The damn thing had a firm hold on my ankle. My pants, leg, and sock were the only barrier preventing severe third-degree burns. I kicked at the boney hand as it tried to pull me back. Once my leg was free, I put three rounds into the skull of the burnt monster. Its eyes stare at me with malice. A fire ignites in the three bullet holes in its head. In horror, I watch as the holes slowly close. My attention is soon drawn to the second flaming man walking toward me as if he had no care in the world. The crawling creature blocked the stairwell leaving the exit to the secure garage, my only escape route. The fire extinguishing trick wasn't going to work a third time. There were no more within reach. I scrambled to my feet in a full sprint to the garage exit. Just as I burst through the door, a ball of flames engulfed it as it shut behind me. The heat was so intense I swore my eyebrows were singed. I ran to the garage gate and found it locked tight.
"Shit!" I shouted.
This was a secure area for transporting prisoners. I was locked in with two flaming monsters hot on my tail. I hurriedly hit the nearest squad car, hoping it was unlocked. 'Fuck, locked! This one's not good.' Luckily, the next one wasn't. I unlocked the tactical rifle in the console and popped the trunk. I hurried to put a tactical vest on and load it up with magazines for the rifle and my pistol. The last item was the pump shotgun, shells, and .357 magnum. For once, I was thankful to the department for allowing non-regulation handguns as backups. I opted for a riot helmet with a gas mask for added protection and a few smoke grenades. The door to the garage blows off its hinges like a can's top, popping off from pressure. The two flaming monsters enter the garage. I toss several smoke grenades to conceal my position. 'If I could get around them and back to lockup, I can get upstairs.'
From here, there was no way I could open the garage door. The security post was locked and vacant. I want to understand how the chief of this station could have allowed this secure area to be left unattended for so long. Still, that was a worry for later.
"Thomas Hunt??? A friend of yours sent us to claim your soul," a voice said.
My blood went cold. 'How the hell did this creature know my name let alone have the ability to talk?' A ball of fire cuts through the smoke near the police car where I had just been. The car blows up a second later. 'Jesus, If I had been anywhere near that vehicle, I'd be dead from the explosion!' Another ball of fire hits the wall near the gate exit. These things were intelligent, not just monsters. I couldn't wrap that around my brain. Those damn monsters in the desert were intelligent, too. I never thought I'd be dealing with this shit again. It was the Afghan desert all over again.
"Come on, Thomas. Why are you hiding? Death is easy. Embrace it, and you will be free from this life," a voice said.
"What are you, and how do you know my name?" I asked, tossing more smoke grenades.
"Ah, I'm glad you asked. A close friend of yours sends his regards," the voice said.
"Who the hell are you even talking about?" I said.
At the moment, I couldn't worry about the how or why. I had to get to the stairwell. I could escape if I could keep this thing talking without giving my position away. This creature knew me, which weighed on my mind as I navigated the smokey garage, thinking back to what happened to Eddie. 'Was this what happened at Parker's home?' I spot one of the creatures guarding the exit. 'Shit, there had to be one guarding the only viable way out.' I had to devise a plan to get out of here. My loadout was limited, but I did have some road flares. If anything else, this could act as a distraction. I lit one and tossed it across the open floor. Two fireballs hit my area from different directions, but I was already clear of the blasts. I let off an entire magazine of 7.62 into the flaming man near the gate. The rounds explode as they hit the monster, knocking it down. I reload quickly and switch targets. Laying down hot lead into the second burning man. The larger caliber rounds tear up the almost emaciated, boney bodies of the man of fire. Their bones break and shatter as the bullets rip them apart.
"Thomas Hunt! Your weapons cannot harm us or kill us. Give in and join us in the glory of hellfire!" the burning men yelled together.
I ignored their hellish taunts, walked over to the closet monster, and emptied all seven shotgun slugs into the center mass of the fiend. These things were right. The beast slowly heals in front of my eyes. I double tap the other monster with another seven rounds into its chest. They were down for now, but that would not last long. 'Just what the hell are these monsters? At least the demons in the desert died from gunfire. It took a lot to do it, but it was possible.'
Then, a thought hit me. The bunker under the burnt church. I recall the weapons we saw. The crosses hanging on the walls like they were weapons. I remember the melee weapons were engraved with scripture and religious symbols from many religions. My hand went to the crucifix around my neck. I hadn't been to mass in years or confessed since the war. The burning man's wounds were closing up, and I needed to act now, or I'd burn in hell for real. I hung the cross over the man of fire. His flames were immediately snuffed out in an instant. I laid it on the beast's chest, and white fire burst from the spot, engulfing the creature. A sound of agony and rage almost bursts my eardrums. I sink another dozen rounds into the monster for good measure. This time, the fiend's body turns to ash as an unhuman moan echo like a bell ringing.
In a flash, I was thrown around with a great deal of force. Causing my shotgun and rifle to fly out of my reach. The second flaming man grabbed my neck. His flames were extinguished, but his hand was still burning hot.
"You shouldn't have done that, Thomas! I don't appreciate you murdering my comrade. Our orders were to turn you one way or the other. There was nothing about not making it painless," the burnt man stated. "I'm going to savory making you scream," he added.
Just then, an extinguisher rolls behind the monster. The fiend looks down at the canister and then back to me.
"Oops!" I said, pulling the trigger of the magnum.
Upon loading rounds into the monster's chest, the canister explodes. It drops me to my knees, and I quickly stab the crucifix on its body. I squeeze the magnum under its chin just as the beast bursts into white flames. A pile of shimmering ash covers my body and the pavement around me. Detective Sano and Giannetti rush over to my side, still cautious of more threats.
"Jesus, Thomas! Are you alright?" Sano asked.
"I'm alive," I stated. "But I'm okay. Did everyone get clear?" I asked.
The garage doors open, letting in the sunlight from outside.
"Come on, buddy! The station is burning down, and the fire department is AWOL," Giannetti snapped, picking me up and shoveling me towards the exit. Sano picks up my weapons as we hit the streets outside. Out front, a dozen officers looked bewildered. There wasn't a single sign of emergency services in sight. I'd just been through a fifteen or twenty-minute battle with monsters.
'Where the hell was the backup?'
"What were those monsters?" Sano asked.
Before she could get an answer, a pair of cars pulled up. Captain Cooper and Captain Kremer each exit a vehicle. Eddie was with them, and so was Bob Mchahon, a face I never thought I'd see again. Bob still sported that same buzz cut back in our service days and brandished his favorite weapon, a pump shotgun. They stare at the blazing station in disbelief, along with the other lucky officers of this precinct. Kremer was the first to snap out of the shock.
"Alright, I want the highest-ranking officer to get a head count. The next in line, get on the radio and call all your on-duty patrols and direct them to Bellevue Hospital," Kremer said.
"Where the hell is the fire department or EMS?" an officer yelled.
"We've got bigger problems. The rest of you get on your cell phones and tell your family and friends to get either out of town or to Bellevue. Don't stop for anything or anyone," Cook ordered.
The stunned officers immediately sprang into action like they were trained. Making phone calls and collecting anything from the surrounding squad cars. I suddenly noticed that the streets were more than just empty. No people were going about their daily activities either. The buildings were devoid of life. It was an eerie feeling, like something out of something out of an apocalypse horror movie.
"Martian, what the hell is happening?" I blurted.
"Those things hit my precinct, Thomas. They hit yours too. Don't worry; we got everyone out. Bellevue is the rallying point," Eddie revealed.
"Whatever those monsters are, they're attacking all over the city. Mainly emergency services. It's like part of the city has gone mad, and the other part just vanished. I can't get OPP or the mayor on the phone," Kremer explained.
Giannetti padded me on the shoulder, and I turned to see what he wanted. The detective was peering down the street. People were coming out of the alleyways slowly. As if they were gathering. I didn't like the feeling I got when I spotted them. There were too many to just be an organic occurrence. They weren't coming to witness the blazing precinct. That was evident, by the various bats and clubs were in their possession.