The streets erupted into chaos as the Maulers surged forward, their movements unnervingly fluid—predatory, like shadows given flesh. They crawled over debris with unnatural ease, scaling overturned vehicles and shattered walls with a disturbing familiarity. Guttural snarls split the air, raw and guttural, clawing against the steady drumming of rain tapping against fractured metal. The air thickened with the stench of decay—a nauseating mix of blood, burnt wiring, and rot, clinging to every inch of ground. Puddles pooled with dark, viscous blood that reflected the neon glow of distant signs like cruel mockery.

Caleb's shield gleamed under the storm's flickering lightning, his knuckles pressing hard against the reinforced grip. His armor, slick with rain, was streaked with fresh gouges, reminders of earlier encounters. The weight of the shield strained his tired muscles, but it wasn’t the physical pressure that pushed him to his limit—it was the tension in the air, the throbbing hum of an impending storm, both literal and figurative. His breath came in heavy bursts, each exhale misting in the cold. He steeled himself, knowing full well this was only the beginning. His voice rang out, calm, yet sharp like a blade.

"Iris, ricochet rounds. Now!"

Up above, Iris crouched low on the crumbling balcony, her slender form barely noticeable in the shadowy ruins. Raindrops streaked across her visor, clinging to the cracks of her determined expression. She bit her lip as she reloaded with careful precision, the sound of metal grinding into place almost drowned by the howling wind. "Ricochet rounds—locked," she answered, her voice cold and efficient, but the underlying strain was clear.

Caleb didn't have time to acknowledge her. A blur of movement caught his eye, a Mauler streaking toward him with terrifying speed—a mass of sinew and fury, claws gleaming like razors in the muted light. "Carter! Iris! Combo move! It's time to use the Rebound shot!" Caleb shouted, instinct cutting through his weariness, adrenaline fuelling every motion as his pulse thundered in his ears.

Carter’s sharp nod was all the response Caleb needed. The air shimmered like heat rising off the pavement as he raised his hand. Space seemed to warp, reality itself curling inward, folding in the way paper might crinkle before being torn apart. A swirling rift blossomed before him, edges bleeding iridescent light.

He shot Iris a grin. "Locked and ready. Your move."

Iris didn’t wait. With deadly accuracy, she squeezed the trigger, her rifle recoiling smoothly against her shoulder. The bullet ripped through the storm, a glowing thread of light fading into Carter’s rift. The moment it disappeared, the air quivered—time momentarily stilled as the bullet was directed through the second portal, now aimed for Caleb’s shield.

"Now!" Caleb barked as the rifle rang out once more. The impact of the bullet ricocheting off his shield sent a violent, metallic hum echoing down the streets.

The Mauler staggered as the projectile slammed into its chest. Its screech cut through the storm before it hit the pavement with a sickening thud. It thrashed, limbs twitching violently in a pool of thick ichor, dark veins leaking like spilled ink onto the rain-soaked concrete.

"One down," Caleb muttered, the strain of his last move pulsing through his arm. His boots slid dangerously as he struggled to keep his footing in the blood-soaked pavement. "Far too many to go..."

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

The Maulers weren’t done, though. The loss seemed to trigger something deeper, darker, driving them into a bloodlust frenzy. They spread out, encircling the group. Glowing eyes gleamed in the shifting light like the embers of an ancient fire, jaws gnashing with primal hunger. Caleb swung his shield in a wide arc, crushing one attacker in its path. His muscles screamed as the shield connected, but his stance held firm.

Above, Iris adjusted her position, crouching lower against the fractured wall as a portion of the building groaned under pressure. Her enhanced vision flared to life as she spotted movement in the dark—another Mauler lurking at the edge of the ruins. It crept forward, aiming for Caleb's exposed side.

"Got your six, Caleb," Iris called, steady even in the face of the oncoming storm. Without a moment’s hesitation, she took the shot. Her rifle bucked in her hands as the bullet tore through the air, finding its way to Carter's open portal. A faint shimmer, a distortion in space—and it reappeared in front of Caleb's shield, ricocheting into the dark underbelly of the Mauler. It let out a deafening screech as its chest caved inward from the force.

"Hell of a shot!" Caleb shouted back, barely keeping his focus. His heart raced from the near miss, yet adrenaline kept his hands steady.

"Stay sharp," Carter barked as he scanned the high ground. "We have company incoming!" He pointed toward the right, where the ruins of a collapsed building rose like jagged teeth. "High ground, approaching fast!"

Caleb didn't need to see to know what was coming. He barely had time to react as three Maulers, perched like vultures on the crumbling beams, leapt as one. Their screeches, spine-chilling, mixed with the noise of the storm and filled Caleb’s head with a single thought—we can't take all of them at once.

His pulse quickened, urgency clear in his voice. “Iris, Carter! One more!”

“I’m on it,” Iris called out, her voice low and filled with determination. She adjusted her scope, calculating each target's trajectory. The leap of the first Mauler met its sudden death in mid-air, torn apart as Iris’s shot found its mark.

“Ready when you are," Carter said, his smirk evident despite the tension in the air. He raised both hands, and the portal grew larger—shimmering with intensity, glistening almost like liquid in the middle of the storm.

“Do it!” Caleb roared.

With perfect synchronization, Iris fired, and a rapid succession of rounds was cast through Carter’s portal—each one flickering in and out like violent flashes of light in the deep storm. Caleb’s shield became a deadly conductor, sending each round ricocheting in deadly arcs. The first Mauler’s leap ended in a horrific explosion of blood and ichor as the bullet hit its chest. The second slammed into the debris, stunned by the power of the force, crumpling lifelessly onto the cracked pavement. The third Mauler careened through the air before its fate sealed in a flash of brutal precision—a shot so tight, the creature never even had a chance to react.

Silence followed, the weight of the moment hanging heavy between the team and the storm, except for the cold, relentless rain. The battlefield was painted in an ugly palette—smeared in the grotesque reds of the Maulers' blood, the surrounding carnage silent and grim. The team didn’t move.

Finally, Carter ran a hand through his drenched hair, exhaling heavily. "Now that was a hell of a performance.”

Caleb managed a tight smile, but the exhaustion was too palpable—too real to ignore. “Don’t let it get to your head. We've got bigger problems than a couple of bloodthirsty mutants.”

His words lingered in the tense air, and just as the weight of his warning began to settle, it was shattered by the eerie, spine-chilling screech that split the sky. The earth trembled beneath them, and the air grew unnervingly still—except for the storm growing impossibly darker.

Caleb’s eyes darted skyward. There—that shadow. Its wings stretched against the sky, like a tear in reality itself, its form gargantuan and alien.

A dark outline solidified atop the remnants of a high-rise building ahead. The Brachalisk, the creature of nightmare, had arrived.

As it landed with an earth-shaking thud, Caleb’s grip on his shield tightened, his heart pounding in his chest, the weight of the creature’s malevolent gaze suffocating everything around him. "Brace yourselves," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the wind. His gaze hardened. "This is going to be hell..."

[End of Chapter]