Daryl was running, not blindly, but with every sense stretched to its absolute limit as he pushed forward through the abandoned corridor ahead of him, which was long and narrow, its walls scarred with cracks like veins running through old concrete, while his footsteps echoed far too loudly in the oppressive silence.
The Eagle Eye Drops burned faintly behind his eyes as they sharpened everything around him, making dust motes float like distant constellations while shadows were no longer just darkness, instead possessing shape and tangible depth that clung to the edges of his vision.
And then something felt wrong.
It was not a sound, nor was it movement, but rather a deep, instinctive sensation that crawled up his spine, a pressure like a hand hovering inches from the back of his neck, close enough that he could almost feel its breath.
MOVE.
Daryl twisted his body sideways just as the corridor behind him erupted.
-BOOM.
A colossal hand exploded through the wall where his head had been a fraction of a second earlier, sending concrete bursting outward in a violent spray as bricks shattered and rebar screamed while tearing loose, the sheer impact shaking the entire corridor as the shockwave slammed into Daryl's ribs and hurled him into the opposite wall.
The chat went feral.
[HOLY SHIT]
[WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT]
[HE ALMOST DIED]
[THAT WAS HIS HEAD]
Daryl hit the wall hard, rolled across the floor, and came up on one knee as his heart pounded violently in his chest, yet his hands remained steady, which made him grimace in relief.
Good, he thought grimly, the Adrenal Surge is still active.
Behind him, the wall continued to crumble, and then the rest of the creature followed.
The Abandoned-Building Nightmare Ape tore itself through the ruined concrete as if it were wet paper, its sheer size becoming immediately apparent as it emerged into the corridor, even larger up close than the descriptions online had suggested.
Its shoulders scraped against both sides of the hallway as it forced itself forward, hunched but impossibly wide, with massive muscles rolling beneath layers of soot-dark fur that looked stiff with dust and decay, while its arms extended unnaturally long, ending in hooked claws that bit into the floor as it dragged itself fully into the open space.
Slowly, deliberately, its head lifted.
Crimson eyes locked onto Daryl.
The low, vibrating rumble of its breathing filled the corridor, as if the building itself had begun to growl.
The chat exploded again, though this time it was different, not shocked excitement but pure terror as viewers collectively realized what they were seeing.
They feared for his life.
[THAT'S IT]
[THAT'S THE APE]
[IT'S REAL IT'S FUCKING REAL]
[RUN RUN RUN]
Daryl did not run, instead standing up slowly as he inhaled deeply and exhaled through his nose, forcing his heartbeat down from a wild gallop into something controlled because panic would not help him, and panic would kill him.
"I see you," he said aloud, his voice hoarse but steady despite the tension coiling in his chest.
The ape tilted its head, just slightly, as if it were listening, as if it understood.
Daryl tightened his grip on the Phantom Whip as the weapon shimmered faintly in the dim light, its spectral length coiled loosely at his side while he felt it hum in response to his intent, eager and alive.
Fast, he reminded himself, too strong and too big.
So don't fight it like it's human.
The ape took one heavy step forward, cracking the floor beneath its weight, then took another.
Daryl moved first.
He snapped the whip forward, and the spectral length shot out with a sharp crack, wrapping around the creature's forearm before it could react.
The effect was immediate, as the whip glowed brighter and spirit energy bit into the ape's flesh, causing the creature to roar not exactly in pain but in surprise and fury as the energy burned against it like acid.
Daryl yanked hard, pulling himself sideways as the ape instinctively tried to tear free, and that movement saved his life.
The creature's other arm slammed down where he had been standing moments earlier, smashing the floor into rubble as Daryl slid across the ground with his boots skidding before he came up behind a collapsed pillar.
"Alright," he muttered under his breath. "That works."
The chat was screaming now.
[THE WHIP HURT IT]
[IT ACTUALLY WORKED]
[DO THAT AGAIN]
[HOLY SHIT HE'S FIGHTING IT]
The ape ripped the whip free with brute force, violently shaking its arm as the spectral energy dispersed and left faint burn marks across its fur and skin, after which it stared at Daryl again, though this time there was no curiosity left in its eyes, only rage.
Then it charged.
Not lumbering, and not slow, but exploding forward with terrifying speed as its claws gouged the floor and its massive body compressed and released like a monstrous spring.
Daryl's eyes widened.
Too fast.
He snapped the whip again, this time aiming low as it wrapped around the ape's ankle, and he pulled with everything he had, causing the creature to stumble just barely, though it was enough.
The ape crashed shoulder-first into the wall, concrete collapsing inward as the building screamed in protest, but Daryl did not celebrate.
He moved.
He sprinted past the creature with his boots pounding and lungs burning while adrenaline screamed through his veins, hearing the ape roaring behind him as it tore itself free and shook the corridor with its fury.
He burst into a wider space, a partially collapsed atrium where the ceiling had caved in and moonlight spilled through the broken structure above.
Good.
There was space to move and space to maneuver.
He slammed the Spirit Beacon onto the ground and activated it, causing the device to pulse violently as dozens of ghosts were ripped from the surrounding shadows, drawn toward the beacon like iron filings to a magnet while they shrieked as they manifested, their distorted human shapes twisting in the air.
The chat went quiet for half a second.
Then-
[WHAT THE FUCK]
[IS HE USING THE GHOSTS]
[THIS IS INSANE]
The ape burst into the atrium moments later and skidded to a halt when it saw the ghosts, its breathing changing immediately as the low rumble turned sharp and erratic, revealing just how much the creature hated them.
Daryl grinned grimly.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I thought so."
He snapped the whip again, not at the ape but at the ghosts themselves, lashing through the air and striking the spirits to redirect them like a shepherd's crook as he funneled them forward and drove them toward the creature in a chaotic wave.
The ghosts slammed into the ape, clawing at it, shrieking, and clinging to its fur and limbs like living shadows while the creature roared in fury and swatted at them, ripping them apart, though for every one it destroyed another took its place.
Daryl never stopped moving.
He circled constantly, cracking the whip and striking at joints, eyes, and sensitive spots revealed by the Eagle Eye Drops' enhanced vision as the whip struck its face and the ape screamed, then wrapped around its neck as Daryl yanked hard and forced the creature to stagger while it clawed desperately at the spectral energy biting into its throat.
The chat was losing its mind.
[HE'S WINNING]
[THIS IS UNREAL]
[THE GHOSTS ARE ACTUALLY WORKING]
But Daryl knew better, because he was not winning, only surviving, and every hit, every maneuver, and every second was borrowed time while the ape continued to learn.
It stopped charging blindly, its movements sharpening and growing smarter as it waited for Daryl to strike before countering.
The next time Daryl snapped the whip, the ape caught it, its claws closing around the spectral length as sparks flew while the energy resisted, causing Daryl's stomach to drop.
The ape yanked hard, ripping him off his feet and flinging him across the atrium until he smashed into a concrete column as pain exploded through his shoulder and ribs, leaving him gasping for breath.
The ape advanced slowly now, confident and dominant, as the ghosts thinned and the Spirit Beacon flickered weakly.
Daryl pushed himself up with blood dripping from his mouth and laughed weakly.
"Heh," he muttered. "Guess… round one's over."
The ape stopped as it straightened, its massive body beginning to change while muscles swelled grotesquely and tore through layers of fur as bones cracked and elongated, its spine extending until it stood taller and taller, nearly brushing the broken ceiling above.
Its crimson eyes burned brighter and hotter, its breathing deepening until it shook the entire structure, while the ghosts screamed and dispersed, repelled by the sheer pressure of its presence.
The chat froze.
[IT'S GETTING BIGGER]
[NO NO NO NO]
[THIS WASN'T EVEN ITS FINAL FORM]
Daryl stared up at the transformed monster as every instinct screamed danger.
"Of course," he whispered.
The Abandoned-Building Nightmare Ape threw back its head and roared, and as the building roared with it, the real fight began.