Bodies littered the ground in a cross between a drunken war and a drug-crazed rave. Broad smiles, hateful visages, empty gazes, every emotion she knew and many she did not were carved into the faces of the dead men women, and children that littered the ground.

Among the dozens many looked at the red monster even in death, forever choked on unheard screams as they ripped off the eyes or tore gouges into their chest. Their old blood shone so very red even in the dark, her phantom wounds ached.

The plethora bearing different expressions were no better, those that smiles did so until their lips seemed to tear, and there were many that had killed others in whatever madness had struck them.

“There’s a dead monster on the crushed apartment building, don’t look and we’ll be fine.” She said as calmly as her racing heart allowed.

“You think there’s anyone left,” Mensha whispered looking into the macabre scene.

“I-“she paused and took as close a look as she could without seeing the monster and pushing the bodies from her mind. There were three rectangular buildings, arranged triangularly maybe six stories each. The nearest was a crater ringed by rubble and dust. The other building wasn’t unscathed with one half collapsing on the side near the crater, and the other cratered by debris. “We’ll have to look,” she said,

They walked through the grassy turf surrounding the lightless apartments, she skirted by a woman lying on the ground, her face warped in pain and her tense fingers clutched her chest, blood-colored her clenched teeth. Summer looked away.

There were so many bodies, some barely dressed. Did they even understand why they died, she hadn’t felt lucky being tricked by the mist monster, but.

Four beaten forms lay on the bloodied grass, their torn fist and broken faces spoke of violence. One of them traced a red trail as they dragged themselves toward a blue face man smiling man, a red stone gripped in their hand, and hate-filled their clouded eyes.

She pulled her wandering gaze away, at least she’d had a chance.

She stepped over deep cracks as they walked around the monster’s crash site. There wasn’t any other way to describe the depressed mess of leaking pipes and torn earth that surrounded the destroyed building. The wordless tension eased with the creature behind her, but she still felt it, a quite cruel promise.

She pulled her gaze from the bodies to the courtyard and the dark windows. She was the only light here and she banished the dark as she walked through the courtyard revealing yet more bodies. Had they reached a hundred yet, she turned to Mensha hoping for some reprieve from her increasingly morbid thoughts.

His gaze swept the bodies, visage implacable as he slowly moved between the tragedies. His eyes found hers, they were cold, distant yet aware. He was seeing her like he always did, yet the man she would marry wasn’t there removed by a thousand layers and hidden somewhere in those deep orbs.

She froze and her heart raced all over again. The moment broke and his expression eased into quiet horror.

She was hugging him, she didn’t know when or why but she wrapped her arms around him, forgetting the bodies and the smell and the wide horrible world. He held her back.

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The buildings loomed around them “I’d rather not go in there,” Mensha his voice was calm but she felt the undercurrent of unease it hid. She was never so thankful to feel another vulnerability.

She knew things were bad, she was in a garden full of corpses for god’s sake but hadn’t thought about how that could, would, change them. She didn’t like the glimpse she saw. She held him for a time.

“Neither do I, but we have to check for survivors.” She said and released him, she kept her newfound worries for a later time. Concern shone in his eyes, but he said nothing. He didn’t know he was the cause of her sudden strangeness.

“We could shout,” his forced smile undercut by his inability to force a light tone.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the cautious one?” she said amused despite herself, it was so easy to ignore the corpses in favor of humor, she didn’t like it.

He sighed; attempt abandoned. “Your right,” he walked into the least damaged building. “Though I am worried about ghosts.” He said and glanced around the building. Her glow wasn’t quite bright enough to light the halls and staircases leading from the apartment’s trashed foyer. Filling the space with silver light and sharp shadows. Thankfully there were no bodies.

“Ghosts.” she smiled, it was easier when she wasn’t surrounded by death. “Do you think there any here?”

“No, but until we learn more, I think it’s best we operate with open minds.”

She thought of the angel and her mind jumped to stories of demons and other horrors. “God now you’ve got worried.”

“Apologies.” His voice was soft.

She pulled him into a brief hug, “No, I’m gonna need some of that worry to get through this.” She pushed aside her errant thoughts. “But for now, let’s focus.“ she said, and the pair ascended the nearest steps.

She gingerly walked up the steps her bat held tightly in her hand. She found an open door and walked in. A conjoined living and kitchen space greeted her.

She felt like an intruder as she walked through the space, her ears perked for any noise, but she could only focus on steadying her breaths. This was more stressful than walking in the dark crowd..

Those feelings grew when they searched the bedrooms, finding unmade sheets, and scattered clothes. Had she walked by the corpses of the people that lived here?

They searched every room and drawer in the lost home and the next and the one after that. Her revulsion with the task grew with each one. A dozen other scenes of domestic panic followed, and she found unease settling into a general tension that mixed with the monster’s ever-present thrum. One where she kept on expecting a monster behind the next door or corner.

She opened another door her partner a few steps behind her, red bled through the open window. Seeping from the woman curled halfway through the window. Her chest filled with a hot tearing pain, she tried to scream, but nothing came out.

She was dragged backward and slumped in relief as she lost sight of the window. She fell back into Mensha, they rolled down the stairs her back cushioned by his chest as they curled up.

The world spun around her painfully but the ache in her limbs felt cool compared to the red. The landing stopped them, she stayed on the floor.

“The window was open,” she said through unsteady breaths. “I saw it again.”

“Ya,” he said his arms tight around her.

“How’d you know?”

“I didn’t, I was thinking about how that would be a stupid way to die, so when you froze, I pulled,” he chucked “though I didn’t think we end up down the stairs.”

Her fragile chuckles joined his. “How are we getting past this?” She asked after her tremors slowed and she could sit up.

“We’re not stopping.”

She looked up the stairs, she wanted to, she wanted this to end, but she refused. She took a series of quick breaths and pushed her fear away. “No.” she rose.

“Well.” He caught her hand and pulled her back down, “we can take five before we continue.”

She glared at him.

“Summer you’re no help to anyone if you don’t take care of yourself.”

She looked at handheld in his, it faintly shook, was it a failure to slow down or was she being stupid? She glanced up the stairs fear of pain told her to stay a different pain pushed forward. She looked into his imploring eyes.

She lent on the wall, “A few minutes.”