Right as I was about to begin calming August down, Kashyap stumbled into the kitchen, he had a massive rucksack slung over his shoulder and was breathing heavily.
His face was flushed and he looked panicked, "What was that noise? I just heard a..." He started to yell, before trailing off when he eventually saw the corpse of the giant rat at my feet.
I could see both him and August gearing up to start shouting nonsense and panicking. To get ahead of this panic, I clapped my hands sharply, causing August and Kashyap to snap their heads toward the sudden noise.
When I could see that they were both listening, I started to speak, "Before you ask any questions, I am going to explain what I know. Firstly, that monster came from outside, so, it would be reasonable to assume it isn't the only one and that, outside of this apartment isn't safe. Next, when I killed that thing I gained EXP that allowed me to level up 3 times. Thus we can assume that killing monsters is how to level up. Finally, when I levelled up, I gained one of each stat per level. Any other questions?" I said this as quickly as possible to get it out of the way.
August raised his hand timidly, "How did you kill it?" He asked.
"Uhh... I know a little martial arts. Nothing too crazy." I awkwardly replied.
Kashyap looked like he wants to ask something, but we all get distracted by an earth-shattering explosion that shook the entire building. Outside our kitchen window, a massive sinkhole had just appeared in the middle of the road, the depths of which were unknowable.
I could feel the building shake beneath my feet and it wasn't hard to tell that it would collapse at any moment.
Thankfully, even Kyle, who had managed to sleep through the previous fight wasn't able to sleep through this explosion. Before he even had a chance to wake up properly, I grabbed him by the arm and yanked him up to his feet.
Pulling Kyle behind me, I ran for the door, Kashyap and August following closely behind. While running I noticed a slight change in my body. I seemed to be able to run faster, and the arm that was pulling Kyle doesn't feel as much weight as it ought to.
'So this is the result of my increased stats,' I mused. It felt strange to grow stronger without putting in hours of back-breaking training like I used to need to.
The roof of the hallway leading to the exit had begun to sag under its own weight, as the building collapsed, forcing us to duck as we ran to the door.
All around us, the sounds of screaming came from the upper floors of the apartment complex as hundreds of people desperately tried to evacuate before the building collapsed. 'They won't make it.' I thought, but then again, I don't even know if we will make it out in time.
Just ahead, I could see the light streaming through the exit being abruptly cut off by something huge as it passed by. But this darkness left as quick as it came, leaving only the faint impression of an enormous shadow in my mind.
"That was definitely a car... what else could it be?" I asked myself. "There aren't any animals that big in the city, or at least there wasn't any before today."
My heart was hammering against my chest, trying to force its way out of my ribcage as I ran. I could feel my shirt sticking to my back, slick with sweat.
In a flash, we dashed out into the light, leaving the apartment building behind at last. Only a few seconds after Kashyap, who was bringing up the rear escaped, the building sags horrifyingly in the centre. Then slowly, as if it is being swallowed by some great beast, the building collapses in on itself, sending clouds of dust and rubble billowing up into the air.
When the dust settled, everything was silent. All the screaming from within the building has been completely cut short. The only people to make it out of the apartment were us.
Kashyap was the first to break the silence, he muttered something under his breath, offering a prayer to all those that didn't make it out of the flat.
The next to speak was August, his face was flushed, his hair is stuck to his forehead with sweat. "I am kind of glad we were on the bottom floor now..." He said.
Shocked, I look at him in disbelief, "What the..."
Immediately he got weirdly defensive, bristling up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, "Look I am just saying, the people in the flat above us were always stamping about, and they would vacuum at really weird hours."
After hearing this, my face scrunched up, like I had just swallowed a fly, "So you're saying they deserved to die for being noisy?"
"No No No... But, I would rather them than me is all." August said.
Before I could start arguing with him, Kashyap interrupted us. "I don't think it's safe here, or anywhere in the city. Can any of you drive?" He asked
Kyle and I shake our heads... leaving August as our designated driver. "Shit!" I cursed under my breath.
August's head snaps around, "What was that?"
"Nothing, anyway, where is your car?" I asked, deftly changing the topic.
August snorted before replying, "It's parked in my designated spot, right in front of the building."
It was right then, that Kyle opened his mouth to speak for the first time today, shattering August's dreams. His voice was raspy from a night of drinking, but it wasn't hard to hear what he had to say, "Didn't that massive sinkhole appear out front?" He asked.
August froze for a second. His face turned pale and his hands clenched up into fists, shaking violently.
Reading the mood, Kashyap offered another suggestion, "I can hotwire a car, we just need to find one nearby." He said.
...
Our ragtag group of now flat-less flatmates picked our way through the collapsing city, careful to stick to the shadows as we travelled.
After Kashyap's suggestion, we had decided on our destination, the car park behind a nearby supermarket. There should be plenty of cars there.
The pavement was covered in cracks and fractures that cobwebbed across the cement. The cracks ran up the side of nearby buildings weakening them.
Behind me, I heard a crash, and then Kyle yelping in panic. When I turned to see what had happened, I could see him standing beside a fallen chunk of steel and concrete. The lump of rock had fallen off a nearby building, burying itself in the ground beside him.
After that, we made sure to walk more towards the centre of the road, staying away from the unstable skyscrapers that were always teetering on the edge of destruction.
When we walked out from under the shadows of the buildings and into the light, The sound of scuttling and crashing in nearby alleys became louder. Whatever was hiding in those alleyways was reacting to our presence out in the open.
I could hear Kashyap trying to explain what is going on to Kyle behind me. 'I really can't be bothered with that so...' I decided to walk on ahead.
Above us, the sky was painted pinkish-red by the rising sun. Casting a soft red glow on the city as it fell apart.
Occasional cries of pain and fear echoed throughout the city streets, until sharp squeals and scuffling sounds cut off the screams, leaving only silence behind.
In the quiet city, our scuffed footsteps and heavy breathing felt incredibly loud. Almost like a beacon of noise, attracting whatever it was that lurked in the shadows to us.
Eventually, we reached the end of the street. In front of us, a massive shopping centre sprawled out, Its car park was almost vacant, containing only a few lonely cars. 'Since it is still early, I guess no one had time to go to the shops.' I realised
Kashyap ran over to one of the few cars here, a pickup truck with an open back and high tyres. "This is perfect!" He shouted, "We should be able to go off-road with this easily enough,"
August looked doubtfully at Kashyap, "Are you sure you know how to get that thing running?" He asked
Kashyap rubbed his hands together and grinned, "Back in my hometown, my father works as a mechanic." He said.
"But how will you open it?" Kyle asked.
"Like this," Kashyap exclaimed, before raising up his elbow and smashing it through the car window.
Immediately following the crash of glass, the car alarm began blaring, In the stillness of the city, it was so painfully loud that a deaf person could hear it from a few streets away, never mind the monsters.
"Shit!" Kashyap yelped, sticking his hands into the car and fiddling with the control panel. "I'll stop the alarm as quickly as possible, just protect me." He shouted.
Groaning, I pulled August and Kyle behind me. In the distance, I could already hear a few scattered squeaks and the scratching of claws against cement.
Kyle pulled a tire iron out of the back of the pickup truck, hefting it onto his shoulder. And out of the corner of my eye, I could see August pulling a large kitchen knife out of his bag.
"Get ready, they are coming!" I shouted.