Lost in the Otherworld

"Crack!" A rusty hatchet split open its face.

It wasn't Officer Huang. It was Pang Jun.

Gripping the hatchet with both hands, Pang Jun's face was streaked with blood and tears, his fleshy cheeks trembling with rage. He raised the hatchet high and brought it down again, "Die!"

"Die!" The third strike.

"Die!" The fourth.

"Die, die, die, die, die…"

Gao Yang lost count of how many times Pang Jun hacked at the creature. Its head was a pulpy mess, the tail coiled around Gao Yang slowly loosening and stiffening in death.

Pang Jun was about to strike again when Officer Huang, limping over with his injured leg, caught his hand, "Enough. It's over."

The hatchet fell from Pang Jun's hands. He turned and threw his arms around Officer Huang, sobbing, "I survived... I’m alive... I didn’t die..."

"Yes, you’re alive," Officer Huang patted his back gently, like soothing a wounded child.

Gao Yang, struggling, pushed the creature's heavy corpse off and stumbled toward Wang Zikai.

Two severed arms, like iron stakes, pinned Wang Zikai to the earthen wall. His beastly form slowly reverted to human, blood bubbling from his mouth, eyes bloodshot. At this moment, Wang Zikai seemed small and frail, his hands pressing against his mangled abdomen, a mass of crimson flesh.

"Brother... something's wrong..." Wang Zikai's voice grew weaker, "Why do I feel... like I'm about to die?"

"No! You’re going to be fine!" Gao Yang, frantic, tried to pull out the arms, but feared it would hasten Wang Zikai's death.

"Dammit, we screwed up..." Wang Zikai forced a grin, boyish in its foolishness, "So pathetic... even with fate on our side... we still messed it up..."

"Stop talking! You won’t die, you won’t die..." Gao Yang's hands trembled. He shouted at Pang Jun, "Stop crying! Help me save him!"

Pang Jun snapped out of it, wiping his face with his sleeve, then rushed over, kneeling to inspect Wang Zikai's wounds.

"Brother Yang! We have to pull these arms out!"

"He’s lost too much blood!" Gao Yang replied.

"I know, but I can’t heal him unless we pull them out! It’s our only chance!" Pang Jun gritted his teeth, "Brother Yang, make the call!"

Wang Zikai's head lolled to the side, his face as pale as paper, unconscious.

"Do it!" Gao Yang gritted his teeth.

Officer Huang stepped closer, "Gao Yang, hold Wang Zikai down. Pang Jun and I will pull the arms out..."

The three prepared themselves, shouting in unison, "Three, two, one..."

"Schluck!" The two arms were pulled out simultaneously, blood spraying onto all three of them.

"Block it! Quickly, block it!" Gao Yang shouted.

Pang Jun immediately pressed his hands against Wang Zikai's gaping wounds, "Heal!"

A green glow flickered from Pang Jun's thick palms, sometimes bright, sometimes faint, but blood continued to seep out between his fingers.

"What’s happening?" Gao Yang was desperate, "Focus!"

"I am! I am!" Pang Jun was panicking, eyes squeezed shut, "Heal! Heal!"

Wang Zikai’s pallor turned from white to a deathly gray. The blood flow from his abdomen slowed, not because of healing, but because he was running out of blood.

Wang Zikai's chest barely moved. Gao Yang didn’t dare check for breath.

"I’m sorry..." Pang Jun’s round face twisted like a doughy bun, tears flowing again, "I tried... I really tried..."

"Keep going!" Gao Yang bellowed, "Don’t stop! He can still be saved!"

Officer Huang stepped forward, resting a hand gently on Gao Yang’s shoulder, "Gao Yang, stop..."

Gao Yang shrugged off his hand. He knew what Officer Huang was going to say, but didn’t want to hear it. Yet Officer Huang still said it, his voice weary and heavy.

"He’s gone."