Within the darkness of the streets, everything was tranquil. There was no wind between the tall buildings, and the lack of rain caused the dust from the destroyed buildings to cling to everything. Inside the entrance of a dead-end alley bordering a partially collapsed building, the occasional moonlight made something glisten. A shadow, previously invisible between the others, abruptly stepped back, disappearing entirely.

"I don't see it anymore. I think we lost it." Jake hissed, keeping his eyes focused on the street.

Behind him, Mason was hiding behind a crumbling part of a wall.

"That's good because Emma's not doing too well. We need to get to the hospital fast, or she won't make it." Mason said, worriedly looking at the girl in his arms before getting up and making his way to the entrance. Soot and mud clung to every part of his usually glistening scales.

"From what I can see, the old bicycle tunnel is still intact. If we move through it, we will be at the hospital within minutes," Jake replied with a nod, before turning towards the tunnel that was barely visible amidst the destruction caused by a derailed tram.

The tram and its wagons had destroyed a small shack that had been standing on a road corner. The broken parts were now laying across the road, blocking parts of the tunnel. To get there, they would need to cross two hundred meters of debris and destruction.

"We don't have a choice, but I am just afraid of what we might find inside that tunnel..." Mason replied, looking at the darkness that even his enhanced eyes couldn't penetrate.

"If it is one of those feline things, we can scare it away again. Let's hope there aren't any bridge trolls…" Jake said before swallowing hard as he recalled what he knew about those. "Bad joke... bad joke." He muttered to himself, knocking his fist against the side of a beam sticking out of the rubble. The loud thud startled him, and belatedly he remembered he was a lot stronger now. Scared he might have alerted something to their presence, he looked around the buildings lining the street. Nothing moved, and he breathed out a sigh of relief before looking at his fist. Squeezing it, he was surprised that he didn't feel any pain. He knew he would have bruised his hand had he hit something that hard before the change.

"Stop making such a racket. And put some more mud on your arms, I can see the scales shine again." His friend hissed at him, returning him to the present situation.

Nodding, Jake glanced at his arms and saw that Mason was right. Some of his scales had lost their coating and were shining dimly. Grabbing a hand full of mud and clay, he rubbed it on his arms and part of his legs. When he couldn't see any shiny scales anymore, he was satisfied and scanned the surroundings.

"Ready?" Mason asked from behind, sounding impatient.

"Yeah. Let's go, before that cat finds us."

Bending over a bit, Jake ran into the street. He had decided to head toward a piece of road that had split apart as if from an earthquake. One side was pushed up and over the rest of the pavement, creating a small shelter. It was roughly halfway to the tunnel, and Jake planned to wait there for Mason before continuing.

While running, Jake noticed his movement had gotten a lot smoother, and he was able to cross the distance without falling or tripping once. When he got to the overhanging road, he turned around and motioned for Mason to come over.

From the alley entrance, Mason began moving towards Jake. Careful not to bounce Emma around, he was walking instead of running, and it took him a lot longer to cross the distance.

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Becoming jumpy, Jake scanned the surrounding buildings for anything that might suddenly attack them. Luckily nothing happened, and Mason made it across safe and sound, crouching down beside Jake.

Silently they stared at the final 50 meters, separating them from the tunnel. There was some debris lying around, mostly pieces of traffic lights, but nothing to hide behind. They would need to cross without any cover to hide behind.

"I am going over to check the tunnel. Don't come over until I indicate it's safe. If anything is in there, I can run away. I am much faster on my own." Jake looked at the tunnel as he talked, trying to sound cool and calm but feeling anything besides calm.

Hiding in the shadows, Mason looked at his friend for a moment before shaking his head. "In your bloody dreams. I am heading over as soon as you get to the other side. You don't get to be a hero without me being around to keep you alive, got it?"

Jake sighed, eyeing his friend and wondering if he could persuade him. Seeing the determined look on Mason's face, he knew there would be no way. "Fine. But if anything happens, make sure to put Emma somewhere safe before you come barging to my rescue!"

"Obviously. Who do you take me for, Alfred?"

Grinning at the reference to their old school bully, Jake bend over a bit getting ready to haul ass. "No, I think you're a dumbass!" He whispered before sprinting off. Behind him, he heard his friends laugh, quickly stifled.

Rushing across the road, Jake put his foot on a rock, and tripped, falling sideways causing a ruckus. Cursing, he got back on his feet and started running again, but a bit slower this time. Feeling his heart pound, Jake hoped nothing had heard his bumbling. Arriving at the entrance, he quickly looked inside and saw a thin layer of liquid cover the bottom of the tunnel. Stepping inside and taking a shuddering breath, Jake leaned against the wall for a second. Realizing there was no time, he shook himself and looked through the tunnel for as far as he could see. Although it was dark, he could barely make out the familiar colors and objects and felt grateful for his night vision.

Nothing was different from all the times he had passed through before this shit had started, and he found the thought strangely reassuring. Pink paint and graffiti were still covering the walls, and one of the lights on the ceiling was missing its cover. Deeper inside, towards the bottom, it was so dark he could only make out some vague shapes. Turning around, about to wave Mason to come over, he saw his friend bulky shape moving along, already halfway there.

"Impatient..." Grunting, Jake tried to focus and began scanning the streets and buildings surrounding them. The streets seemed empty, and he was about to relax when he saw something move on a nearby roof. Holding his breath, he tried to make out what it was.

As he looked, a shadow moved along the drainage pipe of one of the old brick buildings, pausing every few steps. From the corner of his eye, Jake could see that Mason was now almost at the tunnel, and it looked like the thing hadn't noticed him yet. Exhaling when he realized he was becoming light-headed from holding his breath so long, Jake prepared himself.

As Mason arrived at the tunnel entrance, Jake dragged him inside, covering his friend's mouth with a hand. Struggling for only an instance, Mason let Jake pull him inside and kept quiet. Looking back outside, Jake saw that the shadow on the rooftop was gone.

"Shit, where did it go..."

Behind him, Mason put his back against the wall, anxiously switching his gaze from the entrance to the dark depths of the tunnel.

Jake kept searching for any trace of movement, but the shadow was gone. After a while he stepped back inside, feeling only partially relieved. "Looks like it didn't see you." He whispered, mostly to himself, before looking at Mason. "Let's move through as fast as we can. Something was on the roofs behind you just now."

Mason nodded, looking anxious. "Was it another cat?"

"I don't know for sure. I only saw a shadow, moving on the roof of the old grocers building."

Mason clenched his teeth, the razor-sharp teeth grinding against each other. "Let's get going. I am done with dark and abandoned cities. Where the hell are all the other people? Are they all hiding inside?"

Blinking a few times, Jake realized that was an excellent question. Then he heard a soft thud coming from between the buildings. Looking at the dark, looming buildings surrounding them, he tried to find what had made the sound, but there was still no movement.

"Ok let's get out of here." He hissed, before turning towards the deeper part of the tunnel.