Darkness greeted Marrok on the other side, and he pressed the button on the flashlight. The beam didn't illuminate anything at a distance, and he could only see a few feet in front of him. He moved along the hallway, eyes darting in the limited area he could see. The building was quiet. A foreboding weight constricted his chest as he walked. At the end of the hallway, he peeked around the corner to make sure there wasn't anything there. He met another long hallway and a staircase at the end.

This building layout is weird.

Moving forward again, Marrok shone the light into the stairway. There was no movement, so he began to trudge carefully up the stairs. The light illuminated the steps a few feet in front of him, and he was grateful not to miss any. On the landing, he opened to door to the next floor and peeked into the hallway. Two different corridors branched away from the door. Marrok stepped out into it. He looked around but couldn't see any difference and chose to move left. He tip-toed along the hard floor, and his bare feet didn't make a sound.

I wish Riley would've brought me some shoes. This sucks.

A scream echoed through the building, freezing Marrok in place. A loud growl followed it, and Marrok pressed himself against a wall before moving forward. His heart pounded against his ribcage, and he had to force his breathing to slow down. He placed a sweaty palm against the wall before leaning to glance around the corner. The left-hand path led to a dead end. Marrok moved right and continued walking.

This building is probably set up like a maze to confuse us. There may not be a way out. We might have to take down the Cursed One if we can't find the exit in time.

He climbed up another staircase and paused on the landing. Voices echoed from the hallway, and Marrok cringed at how loud the group was being. He peered through the doorway before stepping out. Three people approached him from the left, and one of the teenage boys raised his hand in greeting.

"Ah, hey, another one of us! Have you seen an exit?"

Marrok shook his head. "You're being too loud. What if the Cursed One hears you?"

Another boy laughed. "There's no Cursed One here. Think about it. It'd be a huge liability for the RAM if one of us got hurt or killed."

"Didn't you hear the scream earlier?" Marrok asked.

The girl of the group raised her hand with a grin. "That was me. Davis over here thought it'd be a good idea to act like I was gonna step on a snake."

Marrok sighed. "Look, don't you guys think you should be taking this more seriously? You want to be a Hunter, right?"

"I want to kill Cursed Ones, so if there's one in here, I want to take it down," one of the boys said.

I'm wasting my time with this bunch. It's important to find a group, but not if they have the IQ of a tadpole.

Marrok shrugged. "Have you passed any other groups?"

The girl nodded. "There's a lot of people meeting up two levels above us. Some of us decided to go off on our own, though."

"Alright, thanks. Good luck. Watch your backs," Marrok said.

He walked past the teenagers and raised his hand in a farewell gesture. Their voices traveled up the stairwell, and Marrok shook his head in annoyance. He made his way two floors up and met with a larger group of people huddled in a common area. He studied the group before landing on his two best friends, and he moved toward them. The two friends smiled when they saw him and whispered their greetings.

"I didn't think you'd be in our group," Julia said. "Bradley and I figured they put you with another group."

"I started off on a different floor. I guess it was the same for everyone, but has anyone found an exit yet?" Marrok turned his flashlight off to save the battery.

"Not yet," Bradley said. "There's a few people exploring the upper levels, but nobody has come back with anything yet."

"With the way this building is laid out, I'd be surprised if we find an exit," Marrok said.

Julia pointed toward the center of the room. "There's metal baseball bats and small swords over there. You should grab one."

Marrok took her advice. He walked over to the crates of weapons and grabbed a short sword before returning to his friends. He was startled when a shrill scream reverberated from somewhere above them. Everyone in the common area grew deathly quiet. The ongoing screams didn't drown out the snarls. A moment later, someone stumbled down the stairs at the end of the hall. He leaned against the doorway and panted for breath. Blood covered his torso and dotted his neck and face. Tears streamed down his face as he spoke.

"It's coming! It killed Sasha!"

He collapsed onto his knees with his hands cradling his chest. Marrok's legs finally found the strength to move, and he stepped toward the fallen teen. The snarl from the stairway stopped him in his tracks.

"Move!" someone yelled.

Chris Addamsen darted forward. He grabbed the wounded boy by the shirt collar and dragged him away from the doorway. A moment later, the flashlights landed on the Cursed One. Its yellow eyes gleamed from the light, and a low growl erupted from its throat. A metal muzzle attached around its head prevented the mouth from revealing terrifying fangs. It stooped slightly to make it through the doorway, its massive paws thudding against the floor. A snarl passed its lips as it eyed Chris and the fallen teen.

"Run! We have to get out of here!" someone said.

A shoulder slammed into Marrok's as people turned and ran down the hallway behind him. The contact jolted him into reality, and Marrok moved forward again. His slow steps turned into a sprint toward the Cursed One. Its strong muscles rippled underneath the fur as it lunged at Chris, who placed himself between the injured boy and the Cursed One.

Marrok sliced the side of the werewolf's neck with the small sword, making it yelp and stumble to the side. Blood streamed from the wound, but Marrok's heart sank at the realization the cut was too shallow. He strode over to Chris.

"Come on, we gotta go!"

Wrapping one of the injured teen's arms around his neck, Chris took the cue and done the same. Together, they lifted him to his feet and moved away from the Cursed One as quickly as they could. Marrok's heart pounded in his chest, and his hair stood on end. It took everything he had to not drop the teen and run as the snarl rattled his bones. He imagined the Cursed One's hot breath on his neck, and Marrok gritted his teeth as he heard it recover and dart toward them.

Another candidate wielding a baseball bat rushed past Marrok and swung at the Cursed One. Metal clanged against metal as the bat ricocheted off the muzzle, but it was enough to make the Cursed One flinch away. More people attacked.

"We have to take this thing out now!"

"Don't let it get close to you!"

Marrok focused on keeping his footing as they ran toward the stairway at the end of the hall. They stopped in the doorway, and Chris pointed at two teenagers cowering in the stairwell.

"If you wanna-be's aren't going to fight, make yourselves useful and get this guy out of here."

The two teens obeyed and switched places with them. Marrok turned toward the fighting again, and his grip on the small sword tightened. The muzzle prevented the Cursed One from biting anyone, but its powerful paws slammed into people left and right, the force throwing them to the ground with loud grunts. Chris huffed.

"This thing's gotta be killed right here, right now."

Marrok grabbed his shoulder, holding Chris back with a shake of his head.

"We need a plan. It's faster and stronger than—"

"Let go of me! If you want to run like the rest of these rejects, then be my guest."

Chris jerked his shoulder away from Marrok and ran toward the fray. He leaned down to grab a baseball bat before charging full speed at the Cursed One with an enraged yell. Marrok followed him a moment later but didn't attack the Cursed One. Instead, he joined Bradley and Julia again. Both looked worn from hitting the floor multiple times, but they stood again.

"Nothing's working! We can't get close enough to deal a killing blow," Bradley said.

An agonized scream made Marrok turn his attention back to the fight. Another teen fell to the ground while clutching his stomach, blood seeping through the claw marks marring his skin. The Cursed One turned to lunge at another candidate, barely missing her as she lunged to the side. Chris dragged himself from the floor and attacked again, blood streaming from a head wound as he slammed the bat against the Cursed One's back leg. It jumped away with a yelp, putting its weight on the other three legs.

Seeing an opportunity, Marrok ran toward the creature. The hair on his arms stood up the closer he got to the raging werewolf, and his stride threatened to falter. He kept going until he was close enough, then swung the small sword at the Cursed One's uninjured back leg. It rattled in his grip as the blade struck bone, and his clammy hands nearly let it slip as his arms jarred from the blow. The Cursed One collapsed to the floor with a huff, the back legs no longer wanting to support it. Only the front paws held it up as saliva dripped from its snarling mouth.

Bradley and Julia moved toward the front legs. Marrok hoped they'd immobilize it. Chris staggered toward the Cursed One, ready to provide backup if needed. Marrok held his breath as his two friends swung the baseball bat and small sword. The Cursed One crouched low with its back legs gathered beneath its body. It jumped high into the air. Bradley and Julia swung their weapons into thin air. Marrok took a step forward.

"Watch out!"

The Cursed One crashed down and swiped a paw at both of them. Julia tried blocking the attack with the small sword, but the force of the blow sent her flying into Bradley. They tumbled to the floor in a mess of limbs, only stopping when they hit a wall. Julia sat up with a muttered curse, cradling her ankle. Marrok's stomach twisted at the sight of the awkward angle of the broken bone, and he swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth.

The Cursed One stalked toward Marrok's friends, a steady growl rumbling in its throat. Blood roared in Marrok's ears as fiery adrenaline pumped through his veins. Bradley scrambled to his feet in front of Julia protectively as she pulled herself up to stand on one leg. Marrok and Chris darted toward the Cursed One's legs again while Bradley ran forward for an attack. The Cursed One whirled around to face Marrok and Chris, then lunged.

A heavy paw crashed into Marrok's torso, and he fell onto his back. The Cursed One's claws dug into his stomach slightly, leaving three long gashes behind as it passed over him. Winded, he rolled onto his side and cradled the wounds. The seeping blood made his shirt stick to him. With gritted teeth, Marrok forced himself onto his hands and knees and watched the Cursed One attack other teenagers. A hand grabbed his arm and started pulling him to his feet, and Marrok glanced over his shoulder to see Bradley.

"We have to regroup on another floor. It's too bad down here," Bradley said.

Marrok fought to inflate his lungs. The Cursed One rampaged at the other end of the hallway as other participants attacked it in groups. Deep cuts from the small swords marred the Cursed One's body, the blood marking the fur with dark shadows cast by the flashlight beams. The enraged snarl coming from the beast made Marrok cringe as it swiped a heavy paw at more people. Cries of pain echoed through the hallway. Marrok tightened his grip on the small sword. Facing a Cursed One for the first time made his chest constrict and heart hammer against his ribs.

Retreating will separate us from everyone that's down here. Can I leave them like that? Is that the right thing to do? What would dad or Riley do?

Marrok shook his head and rubbed his hand across the bruise forming on his chest. With a shaky breath, he spoke. "No. It won't work. We have to take it down here."

Bradley scoffed. "We can't even keep up with the thing!"

"We're not leaving them."

Chris spoke up. "All we have are toothpicks and sticks to kill this thing. It'd take a miracle to get close to it."

A hand fell upon Marrok's shoulder, making him jump before realizing it was Julia leaning her weight onto him. He pressed his hand against her back to keep her steady.

"It's guarding its neck but forgetting about the stomach. That'll be the only way we can do any real damage," Julia said.

"Yeah, but we'll be trampled," Bradley said.

Chris stepped toward the fighting. "That's a risk I'm willing to take if it brings this thing down. What're we waiting for? Let's go."

Julia nodded and handed the small sword to Chris before speaking again. "Aim for the legs. Get it off balance so Chris can deal the final blow."

"This is our only shot," Marrok said. "We can't screw this up. You guys ready?"

They moved as one. Bradley and Marrok moved ahead of Chris as they charged at the rampaging Cursed One. The time it took to get to the target was mere seconds, but Marrok felt everything slow around him. His heart hammered against his ribs and his brain demanded he move in the opposite direction, but Marrok continued the charge. Bradley met the Cursed One first and swung the baseball bat at one of its back legs.

Bone cracked under the metal, and the Cursed One yelped in pain. Stumbling, it turned to face Bradley. Marrok darted around to the other back leg and aimed at the tendon he knew was there. The blade sliced through skin. Unable to support its weight, the Cursed One collapsed. Marrok darted toward one of the walls to get away from the beast. He saw Chris lunge at the Cursed One with the sword angled to slice its stomach.

A sense of victory surged through Marrok when the blade cut through the Cursed One's stomach. Blood dripped down onto Chris as the Cursed One released an agonized howl. Its body trembled. A snarl replaced the howl, and it lashed out with its front paw, pinning Chris to the floor. Claws pierced his stomach.

Marrok cursed under his breath. His muscles tensed as he prepared to launch himself at the beast. Before he could move, a loud bang echoed through the air and the Cursed One fell to the side. Chris kicked himself away from the twitching body, and Marrok looked down the hallway to find the source of the Cursed One's downfall. Flashlights landed on a woman at the end of the corridor as she lowered her gun and limped toward them. Her voice carried through the emptiness.

"Congratulations. You all survived two minutes against a low-level Cursed One without any fatal wounds."