Part 1: Teeth in the Darkness

Bram

New American Republic

Washington DC, Ruins

Bram stared out the window, curtained with sheets of water. The water made it hard to see out, but in brief flashes of lightning, he saw silhouettes of ruined buildings, wrecked cars, and abandoned military posts. Tree branches and jungle vines, briefly illuminated by the lights of the vehicle, seemed to reach out to him like the bony hands of the damned.

He looked at his teammates. They had all been quiet since leaving the fort. His girlfriend, Rocket, was slowly bobbing her head up and down to the music booming from her headphones and Butcher was feverishly sliding his hand up and down the barrel of his MK18. 

He shivered. He felt safe and warm inside the APC. The thought that he would soon disembark into the jungle in this storm had filled him with dread. He wasn't sure if his NODs would provide much support in the rain.

Bah! He shook his head and slapped the side of his helmet to knock the doubt out of his mind. This was awfully strange. He had operated in the night before but...something about this night seemed off. The darkness outside for some reason didn't feel like regular darkness.

It was almost paranormal — like...something out of a nightmare.

He hated to admit it but...he was afraid. He just had a feeling that this was going to be no ordinary night.

"Five minutes!" called the driver over the melodious flick of the wipers over the windshield.

Suddenly, the van braked to a stop, jerking everyone to the left. Butcher, the team leader, smashed the window with his forearm and shouted: "What the hell are you doing?!"

Red, the driver, didn't answer him. Instead, he picked up his hunting rifle from the passenger seat beside him and went outside.

The team heard the click of his flashlight and his boots stamping on the soaked asphalt.

"What's he doing?" Rocket asked. "What's going on?"

Two minutes went by before Bram stepped back inside the van. He shut the door, took one last look into the darkness, and continued to drive.

"Hey!" shouted Butcher. "Didn't you hear me talking to you? Why didn't you answer?"

Red looked over his shoulder. He sighed apologetically, his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. "I... I saw something."

"What? What did you see?"

"I thought I saw a kid."

"A kid?" said Rocket. "Out here? In the night? In this weather? No way, Red. Not even raiders want to walk the jungle ruins at night. This is when the big boys come out to play."

"You must have seen a ghost," said Butcher. "Lord knows these ruins are full of them. A lot of people died so quickly here in DC when Antares struck. Who's to say their souls aren't sticking around."

Red pretended to shiver in his seat. "Spooky. Oooooh." He wiggled his fingers over the steering wheel.

"Anyone gonna add to the pool?" asked Ozone. He wanted to lighten the mood. The thought of a child running around out there at this time of the night was both chilling and sad. If there was a kid out there, he hoped he was safe.

"Not me, man," said Scarecrow. "My betting days are over. My wife's gonna pop the kid out pretty soon. I'm gonna need all I can scrap up from these missions."

Rocket took off her headphones. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We're making bets," Ozone answered. "Wanna add to the pool?"

"Depends," Rocket said leaning back against her seat. "What's the pool?"

Ozone looked at another soldier named Chemist. His eyes were closed, but Ozone knew he was still awake. "Well?" he said.

Chemist opened his eyes at once. He slowly rolled his head to look at him. "Four-fifty."

Rocket grinned. "Given where we're going I'd say I'm all-in."

"Then I'm going all-in as well!" said Meat. He laughed and pointed at Rocket. "I've been looking forward to this."

Rocket sniggered. "Never miss a chance to take my money, huh, Meat?"

"Ready up," said Red. "We're nearing the target. I'll pick you guys up in one hour. Be careful out there. God be with you."

"He doesn't exist," said Ozone. "The Lamps proved it."

Butcher smacked the window behind the driver. "Don't you worry about a thing, Red. After this, we're gonna trade these stupid vans for a nice, shiny Black Hawk."

"I sure as hell hope so," said Red. "I hate driving through this damn jungle. Especially at night. I'm surprised those raiders haven't ambushed us yet. This is their turf after all."

Rocket pulled her bandanna up. "Like I said before. Even raiders know better than to waltz around the jungle at night, Red. Keep the van out of sight until we come out. We're going to change a lot of lives after this mission. Drinks are on me tonight."

The van finally came to a stop, the wheels crunched the cracked and soaked asphalt and the brakes squealed. Bram took a deep breath and shut his eyes. He didn't want to go out there. Something wasn't right about tonight. Butcher opened the door and they all stormed out.

Not Bram.

As soon as the door opened, he could hear a thousand different things screeching, howling, and roaring out there in the inky blackness.

A thousand hungry things.

He closed his eyes and when he did, he saw a pair of glowing red eyes flashing before him. He gasped.

What in the hell was that!?

Rocket also didn't leave. She remained still and watched him. "Well?" she said. "You've been awfully quiet. Something on your mind?"

"We shouldn't be out here."

"Don't tell me you're scared, Bram. We've done this before. There's nothing out there we can't handle."

"Then why do I have this feeling? I feel dread. I feel cold. I don't want to move."

"Well, you better move. Otherwise, the General is going to chew us up and flog us. Butcher's right. This is the vault of the DC mayor. Thanks to her corruption, she's got millions and millions of dollars stored in that stash of hers. Enough to get us that helicopter from the McOnies. And some new jeeps, so we can trade in this hunk of junk. Won't that be nice?"

"It does nice but..."

"No buts, babe. Come on. Let's get this done and go home. When we get back to our quarters, I'll wear that nightgown you like so much." She winked to seal the deal.

Bram chuckled as her flirting filled his cold body with a much-desired warmth. "All right. All right. You convinced me. Let's go."

Rocket stood up and held out her hand. Bram grabbed it and let her help him up. He turned the safety off his LVOA-C and followed Rocket out of the van.

"It's about time, you guys," said Chemist. He shut the doors of the van and slapped the side, telling Red to go. The van sped off into the jungle until all that could be seen were the red glow of the taillights.

Butcher looked at his team. "Drop your NODs," he commanded. The team pulled down their night vision goggles. Butcher then spoke into his mouthpiece. "Pentagon this is Butcher. Moving to the target building. Over."

"Roger, Butcher. Over."

Bram suddenly felt calm. He knew that somewhere up there in the cloudy sky, a drone was watching them. If there was something out there, the people back at the fort would have seen it by now. That was a good sign. Maybe he was just being paranoid tonight.

He looked up at the tall building of glass and steel, although, there wasn't much glass left. Most of it had been shattered with rocks or shot at by bullets from the raider gangs that roamed the DC ruins. This building was strange-looking. It was shaped like a spiral. It was supposed to be the new headquarters for the DC mayor. But the asteroid, Antares, no doubt halted its completion.

"Look at this place," sneered Chemist. "Bought and paid for by the American people. I can't believe these scumbags got away with so much shit. I read that no other building was allowed to be higher than the Washington Monument. But these guys changed the rules at their leisure and started building this place."

"Rules don't mean anything when you're criminal scum," said Meat. "And that's what they were."

"Well, they're all dead now," said Rocket. "Might as well not worry about it anymore."

"Cut the chatter," ordered Butcher. He stopped in front of the door and tossed a ball-like drone into the atrium. Orange LED lights ignited as the drone came to life. The drone rolled toward the center of the atrium, beeping as it scanned the area for potential enemies. Butcher looked at the schematics of the building displayed on his tablet.

He then looked back at his team and nodded. "Except for a bunch of lizards and some rodents, it's all clear," he said. "We are smooth sailing my friends."

Rocket looked back at Bram. "See, babe. I told you it was all right."

Bram nodded and followed her into the building. Butcher walked to his drone and picked it up. He stuffed it into one of the pouches in his vest and pointed to a metal door behind the receptionist's desk.

"Chemist. You're up!" said Butcher.

Chemist approached the door and melted the lock with acid. He kicked down the door, and they continued down a long and dark hallway. The walls were decorated with old pictures and rusty wall lamps that gave it a colonial kind of look.

"How much do you reckon the mayor had stashed in there?" asked Meat.

"I don't think I can count that high," said Ozone. "These ancient DC politicians were as crooked as my back. Who knows how much money they stashed all to themselves back then."

"My dad says their decedents are still out there," said Rocket. "Before Antares struck, they all cowered into underground luxury vaults like rats. They could be under our feet right now."

"Well, it's not them we want," said Butcher. "We're here for the —"

A loud purr-like growl echoed through the hallway. The team stopped and aimed their weapons at every nook in cranny. They shined their flashlights everywhere, making sure there wasn't an ounce of darkness to hide whatever it was that made that sound.

"Raptors," whispered Bram, to which Rocket nodded. "How did they get in here?"

"I don't know, babe," Rocket whispered back. "But it sounded like there was only one. Don't worry. We outnumber and outgun it. There's no way it can take on us."

Butcher made a hand gesture, signaling his team to continue on. There was a door up ahead that was wrapped with chains and sealed with a lock. Butcher removed the bolt cutters from his backpack and with little effort cut through the chain as if he were cutting through paper.

He pushed the doors open, revealing a large chamber with marble columns and a polished black and white tile floor. And right ahead of them was a massive vault door containing what they needed. If the intel was right, there had to be millions and millions of old American dollars stored in there. That would give the fort more than enough funding to get the proper equipment for their army and perhaps even some food for the villagers living in the slums.

Bram breathed a heavy sigh of relief. All Chemist and Meat had to do was break the door open somehow, and then they would collect the loot and call Red to pick them up. Then they would get the hell out of here. And he hoped they would do it fast. Bram felt so much uncertainty and fear that he began to grow cold.

He was shivering, his teeth chattering in anxiety. "Can we get a move on it, please?" he said. "I really don't like the looks of this place."

"Lock it down, Bram!" said Butcher. "I'm not in the mood for your bitching. All right, Chemist, Meat, do your thing. Let's blow this baby open and collect our pay."

"Roger!"

"Roger that!"

The two men stepped toward the vault door and took off their backpacks to unload their explosives. Butcher then looked to Ozone and Scarecrow and pointed at them.

"You two. Guard the door and make sure no one gives us any trouble."

"Sir!" they both said. They stormed back into the hallway.

"Rocket, Bram. You're with me. Let's give Meat and Chemist some cover. Those charges are going to rile up anything within a mile from here."

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Rocket patted the side of her HK 416. "Bring 'em on! I'm not afraid of raiders."

"It's not raiders I'm worried about," said Butcher. "There's been reports of a monster running around in this part of the jungle. It killed Chaku."

Bram and Rocket froze. Chaku. He was the top predator in the area. The one everyone feared. Now Bram was growing even more afraid. What kind of creature could kill something like Chaku? Just the word 'monster' made Bram sick. Now he really wanted to get out of here.

As soon as he got home, he would announce his resignation. There was no way he was going to keep doing this. He was only 24 years old. He was still young. There was so much he was looking forward to doing, such as marrying Rocket.

"Almost ready, boss," said Meat. "Just a few more minutes, and we'll be rich. The fort will be the envy of the Neo American Republic."

"All right," said Butcher. He radioed the driver. "Red. Get the van warmed up and contact the Dreadnought. We're almost ready here."

Nothing but static answered him. "Red? Do you copy?"

Static. Eerie static.

"Red? Red! Red do you copy? Hey, I'm not getting anything from Red, over."

"Relax!" called Meat.

"It's probably just interference from the storm," said Chemist. "If you're worried about him, then you underestimate him. Red's one of the best drivers in the fort. I'm sure he's okay."

"You'd better be right," said Rocket. "He's our only ride out of here, and there's not enough room on the Dreadnought for us."

Meat laughed. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Rocket. The drone ain't picking up any signs of life. We've got the money right in front of us. We're home free. What could possibly happen?"

Suddenly a blood-curdling scream echoed from down the halls. It was followed by blasts of gunfire. There was a loud crash that shook the whole building. And then all was silent.

Whomp! Whomp!

"What the hell was that?" Rocket cried, aiming her rifle at the walls.

Whomp! Whomp!

Bram let out a sob. A wave of fear surged through his body when he realized those loud booms echoing down the hall were footsteps. And whatever was making them was something big. Dust sprinkled from the cracked ceiling. A few birds resting in the branches and vines on the ceiling took off into the night. Bram started wheezing and tears streamed down his face. He was so frightened he was nauseous.

Thankfully, it was too dark for any of them to see him in such a state. Butcher would have given him such a scolding at any other time. But now, even in the phosphorous green tint of his night-vision goggles, he could see that even Butcher was getting scared. That was honestly the last thing Bram needed to see right now.

"Ozone come in!" Butcher called in nervously. "Ozone if you're there, you better answer me, damn it! Scarecrow? Come on! Anyone! Is anyone there?"

A loud roar answered him. It was louder than the thunder and it caused the decorative chandeliers to tremble violently. One of them fell and smashed into the desk in front of the vault.

"SHIT!" shouted Chemist. "That was close!"

"Abort the mission!" shouted Butcher. "We need to get the hell out here right now!"

"But we're not done yet!" shouted Meat.

"I said —"

BANG! Something massive broke through the concrete wall like it was made of paper. Dust and debris filled the chamber. A column nearby could not take the shaking anymore and fell to the ground with a loud crash.

Rocket let out a cry of agony. She was pinned down, her leg was crushed underneath the column. "MY LEG! MY LEG! OH, GOD, MY LEG!"

Bram hurried towards her. But a loud stomp stopped him in his tracks. The creature that took down the wall stormed into the chamber. It snarled, boiling-hot saliva oozed from its teeth and dripped onto the floor.

"DINOSAUR!" shouted Butcher.

"That ain't no dinosaur man!" cried out Chemist.

Bram could barely see it through the smoke and darkness, but he noticed that it was glowing brightly like a hot furnace. Chemist hopped over the desk, armed with his net launcher.

He aimed and fired. The net flew across the chamber hissing loudly and wrapped itself around the creature's snout. The monster hissed and shook its head violently in an attempt to take it off. Butcher ran towards Chemist and started shooting the creature. That was the last mistake he would ever make. Flames erupted from the creature's mouth and it burned the net off. Then it looked at Butcher and bathed him with a jet of fire. Butcher let out one last agonizing scream before his body collapsed into a pile of smoldering ashes.

"Marcus!" shouted Chemist. He tried to run. The monster turned and clamped his torso in its jaws. Chemist screamed as rows of dagger-sharp teeth ripped through his gear and his flesh. The creature bit down on him harder. Chemist let out a sickening gurgling sound. One final chomp and his suffering ended. The monster finally devoured him, swallowing him whole.

"FALL! FALL! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Meat shouted, tossing C4 at the creature.

He detonated the charge and it exploded in the creature's face. It let out a painful snarl and backed away. The beast recovered, ran through the smoke, and sprinted towards Meat. He fired his rifle in a vain attempt to hold back it. The creature smashed its skull on him, flattening him like an ant and turning him into a bloody paste against the wall. The creature, fortunately, rammed the wall so hard its long horns got stuck. It growled in irritation, shaking its long tail.

"Bram, hurry!" Rocket cried.

Bram tried to lift the column, but it was just too heavy. He looked at the monster. He didn't have much time. It looked like it was going to break free at any moment. He mustered all his strength but it wasn't enough.

"Bram! Bram! It's no use. You have to get out of here."

"No!" Bram grunted, still trying to lift up the column. "I'm not going out there alone. We're in this together!"

"Bram! Don't be a hero! Please, get out of here!"

"No!"

The monster was getting closer to lodging itself free. One or two more tugs, and he would be released from the wall.

Rocket sighed. "All right. You're going to have to cut off my leg, Bram."

"What?"

"Bram! If you want to get me out of here, you have to do this. Come on! The bone has been grounded to dust. Just flat flesh and jeans are keeping me stuck here. Come on, baby. You can do it."

Bram wasted no time. He drew his dagger from the sheath on his shoulder. He paused for a moment, biting his teeth to keep himself from conflicting against this.

"BRAM HURRY UP! HE'S COMING!"

Bram did the deed. With one quick slice, he cut Rocket's leg off. She screamed and fainted from the pain. Bram dragged her out. The beast released itself from the wall and shook its head. Bram picked Rocket up and sprinted into the hallway, out of the atrium, and into the jungle.

Half an hour later, Bram and Rocket struggled to trek back to the fort. He ran for miles in the dark, not caring what could pop out at him. A few Compstagnathus chirped at him as he ran by. They could smell Rocket's blood. A tall red one let out a terrible squawk like a dying bird. Bram kicked it away, it squeaked in pain as it was tossed into a bush. The other Comps strapped back in fear, letting Bram pass. He continued to run until the adrenaline wore off and he collapsed to his knees, holding Rocket as tightly as he could so he didn't hurt her. 

"Did we lose it?" Rocket sobbed, biting her lip to fight through the pain.

Bram felt her arm shivering over his neck. He looked at her. She was pale as a cold winter's morning. Her trembling lips were blue and translucent. Even the golden color of her hair seemed to have dulled, now looking like silver crusted in frost. 

Bram looked back at the empty streets for her sake. He saw nothing but the silhouettes of dark apartment buildings and overgrown trees against the dark purple sky. There was no sign of their pursuer, but it was no cause for calm.

Bram could not see it, but he felt the ground shaking beneath his feet. In the weak glow of his dying flashlight, he could see the puddles rippling violently.

It was coming.

"Yeah...yeah, we lost it," Bram lied.

Rocket knew he was deceiving her. She felt the footsteps, too, and pressed him on.

The creature's footsteps shook the city ruins.

Damn! For something so big, it did a good job of staying hidden. Bram soon realized that the beast was no doubt playing with them; allowing them to be two steps ahead of it. It was stomping the ground just to mess with their minds, and every time it did, cars, rusted and consumed with vegetation, bounced up and down.

"Raven Squad," a voice said on the radio. "Raven, do you copy? This is Captain Antilles of the Dreadnought. What's your status? Over."

Bram fumbled around for the radio. "Captain!" he groaned in exhaustion. "Captain. This is Raven Seven. The rest of the squad is dead. Something...something attacked us. It was a huge dinosaur and it breathed fire."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, sir. Raven One was burnt to ashes. The dinosaur had augmentations on its body and it possessed supernatural abilities. We can confirm we have TYRANT on the field."

"Shit. Then it's just as we feared. What's your position? We're coming to pick you up."

"No!" said Rocket. "You can't. That thing is too strong. We can't afford to lose the Dreadnought. We'll try to make it back to the Pentagon on our own."

Bram agreed. "Yes, Captain. These things are as powerful as they say they are. The Dreadnought is the Pentagon's only line of defense. Take it from us, Captain, that thing will tear the Dreadnought apart."

He heard the captain sighing. "Son...are you sure about this?"

"We're not worth risking the Dreadnought. If it falls, we're all screwed. We'll try to get back to the fort on our own. If we're not there by dawn, don't bother looking for us."

The captain sighed sadly. "Understood. Good luck out there. Dreadnought out."

The radio cackled mockingly as if telling them they were now on their own.

"So much for being big heroes, huh?" Rocket said, trying to ease the tension.

"Uh-huh," Bram muttered. He could tell Rocket was just trying to warm up to him in case he entertained any thoughts of leaving her behind. He hated to admit it, but he thought it would be the best course of action right now. Bram sniffed. He felt he was catching a cold. "How are you holding up?"

"I don't feel so good," Rocket babbled. "I'm losing a lot of blood."

Bram grunted, trying to keep her up. "You shouldn't be up and about like this."

"I know, but I didn't think he would be this strong," she sobbed. "He killed them all."

Bram affectionately tapped her cheek. "Don't think about that. You need to rest. I'll find us a place to hide and..."

"No!" Rocket grunted through her teeth, fighting through the burning pain. She slammed her palm against Bram's chest, forcing him to stop. "It won't do any good. He can smell us for miles. He'll find us. The Pentagon is not that far. Come on, we can still make it."

Bram wanted to believe her, but he could tell she was speaking out of sheer panic. They weren't even close to the Georgetown ruins yet. Even if the couple were close to leaving it, they'd have to cross the bridge, and hobble many miles through the jungle before reaching their home. And even if they weren't being chased by that horrible creature, Rocket would die of blood loss before making it out of M Street.

The horrible roar of the monster chasing them shook the night once again. Lightning flashed, followed by a powerful clap of thunder. Bram started sobbing. He couldn't remember what road to take. He didn't even know where he was for that matter. He could sense his enemy was nearby — he could smell the creature's foul odor perfuming the air. It smelled sweet and pungent like rotten meat and moldy fruit festering together.

Whomp! Whomp!

"Bram," Rocket groaned, catching the creature's scent. The fear was so great that she was succumbing to madness. "I don't wanna die...I don't wanna die!"

Bram quickened his pace. Each of their movements caused Rocket to yell in agony.

The monster howled. It heard her!

Bram pointed through the rain, and they dashed for a nearby apartment building. He set his girlfriend down on the bottom of the concrete steps and ran up to the door. It was boarded up, as was every door on the block. He banged on the plywood, yelling at the top of his lungs, hoping someone would answer him.

Though these buildings have been abandoned for five hundred years, there were still reports of squatters and scavengers living inside them. Maybe someone would be gracious enough to answer and give them shelter and medicine to aid Rocket and clean her wound. But there was no answer.

No one was home.

Whomp! Whomp!

Bram used the barrel of his rifle to try and pry the wood off, but it was too strong. A broken pot on the front steps teetered and fell down after a massive stomp shook the ground. The monster was coming! He heard the beast growling. It was so close. He felt his insides vibrating, and his spine felt like it was going to come tumbling out of his skin.

Rocket cried out from the pain. Bram couldn't just carry her like this. Their pace was just too slow and the creature was near. He heard furniture, trash cans, cars, smashing loudly. They were all being crushed behind one of the apartment buildings.

He realized there was only one thing left to do. He looked down at the stairwell, shining his flashlight at Rocket. The ground around her was red with blood. At this rate, she was a goner anyway. No! He couldn't just abandon Rocket to such a fate she was his friend. But he needed to do something. Something!

Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!

Bram wiped the rainwater from his eyes and blinked to readjust them to the dark. The smell still lingered in the air despite the heavy downpour. A spiderweb of lightning stretched across the heavens and illuminated the world, revealing the silhouette of the creature standing about ten or so yards down the street.

In a split second, Bram and the monster could see each other. The monster was illuminated by a hellish orange glow. Even the eyes and horns were glowing in the dark like it was some sort of demon from the realm of Hades.

Lightning flashed once more, but when darkness enveloped the world again, the ancient beast screamed triumphantly...and was gone.

"Bram!" Rocket shouted through the rain and fierce wind. "Help me! I don't wanna die!"

No! Bram thought. The creature. It shouldn't be doing this to them. Bram was trained to pinpoint where the beasts would be coming from. He was trained to track them and stalk them. It was supposed to be him and Rocket relentlessly stalking the monster behind them. 

But he was so consumed with fear that all his knowledge was wiped out. Gone! As if all those long, hard, weeks of training never happened. The rain drumming on the hood of his tactical poncho, and the infernal chirping of birds, screeching fearfully in their perches, made it harder to hear exactly where the stalker was coming from.

His fingers twitched uncontrollably in a spasm of fear. Bram then felt something warm run down his leg. He peed his pants. Even with his brand-new rifle outfitted with a thermal scope and the works, he felt like an insignificant speck. His bullets would prove ineffective against the demon, now forty feet away. He tried that already. The bullets seemed to bounce off the bumpy flesh.

You idiot! He scolded himself again, trying to figure out what to do. He heard Rocket sobbing on the ground, begging for help, pleading for her life. She wanted to go home. Never mind that she couldn't use her leg again, she just wanted to live.

"Bram!" 

A thunderbolt blazed in the sky again. It revealed the monster. Bram only caught a glimpse of it —that was all he needed— a glimpse! It was walking towards them, its head down, as it took long gradual steps towards the couple. 

The fear was extreme. He couldn't take it any longer. It was fight or flight. And he chose the latter. He hopped over the railing, landing on his feet in the mud with a splash. He sprinted into the jungle.

"No! Please don't leave me! Bram, come back!"

"I'm sorry!" he shouted, sprinting down the street. He had a duty to the people back at the Fortress. More than anything, he just wanted to save his own skin, leaving poor Rocket to her fate.

Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!

The ground beneath his boots shivered. And then a shriek of absolute horror from behind him forced him to stop. Slowly, he turned and looked back. He regretted that decision. The heavens lit up to reveal the consequences of his actions. He saw Rocket, her arms up in the air, flailing about in a sad attempt to ward off the beast. She screamed like a banshee as the dark, shapeless, hideous mass loomed over her. The light subsided and darkness shrouded the world once again.

The screaming turned into a gurgle, followed by crunching — a horribly loud crunching. And then silence. Bram froze. A pang of powerful guilt overcame him.

She was dead.

Lightning lit up the DC ruins again. Rocket and the monster were gone!

No! No! No! No! Where did it go?

The heavy raindrops smacked against his poncho as if nature was scorning him for what he had done. He had a mind to take it off, for he feared it was making too much noise. One thing was for sure, his backpack had to go. Another loud, hungry call came out from the alley behind him.

It was this close already? How? How could such a giant move so fast?

Damn it all!

He slid his backpack off and tossed it underneath an old delivery truck, hoping no one would find it. If he survived tonight and the horror approaching him, he would look for it in the morning. Or the morning after that. Maybe never. 

He'd just settle for just being alive. Yup. As soon as he got back, he was retiring from this cursed job. Never mind the flogging he would get for ditching his duties and getting his teammates killed. He would settle for fifteen lashes than hundreds of teeth ripping him apart.

Bram stepped into a pothole! There was a loud pop. He shouted as a shot of sharp, stinging, pain ran up his foot. He fell and splashed into a puddle. He landed on his chin, his teeth biting off the tip of his tongue.

Ack! He tried to get up, but he couldn't. He twisted his ankle. The bitter, iron taste of blood filled his mouth, and his tongue was burning from its partial decapitation. The animal roared; it was like a scream from the deepest reaches of hell itself. The ground violently moved like an earthquake with each gargantuan step the predator took.

Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!

Suddenly the beast emerged from a nearby alleyway, smashing through the wooden fence. The boards splintered and were flung through the rain. It found him! But where? Where was it? He didn't know where to look. It was so dark! He couldn't see!

A white-hot flash of lightning revealed the silhouette of the large creature walking out of the alley. In those precious, horrifying, seconds, Bram saw the dark-red, glowing, pebbly skin of the demon chasing him. It had to be a demon, it had two horns on its head like one. Its skin was as red as the fires of hell, fading into black at the legs and banding on the long tail. He saw bulbous, amber eyes looking right at him. And that hellish orange glow.

Was that natural?

The night echoed with Bram's scream, followed by a deafening blast of thunder that caused the world to shiver. Bram was dizzy with fear. Through the pouring rain, he could hear the creature's snorting and snarling. This was it. This was the end of him. He held up his hands, screaming like a madman, hoping that he could ward off the creature whatever it was. And then he felt like he was whacked by a truck. His stomach lurched as he flew freely through the air. Then he smacked into a brick wall, his mouth warm with blood.

He was dazed, but he could still feel the monster moving toward him. And then a feeling of a thousand red-hot knives consumed his leg. Bram realized that the monster had his leg in its mouth. It was eating him. It bit down hard, and the bones in his leg snapped like a twig.

Bram screamed. He felt the moist, warm, breath of the monster flow over him, blowing through those sharp teeth. Lightning lit up the sky, almost as if to taunt Bram. In the brief illumination, he saw the teeth. Those horrible sharp teeth. They were red with blood. His blood!

The monster was snarling as it yanked him hard. Bram saw the world go upside down. To his horror, he realized the monster lifted him up into the air. And then, he wished to God almighty that it would all be over soon.