I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 87: Behind the stone.

Si Hon kept running.

At some point he lost track of how long it had been. The tunnels twisted endlessly, the floor uneven and slick beneath his boots as his lungs burned from the constant sprint. Behind him, the chase of pursuing Munches refused to fade.

Several times one of them nearly caught him— once a claw even swiped past his shoulder so close he felt the wind of it brush his neck, but somehow he kept pushing forward, legs moving faster than they had any right to.

Then he saw it.

A curve in the hallway tunnel.

Without thinking, Si Hon lunged toward it and rounded the bend at full speed— only to immediately spot a jagged rock formation jutting from the cave wall. It wasn’t big, but it was enough.

He dove behind it and pressed himself flat against the cold stone.

Behind him the tunnel erupted with noise.

「KWAHAHAHA RUN!!!」

「Do y’all realize we might actually watch Si Hon die right now?」

「Hmm... yea...」

Si Hon ignored the stream windows completely.

He forced his spine harder against the rough surface of the rock, trying to make himself as small as possible. His palm clamped tightly over his mouth, sealing in every breath before it could escape. Even the slightest sound felt dangerous.

The cave air was damp and heavy, filled with the smell of wet stone and something older— something rotten that had seeped into the walls over countless years.

Then he heard it.

Thud.

Another.

Then more.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the tunnel behind him, slow and uneven at first before multiplying into something far worse.

The vibrations traveled through the rock itself, faint tremors running along Si Hon’s back where it touched the stone.

Dust trickled from the ceiling in soft grains, landing in his hair and sliding down his neck.

He didn’t move.

The footsteps grew louder.

Closer.

Then—

They stopped.

Right behind the rock.

So close he could hear the scrape of claws dragging across the ground.

A low growl rumbled through the darkness.

Wet.

Angry.

"Human... find human."

The words came out twisted and strained, as if the munches mouth wasn’t built to form language properly.

A pause followed.

Then the voice spoke again, quieter but far more certain.

"And kill."

Si Hon’s heart slammed violently against his ribs. Each thudud thudud felt loud enough to echo through the cave, and his lungs burned from holding his breath too long, but he refused to inhale.

(Fuck... why did this even happen...?)

(How did this even happen...?)

(Why did I even come here...?)

A small rock near his foot shifted.

He froze so completely it felt like his muscles had turned to stone.

Silence fell over the tunnel.

Then the footsteps began to move again.

One.

Two.

Several.

They passed slowly by the rock, claws scraping softly across the ground.

Si Hon counted them silently.

One... two... three... four... five... six seven.

More.

Too many.

For some reason, a strange thought drifted through his mind.

(Yeah... it’s okay...)

(This is my fault too... so it’s okay...)

He didn’t know why he thought that.

Behind him, the stream chat was losing its mind.

「OMG... (ꏿ﹏ꏿ;) this is actually intense」

「If Si Hon dies who will we watch?? actually we have more once the event is here... but I’m all in for Si Hon」

「BRO BREATHE SI HON BREATHE」

「This is peak horror」

Si Hon ignored every single message.

Maybe accepting death made breathing easier.

But that wasn’t a choice he was ready to make yet.

Slowly, the footsteps faded deeper into the cave. Their echoes stretched thinner and thinner until only the distant drip of water remained.

Si Hon didn’t move.

He counted silently.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Fifty.

Only when the silence felt truly real did he slowly remove his hand from his mouth. His fingers were slick with sweat and his lips had gone numb.

Carefully— very carefully, he leaned just enough to peek around the edge of the rock.

Nothing.

Just the dim yellow glow of firelight further down the tunnel.

Then he noticed it.

A torch.

It hung from rock embedded in the cave wall several feet away, its flame flickering weakly but steadily.

The light stretched long crooked shadows across the stone, making the tunnel walls look like they were moving.

Si Hon glanced down at the femur bone tucked under his arm.

Then he looked back at the torch.

(Yeah... I’m taking that too.)

(And thank God I found this.)

Cold air brushed across his skin as he shifted slightly.

He looked down at the white t-shirt and worn leggings covering his body.

(Actually... I’m so thankful for Uncle Skeleton.)

The memory flashed through his mind— the pile of dry bones of his cellmate earlier, the silent remains of someone who didn’t survived this place.

Si Hon had taken what he could.

The shirt.

The leggings.

His... femur.

Survival gifts from the dead.

The cave suddenly felt smaller.

Like the darkness itself was leaning closer.

And somewhere deeper within the tunnels— Something growled again.

Not far away.

Not far at all.

Above him, the chat slowly began typing again.

「...uh」

「Guys」

「Did you hear that」

「BRO WHY IS THERE ALWAYS SOMETHING WORSE」

Si Hon closed his eyes for half a second.

"...I hate this FUCKING lair." he whispered.

And the cave did not disagree.

After a few more seconds of silence, Si Hon finally forced himself to move. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Slowly, he pushed himself up from behind the rock. Every muscle in his body felt stiff from holding still so long, but he ignored the ache and moved forward carefully, stepping lightly toward the torch hanging from the cave wall.

The flame flickered weakly as he reached up and pulled it free from its metal bracket.

Now he stood there with a strange combination of weapons— a femur bone clutched tightly in his right hand, and a burning torch in his left.

Si Hon stared down the dim tunnel ahead of him.

Then he smiled awkwardly.

"Yeah... fuck..." he muttered quietly. "I really gotta go. I seriously need to escape this place as soon as possible..."

The words barely left his mouth before an unpleasant thought crept back into his mind.

Earlier.

Where he saw the guy get ripped in half...

The memory of what had happened there flashed vividly in his head.

He swallowed.

"...What if I actually got caught earlier...?"

The stream windows immediately appeared above him again.

「You’d probably get ripped apart like the one in the chamber earlier... that was brutal by the way」

「Exactly」

「Yea yea, agree agree」

Si Hon’s skin prickled.

The image of the body being torn apart resurfaced in his mind, and he quickly shook his head as if trying to physically throw the thought away.

"Yeah, thanks. Very helpful."

He dismissed the chat with a tired wave of his hand and started walking.