Chapter 6 · Apex Loop: Glitch Evolution - Chapter 6: Eat or Get Eaten

"You’re shaking, Kane. It’s pathetic," Grimm spat, his voice a wet rattle.

He had me pinned against the rusted grating of the ventilation shaft, his clawed hand digging into my shoulder. The pressure was immense, a dull ache that screamed through my mutated nerves. I could smell him—rotting meat and old copper.

"Get off me," I snapped, trying to shove his forearm away. My muscles felt like frayed wires, twitching with a hunger that wasn't just in my stomach. It was in my marrow.

"Hungry? I bet you are," Grimm sneered, leaning closer. His eyes were milky, devoid of pupils, but he saw right through me. "You think we’re friends? You think this little alliance means something in this hellhole?"

"I didn't say we were friends," I hissed. "I said we survive."

"Survive?" Grimm laughed, a sound like grinding stones. "There is no survival here. Only the feast. And right now, you look like a snack."

He tightened his grip, and I felt a sharp prick as his talons breached my skin. I didn't scream. I couldn't. My throat felt tight, clogged with a desperate, animal instinct. I looked at him—really looked at him—and saw the way his chest heaved.