The group felt on edge as they moved through the narrow corridors of the police precinct, the sterile lighting shining down on them. Its overpowering brightness illuminating the eerie reminders of death that decorated the halls.

Death throes emanating from the deeper reaches, making several consider turning back, stopped only by Levi's cold gaze. Which made them shiver, remembering how he'd savaged the man earlier.

The sounds crawled closer as they edged further, the scent of death becoming almost suffocating. A coppery tang made them gag–as animalistic noises filled the air. Making the group feel like they'd stumbled across some tribal sacrifice.

They felt like they were marching forward to a chopping block, a blade descending closer to their necks as they moved forward.

Soon, when they rounded a corner, they'd come face to face with the thing they feared. Two of the creatures, hunched, chewing the body of an officer.

Levi raised his arm and motioned for everyone to stop, "What are we going to do?" a nervous voice asked. "Should wen run?" getting a side-eye from Levi, as he looked at the various weapons they were holding in their hands.

"Are those weapons you have for show?" Levi questioned, a cold flicker in his eyes. "It's obvious what we're gonna do. We're gonna kill them. Follow my lead."

Taking one more look across the corner, Levi grabbed a pair of handcuffs from the stolen utility belt, tossing it onto the polished stone floor. The creatures spinning around at the noise, ambling to their feet, sniffing the air as they looked for the source of the noise.

The group's hearts palpitated as the creatures moved forward with the curiosity of a startled predator. Their grunts sounded out as they found no prey by the handcuffs. Becoming more aggressive at they sniffed towards their location.

Turning the corner, their eyes glowed at the group that appeared before them. But before they could even react, Levi slammed a torch into the temple of the nearest creature. A crack sounding as the creature stumbled backwards.

Levi tripped its legs causing it to crash to the floor. The other lunging forwards its jaws wide as it moved to clamp its jaws down on his body. But Levi slipped past its telegraphed movements, pointing his leg out, causing the second to trip like the first.

He glanced, for a moment, towards the others, who were bludgeoning the first fallen creature. Bombarding its body with whatever weapons they'd managed to scrounge together.

And wasted no time before joining in and smashing his foot onto the skull of the creature beneath him, giving it no time to react. Crushing its head with brutal simplicity, making it soon go limp before looking up. The others still bludgeoning the body of the first, their grunts of exertion sounding. As they, exhausted, lost themselves in the adrenaline, causing Levi to sigh.

"Enough." Levi raised his voice, catching their attention as they stopped brutalising the already limp corpse. Taking a few sobering breathes when they met his icy gaze. Several looking unwell with the result of their work "Don't over-exert yourselves. Let's get moving."

As they moved, nobody spoke, but that may have been due to the conflict flashing in some peoples eyes. There were only two more encounters with creatures. One where they had saved an officer, locked in a room with three creatures scratching to break in and another where a creature disembowelled a police officer.

The last was particularly difficult for some individuals who needed to empty their stomachs. But they managed to reach the storage unit, with nobody hurt, beyond the already injured Varguez.

The lock-up, although exaggerated by Varguez, made the groups' eyes light up. Their eyes set on the boxes of confiscated items, including narcotics, firearms and other seized items.

But Levi's eyes were only drawn to a rather inconspicuous blade, with a black leather sheath and a red grip. Levi smiled as he grasped it within his hands. Unsheathing its well-maintained blade that shone in the lights before lodging it between the utility belt.

The rest of the group were also having a field day as they riffled through the room. Their eyes shining as they picked up various firearms and blades.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Levi also looked around after grabbing his katana, grabbing a military edition Bowie knife that made its new home on his utility belt.

"You all look like you're having fun. But we need to move soon, so stop playing. Everyone grab a gun, something easy to control, like a pistol. As well as a melee weapon you can use with decent range in the melee. Baseball bats, crowbars, spears, anything with a longer reach is a good choice. Avoid bladed weapons. Only take knives for extreme close distance. Swords are easy to damage and hard to use. Choose something simpler." Levi said.

His words stopped the people playing around and made some who grabbed swords drop them back as they grabbed what he suggested. His words reminded them that this wasn't a game. Practicality and safety were the most important.

When everybody had sorted themselves and moved outside, Levi looked over them, noting some odd choices but stayed silent. It was their choice whether they took his advice. "Were ready now, but from what Vaguez said, we can expect at least a dozen, more depending on how many the officers managed to take down."

"But we don't need to do anything special. We'll go back to the cell area. I'll then look around and take out any solitary creatures and see how many we can expect. While I'm doing that, you'll set up a few barricades in the hallway towards the cells. We'll wait for them to get close and open fire and rinse and repeat. If they get past the barricades, I'll handle the rest." Levi said, reassuring the unconfident atmosphere surrounding the group.

"I love the confidence. Let's get ready." Levi finished, eliciting a few wry smiles as they began moving back towards the cells, the station much quieter than earlier.

—

"Do you think this will work?" asked Ricky, for the millionth time. I let out a small sigh. My answer had been the same for the previous million times.

"Do I look like a prophet Ricky? You're starting to test my patience. If you ask me one more time, it isn't these fucking things you'll have to worry about. It'll be me tearing you limb from limb." my answer had been more aggressive than I'd imagined, but his smile told me he didn't care. It would take more than that to upset Ricky.

"Haha, I'm nervous, y'know. Wouldn't want to end up like that poor bastard." his smile dimmed as he spoke. And I knew how he felt. Anything had to be better than the way that officer had to go. I had seen my fair share of fucked up things, but seeing someone eaten alive was damn somewhere near the top.

"Tch, you got that right. If you don't want that to happen, let's damn well make sure that these barricades are solid." this plan seemed as good as any, but our barricade building abilities didn't exactly give me the most confidence. I was doubtful they'd last long when those fuckers smashed into them. But I guess I was as confident as I could be when everyone's life was on the line. After all, nobody wanted it to fuck up.

"Elise, did you finish setting up shit to trip them," I shouted. The girl nodded back to me with nauseating brightness. She was a positive one. She recovered quicker than most of us had. Her presence giving us a lift, with her teenage naivety. She wasn't the type you'd imagine locked up. But as we interacted when helping to build the barricades, she let slip that she was in for drunk driving. She hit a lamp-post while celebrating her 19th birthday.

She wasn't a bad kid but useless when helping us create barriers, but her idea to put up tripping hazards found her something to do. At least she managed to find a way to make herself useful, at least more useful than Vaguez, who'd become ill. But with his bitten shoulder and all that, there wasn't much he could've done anyway.

The others were good enough. Sergio was a rat looking Mexican. With sleazy slicked back hair, with a sneaky face and handlebar moustache. Smart enough, good at talking but too slimy for me to find great to be around. He had the look of a career criminal, although he claimed he was only in for minor charges.

Marcus was an old bastard who somehow ended up arrested. He had the look of a wealthy landowner, with grey trimmed hair and high features concealed by his trimmed beard. He had a look of self-confidence and maturity found in only people past their prime. He wasn't very much sociable, but he let loose that he owned some real estate in Concord outside the city.

Then there was Eddie, as swole as they come, all 5ft10 of the man. He was huge, the muscles on the man were unnatural, and he likely was taking the sazule, which explained his irritable attitude. Out of everyone, he seemed the most unstable, looking like he'd snap at any time and swing at whoever looked at him wrong. Again he wasn't the most sociable, but he was agreeable enough, at least for now.

The last of the inmates was Eric. He seemed sketchy as hell. As thin as they come, his face more akin to a skeleton than to an actual human being. He had a head of thick black hair that was greasy, and his whole appearance screamed he didn't take care of himself much. But from the scratching of his wrist, I had a good inkling why he placed in here. Well, that and him sneaking heroin when he thought nobody was looking.

Then the last was Bernie or Bernard, a decent cop. Had the look of an honest straight-laced officer, but his empty gaze made it clear that he wasn't in a good state of mind. He had spoken a few words at the pressing of the swordsman earlier but more out of fear than anything. He seemed scarred by what'd happened, but it was understandable. At least Vaguez seemed to get him to speak a bit.

"Do you reckon..." Ricky said, making me glower at him.

"What did I say, Ricky?" the man smiling embarrassed before he spoke again as he continued to play with the barricade.

"What do you think of the swordsman guy?" This time his question was somewhat different to his incessant repetition.

I thought for a moment before I said, "He's dangerous."

Getting an interested look from Elise and Sergio, who had overheard me. "Garett, that much is obvious," Ricky said.

"Yeah, it is. I reckon the guy's killed before. Maybe he was in the military or something, but even that would be a stretch. The guy was unfazed by everything. I was watching him. His eyes never wavered. Like he'd seen it all before, I don't know what you have to do to become like that, but chances are the guy's damaged goods." I said, Ricky's and Elise's eyes widening, while Sergio nodded.

"He smiled, his face changed, his voice changed, but his eyes never changed once. Always looking with the same detached unblinking eyes. I don't know what's up with the man, but with whatever's going on, it's best to stick with this guy." I continued, making some people think before I heard footsteps from the corridor.

From the direction of the sound, the swordsman appeared, his clothes now even more bloody as he bypassed the barricade. Standing close by, he gave me a glance before saying. "I've looked around. I managed to take out a few. I saw around twenty, with likely more hidden around." making me sweat as I heard the number.

He then waved his arms, drawing my gaze as he grabbed a gun and continued, "But twenty shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Besides, If things go to shit, we can hide in the cells and take them out one by one. For now, though, let's not put it off."

His words made my heart pound as he pointed the pistol towards the ceiling, a smile of amusement lining his face. He caught our looks of apprehension and, without consideration, pressed the trigger, causing a bang to ring out–making several people exclaim.

But the gunshot was soon ignored under the thumping sound of heavy footsteps getting nearer. Soon several creatures smashed into the corner wall and scrambled over each other towards us. Making my heart lurch in my chest as the swordsmen spoke, snatching my attention as I turned and met his eyes.

"Let the fun begin." his eyes changing for the first time as they glowed with anticipation.