clawed at his sanity. The soft glow of the crimson crystal, the only thing illuminating his path.

  Suddenly he felt a drift of wind on his skin, it was slight, but he could tell the direction it came from, it was the same direction he was going but only slightly to the left.

  Akira's heart leapt as he felt the faint breeze brush his skin. Fresh air. Could it mean an exit? His mind and body turned towards the only possible escape he could have, his saving grace, or maybe his doom.

  He quickened his pace, his breaths coming in shallow gasps, the scent of raw flesh and blood still clinging to his senses.

  Following the slight drift of air, he veered left, barely dodging a jagged outcropping that seemed to appear out of nowhere from the darkness, his only way of telling was the light produced by the crystal . Each step felt like a gamble, but there was no time to hesitate.

  He pushed forward, clutching the crystal tighter, his only lifeline in the suffocating blackness. The mantis claw bounced against his back, its weight both reassuring and burdensome.

  The sounds of the pursuing monsters grew louder, more insistent, but… There was also something else following him now, something bigger, something much, much bigger.

  Akira’s breath hitched as he felt the vibrations, deeper and heavier than those of the larva creatures. It was as if the very ground was trembling beneath his feet, the ominous rumble growing louder with each passing second.

  He didn’t dare glance back, every instinct screamed at him to run faster. “Don’t look. Keep running.” He chanted under his breath, feeling the burn of exertion as his muscles ached from the strain.

  Despite his own warnings, Akira dared glance back, even if it was for a moment, even for a split second, it felt as if it was the worst decision he could have ever made.