Chapter 154 Trapped together

Chapter 154: Chapter 154 Trapped together

Meanwhile, Kai and Adrian had been hiding inside the cave for hours. At this point, they had completely lost track of time.

They weren’t alone either. Talia, Mary, Alexis, Mark, and the other survivors who had managed to make it there were squeezed together inside a narrow hole beneath the cave. There was barely enough room for all of them, but nobody dared complain. They simply had to stay there and pray that their breathing wouldn’t give them away.

Outside, the inhuman growls continued. Low. Deep. Terrifying. Every few seconds, they could hear the creatures sniffing around the cave as they searched desperately for the prey they had been chasing only moments earlier. The creatures knew they were nearby. Somehow, they had simply lost track of them.

The strange branches of the mutated trees twisted and scraped against the rocks, moving like living serpents as they searched for any glimpse of the humans hiding beneath them. Every movement outside made everyone inside the hole tense.

But the creatures weren’t the only ones who were lost. The humans were just as trapped.

Kai pressed both hands against his chest, trying desperately to regulate his breathing. His heart was pounding so hard that he could practically hear it in his ears. That had been a damn close call. His head could have been separated from his body and rolling across the ground if Talia hadn’t warned him in time. The thought alone made him swallow.

Maybe these people weren’t actually bad. After all, they had rescued him and Adrian. They had brought them into their hiding place and protected them from creatures that could probably tear them apart in seconds. That had to count for something. Right?

Kai wanted to talk. He really did. Unfortunately, his throat was itching badly, and the conditions inside the hole weren’t helping. The two men beside him, Alexis and Mark, were practically pressed against him. And their armpits were dangerously close to his face.

Kai’s nose twitched. He tried holding his breath. It didn’t work. The smell was horrible. Sweat. Dirt. Something else he didn’t even want to identify.

Kai’s face twisted. When was the last time these guys took a bath? They had saved his life, yes. He appreciated that. But damn it, there had to be a limit to how grateful someone could be while inhaling another man’s armpit.

He slowly shifted his face away. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to go. Every direction was occupied. Kai squeezed his eyes shut and tried to endure it.

I’m going to die here, Not from the monsters, Not from starvation. Not from the apocalypse. From someone’s damn body odor.

Meanwhile, Adrian was surprisingly quiet. He sat near the edge of the hole with his knees drawn up, calmly using a small piece of stone to draw something across the dirt. His face remained completely serene despite the danger outside. It was almost irritating how calm he looked.

Then Adrian glanced up. His eyes immediately landed on Kai. Kai was struggling to free himself from the two men’s arms while desperately trying to keep his nose away from Alexis’s armpit.

Adrian stared for a few seconds. His lips twitched. He tried to hold it in. He failed. A quiet laugh escaped him.

Kai’s head snapped toward him.

Adrian immediately covered his mouth. But the damage had already been done. Instead of apologizing, Adrian decided to enjoy the opportunity. "You look like shit."

Kai’s eyes widened.

Adrian tilted his head. "Is everything okay?"

Kai stared at him in disbelief. Was this man seriously asking him that?

Talia, who had been facing the opposite direction, turned around after hearing Adrian’s voice. She looked between the two men.

Kai’s face was practically red from frustration. "Can’t you see that I’m in a crisis?" Kai whispered harshly. He pointed toward Alexis. "I’m being tortured here."

Alexis looked confused.

Kai continued. "And please, Mr. Big Man, could you at least move five feet away from me and let me breathe?" Alexis blinked. Kai waved his hand in front of his nose. "I’m damn sure that if this continues, I’m going to become asthmatic. So give me some space."

Alexis clearly didn’t understand what Kai was complaining about. He shrugged and moved slightly away.

Kai stared at him. That was barely any distance. He almost screamed. "I said five feet!"

Alexis shrugged again.

"I mean, at least move away from me!" The man still looked confused.

Kai rubbed his forehead. "I said you shouldn’t be this close to me, man. I’m sure you understand English." He narrowed his eyes. "Or should I translate it into another language?"

Mary immediately frowned. "You don’t have to be rude."

Kai looked at her.

Mary continued. "What’s the problem? Why shouldn’t he stay close to you?" She pointed around them. "We’re helping you. We brought you here because this is our safest hiding place, and now you’re making commands as if you own the place." Kai’s mouth opened. Mary folded her arms. "So stop being difficult and stay in your lane."

Kai stared at her. For once, he was speechless. Did she seriously just say that?

Adrian watched the exchange with amusement. The tension between them was becoming so thick that it felt as though another fight was about to start. He almost laughed. Forget the monsters. These people were going to kill each other first.

But before Adrian could make another joke, something happened.

Rumble.

The entire cave shook. Everyone froze. Dust fell from the ceiling.

The sound came again. RUMBLE!

Kai’s expression immediately changed. Every trace of amusement disappeared.

Talia raised one finger to her lips. Silence.

Everyone obeyed.

Outside, the creature continued moving. Its growl vibrated through the cave walls. Something heavy dragged across the rocks. Then came the sound of sniffing. Closer. Closer. Closer.

Kai’s eyes narrowed. He could feel his heartbeat speeding up again. The creature was directly above them. Or at least very close.

He glanced toward Talia. She silently looked at everyone one by one. Her expression was enough of a warning.

Don’t make a sound.

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Even Kai stopped complaining.

The strange branches outside continued twisting around the cave entrance. They scraped against the stone as though searching for an opening. The creature seemed to know they were here. It simply couldn’t figure out exactly where.

Adrian slowly looked toward the ceiling. Something about this felt wrong. The cave had protected the survivors before, but that didn’t mean it would protect them forever.

"Is it still here?" Adrian whispered.

Talia nodded. "Yes."

Adrian looked upward again. "It sounds like it’s trying desperately to reach us." He paused. "Are you sure we shouldn’t move?"

Talia shook her head. "This is the safest place." She kept her voice barely above a whisper. "We’ve been hiding like this since we discovered the cave. As long as everyone stays quiet and doesn’t start making unnecessary noise, we might make it through the day."

Adrian didn’t look convinced. That’s just an assumption.

It might have worked before. But that didn’t mean it would work now. The creatures were evolving. The environment was changing. Their enemies weren’t necessarily going to behave the same way every time. Survival couldn’t be measured by what had worked yesterday. Something new could happen at any moment. One different tactic from the creature could expose them completely.

They were relying on luck. And Adrian hated relying on luck.

He slowly shifted his body. Talia noticed. Her eyes widened. She immediately shook her head.

Adrian ignored the warning. He wasn’t going far. He simply wanted to move closer to Kai. Kai was positioned slightly farther from the main section of the cave where the creature seemed to be standing directly above them. Adrian figured moving toward him would put him in a better position.

He shifted carefully. One inch. Then another. Nothing happened. He continued.

Then—Crack.

Adrian froze. His eyes widened.

A deep rumbling sound suddenly shook the entire cave. The ceiling above them groaned.

Talia’s face drained of color. "Stop!"

But it was already too late.

BOOM!

A thunderous impact exploded above them. The ceiling suddenly shattered. Massive chunks of stone crashed downward. Everyone screamed. The hole they had been hiding inside violently collapsed.

Kai threw his arms over his head as rocks came raining down. "Move!"

But there was nowhere to move. The creature had finally found them. It had struck directly above their hiding place. The force of the impact cracked the cave’s surface, sending fractures racing through the walls. The ground shook violently beneath them. Dust exploded into the air.

Talia grabbed Mary. Alexis reached for Mark. Adrian tried to pull Kai toward the side. But the cave was collapsing too quickly.

"Kai!" Adrian shouted.

Another section of the ceiling broke apart.

Kai looked upward. His eyes widened. "It’s jumping right here!" He realized what was happening. "It’s going to crack the entire cave!" He looked toward the others. "We have to move to another section!"

They all scrambled to escape.

But before anyone could make it far—CRAAAAASH!

The entire structure gave way. The ceiling collapsed. The walls broke apart. Rocks and debris came crashing down from every direction.

Kai felt himself thrown violently against the ground. Adrian disappeared beneath a cloud of dust. Talia screamed. Mary’s voice was swallowed by the destruction. The sound of bones cracking echoed through the cave. Then another section collapsed. And another.

The entire hiding place was buried beneath tons of rock.

For a few terrifying seconds, there was n

othing but darkness. No voices. No movement. Only the deafening sound of debris settling.

Dust filled the air until it was impossible to see anything.