Chapter 12 · Apex Loop: Glitch Evolution - Chapter 12: Evolution Dead End

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Grimm screamed, his voice cracking as the Cleaner’s serrated claw pinned him against the reinforced wall.

I didn't have time to think. I didn't even have time to breathe. The Cleaner wasn't just a monster; it was a living meat grinder, a wall of grey muscle and chitinous plates that smelled like a wet grave. It slammed Grimm again, the sound of ribs snapping echoing through the chamber like dry kindling.

"Kane! Help me!" Grimm howled, blood spraying from his mouth, painting the grey wall a vivid, glistening red.

I lunged. My claws scraped the floor, sparks flying. I wasn't fast enough. Not yet. The Cleaner sensed me and swung a massive, armored limb, catching me mid-air. I hit the wall hard, the impact knocking the wind out of my lungs. I slid down the metal, my vision swimming in static.

"Look at them," Vivian’s voice purred over the intercom, sounding far too amused for a woman watching two things get slaughtered. "The desperate, the broken, and the delusional. Tell me, Kane, does that little patch of skin on your arm make you feel human? Does it make you think you can actually win?"