The metallic clang of Rebecca's rifle hitting the concrete echoed through the garage. She cursed under her breath, discarding the useless weapon. Her fingers scrambled to reload the pistol gripped in her sweat-slicked palm, eyes darting between the maze of abandoned vehicles surrounding her.
A feral growl reverberated nearby, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. She pivoted, ears straining to pinpoint the source of the guttural snarl. There - a vintage jeep suspended precariously on a hydraulic lift. Four support pillars bore its weight, with a thick metal shaft anchoring the center.
Rebecca's mind raced. She scanned the dusty workbenches, fingers closing around a coil of chains and a grease-stained oil can. Working quickly, she looped the chains between the front support pillars, letting the excess length clatter to the floor. A thin trail of oil followed, snaking in front of the jagged steel pillars. Rebecca's palm opened, revealing a handful of bolts, her ammunition for luring the beast.
With a deep breath, she hurled the first bolt against a distant vehicle, the metallic clang echoing through the eerie silence. No response. The second bolt followed, yielding the same result. But the third, striking the door of a nearby car, elicited a bone-chilling reaction – the monstrous creature, drawn by the sound, leapt atop the vehicle, its massive frame shaking the ground. Heart in her throat, Rebecca broke into a run, the beast behind her, its thunderous footsteps punctuating each breath she took.
She weaved between the cars, the monster leaping from one to the next, gaining ground with each deadly stride. Two sharp turns later, she burst from the maze of vehicles, the oil-slicked path stretched before her. With a final burst of speed, Rebecca leapt over the shining oil slick and rolling chain, tucking into a clumsy shoulder roll. Her back slammed against the concrete wall with a grunt of pain.
Claws scrabbled over the greased floor as the beast slid through the oil, chain links dragging taught. The center pillar creaked, trembling under the immense jeep's weight. Metal shrieked in protest, bolts popping free like gunshots as the support buckled. The Jeep crashed down, pinning the beast beneath its weight with a sickening crunch.
Chest heaving, Rebecca pressed her back against the wall, her eyes locked on the writhing creature. With a grim determination, she emptied the pistol's magazine into its skull, the gunshots ringing out like thunder in the eerie silence that followed. Spent and breathless, she turned and fled, leaving the grotesque scene behind.
The engine growled to life on the third try, flooding Billy's tense body with relief. He slid out from under the battered Jeep, wiping greasy hands on his pants as the hood slammed shut. Rebecca stood there, face drawn and eyes shadowed from exhaustion. "Jesus! Don't do that," Billy snapped, his heart thudding.
Without a word, Rebecca trudged to the passenger seat and collapsed inside. Billy rapidly took the wheel, guiding them toward the exit. But a massive metal shutter blocked their path, unmoving despite his revving the engine. "Maybe we could—"
"Go through it," Rebecca stated flatly. Billy's gaze flicked her way, reading the grim determination etched in her features. "Yeah...okay."
He threw the vehicle into reverse, tires spitting gravel. As they hurtled forward, a hulking shape hurtled between the wrecked vehicles. Too late, Rebecca cried out a warning. Metal screeched as the monster slammed into them, sending the Jeep careening into the concrete wall. Darkness swallowed Billy's senses. When he resurfaced, the vehicle's crumpled front pressed in on them, trapping them like a compacted tin can.
Something massive shoved through the shattered windshield, claw-tipped tentacles slashing toward Rebecca's limp form. They coiled around her boots, her helpless legs sliding from the Jeep's belly into the monster's gaping maw. A hand fumbled for the shotgun, wedged between the seats. As the barrel cleared the wreckage, it tapped the monster forehead and erupted in a thunderous boom—shredding a chunk from the beast's pulsing gray matter.
Rebecca burst into motion, kicking the door wide and tumbling out, pump-action bucking with each squeeze of the trigger.
"Why..." She stalked toward the staggering abomination, blasting another searing slug into its malformed skull.
"Don't..." Another eruption of blood and brain splattered the cracked concrete.
"You..." It folded to its knees under the relentless barrage.
"Fucking..." Scraps of flesh and bone rained down in a crimson spray.
"Die?!" At last, the twitching horror collapsed, more pulp than monster.
Rebecca hurled aside the shotgun in triumph, yanking open the Jeep's door to find Billy dazed behind the wheel.
"What...what happened?" Gripping his arm, she hauled him into the passenger seat with surprising strength. "You have a concussion. Let me drive."
Billy squinted at the wreckage blocking the exit tunnel. "What was that thing?"Rebecca slid behind the wheel, throwing the truck into reverse. "It doesn't matter anymore. It's dead now."
But when she turned back, the gore-streaked floor stretched empty before them. Only a sick puddle of viscera remained where the monster had fallen. Rebecca's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. "You're not leaving" she murmured under her breath.
Billy frowned, rubbing his pounding skull. "What?" Instead of the exit, she guided them deeper into the compound's shadows.
"I'm going to kill that thing."
"What? Are you crazy?" The Jeep's headlights winked out as they rounded a corner.
"The machine gun in the roof car" she said in a low voice. "Is it functional?"
"It should be. It has ammo."
Billy eyed her warily. "Are you really going to do this?"
"There are no more exits. And it has no food here."
He shook his head slowly. "That's not what I asked."
"Sh!" Rebecca hissed, killing the engine. Silence smothered them, broken only by a faint, slick sound further down the corridor. "It's coming."