Femi slumped down unto the stone floor, chest heaving as ragged breaths tore through him. The fight had left his muscles burning and his mind clouded. At his feet lay the shattered remains of the skeleton he had just defeated, its bones scattered across the floor. The blue eerie light of the corridor flickered, casting long shadows that danced ominously across the scene. Femi's eyes fell on the skeleton's femur, still intact and lying within arm's reach. Without hesitation, he bent forward, wincing at the sharp pain in his side, and grabbed the bone. It felt cold and light in his hand, but it was solid, a makeshift weapon he could use if another threat emerged.
Just as he straightened, a sound cut through the silence—footsteps. Slow, deliberate, and echoing from around the corner ahead. His heart sank. He turned, body tense, and his eyes locked onto the source of the noise. From around the corner emerged two skeletal figures, their bones pale as snow, under the faint light. Their empty gazes glowed with an eerie green light, piercing through the darkness and making Femi's fur stand upright. He swallowed hard, his grip tightening on the femur.
"Why are you chasing me?" Femi demanded, his voice shaking despite his attempt to sound firm. He stepped back, raising the femur defensively. "Why are all of you coming after me? I'm not the reason you're dead. Did I offend you? Did I kill you? No! So why is it me?"
The skeletons paused, their glowing eyes locked on him, but they remained silent. No words, no gestures, just an unnerving silence that made Femi's skin crawl. He tried again, desperation creeping into his voice. "Can't we talk this out? There's no need for violence!"
Still, the skeletons gave no response. Their skeletal feet scraped against the stone floor as they advanced, their movements unnervingly fluid for creatures that should have been lifeless. Femi's mind raced. He had no time to think, no time to plan. The skeletons lunged at him, their bony hands aiming for his throat, and Femi reacted on instinct.
Jumping and swinging the femur with all his strength, he struck the first skeleton across its skull, the impact sending a jarring vibration up his arm. The creature staggered but did not fall. The second skeleton closed in, its skeletal hand reaching for his throat. Femi ducked, rolling to the side and scrambling to his feet. He gripped the femur tighter and braced himself for the next attack.
Femi barely dodged the first skeleton's outstretched arms, the bony fingers grazing his fur by mere inches. He stumbled back, his heart pounding as he tightened his grip on the femur. With a desperate swing, he struck the skeleton's skull again, the crack of impact echoing through the corridor. The creature staggered, its frame rattling from the blow.
Before Femi could catch his breath, the second skeleton lunged at him. Its cold, bony fingers clamped around his arm, and before he could react, it flipped him into the air. He landed hard on the unforgiving stone floor, the air rushing from his lungs in a pained gasp. Gritting his teeth, he scrambled to his feet, his body aching but his mind sharp with fear. "I can't let them take me down," he thought, his pulse racing.
The skeleton swung a bony fist toward his face, and Femi ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as the punch narrowly missed him. He swung the femur again, aiming for the skeleton's ribs, but it stepped back with an eerie agility, dodging the blow effortlessly. "How are they so fast?" Femi's mind raced, panic creeping into his thoughts.
Before he could recover, the skeleton seized his tail, its grip like iron. Femi's stomach lurched as it swung him toward the nearest wall. He crashed into the stone with a sickening thud, the femur slipping from his hand and clattering to the ground. Pain shot through his body as the skeleton slammed him into the wall again and again. His vision blurred, the world spinning around him. "I can't let this end like this," he thought desperately, his strength fading.
With what little energy he had left, Femi grabbed the skeleton's bony arms, trying to pry them off. But the grip was unyielding, the skeleton's strength unnatural. "How can you be so strong?" he screamed, his voice hoarse with frustration. "You don't even have muscles!" His words echoed in the chamber, but the skeleton gave no response, its empty sockets staring back at him with cold indifference.
Femi clawed at the skeleton's arms, his claws scraping against the smooth bone, but it was useless. There was no flesh to tear, no blood to draw. The skeleton tightened its grip, and Femi felt his breath slipping away. His vision darkened at the edges, his thoughts growing sluggish. "What can I do now?" he thought, his mind grasping for a solution as the world began to fade.
As Femi's mind teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, a flood of thoughts rushed through him. "There has to be a way out of this," he thought desperately, his vision darkening. But only one idea stood out, clear and sharp amidst the chaos. He forced himself to go limp, releasing his grip on the skeleton's arms. His body slumped, lifeless, in the creature's grasp. The skeleton, seemingly satisfied, loosened its hold and let him drop to the ground.
The moment his body hit the cold stone floor, Femi sprang into action. "Ha!" he shouted, his voice ringing with defiance as he lunged forward and seized the skeleton by its ankle. "You walking skeleton can't even tell when someone's actually dead, fool!" His heart pounded with adrenaline, his earlier fear replaced by a surge of determination.
Without hesitation, his fist still firmly on the skeleton's ankle, yanked it off balance. The creature toppled to the ground with a clatter of bones. The second skeleton, already recovering from Femi's earlier blow, charged at him. But Femi was ready. Gripping the first skeleton's ankle tightly, he swung it with all his might, sending it crashing into its companion. The two skeletons collapsed in a heap, their frames rattling as they hit the ground.
Femi stood tall, chest heaving as he raised his arm in triumph. "I didn't know I was this strong," he muttered to himself, a grin spreading across his face. His confidence surged as he rushed toward the fallen skeletons. "We die here!" he declared, his voice fierce.
His eyes darted to the femur lying on the floor. He snatched it up, his fingers tightening around the bone. "Their skull is the weakness," he reminded himself, his mind sharp with focus. He leapt at the first skeleton, the one he had already damaged, and drove the femur into the cracked spot on its skull. The bone crumbled under the force, and the skeleton's body collapsed into a lifeless pile.
The second skeleton scrambled to its feet, raising its arms to block Femi's next strike. But Femi was quicker. Instead of aiming for the skull, he swung the femur at the skeleton's shoulder, dislocating the bone with a sickening crack. The arm fell to the ground, useless. Femi grabbed the skeleton by its remaining arm, his voice dripping with triumph. "Who's in charge now?" he taunted, a grin spreading across his face.
With relentless determination, he brought the femur down on the skeleton's skull again and again, each strike more forceful than the last. The bone crumbled under his assault, until finally, the skeleton disintegrated into a pile of dust. Femi stood over the remains, breathing heavily but victorious. "I did it," he thought, a wave of relief washing over him. "I survived."
His mind raced as he replayed the encounter with the skeletons. "I can't keep fighting like this," he thought, frustration bubbling up. "I nearly died back there." He remembered how the creatures towered over him. His new form was shorter than his old one, a fact that gnawed at his pride.
"I used to be a tall, handsome guy," he muttered under his breath, "well not tall but still" his voice tinged with frustration. "Now I'm just a short, furry creature."
He sighed and slapped his face, the sharp sting snapping him out of his self-pity. "Focus," he told himself. "You need a plan." The skeletons were relentless, and he couldn't afford to face them head-on every time. His mind churned with possibilities. Setting a trap seemed like the best option, but he had no tools or materials. Digging a hole was out of the question, the stone floor was unyielding.
Femi sat down carefully, mindful of his injured tail, and scanned the corridor. His large ears twitched, picking up faint sounds in the distance. The dim light cast long shadows, but he ignored the eerie atmosphere, focusing instead on his surroundings. "An ambush," he thought, the idea striking him like a spark. "That's it. I'll wait for them to pass, then strike from behind."
He flexed his claws, testing their sharpness. If he could find a good hiding spot, he might be able to take the skeletons by surprise. A sly grin spread across his face as the plan took shape in his mind. "Now I just need to find the right place."
Pushing himself to his feet, Femi brushed off his fur and scanned the corridor ahead. He couldn't stay here, the skeletons would return eventually. He needed to move, to find a better position. With a deep breath, he set off, his claws clicking softly against the stone floor as he searched for the perfect spot to set his ambush.