05/07/2026
๐๐ฃ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฎ: ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐
I didn't run until the door groaned, the metal bowing inward under the force of a massive, unseen weight. I dove into the ventilation shaft, the eggโs heat searing my shoulder through the canvas. Every movement felt like an eternity. The clicking was inside the walls now. The Guardians didn't fly here; they used their serrated talons to scale the concrete like giant, feathered sI didn't run until the door groaned, the metal bowing inward under the force of a massive, unseen weight. I dove into the ventilation shaft, the eggโs heat searing my shoulder through the canvas. Every movement felt like an eternity. The clicking was inside the walls now. The Guardians didn't fly here; they used their serrated talons to scale the concrete like giant, feathered s .
The shaft opened into a narrow ravine behind the bunker. I scrambled out, the mud swallowing my boots. Rain began to pour, a relentless tropical deluge that should have masked my noise, but it only made me more visible. The violet light of the egg was reacting to the rain, casting strobing shadows against the ferns.
"Just reach the river," I told myself, my breath coming in ragged, shallow stabs. Suddenly, the canopy above me exploded. A Guardian descended, its wingspan wide enough to blot out the moon. It didn't strike with its beak; it used the sheer force of its landing to pin me against a mossy boulder. I looked up into those terrifying golden orbs. The creatureโs face was a flat disc of stiff, grey feathers, twitching as it tasted the air.
It smelled the egg. It leaned in, its beak clicking inches from my throat. I reached for the flare at my belt, my fingers shaking. If I missed, it wouldn't just be my life lost; it would be the secret of this entire valley. The Guardian let out a low, vibrating hoot that made my vision blur. Just as it opened its maw, I struck the flare. The blinding crimson magnesium erupted, a scream of light in the darkness. The creature shrieked, recoiling from the sudden heat, giving me five seconds of life I hadn't expected.
TO BE CONTINUED...