Walter’s body crashed through the flimsy door, rolling into a heavy wood desk. Scrambling behind it quickly taking cover as a desk slammed into where he just was. The beast screeched loudly enough to shake free shards of broken glass from the office window before charging into the office. Slamming the full weight of its body into the broken desk thinking Walter was beneath it.
Walter took the opportunity to thrust his spear into the beast’s head. Gouging out one of its many eyes the beast reacted by swiping a tentacle at Walter. Sharp stabbing pain in his side let him know he had cracked a rib, as he activated his skill dashing under the swing of the tentacle as hurtled out of the office.
Making a beeline straight to his bag, the beast was hot on his tail. As he leaped over his bag, he snatched a water bottle hanging from it. And in one fluid motion twisted in midair throwing the bottle at the beast’s maw. The bottle missing its target bounced off the beast's shoulder, spinning into the darkness. Cursing under his breath as he landed, he immediately started dodging the beast’s tentacles as it attacked him.
Looking to make a little room he kicked a desk chair at the beast before using skitter to escape. Stopping in front of a desk, he ripped what he now knew to be called a monitor from its stand and flung it at the beast as it charged him. The monitor smashing against its face, shards of glass going everywhere.
The beast screamed as the monitor broke across its face, it gabbed a desk flinging it at Walter.
Walter watched the beast throw a chair in rage and acted. Dodging under the chair he used his skill and rocketed at the beast his spear angled at its head. Catching it off guard as the spear pierced its face directly through its human mouth. The beast’s eyes stared at Walter as the spear stabbed through its face. It smiled a little, then swung a tentacle into Walter's ribs. Breaking the cracked rib as it flung Walter away like a ragdoll.
Losing his grip on the spear as he flew away from the beast he landed near his bag. Moving quickly to his bag he watched the beast ripped the spear from its head and casually threw the spear to the side
The beast charged Walter suddenly, its human head flopping around like a deflated balloon. Its lamprey mouth stretched open wider, littles eyes around open and staring at him as it imagined devouring him. Walter realized then that the head he had been attacking was a decoy and he needed to change targets.
Grabbing a can he had clipped to his pack that Stephanie was adamant about him taking. Pointing it at the beast, he shot a stream of bear mace into the beast’s mouth and eyes. The mace stopped the beast dead in its tracks as it began to choke and gag as the liquid burned the soft tissues of its face.
Walter affected by the overspray crawled away from the beast, his eyes burning as coughed and gagged from jus the overspray. He could hear the beast rolling around on the ground as he searched for his weapons.
Finding the water bottle first, he opened it and tossed it onto the beast. Lighter fluid soaked into the beast’s clothing. Grabbing the zippo from his pocket he was going to light the beast on fire but stopped. He recognized that he would be stuck in the building with it as it burned before rescuing anyone. Finding his bow and arrows first he shot it repeatedly, pinning it to the ground as it bled out.
Walter searched the room for his spear before heading to gray metal door marked cells. Pulling the door open, the creak of ungreased hinges echoed through the building. Walter expected nothing but half-eaten dead bodies but was surprised by the men, women, and children in locked cells.
One person, in particular, stood out, a man with a bloody stump that looked exactly like the beast. The beast said its name was Officer Martinez and must have stolen the form and some memories from eating this man’s arm. But even with blood loss Officer Martinez was tracking Walter's movements.
Walter held his hands up in a placating manner as he stepped in, “I’m here to help,” he said.
Everybody cowered further from the bars at those words.
Officer Martinez just laughed, pulled his gun out and pointing it at Walter, “You aint fooling anyone with that face.”
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Walter dove back through the doorway realizing that the beast must have changed its face regularly as it tried to get them out of the cells. He racked his brains as he tried to figure out a way to prove he wasn’t the beast.
“I’m here to help but I don’t know how to prove that I’m not the monster” he yelled from his side of the door.
“Just show us your chest and prove its monster. We all know about that mouth that took my arm” Officer Martinez yelled back.
“OK, I’m taking off my shirt and coming in” Walter yelled back.
Walter took a tenuous step through the doorway, his shirt off for everyone to see. He even spun around so they could see his back to be sure.
“Thank god we're saved,” a lady said as Walter put his shirt back on.
Officer Martinez grunted as he stood up to pull a set of keys out of his pocket. Tossing them to Walter he fell back to a seating position in obvious pain.
“It’s the big key that will let us out,” he said weakly.
One of the ladies rushed to the cell wall and looked at Walter with tears in her eyes, “Did you see my husband Leonard? He tried to escape when rats attacked the monsters, please tell he made it,” she cried. Her child clutching her side stared at Walter with eyes full of unshed tears.
Walter was unsure how to answer but he did describe the man he found dying as he unlocked the cells releasing the survivors. The lady began crying hysterically as one of the other women went to console her.
An overweight man in a suit began issuing orders as Walter started inspecting Officer Martinez’s arm.
“You and you will head to the weapons storage locker and bring back as much as you can carry. Make sure to quiet, we don’t know how the kid got in here but if that monster is out there, we are sitting ducks. When you two get back with the weapons we will arm every able-bodied adult and head out. You kid will help carry Officer Martinez as I lead us out,” he said as a man used to everyone following his orders.
After tightening the tourniquet on Officer Martinez’s arm, Walter turned to face the two men preparing to leave. “Don’t leave yet, the beast may still be alive. I shot it full of arrows that pinned it to the ground but I still need to verify the kill,” Walter said holding his spear.
“Thanks for helping us kid but let the adults handle this,” the portly man said brushing Walter off to the side.
Walter knew he was considerably younger than most the people here but he would not be talked to like that. If he let this fat man talk to him like that he would be walked all over like in Valhalla. He would have to take charge now fully or this man would try to take over and boss him around.
“Listen here old man, I’m the one who fought the beast you were all pissing yourself in fear of. I’m the one who came here to rescue you not the other way around. And I’m the one with a place to stay that is safe and full of supplies. So unless you think you can take me in a fight, shut your fat ass up and listen to what I say,” Walter said as he put the spear point under the fat man’s chin.
“O-OK,” the fat man said.
“Anybody else have any issue with this?” he said staring at everyone.
Officer Martinez chuckled at that but his laugh quickly turned into a cough, as everybody else shook their heads no.
“Ok you and you will do what he said after I go out and make sure the beast is dead,” he said walking out of the door not waiting for any response. “Wait for the all-clear before following.”
Walter crept through the office area keeping his eyes peeled for the beast when he saw it missing from where he pinned it to the ground with arrows. Hearing something slither across the ground going past him. He turned following the noise and realized the beast was rushing towards the door where everyone was.
“SHUT THE DOOR,” he screamed as he went to activate skitter but the sharp pain of his broken rib stopped him. Grabbing his side in pain he could only watch.
Before the door could close, Martinez leaned against the doorframe and fired his gun at the beast. Sparks flew as one of the bullets missed it, hitting the floor next to it. The beasts fuel-soaked clothing went up in flames. The beast screeched and started to roll across the floor smacking into a desk knocking a stack of papers over onto it. The fire given more fuel flared up catching the desk on fire.
Walter rushed the beast ignoring the burning desk and started stabbing the burning beast. Little embers were knocked loose from the landing on other desks and catching them on fire. Walter started the inferno he avoided earlier all in the pursuit of experience.
The fat man pushed the two men out of the way as he yelled at them to go get the guns. In his hands he had a fire extinguisher he began using as he started commanding people to get out.
Walter knew the man was used to commanding others around but let it slide as he looked for another fire extinguisher. Seeing one by the front door he ran to grab it, as the inferno grew bigger increasing the chance of blocking everyone’s escape path.
The smoke getting thicker as the fat man and Walter kept a path open, waiting for the two men collecting guns and ammo. The fat man’s extinguisher ran out of fluid as he started screaming at the men to get out now.
Walter shoved his extinguisher into the fat man’s hands as he ran to where the men were supposed to be exiting. Both men were on the ground dead, octopus-like creatures smothering their faces. Two duffle bags full of guns and ammo next to them.
Stabbing both beasts with his spear to be safe Walter grabbed the bags and started to run. His broken rib making him take ragged breaths as he. Getting to the fat man as the extinguisher sputtered to death, they both hauled ass out of the building as smoke and heat threatened to consume them.