The monster raises its muscled, boneless arms, ready to strike as Je-won charges at it.

But he jukes at the last moment and the claws on the end of those arms swipe through empty air as Je-won leaps over the counter and slams into the kitchen door, throwing it open and heading into the kitchen itself.

The sound of claws striking the doorframe explodes in his ears a moment after he’s through.

It’s fast, he reminds himself. Very fast.

He goes straight for his magnetic knife-strip and pulls down the biggest chef’s knife he has, then a meat cleaver he rarely uses ever since he started getting his meat from Thomlinson’s Prime Cuts.

He whirls around, expecting the monster to be bearing down on him.

But it’s stopped in the doorway to the kitchen. Two of its boneless arms waver in his direction, but the third is directed behind it. Its massive body fills the opening, and so he can’t see past it to know if Nara and Topher have escaped yet.

He bangs the butt of the knife on the stainless-steel counter beside him, sending a loud, sharp crack echoing through the room.

The creature’s arms move more frantically, but still it does not advance.

He notes for the first time that the thing is entirely silent. It doesn’t roar, or screech, or make any noise at all.

And so they stand in their quiescence, eyes locked.

It unnerves him. More than anything he’s ever experienced.

There’s a sudden thud on the door leading to the alley.

More of them? Je-won thinks.

He’s trapped.

The handle jiggles.

He resists turning to look at the sound, not wanting to take his eyes off the clear and present danger. The door is metal, but he has no illusions that it will hold.

Then it sounds like it’s being unlocked.

A distraction? If they are that smart—

The door bursts open.

He whirls, ready to fight.

But it’s not a monster he finds limping toward him.

“Nara! I told you to run!”

“Like I’m going to leave you here alone.” She casts about the kitchen, eyes alighting on the stainless-steel pizza peel near the oven and rushes to it, taking it up.

Je-won curses. Ever since his injury in the military she has felt like it was her job to protect him. She has no idea what he is capable of. The official story is the ubiquitous training accident, but that is not even close to the truth of what happened. His hair covers the scar, and the surgeons altered it so it looks less like a bullet wound and more like the claimed training accident.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

But she doesn’t know any of that, doesn’t realize he knows how to fight better than she—hopefully—ever will know.

The monster is running its claws over the door frame now.

What is it doing? Toying with them? But why?

It doesn’t matter now. His only goal was to hold it off long enough for Nara and Topher to escape. Like all plans, they never survive contact. “Where’s Topher?” he asks Nara.

“Outside.”

“Okay. We’re leaving. We’ll lock the door behind us. That might hold it temporarily.”

“Finally, you come to your senses.” She looks down at the pizza peel, tilts her head, then lets go with one hand and taps at the air.

“What are you doing? Go, I’ll follow.”

The pizza peel glows briefly.

“What was that?”

“Enchant Metal. It’s—”

She is cut off as the monster steps through the doorway.

“Go!”

She doesn’t need to be told a third time, and darts for the exit. But she waits at the door for him.

Je-won runs for it, dashing through and she slams it shut behind him.

Nara stares at the door as though waiting for impact. “Will it hold?”

“Will it hold?” he asks incredulously.

“Yeah, stupid question.”

“Where are the cars?”

“Me and Topher pulled them around front.”

“Why? And you let him drive?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking. I’m a little stressed out.”

He puts a closed fist on her shoulder, the one holding the cleaver. “It’s okay.”

He sees Topher standing a few feet from them. He has blood all over, but none of the wounds are life-threatening so far as Je-won can tell.

“Still have your keys?” he asks Nara, stowing the chef’s knife under his arm and feeling for his own.

She nods. “They’re in the cars. I used your spare to move yours.”

He pulls out his own keys just in case, then walks over to Topher and hands him the giant meat cleaver. “Carry this for me.”

Topher takes it, looking frightened. “Just hold it. You don’t need to use it. If I drop this,” he holds the knife up, “throw the cleaver to me.”

Topher nods numbly.

Je-won goes to the door, listens. Then he bangs on it several times.

“Go,” he whispers, and the three proceed out of the alley, each clutching a weapon.

There’s only one other building before the next cross street, and they turn down it, heading around front of the building where their cars are waiting.

They pause at the corner, just out of sight of the front of the restaurant.

Je-won spots the cars, parked chaotically in the street. No damage to them. And they’re both quietly idling.

Good.

But it’s unusually quiet and empty, even for Havenport.

Where is everyone?

The festival, he remembers. Have they been attacked too?

Je-won tries not to think of the death toll if so. How many more of these monsters are there?

He has Nara and Topher to focus on right now. Save the ones you can.

“It’s in the kitchen for now,” he whispers as they stand at the corner, “so we need to move quickly before it comes out again. You and Topher get in your car and leave.”

“I am not leav—”

“Dammit Nara, just listen to me for once. I know what I’m doing. I’m not a cripple.”

She looks hurt, but nods. “Sorry. I know. It’s just. I—”

“Go.”

She does.

Topher looks at the cleaver, then at Je-won.

“Keep it. Use it if you have to, but remember what I said.”

“Okay,” the boy says, and follows Nara to her car.

Je-won goes last, keeping an eye on the destroyed frontage of his restaurant, putting himself between it and the other two.

He sees no movement inside. The angle is wrong to see through the door into the kitchen, but the dining room appears empty.

Nara and Topher reach her car, and the sound of their doors opening seem like a gunshot in the unnaturally quiet day.

Nara glances at him, and he waves for her to get in.

It can’t have heard, he tells himself, and keeps moving toward his own vehicle.

Thankfully, Topher, despite his obvious shock, knows to only click his door shut.

Je-won reaches his car just as Nara puts hers into reverse. That must have been the one Topher drove, as it’s parked haphazardly, its bumper nearly touching a fire hydrant. His own car is parked staggered a few feet behind. She’ll have to back up before she can leave.

As he’s opening his door, he glances again into the restaurant.

The dining room is no longer empty, the monster no longer in the kitchen.

It’s standing a few feet inside the broken windows, just beyond the worst of the shattered glass. As though it knew walking on the glass would alert them.

Its three silvery eyes are open, and they all fix on him.

Its head moves. Not a tilt, exactly.

A taunt, he thinks. It’s taunting me.

Then it turns its monstrous visage toward Nara’s car.

And charges.