The moment Liam opened his eyes, he knew something was different.

  The wasteland stretched before him as it always did—the cracked earth, the eerie blue glow of the moon overhead, the skeletal trees standing like forgotten sentinels. But this time, he didn’t feel the usual cold creeping into his bones. Instead, a strange warmth pulsed through him, coiling in his muscles like unseen energy.

  He clenched his fists. He felt… stronger. Lighter.

  Then he noticed something else—the massive skeleton he had climbed before. The corpse of the monster he had killed should have been there, but it was gone. The bloodstains had vanished, and the ground looked undisturbed, as if the battle had never happened.

  "Did I… absorb it?"

  The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He had no proof, but the newfound energy in his body made him wonder. Was this why he felt so awake? So alive?

  If that was the case, then maybe… he could do it again.

  Determined to find answers, Liam set off into the wasteland. He needed to understand what this place was, why he kept returning, and what had changed within him.

  After what felt like hours of walking, he heard something—faint rustling against the cracked earth. He crouched low, hiding behind the twisted remains of a dead tree.

  A creature emerged from the darkness.

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  It was small—smaller than him, at least—but its form was unsettling. Its body was covered in thick black fur, its beady red eyes scanning the area hungrily. Its long, sharp claws scraped the ground as it tore into the carcass of another just like it.

  Liam’s heartbeat quickened.

  This was his chance.

  Carefully, he scanned the ground for a weapon. His fingers closed around a thick, jagged branch, heavy like a club. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.

  He crept closer. The monster was too focused on its meal to notice him. Holding his breath, he raised the club—

  And struck.

  The wood cracked against the creature’s skull with a sickening thud. It let out a high-pitched screech, its body jerking violently. But it didn’t go down.

  Snarling, it whipped around, eyes now burning with rage.

  Liam barely had time to react before it lunged.

  Claws slashed through the air, aiming for his chest. He raised his left arm instinctively, wincing as sharp pain lanced through him. The creature’s claws tore into his sleeve, cutting deep.

  Gritting his teeth, Liam swung the club again.

  Thud.

  Again.

  Thud.

  Again.

  The creature staggered, its movements sluggish. Finally, with one last desperate strike, Liam smashed the club into its skull. The monster let out a final, guttural hiss before collapsing onto the ground, twitching weakly.

  Liam stood over it, panting. His arm throbbed from where the claws had torn into him, but he had won.

  Now came the real test.

  He reached out, pressing his hand against the creature’s unmoving body.

  The moment he touched it, a strange force surged into him. It wasn’t just warmth—it was something deeper, something primal. His veins burned with raw energy, his muscles tensed, and his vision blurred for a moment as his body adjusted.

  And then, just like before, the creature was gone.

  No corpse. No blood. No sign it had ever existed.

  Liam stared at his hands, flexing his fingers.

  Something had changed.

  But he wasn’t sure what.

  As the cold wind howled through the wasteland, he saw something in the distance—movement.

  A group of the same creatures, their black fur blending into the shadows, were moving together. They didn’t seem to notice him, scurrying forward with purpose.

  Curious, Liam followed from a distance, careful not to alert them.

  Then he saw it.

  A massive hole in the ground, large enough for a truck. Its edges were rough, as if it had been clawed open rather than naturally formed. From within, dark shapes moved—more of the rat-like monsters, crawling in and out.

  It was their nest.

  Liam’s breath hitched.

  He wasn’t ready to take on all of them at once. But the ones that wandered too far from the group? The weaker ones?

  Those were easy prey.

  Gripping his makeshift weapon, Liam set his sights on an isolated target.

  It was time to hunt