[Ratatusk, Lv. 1 | HP: 26%]
Grace watched as the ratatusk's health continued to dwindle, its squeals growing weaker with each passing second.
A whispered rumble rippled through the entire lobby as the monster's bloated stomach began to wriggle and stretch unnaturally.
Then came a thud.
Followed by a quiet squish as a piece of bone pierced through its distended stomach. Another shard emerged, then another.
And another, until an entire arm tore through the creature's flesh. The arm pushed the ratatusk's tissue apart with desperate force.
Like some grotesque parody of birth, Adam crawled out from the ruptured flesh.
Grace stared in disbelief. Adam was utterly transformed, his usual gentleness gone, replaced by something primal as his palms violently slammed against the floor.
Once again, the brutal nature of his abilities struck her with terrifying clarity.
But then, a single whisper escaped Adam's lips that shattered her fear.
"H...help..." Adam rasped, "Please... help me."
In that moment, she saw only a child.
"Adam!" Without hesitation, Grace abandoned the counter and rushed forward to pull him free.
[Ratatusk, Lv. 1 | HP: 3%]
She cast one final glance at the dying creature before gripping Adam's hand firmly. The sickening sound of flesh tearing apart filled the air, followed by a wet plop.
"Oh, god!" Grace's horrified gasp echoed when she realized Adam was still completely missing his lower body.
"I'm... I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She averted her eyes while continuing to pull him away, not stopping until they were safely behind the counter with Samantha.
"Grace, don't look!" she warned her daughter, but the warning came too late—Samantha had already witnessed everything.
Samantha briefly covered her eyes before dropping her hands to stare at Adam.
"What... what happened to mister!?" She rushed toward him, but Grace quickly intercepted her.
"It's... it's okay. Mister will recover, okay? And mister has a name. Adam. Adam."
"Stop... stop fighting, mister. Please, stop fighting already." Tears streamed down Samantha's face as she looked at Adam, who was struggling to maintain a stoic expression for the little girl's sake. "You... you don't need to protect mommy and me. We'll... we will also fight. Mommy!"
"You're right, sweetie. You're right..." Grace clutched Adam's hand tightly. "We'll... we're going to fight next time."
A small wheeze escaped Adam's throat as he looked at Grace. Inside, everything burned, an endless torture coursing through his body. The pain was excruciating.
Yet somehow, as he focused on the warmth of Grace's hand, the agony began to recede.
There was only her warmth and their voices, promising him everything would be okay.
How... comfortable.
"I think..." Adam whispered, "I think I'll close my eyes for a bit."
"No, Adam! Don't... don't do that!" Grace immediately tightened her grip on his hand. "You can't... you can't fall asleep."
"I... won't die," Adam coughed as the flesh of his lower body squelched and crawled, attempting to regenerate on its own.
"You might also not wake up," Grace shook her head desperately. "I can't carry you and Sam together."
Samantha tore free from her mother's grasp and rushed to Adam, throwing her small arms around him as he lay on the floor.
"I'll... I'll carry you, mister! I'll carry you!" she whimpered, her voice trembling with determination.
"Ha..." A long breath escaped Adam's lips as he looked at Grace, who returned an awkward smile. The chuckle that followed was strained, but soon Grace found herself laughing fully.
She covered her face, sniffling and wiping away tears before they could properly form. How could she not laugh at the absurdity? Her daughter was hugging a man whose entire lower body was missing, completely drenched in blood.
"I..." she whispered, "I've been... trying to shield Samantha from all the violence of the Game. But... I think that's wrong. Even... even if we survive this Game, what about the next one? What if she was summoned and I wasn't?"
"Mommy..." Samantha whimpered.
"She'd be left all alone," Grace bit her lip. "She needs to grow stronger. We all need to grow stronger. Next time, Adam... we'll really help you... we'll help you... kill."
The words felt foreign in her mouth, and she was already regretting them as she finished speaking. But they needed to be said.
"We... have to survive, no matter what." Grace nodded, more to herself than to anyone else.
Adam looked at her, then at Samantha, before nodding and simply saying, "Okay."
Silence fell over the trio. When Adam's eyes began to flutter closed, Grace quickly patted his cheek to rouse him.
"Adam, you didn't survive this long just to get burned by the Administrator," Grace whispered. She moved to pull Samantha away, but the girl had already fallen asleep again, nestled against Adam.
Grace stared at the two for a moment before lying beside them, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Adam slowly turned his head toward her, and she mirrored his movement.
Their faces were once again only inches apart.
Grace smiled, but Adam only glanced at her lips before meeting her gaze.
"You're really strong, Grace," he whispered.
"We're only alive because of you," Grace chuckled softly, glancing at Samantha's back and placing a gentle hand on it. "And I have no choice but to be strong because I have a reason to be."
She turned her body fully to face Adam, her breaths stuttering with fear.
"I am not going to die here, Adam. Neither is my daughter. And neither are you."
"I'm... really sleepy," Adam whispered, and Grace quickly placed her hand on his cheek, wiping his face clean.
"How... do you even take it, Adam?" Grace spoke rapidly, desperate to keep him awake. "How do you... endure so much pain? Did you just... learn to ignore it? Like... those monks I watched on TV. God, the new episode of my show is tonight. Do you watch TV, Adam?"
"I... don't."
"Hmm?"
"It's... not like how they say..." Adam whispered, his voice fading. "You don't get used to the pain. And you can't learn to ignore it. It hurts, it hurts every time."
"Oh..."
"You never get numb to it, and it really only grows worse. The only real choice you have... is how you react to it."
"I'm... so sorry."
"I thought you said we shouldn't say anymore sorries?"
"That..." Grace looked at Adam and paused. Seeing his completely blank face struggling to remain stoic, she couldn't help but laugh. "Do... have you ever tried smiling, Adam? It's like this."
Grace gently touched Adam's lips, forming them into a smile. Her laughter grew at how awkward he looked. She leaned closer, trying to stifle her amusement while her finger remained on his lips.
"I'm… I should be very ashamed of myself," Grace whispered, her fingers brushing across his cheek as she looked him straight in the eyes. "I…I've been honest with you. About using you to survive for my daughter."
"Hm?"
"But I… I haven't offered anything in return, so…" Grace gulped. "...I'm offering myself. Use me however you want."
And without warning or reason, she leaned closer and pressed her lips against his.