Click.
Click.
Click.
Click
[May, 4th. 1835]
With a swift flick of his wrist, he chambered four rounds in his shotgun, lowering it to his side as his gaze swept over the desolate, abandoned village ahead.
Ever since the "Great Lament." Monsters have roamed the streets, feasting upon humans, destroying lives by the millions.
They roamed the world, aimlessly, mindless and insatiable, their existence irked him. He spat on the ground, scuffing it with his boot before slowly making his way into the village, each step kicking up small clouds of dust.
The air was damp, putrid. The smell of the dead lingered in the air, stray animals and flies feasting on numerous corpses. He glanced to his left and spotted the remains of an old woman slumped in one of the buildings. In her arms, she cradled a small boy, both lifeless, their fates sealed by the same cruel hand.
He turned away from them, slowly putting his hand toward his neck, dragging his mask above his nose. Swiftly he cocked his head to his side, he could hear soft growls and the crunch of flesh.
He bent over, his feet making as little noise as possible, pressing his body against the side of a house, he caught sight of a monster hunched over, feeding on something hidden in the shadows. He carefully reached into his pocket, his fingers brushing against the cold glass of a vial.
He tossed the vial toward the beast, watching as it shattered on impact. The creature immediately turned, drawn to the noise. It sniffed the air and then slowly licked the liquid that had spilled from the broken vial. Just as the beast began to twitch, backing away and clutching its head in confusion, he moved.
Click.
Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. The shotgun barrel pressed against the beast's head, sending its skull flying clean off. He stood over the now limp body as black liquid seeped from its neck, a foul stench rising in the air. Kneeling, he produced another vial, carefully gathering the dark substance.
He walked back toward a string of houses heading through the village. He had heard from a reliable source that within one of the houses lay the box of "Angelo Constantine." A man known for his great mind. The man who foresaw the extinction of humanity.
Three years ago. An angel had come down to earth, it flew down from an opening in the sky. Bearing gifts, gold, medicines. In return for a place within society.
At first, humanity was doubtful, their skepticism evident for all to see. But their voices proved meaningless in the face of a government eager to accept the deal.
The angel arrived in Victoria, descending upon the city with promises of salvation. Yet within mere months, everything crumbled. The city fell, and nothing could have prepared them for the devastation that followed.
Monsters began dropping from the skies like raindrops, their forms devilish, otherworldly. They immediately began tearing apart anything they could find, from livestock, architecture and eventually people.
The angel that had led them was no ordinary creature—it was a monster, yes, but something far more terrifying. It was advanced, smart, and cunning, yet simultaneously strong and seemingly immortal.
Humanity quickly gave it a fitting name: The "Monarch of Destruction." As it had descended from the sky, so too did six others like it. Each angel led an army, each set on conquering a nation, spreading chaos and destruction as they descended upon the world.
Within a year, every stronghold nation had been taken over, within two, the population of humanity had dropped by eighty percent, and within three, they had taken over the entire world.
Havens had sprung up everywhere, utilizing underground bunkers and hidden camps as makeshift shelters. Guilds were established, and hunters who specialized in killing the monsters were employed by these shelters. Their tasks ranged from providing security to salvaging whatever they could from towns that had been overrun.
He crouched low, pressing himself against the house for cover. Peeking cautiously, he saw two beasts in the heart of the city. He reached up, carefully pushing open a window above him and climbed through.
The house was quiet, dark, it probably hadn't been lived in even before the Lament, he walked through the house, each step careful as he navigated through its interior.
Just ahead was Angelo's house, sitting dangerously close to the monsters. He pushed back the barrel of his gun, ejecting two empty shells. Patting his pocket, he cursed under his breath—he was out of ammo.
He sighed, glancing at his last two shells before closing the chamber and heading toward the door. Observing the monster's feed, he took his time, knowing he wasn't in a rush to interfere.
Gently, he reached for the doorknob of Angelo's house, easing it open and then closing it behind him. Standing upright, he took in his surroundings, scanning the interior of the house.
Unlike most of the others it had been untouched and that was mainly due to the coating poured on the walls of the building. Angelo had created a chemical compound that reacted with the monster's extreme sense of smell, sniffing would deter them and tasting it would induce slight nausea.
That blue compound was the sole reason shelters could be established keeping the monsters somewhat at bay, but it wasn't Angelo's only creation. Angelo had also been the personal advisor to Sovereign, Smith Ernston, the leader of Victoria before the great lament.
He had warned Smith about the angel, urging him to command the soldiers to eliminate it before it was too late. Despite the warning, it may have already been too late. Fearing that the angel would eventually bring about Earth's destruction, Angelo took a sample of its skin, eventually creating "Valotane" the blue compound that reacted directly with the monsters.
This compound was based on his research, which made him believe it might've been possible to destroy the angel, even though bullets and multiple stab wounds to the heart couldn't.
"Hm?" He muttered to himself as he walked toward the kitchen, observing the dining table. There, he noticed a cup of water, still warm as if it had been recently drunk from.
He looked around, unable to hear anything. Had another hunter passed through here in search of Angelo's creation, pausing for a drink? It seemed unlikely, but he needed to cling to some explanation.
He walked toward the living room, he had searched all the rooms of the house already and he didn't see anything, not even a document that hinted at the existence of the second compound.
"Does it even exist?" He asked himself as he continued searching.
Angelo had created Valotane as a way to deter the beasts, he had hoped for co-existence with the angels regardless of their strength over humanity. But when that didn't seem to be the case, he made a second compound, one that if ingested. Would kill them.
"Constalin." He said, looking at a rope hanging from the ceiling, he tugged on it gently, revealing a set of stairs that led to an attic above.
Slowly he walked up the stairs of the attic, his hand wrapped around the trigger of his gun. Pulling it at this moment, too close to the monsters would draw them toward him, but if it had to be done. It would.
He glanced around as his head poked into the darkness of the attic, a small window on the far left the only source of light. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something move, followed by a faint noise.
He raised his gun, pointing it toward the sound. "Come out, with your hands up. Slowly." He ordered, but there was no response.
In times like these, a warning shot would have been ideal, but he lacked both the ammunition and the patience for it. So he opted for the next best thing: "You have three seconds. Come out slowly, or I'll knock that box over and let the monsters come for us both. Your choice."
Still no response.
"3." He began counting down, his hand inching closer toward a box next to him, he was bluffing but he needed to sell it as hard as he could,
"2" He carefully set his shotgun on the steps, his hand inching even closer to it.
"1-" A shuffle could be heard as someone came out from behind a slew of boxes, her hands in the air.
"Don't... Please." She whispered.
Slowly, he lowered his gun. Why was there a girl in the house, especially in the attic? Angelo had no known children; he was too introverted for social interactions, and adoption seemed implausible.
"Who are you?" He asked, looking at her as she came closer into view.
"I'm... Katherine." She spoke, her voice frail. Upon getting a closer look at her, she looked malnourished, dirty. As if she had been here for a while.
"What are you doing here?" He took another look around, "Anyone else with you?"
"No... Just me, Angie left a while ago and never came back."
"Angie... Angelo?"
"Yes."
Thoughts swirled in his head. Why would Angelo have this girl in his house? "Do you know why he brought you here?"
"He said my blood is special. That I was the key to saving the world."
"Saving the world..." He knew Angelo was a genius, capable of creating a compound strong enough to kill the immortal, but even then, eradicating all of them seemed impossible. However, if what she told him was true, Angelo might have found a way.
"Did he tell you anything else?" He asked her, but she shook her head in response. Turning away, he scanned the attic, finding nothing that suggested the presence of 'Constalin.'
Nothing, except Katherine. He thought to himself once more, "What did you mean when you said your blood was special?"
"Angie never told me more than that, he just took my blood in vials and left." She explained.
He glanced down, he could hear the growls of the monsters outside, while they wouldn't enter the house unprovoked. They were too close for comfort, "Let me cut you a deal, Katherine. There's a place I know, with nice food and water. Clean water, you don't have to boil it before you drink."
"Really?" She asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Yes." He pulled his mask down, smiling at her. She reminded him so much of what he had lost, of what had put him on this dreadful path. He extended his hand. "I'll take you there."
Katherine extended her hand, moving closer to meet his, but as she passed a box, she accidentally kicked it, causing a chain reaction that pushed a vase down the stairs and onto the lower deck.
He watched the vase shatter, his hand instinctively reaching for his mask. With his other hand, he shoved Katherine aside just as a deafening growl echoed through the house. The walls splintered as monsters burst through, their eyes wild with hunger.