I woke up and tried again.

  Another circle. I had tried once more to be the best, but it didn't work. I'd seen another black flash.

  Maybe I was misunderstanding something. The faceless things hadn't attacked me since I started acting like a good student and daughter. It seemed the key wasn't here. I needed to find that three-eyed guy. During my morning routine, I thought about how to search for him. Now I was sure finding him the first time was a coincidence. To find him again, I needed to explore that dungeon of monsters. And for that, I needed a real weapon—not a kitchen knife.

  The problem was, I had no idea where to get one. Stealing from a police officer was an option, but it sounded far too dangerous.

  With these thoughts, I started the usual math test. The school day passed quickly and uneventfully. Afterward, I went into town. My mission was clear: find a weapon and go underground for my search. The faceless thing hadn't come after me in the rusty underworld last time, so I hoped it would be the same now.

  I remembered there was a shooting range in town. I headed there, hoping to get some practice and, if the opportunity arose, maybe even steal a gun.

  Everything was easier when I was young—less strict security. At the reception, I was met by a boy not much older than me. I paid for thirty rounds with a Makarov pistol.

  An old man then showed me how to hold the gun, went over the safety precautions, and handed me the pistol, a clip, and a box of bullets. In that moment, I thought about just running.

  We walked to the shooting lane. He stood close by, watching me carefully.

  "Alright, young lady, you can try shooting at the target now. Switch off the safety and fire when ready."

  I lifted the gun. Its cold, unfamiliar weight was both terrifying and reassuring.

  I had never imagined I would hold a gun, let alone for killing—even if the target was one of those terrible creatures. And yet, the way I had acted with the knife... that cold, calculated efficiency had frightened me more than the monster itself. It felt like the work of a professional killer, not a scared woman.

  If I ever managed to break this circle, what kind of person would I become? These thoughts haunted me more with each repeated day.

  And I tried. I squeezed the trigger. The recoil jolted my arm, and the sound was deafening in the confined space. I used all my rounds there. I decided to spend two more days practicing. If I still failed to reach the next day after that, I'd steal a gun here and finally go underground.

  Of course, nothing went as planned.

  I was at training, sparring with Ned, when an enormous white giant smashed through the door. He was over three meters tall, muscular, covered in hair, and breathing heavily. He was in a frenzy, attacking everyone in his path. Our master tried to stop him but was thrown against a wall like a rag doll-the monster was too strong.

  Shit. I grabbed Ned's hand. "Run!" The monsters were appearing earlier and earlier. I was out of time.

  We burst out of the gym, only to see a long-armed, pale creature dragging a woman into an alley. Fuck.

  We stood frozen on the gym's porch, witnessing the madness. White dogs, more pale men... it was an invasion. It was terrifying. Complete chaos. I didn't know what to do.

  Then I saw it: a man being pulled from his car, but the engine was still running. That was our chance.

  "To the car! Let's get out of here!"

  We ran. Somehow, all the creatures were occupied, and we managed to slip inside. It was a fairly new manual BMW. Must have cost an arm and a leg.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  "Anna, have you ever driven before?" Ned asked, voice trembling.

  "Yes. I'll get us out of here."

  I started the car. It was a beauty. I drove us out of town, pushing the engine. Strangely, there were no monsters in the other districts. It was as if they were only after me, or because of me.

  "Where are we going?" Ned was terrified. Why had I even brought him along?

  We left the town behind, speeding down a forest road.

  "We need to get as far away as possible."

  Unsure of how dangerous the situation was, I pushed the speedometer to one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. Such a good car. But something was off—we hadn't seen a single other car since leaving town.

  "What about my parents? My friends? We can't just—"

  His whining was cut short by the faceless man who materialized directly in front of us. I swerved, barely avoiding hitting him. I had a chilling feeling he was harder than the car.

  "What was that?!" Ned screamed.

  Oh, how I regretted dragging him into this. But then again, if I'd left him, he'd probably be dead already.

  "If I knew," I muttered.

  Fuck. I saw in the rearview mirror: the faceless man was chasing us on foot, and gaining. What kind of speed was that?!

  I slammed the gas pedal to the floor and shifted into the highest gear. Could I even control the car at this speed?

  "Ned, buckle up!" I'd already buckled in at the start of the trip.

  The road was winding, the forest cutting off my view. It was almost dark. I was going to crash.

  Despite everything, the faceless thing kept getting closer. Damn it.

  "Anna, that thing is almost on us!"

  "I see it, damn it! I'm going to brake! Brace yourself!"

  "What?! Are you crazy?!"

  I did it. The car instantly lost speed. The faceless man slammed into the rear, was launched over the roof, and landed in front of us. I accelerated, shifted gear, and rammed into him.

  The damn monster was like a rock. It braced itself before impact, and when we hit, the car was catapulted into the air. We landed on the roof and slid into a tree with tremendous force.

  The world spun. It was hard to tell up from down. I was dazed from the double impact. One leg and one arm were probably broken. I had no strength to get out. And I didn't need to.

  The faceless man was already in the car. How had he gotten in? It seemed I'd blacked out for a moment.

  He was lying on his back beneath me, and in his hand was a knife.

  One blow, and it was over.

  What a disaster. I'd thought there was no way out of town, but that faceless creature had stopped me. Shit. It was a dead end.

  And now, with this flood of white creatures from the underground, I was certain I had no time left for gradual training or finding a "perfect" way to end the day. I had to go down today. Right after school.

  Mother left for work, and I called for Blacky. As usual, he emerged from the shadows. But a question gnawed at me: where had he been during the last reset? Why hadn't he helped me against the faceless man?

  "Hey, big boy. Here's your food." As usual, I gave him meat, but this time I added some vegetables. An experiment.

  "What were you doing yesterday?" He just wagged his tail, looking satisfied. I took a sausage with me-a potential reward for later.

  "I'm going to need your help today. Will you help me?"

  He barked twice. I hoped it meant 'yes.' I petted him one last time, and he vanished back into the corner.

  I grabbed the knife and changed into practical clothes-jeans and a hoodie. I hoped it wouldn't be enough of a "violation" to summon the faceless thing. I went to school. Stupid school. I couldn't skip it-that would be too great a sin in the eyes of... whatever was judging me.

  School was easy, as always. The moment it ended, I went shopping. I needed water, a flashlight, and some food. I found everything quickly and headed to the area near the shooting range. I had to find a door close by so I could run straight to it after stealing the gun.

  And here I was, right in front of the shooting range. I'd already located the rusty door nearby. I was ready.

  As before, I asked for a Makarov with thirteen bullets. As before, the old man began explaining the safety rules. He handed me the pistol and the box of bullets.

  My heart was pounding wildly. I was too nervous to just run. So I tapped into the clarity. Everything became calm. It was like a second ago there had been a tsunami in my chest, but now there was only a light breeze. I saw my goal. I was ready to act.

  I drove my knee hard into the man's groin. He swore and crumpled to the floor; the boy at the counter was too stunned to react. I ran.

  No one stopped me on the street. I reached the rusty door, yanked it open, and slammed it shut behind me.

  I was here. The search began.