CHAPTER 15 — The Red-Eyed Hunt Begins
The air felt dead.
All six rabbit creatures stared at them and began to move forward slowly.
Pallavi's breath trembled as she watched the forest shadows shift unnaturally.
(Oh no… damn… again… If I survive this hell, I am never coming with these idiots again. Why do we always end up facing death… every single time.)
Hemant gripped his reins tightly, his face pale.
(Why the hell am I even here…? Why did I come…? I thought this was going to be a normal mission.)
Damni's heartbeat pounded in her ears.
(We should run. Right now. If we stay even one more second… we're dead.)
Janvi slowly stepped backward toward her horse, her expression focused but terrified. Didn't say anything.
Hemat followed immediately, silent.
Suddenly—
Nikhil shouted with everything he had:
"RUN!!!"
All hesitation shattered.
Aditya sprinted toward his horse, jumping on so fast he nearly slipped.
Janit ran too, stumbling once but recovering instantly.
From the darkness, the forest exploded open.
Six giant rabbit creatures leapt forward — each massive, monstrous, eyes burning red, fur drenched in dried blood. Their claws tore into the earth as they charged, shaking the ground beneath them.
Everyone mounted their horses and bolted toward Vijayanagara Castle.
The rabbit creatures followed immediately — unbelievably fast — their clawed feet ripping through soil and stone like paper.
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THE CHASE
Horses galloped at full speed.
The wind roared past their ears.
Trees blurred into dark streaks.
Dust clouds rose behind them.
But the rabbit creatures kept getting closer — step by step — their pounding footsteps like thunder.
Hemant looked back, panic exploding inside him. He grabbed ten explosives and hurled them behind.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Smoke swallowed the monsters.
A sharp, animalistic screech echoed from within.
Everyone looked back—
For a moment, the rabbits were gone.
Janvi spoke, relief mixing with doubt:
Janvi: "Did… did it work?"
But then—
The smoke split apart.
The six rabbit creatures emerged again — injured but far angrier. Their red eyes burned brighter than before.
Everyone pushed their horses harder.
Janit's thoughts spiraled.
(Why are they so fast!? They're keeping up with horses… this is insane!)
Pallavi almost cried.
(God… please save us…)
Janvi made her decision.
Janvi: "I have explosives. I'm throwing them!"
She hurled six bombs backward.
Another explosion.
Another wall of smoke.
Another chorus of horrifying rabbit screams — deep, guttural, echoing through the trees.
Silence.
The monsters didn't come out.
Hemant let out a long breath.
Hemant (relieved): "Looks like it worked! Now we can go peacefully—"
Janit stared at him.
Janit (sarcasm, shouting):"Peacefully!? Are you dumb!? Look at our condition— we're already seeing heaven's gate!"
Even in terror, everyone cracked a small, shaky smile.
For a few seconds, hope returned.
But hope didn't last.
The smoke exploded outward violently—
And the six rabbit creatures burst through again, red eyes blazing with pure rage.
Everyone forced their horses to maximum speed.
Breathing hard.
Bodies shaking.
Fear turning into raw adrenaline.
Nikhil bit his lip.
(I think I have to use it now.)
He activated the Corrupted Heart Ability.
Fifteen undead zombies erupted from the ground, rotting bodies clawing upward. They hurled themselves at the rabbit creatures, grabbing their legs and biting into their flesh.
Janit, Harsh, and Pallavi threw more bombs — twelve in total — adding to the chaos.
Explosions illuminated the forest.
Rabbit screams echoed in every direction.
Everyone kept riding.
Gradually—
The forest grew quieter.
No footsteps behind them.
No screeching.
No growling.
For a moment, only the heavy breathing of the horses filled the air.
After five more minutes of riding—
They stopped near a small but deep cave and dismounted.
Harsh stepped off his horse. His face was tense, then slowly relaxed. He took a long breath and exhaled.
"Fwwww…"
Everyone began to relax slightly.
They were almost safe.
The situation looked peaceful.
Pallavi spoke with relief shining in her eyes:
Pallavi: "Ahh… finally we are safe from that damn rabbit creature."
Janvi said nothing. Her heart still pounded. Her body was drenched in sweat as she sat on a rock.
Damini's palms were soaked. She walked over and sat beside Janvi.
Janvi rested her head on Damni's shoulder.
Damini glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
Damini (relieved but exhausted): "Thank God… we are safe now."
Janvi closed her eyes.
Damini looked up at the moon in the sky.
Hemant relaxed his body.
Hemant: "I don't want to face those creatures again."
Janit smirked.
Janit (teasing, sarcasm): "Hemant!!… didn't you want to pat those rabbits?"
Hemant rolled his eyes dramatically.
Hemant: "Shut up, dog…"
Janit's face grew irritated.
Hemant laughed and lightly punched Janit's shoulder.
The two of them walked toward a rock, lay down, and closed their eyes.
Aditya showed no emotion, but his heartbeat still raced.
Nikhil looked at his friends.
(We are safe from that… we should rest here. There's no other option. Everyone is exhausted.)
The air grew cold.
Nikhil approached Harsh, Pallavi, and Aditya.
He spoke calmly:
Nikhil:"Well… we should collect some wood for a bonfire. But how will we generate fire?"
Harsh pulled out a lighter and showed it.
Nikhil blinked in surprise.
Nikhil: "Ahh?? How do you have a lighter… do you smoke?"
Harsh panicked slightly.
Harsh: "No, no!!… actually I always carry things like this in my pocket… so I guess it teleported with me."
Aditya and Pallavi nodded.
The four of them gathered wood and arranged it carefully.
Harsh lit the fire.
The flames slowly rose.
Damini, Janvi, Janit, and Hemant joined them, sitting in a circle.
No one spoke.
Pure silence.
Only the crackling sound of the bonfire.
Everyone began to relax slightly.
Some even smiled faintly.
They were almost safe.
Almost home.
The situation looked peaceful.
Except for Nikhil and Aditya.
Nikhil opened his system.
Distance to Vijayanagara Castle: 330 km.
He checked the team killing points.
His expression darkened.
His stomach twisted.
(Why… why isn't the system showing any kill points…?)
(Did we even kill them…? Or—)
His eyes widened.
(No… no, that can't be…)
Suddenly—Horses make sound . They get uncontrollable and get panic.
They all felt something.
Their bodies grew weak instinctively.
A chill crawled up their spines.
Slowly… they turned their heads.
The six rabbit creatures stood around them in a perfect circle.
Blocking every direction.
Their red eyes glowed like lanterns in the darkness.
The air turned ice cold.
Everyone's heartbeat skyrocketed.
Their breath froze in their throats.
The rabbits lowered their bodies—
Ready to pounce.
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Chapter End.