Chad tore his gaze away from the MASSIVE DEMON PORTAL hanging in the sky and scanned the streets. The thing wasn't that far away, which didn't bode well for them. The wave of monsters looked to only be halfway down the stairs, but other flying creatures like the imps were making their way toward the ground much faster.
"Annie, we're getting outta here." His head whipped toward her. Strangely, a string of text floated above her head as well. It identified her as a Massage Therapist (Lvl 1).
I'm not dealing with all this right now. He attempted to wave away the notifications floating in the corner of his vision before remembering that didn't work. Instead, he simply thought about them disappearing. That thankfully did the trick. Good. And stay out. I don't need any distractions popping up while we handle this.
Annie's hands trembled as Chad darted past her, rushing to retrieve his things. "What in God's name is that, Chad?"
"No clue, but I ain't stayin' to find out." He called the words back as he whipped his leather jacket – which was a little oversized to accommodate his anatomy – around his shoulders and checked for his keys. Luckily, by the time he returned, Annie had snapped out of her daze. He found her busy digging behind the front desk in a rush as he made for the door. "C'mon!"
"Comin'! I've got a car, should I–"
He shook his head vigorously. "And get stuck in traffic with these things flying around? Nuh-uh. We're taking my bike."
Annie nodded resolutely as her confidence slowly returned. Chad heard a soft click from behind the desk as she rummaged for a moment longer before standing to follow. In one hand she gripped a sleek pistol, shoving it into a holster at her belt as they rushed outside. Her pockets bulged slightly with the telltale outlines of extra magazines.
Annie answered his unspoken question as they moved. "I always keep a backup behind the counter, just in case. I didn't… I kind of panicked before." She grimaced apologetically. "Won't happen again."
Another pair of monsters - a blue frost imp and a weird bird thing - swooped down toward them as they stepped outside. Annie whipped out her sidearm and downed the imp with a quick pair of shots. It fell to the ground with a strangled gurgle. The bird, however, proved to be much faster. It dove toward Chad's face, its long needle-like beak open as it emitted a high-pitched whine. But a well-aimed punch sent it hurtling into the distance.
Honestly, Chad couldn't help but feel a bit impressed with himself. He'd always known he was strong, but his confrontations had been mostly limited to arm wrestling. It was nice to see that his tournament winner could hold its own in a good old-fashioned fight.
Before any more enemies could show up, he leapt onto Ol' Bessie - his chrome-plated chopper - and tossed the helmet to Annie. The writhing mass descending from the distant portal kept coming, disappearing behind the cover of buildings as it neared the ground. The procession of flying things seemed to have thickened from a trickle to a steady stream. Luckily, it wasn't all headed in their direction, but any amount of those things was too many for his liking.
He jammed the key in the ignition. The bike thrummed to life with a deep, satisfying rumble as the masseuse wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "Hang on!"
With a guttural roar of the engine, the pair took off northward through the streets of Dallas.
***Chad usually considered himself to be a pretty law-abiding citizen. Sure, he might jaywalk occasionally, and he was just as prone as the next guy to treating speed limits as a suggestion more than a rule. But today? All that was out the window.
They tore off down the street, dodging around cars and swerving through planters. As the sidewalk blurred by in a rush, he spotted more than a few people emerging from buildings or leaning out of windows to peer at the sky. Most of them darted back inside screaming. Full panic hadn't set in though, not yet. Once it did, everyone would be on the road. He stuck to the back streets and less busy areas wherever he could.
Annie's grip tightened as a deep bellow sounded behind them. She called out in alarm, shouting to be heard over the wind and engine. "Uh, Chad? There's something chasing us!"
"How big?" He glanced into his rearview mirrors, but didn't see the problem.
"Cow-sized? It's flying fast!"
He swore, but couldn't spare the attention to look back. "Hang tight!"
He dodged down an alley, hoping to lose whatever it was. A few quick twists of the handlebars took them around trash cans and a few piled boxes.
"Shit, there's more of them! They're catching up!" He felt one of Annie's arms release him and fumble at her belt. He felt her shift, turning to the side as another pair of gunshots rang out. The deafening rapport was followed by an unearthly gurgling from high above, nearly right on top of the pair.
"Got one!" She shouted over the noise.
"Nice!" He took a sharp turn down another alleyway. "How many more?"
"Too many. I can keep 'em off of us, but you'll need to go a bit faster, Chad. I only got so many rounds."
Nodding, he sped up. Annie's pistol cracked over and over, resulting in an odd cacophony of screeches and screams that were unlike anything Chad had ever heard. He wanted to glance back and see what the actual fuck was making those noises, but he had enough to keep track of ahead of him. Regardless, whatever was going on back there did not sound good. After a few minutes, Annie turned back toward the front and awkwardly fumbled to reload without releasing his waist.
For his part, Chad focused entirely on getting them out of the city. Occasional peeks into the main roads revealed a rapidly deteriorating situation. He saw the telltale apocalyptic signs everywhere – people running, cars speeding, mutated animalistic forms chasing down prey… the whole nine yards.
I think these things are catching up, too. Damn.
Sure enough, another turn and dead-end forced them toward the main road. Above, winged monsters zipped about, occasionally darting down to attack or burst into a building. Some of them appeared to be carrying smallish forms along with them.
"Incoming!"
A group of winged serpents soared above Chad's head, gliding toward the alley's entrance. Each held another strange-looking monster in its claws. But before Chad could even hope that they continued onward, a few of the serpents released their passengers directly in Ol' Bessie's path. The group landed with a series of thuds, blocking their access to the main road.
Chad gritted his teeth. No way I can turn around this quick. Even if there weren't still things on our tail. Another shot rang out behind him as if to emphasize the point. The only way forward is through.
With a grimace and a shouted warning, he gunned the bike forward.
As they neared, he was able to make out additional details about the monsters. Three of them barred their path, each uniquely ugly in their own special way. The first resembled some weird half-shark-half-slug fusion that left a trail of thick slime in its wake. The second was basically a Venus flytrap walking on its own roots, albeit with wickedly sharp teeth. The last one looked to be some alien insectoid with far too many legs for his liking.
Hoping that his bike was sturdier than the creatures, Chad hunched low over the handlebars and aimed for the squishiest target - the slug. Or, more precisely, a Shlug (Lvl 1) if the text above its head was to be believed.
The bike's front tire made contact with a wet squelch, splattering goo across his face and front. The noxious smell of the stuff almost made him retch right then and there. The insect skittered to the side to avoid the bike with a strange keening sound. The plant, unfortunately, had other ideas.
The toothy maw of the alien plant lunged forward as they passed, sinking deep into Chad's right bicep. He cried out in pain as the razor teeth sank into his jacket and found flesh beneath. Worse, the monster clung on as they roared by, dangling from his arm like some many-tentacled leech.
"Chad!" Annie shouted in panic as he tried to rip the thing off with his other arm. It wouldn't budge. Instead, he felt its teeth begin to wiggle unsettlingly and burrow deeper inside his skin.
"A little help, here!"
Annie grabbed at the plant's "head" with her free hand. In an instant, Chad felt the thing go limp and relax. With a grunt of exertion, she ripped its slackened jaws from his arm and flung the thing away. It tumbled along the street behind with a soft thud, followed by another crack of gunfire to put it down for good.
"You ok, Chad?"
"Fine! Just peachy!" The words came out through gritted teeth as he shot down the main road. He intentionally didn't spare a glance at the damage. "How bad is it?"
"It doesn't look good," She admitted. "We gotta get you treated once we're outta here."
"Once we're out," he agreed. "Hopefully those things stay in the city."
Turning into another less populated area, Chad allowed himself a quick look behind. The street was officially in total chaos. All around, people emerged from buildings armed with bats and shotguns and whatever other impromptu weapons they could find. Still more hunkered down indoors, flinging mutant plants and insects through windows and back into the street. He even thought he saw a ball of fire hurtle out the door of a local sandwich shop. The whole thing made his job of avoiding obstacles even harder.
Ahead, Chad spotted a woman - a Mother (Lvl 1), apparently - sprinting away from the chaos. In her arms was cradled a young boy in the process of bawling his eyes out. As they passed he caught a brief glimpse of what awaited them around the next corner - an octopus with horse legs and wicked pincers instead of tentacles. The woman was moments away from reaching the corner, completely oblivious to the danger.
He swore again. With a sharp twist, he whipped the bike around to face the alleyway as Annie cried out in surprise. His tires screeched and bounced in protest as the smell of rubber filled his nostrils. Then, before he could hesitate further, Chad popped up on one wheel and gunned it toward the creature.
The woman's gaze swung toward the incoming bike, eyes widening in horror. She shouted something, but he didn't slow down. The woman screeched to a halt just as Chadwick's front tire came down on the octopus thing with a wet crunch.
Unfortunately, that was about all the time they had. That brief maneuver had shown just how close the monsters on land were getting to their current position. So rather than stop and make some grandiose speech or accept the woman's heartfelt thanks, the bike zoomed forward into the alley. He could only hope that she'd be able to make it inside now. Otherwise…
"What the hell?!" Annie shouted.
"I know, I know–"
"Not you," she dismissed his explanation before it even came. "That lady behind us just made a forcefield! An honest-to-God forcefield! What in the actual–"
Chad put the thought out of his mind. Right now he had bigger problems. Namely, the chain link fence at the end of the alley.
Great. Wonderful. This is what I get for a damn good deed.
Luckily, someone had helpfully leaned a sheet of plywood against a dumpster just before the fence. Surely no one had intended for such a flimsy thing to be used as a ramp. And surely it was irresponsible and far too risky to treat it as such. But Chad allowed himself a small grin as he hurtled toward it anyway.
The bike shot up the floppy piece of wood at an alarming rate. Annie screamed as it hurtled through the air, her grip tightening to practically strangle Chad. The sunlight glinted off Ol' Bessie's chrome plating as she just cleared the chain link fence and thudded heavily to the ground. With the barrier behind them, Chad got the bike under control as they landed and accelerated forward once more.
Nailed it. Just like a damn action hero.
A few more minutes of wild swerving through the streets took them out of the downtown area. There, the buildings became shorter and more spaced out, extending their view of the cloudless blue sky. There was no real choice but to stick to side streets, zipping through red lights and across sidewalks. Even from here, it was clear that the curving freeways had ground to a sudden halt. Sirens sounded in the distance as black smoke curled up from all around.
"Where are we going, Chad?" Annie scanned behind them tensely. They were still running for their lives, but at least there was a brief lull in the action.
"Away. We gotta get outta the city. Then…" He paused. "I need to check on my gramma."
"Please tell me she's away from here."
"She's about an hour north of the city. Hopefully that's far enough away that this," he gestured with a hand, "doesn't reach. If it does… Well, we'll grab her and go."
He felt Annie nod behind him. "Ok. Sounds good. Then– incoming!"
A deep bellow sounded to the side, causing Chad's head to snap up. His gaze met a hideous hunk of flesh shooting directly towards them. Its comically small insectoid wings buzzed wildly, somehow keeping the thing aloft as if to spit in the face of physics. Mutated growths pulsed red across its wrinkled hide.
"What the actual fuck is that?!"
A string of text unhelpfully answered his question.
Bebeef'uloch (Lvl 1)
A bloom of red erupted from its forehead - or, what he assumed was its forehead. The beast let out a dying gurgle and plummeted toward the ground. Chad yanked on the handlebars and barely managed to take them around the dying creature's massive bulk as momentum carried it into the middle of the road.
"That's what's been on our tail," Annie shouted as she reloaded again. "The damn things are everywhere!"
"That's what's been chasing us?!" He called incredulously. "That?!"
"Yep. I dunno what they are, but I do not like how fast they move."
"I don't like anything about 'em." He muttered, swerving around another car. "How's it looking back there?"
Annie sucked a breath through her teeth. "Not good. The stuff coming down from the sky isn't slowing at all. If anything, it's gettin' worse."
"Dang." Chad gripped the handlebars tighter. Whatever these things were, wherever they came from, they were dangerous. Individually, they didn't seem like much, but in these numbers? He could only hope that people would be able to escape in time.
"Guess there's no chance we can stop by my place huh?" Annie let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm kidding. I just… we need to get out of here."
With a nod of agreement, the pair sped away from the city.
Chad tore his gaze away from the MASSIVE DEMON PORTAL hanging in the sky and scanned the streets. The thing wasn't that far away, which didn't bode well for them. The wave of monsters looked to only be halfway down the stairs, but other flying creatures like the imps were making their way toward the ground much faster.
"Annie, we're getting outta here." His head whipped toward her. Strangely, a string of text floated above her head as well. It identified her as a Massage Therapist (Lvl 1).
I'm not dealing with all this right now. He attempted to wave away the notifications floating in the corner of his vision before remembering that didn't work. Instead, he simply thought about them disappearing. That thankfully did the trick. Good. And stay out. I don't need any distractions popping up while we handle this.
Annie's hands trembled as Chad darted past her, rushing to retrieve his things. "What in God's name is that, Chad?"
"No clue, but I ain't stayin' to find out." He called the words back as he whipped his leather jacket – which was a little oversized to accommodate his anatomy – around his shoulders and checked for his keys. Luckily, by the time he returned, Annie had snapped out of her daze. He found her busy digging behind the front desk in a rush as he made for the door. "C'mon!"
"Comin'! I've got a car, should I–"
He shook his head vigorously. "And get stuck in traffic with these things flying around? Nuh-uh. We're taking my bike."
Annie nodded resolutely as her confidence slowly returned. Chad heard a soft click from behind the desk as she rummaged for a moment longer before standing to follow. In one hand she gripped a sleek pistol, shoving it into a holster at her belt as they rushed outside. Her pockets bulged slightly with the telltale outlines of extra magazines.
Annie answered his unspoken question as they moved. "I always keep a backup behind the counter, just in case. I didn't… I kind of panicked before." She grimaced apologetically. "Won't happen again."
Another pair of monsters - a blue frost imp and a weird bird thing - swooped down toward them as they stepped outside. Annie whipped out her sidearm and downed the imp with a quick pair of shots. It fell to the ground with a strangled gurgle. The bird, however, proved to be much faster. It dove toward Chad's face, its long needle-like beak open as it emitted a high-pitched whine. But a well-aimed punch sent it hurtling into the distance.
Honestly, Chad couldn't help but feel a bit impressed with himself. He'd always known he was strong, but his confrontations had been mostly limited to arm wrestling. It was nice to see that his tournament winner could hold its own in a good old-fashioned fight.
Before any more enemies could show up, he leapt onto Ol' Bessie - his chrome-plated chopper - and tossed the helmet to Annie. The writhing mass descending from the distant portal kept coming, disappearing behind the cover of buildings as it neared the ground. The procession of flying things seemed to have thickened from a trickle to a steady stream. Luckily, it wasn't all headed in their direction, but any amount of those things was too many for his liking.
He jammed the key in the ignition. The bike thrummed to life with a deep, satisfying rumble as the masseuse wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "Hang on!"
With a guttural roar of the engine, the pair took off northward through the streets of Dallas.
***Chad usually considered himself to be a pretty law-abiding citizen. Sure, he might jaywalk occasionally, and he was just as prone as the next guy to treating speed limits as a suggestion more than a rule. But today? All that was out the window.
They tore off down the street, dodging around cars and swerving through planters. As the sidewalk blurred by in a rush, he spotted more than a few people emerging from buildings or leaning out of windows to peer at the sky. Most of them darted back inside screaming. Full panic hadn't set in though, not yet. Once it did, everyone would be on the road. He stuck to the back streets and less busy areas wherever he could.
Annie's grip tightened as a deep bellow sounded behind them. She called out in alarm, shouting to be heard over the wind and engine. "Uh, Chad? There's something chasing us!"
"How big?" He glanced into his rearview mirrors, but didn't see the problem.
"Cow-sized? It's flying fast!"
He swore, but couldn't spare the attention to look back. "Hang tight!"
He dodged down an alley, hoping to lose whatever it was. A few quick twists of the handlebars took them around trash cans and a few piled boxes.
"Shit, there's more of them! They're catching up!" He felt one of Annie's arms release him and fumble at her belt. He felt her shift, turning to the side as another pair of gunshots rang out. The deafening rapport was followed by an unearthly gurgling from high above, nearly right on top of the pair.
"Got one!" She shouted over the noise.
"Nice!" He took a sharp turn down another alleyway. "How many more?"
"Too many. I can keep 'em off of us, but you'll need to go a bit faster, Chad. I only got so many rounds."
Nodding, he sped up. Annie's pistol cracked over and over, resulting in an odd cacophony of screeches and screams that were unlike anything Chad had ever heard. He wanted to glance back and see what the actual fuck was making those noises, but he had enough to keep track of ahead of him. Regardless, whatever was going on back there did not sound good. After a few minutes, Annie turned back toward the front and awkwardly fumbled to reload without releasing his waist.
For his part, Chad focused entirely on getting them out of the city. Occasional peeks into the main roads revealed a rapidly deteriorating situation. He saw the telltale apocalyptic signs everywhere – people running, cars speeding, mutated animalistic forms chasing down prey… the whole nine yards.
I think these things are catching up, too. Damn.
Sure enough, another turn and dead-end forced them toward the main road. Above, winged monsters zipped about, occasionally darting down to attack or burst into a building. Some of them appeared to be carrying smallish forms along with them.
"Incoming!"
A group of winged serpents soared above Chad's head, gliding toward the alley's entrance. Each held another strange-looking monster in its claws. But before Chad could even hope that they continued onward, a few of the serpents released their passengers directly in Ol' Bessie's path. The group landed with a series of thuds, blocking their access to the main road.
Chad gritted his teeth. No way I can turn around this quick. Even if there weren't still things on our tail. Another shot rang out behind him as if to emphasize the point. The only way forward is through.
With a grimace and a shouted warning, he gunned the bike forward.
As they neared, he was able to make out additional details about the monsters. Three of them barred their path, each uniquely ugly in their own special way. The first resembled some weird half-shark-half-slug fusion that left a trail of thick slime in its wake. The second was basically a Venus flytrap walking on its own roots, albeit with wickedly sharp teeth. The last one looked to be some alien insectoid with far too many legs for his liking.
Hoping that his bike was sturdier than the creatures, Chad hunched low over the handlebars and aimed for the squishiest target - the slug. Or, more precisely, a Shlug (Lvl 1) if the text above its head was to be believed.
The bike's front tire made contact with a wet squelch, splattering goo across his face and front. The noxious smell of the stuff almost made him retch right then and there. The insect skittered to the side to avoid the bike with a strange keening sound. The plant, unfortunately, had other ideas.
The toothy maw of the alien plant lunged forward as they passed, sinking deep into Chad's right bicep. He cried out in pain as the razor teeth sank into his jacket and found flesh beneath. Worse, the monster clung on as they roared by, dangling from his arm like some many-tentacled leech.
"Chad!" Annie shouted in panic as he tried to rip the thing off with his other arm. It wouldn't budge. Instead, he felt its teeth begin to wiggle unsettlingly and burrow deeper inside his skin.
"A little help, here!"
Annie grabbed at the plant's "head" with her free hand. In an instant, Chad felt the thing go limp and relax. With a grunt of exertion, she ripped its slackened jaws from his arm and flung the thing away. It tumbled along the street behind with a soft thud, followed by another crack of gunfire to put it down for good.
"You ok, Chad?"
"Fine! Just peachy!" The words came out through gritted teeth as he shot down the main road. He intentionally didn't spare a glance at the damage. "How bad is it?"
"It doesn't look good," She admitted. "We gotta get you treated once we're outta here."
"Once we're out," he agreed. "Hopefully those things stay in the city."
Turning into another less populated area, Chad allowed himself a quick look behind. The street was officially in total chaos. All around, people emerged from buildings armed with bats and shotguns and whatever other impromptu weapons they could find. Still more hunkered down indoors, flinging mutant plants and insects through windows and back into the street. He even thought he saw a ball of fire hurtle out the door of a local sandwich shop. The whole thing made his job of avoiding obstacles even harder.
Ahead, Chad spotted a woman - a Mother (Lvl 1), apparently - sprinting away from the chaos. In her arms was cradled a young boy in the process of bawling his eyes out. As they passed he caught a brief glimpse of what awaited them around the next corner - an octopus with horse legs and wicked pincers instead of tentacles. The woman was moments away from reaching the corner, completely oblivious to the danger.
He swore again. With a sharp twist, he whipped the bike around to face the alleyway as Annie cried out in surprise. His tires screeched and bounced in protest as the smell of rubber filled his nostrils. Then, before he could hesitate further, Chad popped up on one wheel and gunned it toward the creature.
The woman's gaze swung toward the incoming bike, eyes widening in horror. She shouted something, but he didn't slow down. The woman screeched to a halt just as Chadwick's front tire came down on the octopus thing with a wet crunch.
Unfortunately, that was about all the time they had. That brief maneuver had shown just how close the monsters on land were getting to their current position. So rather than stop and make some grandiose speech or accept the woman's heartfelt thanks, the bike zoomed forward into the alley. He could only hope that she'd be able to make it inside now. Otherwise…
"What the hell?!" Annie shouted.
"I know, I know–"
"Not you," she dismissed his explanation before it even came. "That lady behind us just made a forcefield! An honest-to-God forcefield! What in the actual–"
Chad put the thought out of his mind. Right now he had bigger problems. Namely, the chain link fence at the end of the alley.
Great. Wonderful. This is what I get for a damn good deed.
Luckily, someone had helpfully leaned a sheet of plywood against a dumpster just before the fence. Surely no one had intended for such a flimsy thing to be used as a ramp. And surely it was irresponsible and far too risky to treat it as such. But Chad allowed himself a small grin as he hurtled toward it anyway.
The bike shot up the floppy piece of wood at an alarming rate. Annie screamed as it hurtled through the air, her grip tightening to practically strangle Chad. The sunlight glinted off Ol' Bessie's chrome plating as she just cleared the chain link fence and thudded heavily to the ground. With the barrier behind them, Chad got the bike under control as they landed and accelerated forward once more.
Nailed it. Just like a damn action hero.
A few more minutes of wild swerving through the streets took them out of the downtown area. There, the buildings became shorter and more spaced out, extending their view of the cloudless blue sky. There was no real choice but to stick to side streets, zipping through red lights and across sidewalks. Even from here, it was clear that the curving freeways had ground to a sudden halt. Sirens sounded in the distance as black smoke curled up from all around.
"Where are we going, Chad?" Annie scanned behind them tensely. They were still running for their lives, but at least there was a brief lull in the action.
"Away. We gotta get outta the city. Then…" He paused. "I need to check on my gramma."
"Please tell me she's away from here."
"She's about an hour north of the city. Hopefully that's far enough away that this," he gestured with a hand, "doesn't reach. If it does… Well, we'll grab her and go."
He felt Annie nod behind him. "Ok. Sounds good. Then– incoming!"
A deep bellow sounded to the side, causing Chad's head to snap up. His gaze met a hideous hunk of flesh shooting directly towards them. Its comically small insectoid wings buzzed wildly, somehow keeping the thing aloft as if to spit in the face of physics. Mutated growths pulsed red across its wrinkled hide.
"What the actual fuck is that?!"
A string of text unhelpfully answered his question.
Bebeef'uloch (Lvl 1)
A bloom of red erupted from its forehead - or, what he assumed was its forehead. The beast let out a dying gurgle and plummeted toward the ground. Chad yanked on the handlebars and barely managed to take them around the dying creature's massive bulk as momentum carried it into the middle of the road.
"That's what's been on our tail," Annie shouted as she reloaded again. "The damn things are everywhere!"
"That's what's been chasing us?!" He called incredulously. "That?!"
"Yep. I dunno what they are, but I do not like how fast they move."
"I don't like anything about 'em." He muttered, swerving around another car. "How's it looking back there?"
Annie sucked a breath through her teeth. "Not good. The stuff coming down from the sky isn't slowing at all. If anything, it's gettin' worse."
"Dang." Chad gripped the handlebars tighter. Whatever these things were, wherever they came from, they were dangerous. Individually, they didn't seem like much, but in these numbers? He could only hope that people would be able to escape in time.
"Guess there's no chance we can stop by my place huh?" Annie let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm kidding. I just… we need to get out of here."
With a nod of agreement, the pair sped away from the city.
