The Night Brutes were on us before we had time to fully prepare. Their glowing eyes, once just distant orbs of malevolence, were now an unstoppable force crashing against the walls of the mansion like a wave of darkness. These weren't mindless creatures; they were sent with purpose, driven by something far more sinister than we could comprehend.
The first impact came like a thunderclap, shaking the entire mansion. The old wooden beams groaned under the force, and the windows, already strained from the storm, shattered inward, sending shards of glass skittering across the floor. I could feel the weight of their presence pressing down on us, a suffocating blanket of dread that made it hard to breathe.
"Hold the line!" Raven shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. She was already in position, katana raised, her eyes sharp and focused. There was no fear in her expression, only determination, the kind that comes from knowing that this fight was do-or-die.
I took my place beside her, the metal pipe gripped tightly in my hands. The cold steel was a small comfort against the looming terror outside, but it was all I had. Marcy, Elijah, and Tobias moved into their positions, each of them armed and ready, though the fear was evident in their eyes.
We heard them before we saw them, the heavy, thudding footsteps of the Night Brutes as they closed in on the mansion, their guttural growls reverberating through the walls. And then, with a deafening roar, they were upon us.
The first of the Night Brutes crashed through the front door, splintering the wood as if it were nothing. It was massive, towering over us, with muscles like iron and skin as dark as midnight. Its glowing eyes were filled with a malevolent intelligence that sent chills down my spine. This was no ordinary demon; it was a creature born of pure darkness, sent to wipe us out.
"Focus on the eyes!" Raven shouted, moving with blinding speed as she launched herself at the creature. Her katana flashed in the dim light, aimed directly for the beast's face. But the Night Brute was fast, faster than anything that size had a right to be. It swatted at Raven with a massive arm, forcing her to roll out of the way to avoid being crushed.
Raven barely dodged the Brute's massive swing, her body rolling to the side as the beast's fist slammed into the floor, causing the old wood to splinter and crack under the impact. The force of the blow sent a shockwave through the room, and bits of debris flew up around her. But Raven was quick to recover, pushing herself back to her feet and gripping her katana tightly, her eyes locked on the creature.
"Stay focused!" she called out, her voice steady despite the chaos. She moved with purpose, her movements fluid and precise as she assessed the Brute's next attack.
"I'm right behind you!" I shouted, gripping the metal pipe I had been using as a weapon. I could see the exhaustion in her eyes, but there was no time to dwell on it, we were in the thick of it now, and there was no backing down.
Raven and I moved in tandem, trying to anticipate the Brute's next move. The creature, clearly frustrated by its failed attempt to strike Raven, let out a low growl and prepared for another swing. It was powerful and relentless, but we were determined not to let it overpower us.
The Brute lunged forward again, and this time, its swing was faster, more aggressive. Raven managed to evade the blow, but just barely, her katana flashing as she attempted to strike back. The Brute roared, its eyes glowing with a sinister light as it continued its assault, refusing to give us any room to breathe.
"We need to blind it!" Raven yelled over the noise, her voice strained but resolute. "Go for the eyes!"
I nodded, already moving into position. But as I did, the Brute reared back, its glowing eyes narrowing as it focused its attention on me. I realized with a jolt of fear that it was preparing to charge, and I was directly in its path.
The Brute lunged toward me, and in that split second, I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge in time. The creature's massive form loomed over me, its fists raised to strike, and I braced myself for the impact.
But then, out of nowhere, Raven appeared, her katana slicing through the air with a sharp, precise motion. She drove the blade toward the Brute's eyes, and the creature let out a deafening roar as it stumbled back, temporarily blinded.
"Now's our chance!" she shouted, her voice filled with urgency. "We need to finish this!"
I gripped tightly onto the metal pipe and swung upwards so the end of the metal pipe slammed underneath its chin and knocked it backwards. Raven swung around me and sliced through its abdomen causing a spray of black blood to cover the back of the couch.
Wasting no time, I lifted the metal pipe above my head and swung down with all my might. The pipe crushed its skull in a single blow with a satisfying "crrrack!".
The demon's eyes flickered for a second before going out like a light. It's lifeless body fell hard onto the wooden floor and made me jolt backwards from the impact.
I felt a wave of relief and pride fill me as I observed my first kill of the night. However, my special moment was cut short by a desperate cry for help.
"George! They're upstairs! Help!"
Without wasting another moment, I sprinted toward the main staircase, my heart pounding in my chest. I knew the others were up there, holding the line against another Brute, and we needed to regroup if we were going to survive this.
When I reached the top of the stairs, I found Elijah and Tobias locked in a fierce struggle with a second Brute. This one had forced its way through a window, its massive frame blocking the narrow hallway as it advanced on them. Tobias was firing his rifle, each shot landing with a sickening thud, but the creature showed no sign of slowing down.
"Elijah!" I called out, rushing to their aid. "We need to take out its eyes! It's the only way to stop it!"
Elijah nodded, already reaching for another bolt to load into his crossbow. "I'm on it! Tobias, keep it distracted!"
Tobias, despite the blood seeping from a cut on his arm, gritted his teeth and nodded. He fired another round into the Brute's chest, drawing its attention away from Elijah and giving us a brief window of opportunity.
Elijah aimed carefully, his expression focused as he released the bolt. It struck the Brute in one of its glowing eyes, and the creature let out a guttural roar of pain, rearing back as it clutched at its face.
But the Brute wasn't down yet. It thrashed wildly, its remaining eye glowing with fury as it lashed out at everything around it. The hallway was too narrow to give us much room to maneuver, and I could see the danger as the creature's massive arms swung dangerously close to Elijah and Tobias.
With a burst of adrenaline, I grabbed the nearest heavy object, a small end table, and hurled it at the Brute's head. It wasn't much, but it was enough to distract the creature long enough for Elijah to reload and fire another bolt, this one striking true and hitting the Brute's other eye.
Blinded and enraged, the Brute let out a final, desperate roar before collapsing to the ground, its body convulsing as it finally stilled. The hallway fell silent, the only sound our ragged breathing as we took in what had just happened.
"We need to get back downstairs," I said, my voice shaky but determined. "Raven's still fighting, and we can't let her do it alone."
The others nodded, and we quickly made our way back down the stairs, ready to face whatever awaited us. The mansion was in shambles, but there was no time to worry about that, we had to finish what we'd started.
When we reached the main hall, I saw Raven still locked in combat with the first Brute. She was holding her own, but I could see the strain on her face, the exhaustion in her movements. She needed help, and she needed it now.
"Raven!" I called out, rushing to her side. "We're here! Let's end this!"
She glanced at me, relief in her eyes. "It's about dam time!"
The Night Brute's attack was relentless, its massive form bearing down on us with terrifying force. Raven was holding her own, her katana a blur as she deflected the creature's blows, but I could see the exhaustion in her movements. Every swing was precise, but she was slowing down, she'd been fighting too long, and the Brute knew it.
As I moved to help her, my heart pounded in my chest. This creature was unlike anything we'd ever faced, a hulking demon with a single purpose: to wipe us out. It was driven by something dark and malevolent, something that sent a shiver down my spine every time I looked into its glowing eyes.
"Stay focused!" Raven shouted, her voice laced with determination as she dodged another powerful swing from the Brute. The creature's fist slammed into the floor, splintering the wood and sending debris flying in every direction.
"I've got your back!" I called out, gripping the metal pipe tightly as I moved to her side. Together, we could take this thing down, but we had to be careful, one wrong move, and it would all be over.
Raven nodded, her eyes never leaving the Brute. "We need to blind it, take out its eyes!"
The Brute roared, its frustration mounting as we continued to evade its attacks. I could see it growing more aggressive, its swings becoming wilder, more erratic. But it was also getting closer, its massive fists coming within inches of Raven with every strike.
And then, it happened.
The Brute lunged forward with a sudden burst of speed, its enormous hand swinging toward Raven with deadly intent. She tried to dodge, but her exhaustion slowed her down, and I saw it, the Brute's claws arcing toward her neck, ready to tear through flesh and bone.
"Raven!" I screamed, my body moving on instinct.
In a split second, I threw myself at the Brute, using every ounce of my strength to push it off balance. My shoulder slammed into its torso, and with a grunt of effort, I managed to knock its swing off course, just barely avoiding what would have been a fatal blow to Raven.
The Brute staggered, momentarily disoriented by the unexpected impact. Raven gasped, her eyes wide with shock as she realized how close she'd come to death. There was no time for relief, though, the Brute recovered quickly, letting out a furious roar as it turned its attention to me.
But the distraction had given Raven the opening she needed. With a fierce cry, she raised her katana and drove it into the Brute's eye, the blade sinking deep into its skull. The creature let out a choked roar, its body convulsing as it tried to pull away.
I didn't let it. As the Brute thrashed, I grabbed the metal pipe and swung it at the creature's other eye, smashing the glowing orb with all my strength. The Brute screamed, its voice a guttural, hellish sound that shook the walls of the mansion. Blind and disoriented, it stumbled backward, crashing into the remnants of the furniture behind it.
"Finish it!" I shouted, my voice raw with adrenaline.
Raven didn't hesitate. She yanked the katana free and, with a final, powerful strike, severed the Brute's spine at the base of its neck. The creature let out one last, pitiful growl before collapsing to the ground in a lifeless heap.
For a moment, we just stood there, breathing heavily, the aftermath of the battle settling over us like a suffocating blanket. The mansion was eerily quiet now, the storm outside beginning to fade, leaving only the sound of our ragged breathing and the occasional creak of the old wood.
It was over. We had won, at least for now.
But the reality of what had just happened hit me like a ton of bricks. Raven had almost died. If I hadn't been there, if I had hesitated for even a second… I didn't want to think about it. The thought was too terrifying to comprehend.
Raven turned to me, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes, normally so sharp and focused, were wide with a mix of shock and gratitude. "George… you saved my life," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
I shook my head, stepping closer to her. "We saved each other," I said, though I could still feel the terror of those last few moments clinging to me like a second skin.
For a moment, there was nothing but the two of us, standing in the wreckage of our battle, the weight of everything we'd been through hanging in the air between us. And then, without thinking, I closed the distance between us, pulling her into a fierce, desperate kiss.
She didn't pull away, if anything, she leaned into it, her arms wrapping around my neck as she kissed me back with equal intensity. It was a kiss born out of fear, relief, and something else, something deeper that had been building between us since the beginning.
When we finally pulled apart, Raven rested her forehead against mine, her breath warm against my skin. "I love you, George," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I've been trying to fight it, but I can't. Not anymore."
My heart swelled at her words, and I tightened my grip on her, not wanting to let go. "I love you too, Raven," I whispered back, my voice hoarse with emotion. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
We stood there for a moment longer holding each other as the reality of what we just survived began to sink in.
The storm outside continued to rumbled in protest, a reminder that the dangers of this world were far from over.