Danny tripped. A single loose stone skittered down the ravine, sounding like a gunshot in the dead silence.
"I should eat you," Wyn whispered, though he made no move to strike.
In a heartbeat, the monster was there. Wyn didn't roar; he leaned in, his monstrous form looming over Danny, nostrils flaring as he caught the scent of human fear. But as he leaned closer, the predatory hunger in his eyes flickered, replaced by an intense, confusing curiosity. Soul Eater by Lily Mayne
"I'd probably give you indigestion," Danny retorted, his voice trembling despite the bravado.
The air in the Waste was thick with the scent of ozone and scorched earth, a constant reminder that this wasn't the world humans were built for. Danny adjusted the straps of his pack, his eyes scanning the jagged horizon. He was a scavenger, a ghost in a land of monsters, but today, he was hunting something specific. Danny tripped
A low, gravelly sound escaped the monster—a laugh. It was the first time Danny realized that in this desolate, terrifying world, he might have just found the only thing more lonely than himself. He came for the tech, but as Wyn’s shadow wrapped around him, Danny realized the Waste was about to get a lot more complicated.
He’d heard the stories of the "Soul Eater"—a creature so terrifying that even other monsters gave it a wide berth. They said it didn't just kill; it consumed the very essence of a person, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. Danny knew he should be running the other way, but desperation is a powerful motivator. His camp was dying, and rumors suggested the Soul Eater guarded a cache of pre-Arriving tech that could save them. In a heartbeat, the monster was there
"I'm... efficient," Danny managed to choke out, clutching his rusted pipe like a shield.