Ren muscles screamed for him to stop. He couldn’t keep fighting like this. He counted his lucky stars he had gotten this far. If not for the teenagers and Sunny, he was sure the Lurker would’ve never been distracted long enough for him to hit it.

His arm trembled with the shock of the attacks. Getting up close and personal had been the double-edged sword he anticipated. While the damage to the Lurker was great, he paid the price. Blood seeped through the orifices of his screen, painting it in specks of red.

He’d had to play it safe. Use smaller caliber ammunition, keep his distance. There wasn’t any room for error now. All it would take is one mistake, and it would be game over for them both.

“What’s it doing?” Sunny asked, gasping.

“What do you—” Ren’s voice caught.

The behemoth’s flesh was mending. Bone and tissue contorted, cracked, and writhed. Sinew stitched like worms melding together, the recent wound slowing its bleeding.

What the fuck? I’ve never seen a Lurker do this before, Ren thought, his eyes wide.

“What do you want to do?” Sunny asked, her voice trembling.

Damn it, I can’t protect her and kill this thing at the same time.

Ren weighed his options and reached into a small pouch around his waist containing what he thought was the best weapon for the situation. Retrieving a large 12-gauge shotgun shell from the bag, he stared at it for a couple of seconds before clenching it in his fist.

“Ren, don’t do it. It’s dumb,” Sunny hissed.

The caliber of the bullet determined the strength of the attack, but the drawback hurt like a bitch. Kickback aside, range was a large contributor to how hard his attack would hit and how much damage he would incur from it. Do it too much, and he risked seriously hurting himself.

I don’t have much choice. Smaller bullets aren’t potent enough for this fucker.

“I’m going to give this thing something else to smile about,” Ren said.

“What?” Sunny asked.

“My trump card. It’ll be kinda like popping a balloon. Only, this balloon’s full of meat, so it’s going to be a little gross.” Ren took two steps forward. The Lurker had almost healed its wounds within the twenty-or-so seconds they spent deliberating.

“Don’t do anything stupid! Please!”

He looked at her over his shoulder, flashing a toothy grin. “You’re not going to like what happens next, then.”

“Ren,” she hissed.

“I need you to stay back. Like, way back.”

She paused. “Fine.” Sunny bowed her head. There was no time to argue. The Lurker was rising to its feet. Sunny darted away in haste, standing behind one of the shrine’s numerous long poles.

“All right, let’s do this,” Ren muttered, then yelled, “Hope you’re hungry, pal!”

The Lurker screeched before sprinting in Ren’s direction. Beads of sweat collected on Ren’s skin as he readied into a stance.

The disgusting creature swept Ren into its hand with minimal effort, bringing him to his mouth. Ren reeled back, offering the Lurker his arm.

Just as he’d planned, the behemoth bit down on his arm. The pain was terrible, scorching his veins and causing his entire body to scream out. Blood seeped out from the gaps between the monster’s teeth, drenching Ren’s clothes in red.

“Gotcha, bitch!”

White light covered the immediate area. A deafening bang followed, and innumerable pieces of the behemoth’s top half flew in a myriad of directions, painting the forest in pinks and reds. Ren dropped to the ground, the lower half of the Lurker’s singed body plummeting with him.

“Oh god!” Sunny screamed. She ran up to him, kneeling beside him. “I have to get you out of here!” she said, her hands shaking.

Ren’s face contorted. “Yep. That went… pretty much how I expected it to,” he struggled to say. The behemoth’s demise had come at a great cost to himself. Pointed bone and singeing flesh were all that remained of his forearm. “Only this hurts far fucking more than I thought it would,” he breathed. “Isn’t the adrenaline supposed to help me or something?”

“Stop talking! I’ll get you to Doctor Scales right away! I promise!”

“I’ll be relying on you,” Ren said, forcing a smile. Dabbing his pointer finger around his wound, he reached over and drew a smiley face on her palm. It was crude, sure, but he hadn’t gotten this far by taking everything so seriously.

His consciousness was beginning to fade. He only hoped that he would wake up.

---

The fog was growing murkier with each passing second. Sweat soaked the inside of Sunny’s hoodie while her arms trembled with Ren’s weight. Her chest heaved, and for a moment, she stopped, putting Ren down gently. The grass cushioned his body, and Sunny fell to her hands and knees, beads of sweat dripping from her brow.

What was she supposed to do here?

The situation was looking grim. Sunny had never seen Ren so pale before. With her limited knowledge, she had done her best to tie a scrap of cloth around his arm to stop the bleeding. It worked well enough, but every time she managed to drag his body just a little farther, the fabric would come loose, and the bleeding would continue. She had done this three times already.

Until today, Sunny had no idea a person could breathe so slowly and still be alive. How could Ren have thought that losing his arm was the best idea for that situation? There must have been a better option. Ren could have maintained his distance for a while, tried a different technique, tired the Lurker out. Something, anything other than what he’d just done.

Sunny wiped the sweat from her brow and gripped the end of Ren’s hood with both hands. Her fingers were locking up from repetition, her muscles crying for a break. Simply squeezing the hem of Ren’s hood had Sunny’s arms hardening into rocks.

Sunny was reaching her limit.

“I’m sorry, Ren,” Sunny cried, allowing the tears to flow down her cheeks. She leaned back on her legs, burying her face in her hands. “I don’t think I can save you.”

It was going to be just like last time. Another greeting, another parting. Why was it that she could never hold on to anyone? Was there something wrong with her? Had her jitter cursed her in some way she was unaware of? This wasn’t fair. Sunny had never been anything but nice to everyone. Yet, here she was, on the verge of losing yet another important person in her life.

“Papa,” Sunny choked out through hacked sobs, “what do I do? You… you never taught me any of this. I don’t know how to help him.” Sunny slouched forward and ripped a clump of grass out with her hand, bashing her closed fist against the dirt. “Please! Please help me! Help him!”

A gentle breeze began to rustle the nearby trees.

Sunny sat up, her cheeks soaked and red from tears. She cocked her head back, looking at a sky covered by smoky fog. “Papa…”