The journey to the church became more complicated than expected. At every corner, strange sounds echoed through the deserted streets, and several times, Paulo and Patrícia had to stop abruptly, their bodies tense as they watched giant shadows moving between the houses. Despite the stifling heat, their bodies sweated from sheer nervousness. The creatures they had only glimpsed before now seemed to be getting closer.
“It was one of them, no doubt about it. But this one was way bigger than the one I saw in my building! It looked like a mix between a gorilla and a gargoyle, the size of an elephant! If one of those had been around that first night, no barricades would've stopped it. We’d have been ground meat in seconds!” Paulo whispered, trying to keep his voice low, but unable to hide the panic in his tone.
Patrícia, wide-eyed, was still processing what she had seen. “I only saw them briefly, but they were definitely smaller. The ones that passed near me were the size of wolves, or like... like those giant Great Danes, like Scooby-Doo. We need to get out of here fast, Paulo. I don’t want to stay in this open place for another second. We have to get to the church. Maybe they know something we don’t,” she said, her voice shaky with fear.
With more caution, but also a growing sense of urgency, they quickened their pace. The city, once a vibrant and lively place, now looked like an urban cemetery. The streets were like tunnels of darkness, illuminated only by the flames dancing on the ruins of buildings.
The air was thick, heavy with the smoke from the fires consuming buildings and homes. Some of these structures, like the royal palms that once beautified the main avenue, lay toppled and burning, perhaps the result of the meteors that fell in the early days of the disaster, or the creatures now roaming the city.
The gates of the houses, once sturdy, were twisted as if they were made of paper. It was a surreal scene. Power cables hung dangerously, some fallen poles blocking the path, creating obstacles that Paulo and Patrícia tried to avoid at all costs. Even knowing there was no electricity, they jumped over the wires just to be sure. “It’d be a stupid fucking death... surviving these freaks only to get electrocuted if the power came back,” Paulo thought, almost scolding himself for having such thoughts in a moment like that.
The heat was unbearable, the flames intensifying the suffocating feeling. Sweat poured from Paulo, soaking his t-shirt, while Patrícia, without hesitation, took off her shirt, leaving only her top, trying to ease the discomfort. Paulo couldn’t help but glance quickly, almost instinctively. Apocalypse or not, some things remained... natural.
They were just a few blocks from the church when, as they turned a corner, their hearts froze. A trio of armed youths stood ahead, their weapons pointed at something that, from a distance, looked like a shadow, but soon revealed itself as one of those creatures. But this one was different from anything they had seen before.
The thing, illuminated by the flames of a nearby building, was even more horrendous than Paulo could imagine. It had a humanoid posture, but only in the sense of having two arms and two legs. Its hands, ending in massive claws, gleamed in the firelight, and its body was a grotesque mix of scales and fur, with muscles bulging as if ready to explode at any second. Its orange, hate-filled eyes conveyed a single message: destruction.
And its height... God, the height! The creature must have been at least eight feet tall, with a mouth so large it could swallow a person’s head with ease. Before they could fully process the horror before them, the beast let out a deafening roar, a mix of a growl and a macabre laugh, reverberating through the deserted streets like an announcement of imminent death.
The young men opened fire almost instantly. Paulo watched, transfixed, as the shots echoed down the avenue. Most of the bullets hit the creature squarely—legs, chest, arms, even one to the head. But the monster didn’t flinch. In fact, it seemed to be enjoying the futile effort. The bullet wounds... were closing. As if the creature’s body was regenerating, mocking the young men's attempts to take it down.
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Paulo knew he and Patrícia should run, take advantage of the distraction, and head for the church. But he couldn’t move. He had to see how it would end. He needed to believe these creatures could be killed. It was a matter of honor, of vengeance. He wanted justice for the lives he’d seen destroyed, for the neighbor he couldn’t save, for Davi.
But what came next only deepened the despair. With a single swift and brutal movement, the creature lunged at the closest young man, lifting him by the neck as if he weighed nothing. With a sickening crack, it snapped the boy’s head off, tossing his lifeless body to the ground like a broken toy or a piece of trash.
The other two boys kept shooting, but their bullets ran out. The second one, in a fit of desperation, rushed forward with his bare hands, trying to punch the beast. But it was all in vain. With a single swipe of its claw, the monster tore him in half, from top to bottom, his body splitting into two grotesque halves that hit the ground with a sickening thud.
The last boy, clearly overwhelmed by fear and adrenaline, grabbed an iron pipe he found lying on the ground. The object, seemingly just a piece of plumbing, felt almost like an extension of his desperation. He held it with both hands, determination in his eyes contrasting with the uncontrollable trembling of his body. It was obvious he knew the futility of his actions, but his will to fight, even against the odds, was a form of resistance, a desperate attempt not to be completely crushed by his own helplessness.
The scene was terrifying and almost surreal. Paulo, heart racing and body tense, watched in shock. His thoughts were a mess, trying to process the cruelty of the situation and the growing sense of powerlessness. The creature, with its scaly skin and eyes filled with pure hatred, was as macabre a vision as any nightmare. Paulo couldn’t believe the situation had escalated to the point where they were literally between life and death, watching the desperate struggle of a boy who undoubtedly knew he was fighting a losing battle.
He turned to Patrícia, his whisper filled with urgency and panic: “We need to get the hell out of here now. If that thing looks at us, we’re done. We can circle around the other corner and still make it to the church, even if it takes a little longer.” His voice was thin with desperation, reflecting the gravity of the situation. The tension in the air was palpable, a mixture of fear and adrenaline, and the understanding that any distraction could mean the end for both of them.
Patrícia, her eyes fixed on the creature and the desperate scene unfolding before them, was about to respond when fate decided to intervene in an unexpected way. Just as the situation seemed on the verge of total collapse, something surprising happened. The boy, with a courage that defied despair, moved swiftly and, with a strength that seemed disproportionate to his size, struck the iron pipe directly at the creature’s arm.
The impact was brutal and immediate. The metallic sound of the pipe meeting the beast’s flesh echoed through the deserted streets, and, to everyone’s surprise, the creature jerked back involuntarily. A guttural sound, a mix of a growl and a grunt of pain, escaped the beast’s throat. It was as if the monster was momentarily stunned, its expression of pure rage giving way to an unexpected reaction of pain and confusion. The pipe, though simple and crude, had caused the creature a sensation of agony, something that seemed almost impossible given its imposing and nearly invulnerable appearance.
The beast looked at its injured arm, its orange eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and irritation. The wound, though seemingly superficial, appeared to have caused some real damage. The fact that the creature could feel pain was an unexpected deviation from its seemingly unbeatable nature. Its reaction, the grunt of pain, was shocking evidence that, despite its terrifying strength, it wasn’t completely immune to harm.
This moment of vulnerability, though brief, was enough to slow things down. The beast, usually a pillar of violence and indifference, was momentarily thrown off balance, creating a precious opportunity for Paulo and Patrícia. Their survival instinct took full control. Without hesitation, they seized the creature’s distraction, deciding to flee before the beast fully regained its composure.
Chaos and urgency filled the air as the two prepared to run, aware that their chance of escape was slim, but not impossible. It was a moment of extreme tension, where every second counted and with every step taken, the chance of survival felt just a little more tangible.
But the boy's victory was short-lived. In a second, the creature recovered and, with a swipe of its claw, finished what it had started. The last survivor fell, dead, at the feet of the beast.
Paulo, already resigned to the idea that this might be the end, gripped the machete in his hands. "If I’m gonna die, I’m taking one of these fuckers with me," he thought, determined. If a piece of pipe had made the creature hesitate, maybe his blade could do something similar.
But before they could advance, a nearby tree, engulfed in flames, collapsed with a deafening crash, exploding on the ground between the boys’ bodies and the creature. It was a distraction from the heavens, a sign that there was still a chance. Seizing the opportunity, Paulo and Patrícia didn’t hesitate. They sprinted in the opposite direction, their hearts pounding like war drums, not daring to look back.
Paulo and Patrícia kept running, driven by a mix of panic and hope. They knew the creature could reappear at any moment, but they were determined to take advantage of every opportunity. Every second that passed without being attacked was a gift, a chance to get closer to their goal, to find somewhere safe, to grasp that last spark of hope keeping them moving.
The run seemed to stretch on forever, but deep down, they knew survival depended not just on their ability to escape, but also on their capacity to keep hope alive, even in the most desperate of circumstances. And as chaos continued to reign around them, Paulo and Patrícia pushed forward, each step a testament to their determination to survive and find refuge in the apocalyptic darkness that had swallowed the world.