Daryl ran without allowing himself the luxury of thought or planning or hesitation because all that existed in that moment was the raw instinct to survive and the overwhelming certainty that stopping even for a heartbeat meant dying, while the air behind him erupted with sound that was not footsteps and not echoes but something far worse as dozens of ghosts suddenly burst past him from behind, not screaming and not attacking but fleeing in blind terror with faces twisted into shapes that barely looked human anymore as they phased through walls and seats and even through one another, all of them rushing in the same direction and away from whatever was coming, which nearly made Daryl's heart stop as the realization hit him all at once.
"…They're running," he gasped.
The chat noticed it instantly.
[WHY ARE THE GHOSTS RUNNING??]
[THAT'S NOT NORMAL]
[THEY'RE SCARED]
The darkness behind him thickened in a way that had nothing to do with shadows or the absence of light because it moved with intent like something massive forcing itself through space itself, while the air grew heavy and oppressive and his legs began to feel sluggish as though the building had decided to hold him back, and then the footsteps returned again closer than before with each one sending a violent shudder through the floor beneath him.
THUMP
THUMP
Daryl risked a glance back even though every instinct told him not to and saw nothing at all, yet his body screamed at him louder than words ever could as he shouted, "It's gaining on me," while his chest burned and his lungs screamed for air and the corridor ahead of him twisted unnaturally with walls bending inward as if the structure itself was folding, until suddenly the floor vanished beneath his feet and he fell without even time to scream.
"-!"
His stomach dropped as he crashed through rotted boards and concrete dust before slamming hard into the floor below, the impact driving every bit of air from his lungs as pain exploded through his spine and forced a broken sound out of his throat.
"Ghh-!"
He rolled once before coming to a stop with his entire body screaming in protest as his arms trembled and his vision blurred and he lay there gasping, barely able to process that he was still alive.
"…I'm alive," he whispered.
Above him the hole he had fallen through groaned ominously as dust rained down and then a shadow slowly and deliberately filled the opening while something leaned over the edge, causing Daryl's breath to catch as a giant head emerged that was far too wide and far too large for the space, its silhouette scraping against broken concrete while crimson eyes reflected faint light as they stared at him without blinking or emotion.
"…Oh god," Daryl breathed.
The creature did not roar or snarl or announce itself in any dramatic way and instead simply stared before a massive arm reached down toward him, impossibly long and thick like a tree trunk and covered in coarse bear-like fur with muscle rippling beneath it as claws scraped against concrete and sent chills crawling across Daryl's skin, forcing him to scramble backward as he muttered, "There's no way, there's no way you fit-" while the arm stretched further and the claws dug into the floor, cracks spreading outward as Daryl held his breath until the limb suddenly stopped and the creature tilted its head as though judging or thinking before slowly pulling its arm back, withdrawing its head and lifting the shadow away as the hole went quiet.
Daryl collapsed onto his back as a shaky breath escaped him and he whispered, "…It's too big, it can't get down here."
The chat flooded with relief.
[YOU'RE SAFE]
[IT CAN'T REACH YOU]
[HOLY SH-]
Daryl nodded weakly and replied, "Yeah," followed by, "…Yeah," as his trembling hand reached for his phone lying a few feet away with a cracked screen that was still live and showing over a thousand viewers, prompting him to grab it and mutter, "Okay, okay, I need light," before flicking on the flashlight only for it to flicker weakly, making him grimace as he turned it off and whispered, "Battery," then reaching for his torch which he found by touch and gripped tightly as he said quietly, "Alright, just need to-" right before something brushed his back in a way that was light and warm and far too real, causing him to freeze completely with his breath stopping mid-inhale.
"…Don't move," he whispered to himself.
The chat went silent as he slowly raised the torch with a trembling finger hovering over the switch before clicking it on, flooding the space behind him with light and revealing the creature standing there fully and impossibly close with a massive hunched body that filled the corridor, its bear-like bulk and ape-like posture caked in dust and debris, its mouth opened too wide with jagged teeth exposed while crimson eyes burned with focus locked entirely on him, wiping Daryl's mind completely blank as the creature moved faster than something that size should ever be able to.
"-!"
The impact came before the sound as Daryl raised his arms instinctively and felt a sharp crack followed by white-hot pain exploding through his hand while he screamed, "AAAGH-!" and was sent flying like a thrown doll into the wall, concrete cracking as the world spun and his vision blurred before he slid down limp and helpless, the torch clattering away as the last thing he saw before the light cut out was the creature stepping forward slowly and patiently with absolute certainty, while the chat exploded in screams and Daryl lost control of his body entirely.
---
Daryl hit the ground hard and realized almost immediately that his body was no longer responding the way it should while his shattered hand screamed with pain every time he breathed, and before he could even attempt to recover the creature was already moving again with terrifying speed and silence as he tried to roll only for something to slam into his side and lift him into the air before throwing him against a concrete pillar hard enough to knock the air out of him, leaving him coughing and choking as he slid down.
"Ghh-!"
He tried to crawl but his legs barely moved and with the flashlight somewhere behind him and the torch gone completely the darkness swallowed everything until the creature appeared again without walking or running and simply existed right in front of him, causing Daryl's eyes to widen as he gasped, "How-" before a massive hand grabbed his shoulder and lifted him effortlessly with his feet dangling and chest tightening as he tried to scream but only managed, "Please-!" before being slammed into the wall once and then again as concrete cracked and something inside his chest snapped, blood flooding his mouth as he was thrown across the hall and crashed to the floor with pain detonating through his ribs while he coughed and splattered blood onto the ground.
The chat was still there and still watching and still screaming, but it all felt distant as Daryl's hand fumbled at his waist and closed around a Binding Talisman which he slapped onto the floor while shouting, "-Bind!" as golden light flared and symbols wrapped around the creature's legs, freezing it for a single second that made his heart leap as he cried, "It worked—!" only for the creature to look down and step forward, shattering the talisman as the symbols ripped apart and backlash slammed into Daryl's chest hard enough to make him scream while the charm burned to ash.
"No… no no no-!"
He crawled backward in desperation as his fingers fumbled for another item and he tore open the Salt of the Old Dead and threw it, watching it explode into a white cloud that the creature passed through without even slowing, leaving Daryl sobbing as he whispered, "Why isn't it working…?" before pulling out the Iron Spirit Nail and driving it into the floor with shaking hands while shouting, "-Seal!" as the nail rang like a bell and sent out a shockwave that forced the creature back a single step, reigniting his hope until the nail bent and snapped and the shockwave collapsed entirely.
The creature lunged and Daryl never even saw it move as he was suddenly airborne before something punched straight through his chest in white-hot agony that ripped a scream from his throat, forcing him to look down and see a rusted iron rod piercing his torso and pinning him to the floor as blood poured out and his breath turned wet and broken.
"…Ah… ahh…"
His body refused to respond as the creature loomed over him and breathed low and vibrating before the ceiling groaned and a massive chunk of concrete broke free and fell directly onto his leg, crushing it instantly and shattering bone as pain followed a heartbeat later so intense his scream never formed, his mouth opening with no sound as his phone skidded across the floor and shattered under debris, tilting the broken stream sideways while viewers watched helplessly.
Daryl lay there pinned and impaled and broken with blood pooling beneath him as his hands trembled and slowly stilled, his thoughts drifting as images flashed through his mind of his mother's voice and overdue rent and donation alerts and MoonPetal wishing him luck and the stupid kiss from that unknown lady at the store at the store - why was he even thinking about that now, wanting to laugh but unable to as the creature leaned closer and swallowed him in shadow with cold satisfied eyes reflecting faint light.
"…I didn't even make it," he thought, "…Not even a little."
The creature raised its arm as the and the world finally went dark.