The Bigshot's Superstar Wife - Chapter 188

Chapter 188: More Struggle
The night stretched on, endless and suffocating. The fire they had left behind in the clearing flickered in the distance, casting a faint orange glow against the inky sky.

Athena and the remaining survivors pressed forward, their bodies pushed beyond exhaustion, but there was no time to rest.

The deeper they went into the mountains, the more the air grew heavy, thick with an odd scent, earthy and metallic, like rotting foliage mixed with iron.

The remnants of smoke from their battle clung to their clothes, but it was the silence that truly unnerved Athena.

The plants had retreated, but for how long? The eerie quiet of the forest whispered of a danger yet unseen.

Xavier took the lead, his gun raised, his sharp eyes scanning their surroundings. The survivors moved in a tight formation, every step careful, every breath hushed.

The terrain was rough, jagged rocks jutting out like broken teeth, and the path twisted unpredictably.

Shadows stretched unnaturally in the dim moonlight, playing tricks on the eyes, making it impossible to tell if they were truly alone.

Athena’s muscles ached, her mind clouded with fatigue, but she forced herself forward, gripping the knife at her side like a lifeline.

Then, the wind shifted. A chill ran down Athena’s spine as the scent of decay thickened. Xavier stopped abruptly, raising a fist to signal silence.

The group halted, barely daring to breathe. Ahead of them, the trees thinned, revealing an open expanse of land covered in what looked like mounds of dirt.

But as Athena took a step closer, her stomach twisted in horror. They weren’t mounds of dirt. They were bodies.

Countless bodies, partially buried beneath the soil, their skeletal remains tangled in thick roots.

Some were fresh, their flesh still clinging to the bone, while others had decomposed so completely that only their hollow skulls remained.

The ground pulsed, shifting subtly, as if the earth itself was breathing. A sick realization settled over Athena. The forest wasn’t just alive, it was feeding.

The plants weren’t only consuming the dead. They were growing from them. The ground beneath their feet had been fertilized with corpses.

She clenched her jaw, pushing the nausea back. There was no time for fear. Survival was all that mattered.

Xavier stepped forward cautiously, his boots crunching over brittle bones. His gaze was sharp, unreadable, but Athena knew he had come to the same conclusion she had.

“We can’t stay here,” he murmured, voice low but firm. “Whatever’s doing this… it’s watching.”

Athena didn’t need convincing. The oppressive feeling of being hunted had settled into her bones long ago. She nodded, signaling the others to move carefully around the field of death.

They tread lightly, avoiding the protruding limbs and twisted remains, every nerve in their bodies screaming at them to run. But haste was dangerous. A single misstep could mean disaster.

Then, from the distance, a guttural growl echoed through the trees. Athena’s breath hitched. It wasn’t human. It wasn’t even close. A rustling followed, the sound of something massive shifting through the underbrush, moving toward them with deliberate, predatory intent. The survivors froze.

Xavier grabbed Athena’s arm and pulled her behind a cluster of rocks, forcing her down as he motioned for the others to take cover.

The growling grew louder, and then they saw it. Emerging from the darkness was a creature unlike anything they had encountered before.

It stood on two legs but had the hunched posture of a predator, its elongated arms dragging along the ground, claws glinting under the pale moonlight.

Its flesh was torn in places, exposing sinew and unnatural muscle, and its face, if it could even be called that, was twisted, its mouth too wide, filled with rows of jagged teeth.

But what was most horrifying was its eyes. Hollow, black pits that sucked in the light, empty yet full of something primal and insatiable.

Athena’s grip tightened on her weapon. She had fought horrors before, but this… this was different.

This creature was the embodiment of everything the apocalypse had twisted, a monstrosity born from the corruption of the world itself.

The survivors held their breath as the creature sniffed the air, its movements jerky and erratic.

Then, it let out a low, rumbling snarl, tilting its head as if listening. For a moment, it seemed to hesitate. Then, it turned its head directly toward Athena’s hiding spot.

Xavier reacted first. In one swift motion, he lifted his gun and fired. The bullet struck the creature’s shoulder, but instead of reeling back in pain, it merely twitched.

Then, with terrifying speed, it lunged. Chaos erupted. The survivors scattered, some running, others drawing their weapons.

Athena barely had time to react before the creature was upon them. Xavier fired again, aiming for the head, but the monster moved too quickly.

It dodged, swiping at him with claws that tore through the fabric of his sleeve. Athena sprang into action, darting forward and slashing at its exposed side with her knife.

The blade sunk into flesh, but the wound closed almost instantly. It could heal. Fast.

Her heart pounded as she dodged a strike, rolling to the side just as the creature’s claws raked through the air where she had been standing.

It was intelligent. It learned. It wasn’t just attacking wildly, it was testing them.

Xavier shouted an order, but Athena barely heard it over the sound of gunfire and the creature’s unnatural shrieks.

The survivors fought desperately, but it was like trying to kill a nightmare. Every wound inflicted vanished in seconds.

Every bullet that hit its mark only seemed to slow it for a moment before it resumed its relentless assault. They couldn’t kill it. Not like this.

Athena’s mind raced. If bullets and blades weren’t enough, they needed something more. Something permanent. She glanced around, searching for anything that could turn the tide.

Then she saw it, a cluster of the same fire-sensitive plants they had encountered earlier, their red petals glistening in the dark. An idea formed, reckless but their only chance.

“Xavier!” she called, dodging another swipe. “Fire! We need fire!”

He caught on immediately, nodding sharply before turning to the others. “Get those plants burning! Now!”