Drops of rain struck the pavement in time with the soft thwaps of her well-soaked Converse. She turned a corner and then another, but hadnât accounted for the slickness of the wet pavement and she skidded across the ground, tearing up her knee on the rough concrete. For a second she struggled to rise back up to her feet, but the realization hit her. That patch of blood she left...theyâd find it. She couldnât take a second to rest or theyâd catch up. Even if they were toying with her like a hunter tracking its prey.
Whyâd she even try to fight them anyway?
A few hours ago sheâd heard of some terrifying events in the past months in this particular area of the city. People being attacked in the dead of the night under the light of the full moon. Grandfather had likened them to werewolves, but they werenât entirely the same. Heâd told her there were many types of demons out there, and myths like vampires and werewolves had their roots in those creatures. The demons responsible may look and act like the werewolves of legend, but they were far different and far more lethal. He had told her it was dangerous and that she probably shouldnât go. Her father agreed as well.
Why in godâs name did that make her want to go more?
Maybe she just thought they were too cautious. People were dying left and right because of these attacks. She had power, she had skill. Maybe not much more than the basics, but she still had to do what she could, right? It was the right thing to do, trying to save everyone she could.
But these creatures... They were inhuman.
Out as late as she was, it was pitch black outside. The only light she had was a small flashlight and the occasional short-circuiting streetlamp. But what she saw beneath one was... horrifying. There were few words to describe such a thing. It was a bestial man-like figure hunched over what looked like the mangled corpse of a young woman. Guts spilled out from the edge of her body, like the beast had torn a hold in her chest to get at the soft, mushy center.
Jesus fucking Christ why did she have to explain it that way? Thinking about it again made her want to puke even more. She nearly did the first time.
The thing in front of her turned on her, large glowing yellow eyes staring at her like a piece of meat. It let out a fierce howl, a sound so primal and powerful that she couldnât move a muscle. Thunder struck across the sky, lightning illuminating its features for a brief moment as it cautiously stepped out of the light toward her, moving on all fours. Sharp, pointed fangs littered its mouth, almost pushing out from its jaw. Like a shark. Almost too many teeth for the mouth to hold, leaving it hanging slightly open, Patches of its skin were covered in furs, but others were bare and gray, like they were made entirely of layers of dead, decaying flesh.
And then with speed far greater than sheâd ever seen, it attacked.
Instinct kicked in and she rolled through a nearby puddle, soaking her hoodie and hair. The beastâs razor-sharp elongated nails barely grazed her left leg, but she still felt the bite of a small cut. Why the fuck did she choose today of all times to wear shorts? Spinning back on her left foot, she brought her right foot down for a powerful kick to the side of the beastâs neck. Sheâd put more than enough Chi behind it to shatter the neck of the average human, and she even heard the satisfying crack.
But it clearly wasnât enough.
The beast slashed back, casually snapping its neck back into place with its other arm. Again Sora tried her best to dodge, but its claws were too fast. Sharp nails tore into the bare skin of her leg, the power behind its strike was too much for her surge of Chi to handle. While the wound it left was small, had she not sacrificed so much energy to dampen the effects, she would have lost her leg right-out.
She didnât see the second one approaching her from behind.
The bite of another creatures talons tore through her left arm, digging through the flesh and nearly cracking the bone. Whipping around, she saw a flash of lightning and boom of thunder announcing the presence of the new demon, though this one looked a bit more like a vulture. Patches of feathers coated its gray, decaying skin, a strange fusion of a mouth and beak where its lips shouldâve been, and a series of sharp raptor-like talons on its hands and feet. Oh yeah, and it had these weird leather-like wings stretched out between its arms like some sort of man-bat.
Unsure of what to do with two of these terrifying beasts, she jumped up, channeling a hefty amount of Chi into her legs to send her soaring high. With gravity on her side, she delivered a falling drop kick to the back of the vultureâs neck, and she swore the thing snapped cleanly in half.
But like the wolf, it got right back up.
It would have slashed up her neck had she not broke into a run.
The memory of those creatures still plagued her like a nightmare, which was perhaps the reason she was shaking so much as she stood up. Sheâd used up the rest of her Chi in her escape, running as fast as her legs would allow it, but she knew it wouldnât be enough. Clutching her left arm to her chest, she tried to staunch the bleeding as best she could. Nothing was helping. Panting hard, she glanced around her immediate surroundings, wishing to every god out there that she could actually feel the presence of these monsters. She could sense life energy, but these beasts ran on something different. Nothing like the energy she was used to. She couldnât track it effectively. It felt wild, like a rampaging boar or bear or tiger or someshit.
Please donât have a third tiger-like one. The wolf and vulture were more than enough to give her nightmares for weeks.
A few yards to her right she noticed a small alleyway cluttered with trash cans. A brick wall separated it from the street on the other side, making it a great place for her to attempt to rest. An attacker could only approach her from the alleyway entrance, after all. With the brick wall behind her she was in a good position. Ducking behind a few of the trash cans, she huddled up against the wet wall of the building, daring so much as to close her eyes and curl up like a ball. She felt something wet trailing down her face, something different than the rain. Raising her good hand and rubbing against her cheeks, she realized what it was. Tears? Of course, she was crying. Who wouldnât in a situation like this? She was probably going to die here.
And just when she thought sheâd have a moment of rest, she heard a caw from above her. The vulture-like demon was squatting atop the brick wall.
Eyes bulging with fear, she almost didnât hear the answering howl of the wolf-like demon, whose claw clacks against the concrete she could hear only a few yards away from the alley.
This was the end. Cornered between the two of them with no place to run. She couldnât jump onto the roof, not without more Chi. She couldnât fight. her most powerful blows were doing nothing to them. She was absolutely fucked. This was how she was going to die. Against demons she thought she could handle. just. Like. Mother.
âPlease!â she called out, desperation palpable in her blatantly terrified sobs. âI donât want to die! Iâm sorry I didnât listen to you, Father. Iâm sorry I wasnât stronger, Grandfather.â As the beasts closed in on her, her last words came out in a whimpering whisper, her words nearly choked by tears.
âIâm sorry I couldnât avenge you, Mother.â
