She showed him a gesture, they both once saw in an ancient movie and have been using ever since to communicate ideas non-verbally. Only this time everything was way too serious.  The fog that engulfed Sinclair’s mind raptly dissipated as he realized the meaning of the gesture in these circumstances.

He smiled and turned to the creature to win some time. He pretended to be shrugging his shoulders just to take a better swing. Then the blade in the man’s hand made a short arc and cut one of the creature’s tentacles clean.

The antagonist emitted a buzzing sound and halted for a moment as the liquid spurting from the severed tentacle gradually condensed into a scar tissue and a fresh appendage sprouted to replace the old one. This was captivating and repulsive at the same time and Sinclair couldn’t help but watch this metamorphosis, totally forgetful about his own safety.