Aiden and Ethan walked side by side down an avenue that was once bustling, now littered with debris and abandoned vehicles. The noon sun cast eerie shadows in the nooks and crannies, like so many potential hideouts for the creatures that haunted the city.
Suddenly, a guttural growl resounded from behind a pile of rubble. The two friends froze, all their senses on alert. Aiden tightened his grip on his crowbar, ready for a fight. But before he could make a move, Ethan stepped forward with a determined step, an exhilarated smile on his lips.
"Let me handle this, mate!" he said with a mischievous wink. "It's time you saw what the great Ethan is capable of!"
At the same moment, a hideous creature burst out from behind the debris. It was a vaguely humanoid monster, with scaly skin and disproportionate limbs. Its yellow eyes gleamed with a hungry light as it rushed towards Ethan, claws out.
But Ethan seemed not at all impressed. With a nonchalant gesture of his hand, he sent a gravitational shock wave towards the monster. The creature suddenly found itself hurled into the air, floating a few meters above the ground, its limbs flailing frantically in the void.
"And that's how you send a nasty critter into space!" Ethan guffawed, clearly very pleased with himself.
With another gesture, he brutally dropped the monster to the ground. The creature crashed with a dull thud but got up almost immediately, unleashing its rage on a hilarious Ethan.
"Uh-oh, looks like someone forgot to take their chill pills this morning!" the young man taunted, dodging the monster's furious assaults.
Aiden watched the fight with a mixture of fascination and disbelief. The way Ethan manipulated gravity was both impressive and disconcerting. He made the monster dance in the air like a puppeteer, making it fly and crash at the whim of his fancies.
But even more than his powers, it was Ethan's attitude that stunned Aiden. His friend seemed to be having the time of his life, taunting the creature with mocking jabs and ridiculous grimaces. It was as if he didn't take anything seriously, not even an enraged monster trying to rip his head off.
After a few minutes of this cat-and-mouse game, Ethan seemed to grow weary. With a theatrical sigh, he raised both hands, immobilizing the monster in the air. Slowly, inexorably, he tightened his gravitational grip, compressing the creature's body like an invisible vise.
The monster emitted a strangled gargle, its eyes bulging from the pressure. And then, with a sickening crunch, its body was compressed, crushed by the forces at play.
"Bam!" Ethan exclaimed with a wide grin, like a child who had just pulled off a particularly impressive trick. "That'll teach it to want to play in the big leagues!"
He turned to Aiden, seeking his approval. But his companion's face was closed, almost shocked.
"You... You had to do that?" Aiden asked in a blank voice. "Kill it like that, I mean. You could have just... I don't know, killed it immediately?"
Ethan's smile flickered for a moment, like a flame threatened by the wind.
"Oh, come on, Aiden, don't be a spoilsport! It was just a monster, a piece of filth like the ones that destroyed the world," he said, a melancholic expression with a hint of resentment passing over his face before disappearing. "And besides, I had to show you how I fight so you know my powers!"
But Aiden couldn't shake the unease that gripped him. Something about Ethan's attitude, the almost jubilant way he had slaughtered that creature, made him deeply uncomfortable. It was like catching a glimpse of a hidden facet of his friend, an unsuspected darkness behind the jester's mask, and the expression of melancholy and resentment seemed quite profound.
Sensing the tension, Ethan threw an arm around Aiden's shoulders, pulling him into a manly hug.
"Come on, mate, let's not pull these funeral faces. We survived, that's all that matters, right?"
Aiden nodded, trying to shake off his gloomy thoughts. Ethan was right, in this world, survival came first.
The two friends resumed their journey, leaving behind the remains of the monster.
They had only walked a few hundred meters when a new growl rang out, coming from an adjacent alley. Aiden and Ethan stiffened, preparing for a new confrontation.
A creature emerged from the shadows, smaller and scrawnier than the previous one, but just as threatening. Its disproportionately long arms ended in sharp claws, and its mouth was filled with yellowed, uneven fangs.
This time, it was Aiden who stepped forward, brandishing his crowbar.
"My turn to play," he said to Ethan with a half-smile.
Without waiting, he rushed towards the monster, dodging its first attack with impressive speed. Taking advantage of the momentum, Aiden delivered a powerful blow to the creature's skull, sending it flying against a wall.
The monster got up, shaking its head as if to clear its dizziness. But Aiden didn't give it time to regain its senses. He chained blows with formidable precision, targeting vital points with methodical efficiency.
In a matter of seconds, the monster collapsed. Aiden stood over the corpse, panting slightly, his weapon dripping with blackish fluids.
Ethan, who had observed the whole scene, whistled admiringly.
"Well, well, you didn't tell me you were a ninja! That was impressive, man!"
Aiden shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable under his friend's inquisitive gaze. "I told you I had some enhancements," he mumbled, wiping his crowbar on the monster's rags.
Ethan stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to see through him. Then he shook his head with a little laugh.
"You're full of surprises, Aiden. I have a feeling we're going to have a lot of fun together!"
He gave Aiden a friendly pat on the shoulder and resumed his walk with a jaunty step, whistling an incongruous tune. Aiden fell into step behind him, caught between relief and a strange feeling of unease.
As they delved deeper into the city, Aiden couldn't shake a growing sense of apprehension.
And as they turned the corner of a street, they came face to face with a sight that froze them in their tracks. In front of them, three individuals dressed in makeshift armor and armed to the teeth faced them, their faces masked by improvised helmets.
The group's leader stepped forward, pointing his weapon at Aiden and Ethan.
"Well, well, what have we here?" he hissed in a menacing voice. "Two little lost sheep... or perhaps two new recruits for our army?"
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Will Aiden and Ethan have to face this armed group? Will they make it through?