She stopped hurrying to catch up, instead looking at me curiously. "How so?"
"Some sort of venom in their fangs I think, slowed me down quite a bit. It's actually why I panicked and used you to close the wound."
Natalie facepalmed, "I can't believe you did that - idiot. Still, that's just brilliant; a fuckton of invisible rats that can now paralyse and eat us alive while we sleep."
"Gee, thanks for making my day just a little brighter." I said, replying back with as much sarcasm as was aimed at me.
"Shut it," She jabbed me with a finger, "If it managed to affect even you it would probably kill me outright anyway."
It was true.
We continued on in silence, passing by a spiderweb of cracks where I had slammed my attacker into the wall, the ugly beasts silver blood still dripping from the impact.
A few floors later and light levels in the building had reclined to almost pitch-black, causing my companion to finally have enough of stumbling around in the dark.
"Fuck this." She muttered, bringing up a hand and performing a complex swirling motion which ended in a clenched fist. Pink light blossomed from each of her fingertips, merging into an orb which melded together into a glowing butterfly.
It took flight, flitting around in front of us as we walked on, lighting up the way.
Eventually, we reached the fourth floor; passing by a very old, very worn sign indicating as much.
Just as we turned to continue downwards, I heard the light pattering of small paws echoing up from below us. It wasn't just one set either; it was a damn near uncountable amount.
I did a one-eighty, hooking Natalie around the waist with my arm before pulling her close and sprinting for the fourth floor's entrance.
I could feel her alarm, the sudden flinching of her figure when I whipped around, but she didn't push me away or fight back - that's how much we trusted each other.
Instead, she hugged me tightly and locked both legs around my waist so I had my hands free again.
"The fuck is going on!?" She yelled, and I replied as my pace increased, barrelling the rusted metal door open with my shoulder.
"Swarm incoming, deto-" My voice was cut off as a loud explosion rocked the entire building.
The lone butterfly we had left behind in the stairwell had combusted outwards, blowing up the connection between the third and fourth floors, and inadvertently covering the entire stairwell in a pinkish mess which hissed acidly as it ate away at the crumbling stone.
One butterfly down.
A cacophony of synchronised screeches entered our ears, hundreds of the small beasts yelling out in rage and pain; which was extremely hurtful to listen to; especially with my advanced hearing.
I grabbed the door as it busted inwards, smashing it closed as I raced past; searching for an alternative exit.
"I hope you've got a fucking plan," Shouted Natalie, clapping both hands behind my back and stretching a pinkish sludge between them.
The goo separated from her hands and five more glowing butterflies shot towards the closed door; hovering just outside it, waiting for their creator's next command. "I'll take that as a no then, run for the elevator, it runs parallel to the stairs!"
I whipped around again, spotting the entrance she was pointing at and began sprinting towards it.
The door to the stairwell clanged loudly, as if something had rammed into it at full force. The something shrieked loudly, which sparked a further chain reaction of animalistic howls that echoed throughout the quiet city.
I reached the set of sliding doors, trying to pull the elevator shaft open with my bare hands, but my large fingers couldn't fit in the gap between them.
"Outta the way!" Yelled Nat, pulling two of the butterflies out of standby and towards us before flicking one with her middle finger; causing the thing to melt into a pinkish acidic slop which then crashed onto the door, melting through it in milliseconds.
I jumped through, barely hearing the stairwell door clatter to the ground before another massive explosion rocked the building, far bigger than the last.
Four butterflies down
Grabbing the duo of cables ahead of me, I began to slide down them; my grey skin tearing bloodily due to the destructive friction between my calloused palms and the jagged metal.
I looked up just in time to see a chunk of rubble headed directly for my head, quickly facing downwards again and bracing for impact; unable to let go of the cables in fear of Natalie or I getting injured from the fall.
My companion wasn't being idle however, as she was already manipulating one the last butterflies she had managed to conjure towards the debris.
A more refined detonation occurred this time, and I felt an astonishing heat sear the back of my neck, my skin atomising on contact with the dissipating acid.
Five butterflies down.
My feet slammed into the elevator roof beneath us, joints juddering in protest at the heavy landing.
Ignoring the burning pain emanating from my hands and neck, I reached down and wrenched the maintenance shaft open, pulling Natalie in close before dropping down through the small opening, chipping my shoulder in the process.
A series of loud thumps thundered above us, a dozen of the beasts falling to their deaths in an attempt to chase us downwards; small bodies splattering wetly on the elevator's roof.
Luckily for us, this particular door was already open; meaning I could dash out onto what turned out to be the first floor, judging by the rudimentary blueprint plastered in the waiting area.
The stairwell door crashed open behind us, and I looked back to see a mass of tiny claw marks appear on the ground; they were closing in fast.
"Eyes ahead!" She yelled into my ear, smacking the side of my head back into position. "Jump out the damn window if you have to, I'll boost us!"
My already pumping adrenaline surged to an even greater high, knowing for a fact that I was going to have to obey what was a very dangerous order.
The room blurred as I sped up, dashing towards the already shattered glass windows ahead.
I cradled her head and back with my hands, leaping out of the open window with all the strength I could muster.
Time seemed to slow down as we began our descent, even only a floor up above street level; it was still exhilarating.
Natalie blasted her last butterfly into a non-lethal propulsion, which cancelled our momentum somewhat and allowed me to dive into a roll in my attempt at achieving the same result.
The rats had seemingly wizened up this time, as the swarm didn't go careering through the window like a few of them had through the shaft.
We were safe, for now.
"Shit." Natalie cursed, loosening her legs from around me and wincing. My roll had ended up pressing my entire bodyweight onto her unprofessionally locked ankles. "That fucking hurts."
"Sorry." I said, removing my hand bloodied hands from her back and head, standing up straight again.
"Not your fault," She hissed out, looking downright murderous as she did so. "I fucking hate those rats."
"Agreed," I replied, "I'll take on a giant rabid any day of the week; if it means never seeing those little bastards ever again. How the fuck are we supposed to fight that many of them?"
My hands shook, and I felt the full, blistering force of my newly acquired injuries as my adrenaline wore off.
"Nearly busted through my spine with that move." I continued, referencing the butterfly used to destroy the debris. I stared down at my mutilated palms, unsure exactly what to do with them.
Natalie slapped her glowing hands down onto my own, singing the wounds shut. "Urgh, what-?" I groaned.
My line of questioning was cut off again as she pressed down even harder this time, the smell of burning flesh overtaking my sense of smell.
"What?" She smirked, "Burns heal easier than bites right?"
"You-"
She retracted her hands. "Let's dip, before they manage to catch up again."
(A/N: Well guys, its finally out; I've been thinking this one up for a while now. Let me know what you guys think of it.)