Lara had a determined look as she stepped forward and pushed her master back.
Having noticed their presence, the abomination, whatever it was, discarded the remains of the man shredded by its claws and fangs then shifted in their direction.
Mark was finally able to get a better look at the thing just then. If he had to describe it, he would say it looked like a really burly Lizardman; a cross between an alligator and a human.
Mark was sure that, even without all the blood and guts, the creature's ugliness would have made it difficult to look at. Black scales covered its back while the rest was hidden under a thick layer of hide.
Its maw was somewhat long, decorated by two rows of crooked sharp teeth. The hole at the tip seemed to be its nose while the four surrounding it, clearly the eyes, glowed with the ominous red of a predator who had just located its next prey.
The beast remained motionless for a moment, but then it began walking toward them. Lara lowered her posture, preparing to lunge at it. She was ready to fight that thing, and seeing that, Mark realized that he had to intervene.
Before any of them could do anything a red car spawned out of nowhere. In an instant, it smashed into the strange creature who tried to tank the impact. Its legs dug into the asphalt, carving lines into it while being pushed back.
For a second it appeared like the creature was going to succeed, but the driver was having none of it, his face twisted with rage as he slammed the gas pedal.
The tires let out a high-pitched cry as they skid against the surface of the road.
The abomination held its ground for a couple of seconds but was ultimately defeated, losing its footing and letting the car push it until they both crashed into the sharp corner of a nearby building.
A deathly cry echoed through the burning street. Mark seemed to come back to his senses at that moment and his mind made a number of decisions in quick succession.
He immediately grabbed the maid by the arm and started running in the opposite direction from the intersection.
The deserted block stretched the nightmarish scene for dozens of meters, but it wasn't long before they caught up with the fleeing crowd.
Having reached another intersection, Mark began to consider which direction he should take, but then his eyes caught sight of a small white van hurling through the air. He could only watch as it came down crashing into the crowd ahead of them.
This time, however, he didn't allow the insanity to restrain his movement and quickly ran to the street opposite from whatever launched the large vehicle into the air.
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck!!!"
Something exploded in the distance adding to the intensity of the situation. The screams came from every direction accompanied by the sound of police sirens and gunfire.
Every few seconds, something would shake the area with a devastating roar making it all the more terrifying.
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck FUUUUUUCK!!!!"
They took a turn trying to get away from the mayhem only to find another abomination blocking the road ahead. The maid tried to step forward once more but Mark pulled her forcefully and entered a side alley.
Getting away from the main road did little to decrease the horror, and with each passing second the chaos only increased.
'Was it a terrorist attack? Did one of the surviving nations decide to resume the war? Bio-weapons were made a taboo twenty years ago. How could anyone go back to producing them after everything we went through?'
The voices in his head were gone but Mark still felt like he was about to lose his mind. The world was going crazy around him and he could only hope he wouldn't run into any more monsters.
Unfortunately, his luck was bound to run out at some point, and it just happened to be now.
"Grrrrrrrr…"
Their frantic escape was cut when they reached an open space at the center of the block they were in.
What used to be a small garden was now painted red, and when Mark saw the source of the color he felt something rise from his stomach all the way to his throat.
Another monster, one not different from the lizardman he saw before, was feasting on the dead body of a small boy. Scattered around were the remains of several others, and the blood-stained ball nearby told the story of what happened in that place.
"H-help…"
Coming back to his senses, Mark turned to one of the corners where he saw three kids huddled together. They seemed no older than seven, with the youngest among them being a toddler.
Their tearful eyes were looking at him with desperate plea, and that caused his mind to completely halt.
What was he supposed to do in this situation?
A nightmarish monster was in front of him, blocking the road ahead. The only option he had was to go back from where he came. The monster has yet to notice him so he could probably get away if he was careful not to make any sounds.
He felt bad for the children, but his life comes first and foremost. He would have to deal with the guilt another time, but it was better to be alive and feel it than just die.
As he prepared to turn around, Mark noticed the silver-haired maid Looking at him with judgemental eyes.
Mark still hoped that he would wake up in his bed and realize everything was a bad dream, but the longer all of this went on the more difficult it became to hold on to that hope. The sights, the sounds, the smells; everything was too vivid for that to be true.
If he were to run away now he would be leaving three kids to their demise. He could live with the guilt, but could he ignore the judgemental look in those ruby eyes?
Looking around the alley, Mark walked over to a nearby of trash can and picked the lid covering it.
"I'll distract it. You take the kids and run."
He didn't wait for her confirmation before moving. The beast was done crunching the bones of its latest victim and was eyeing the remaining three.
Mark entered the open space, quietly walking alongside the building. Once he crossed the halfway point to the other exit, he took a deep breath and prepared himself.
'Damn it!!!'
"HEY YOU!!! YOU UGLY LITTLE SHIT!!! YOU THINK A BUNCH OF LITTLE KIDS WILL SATISFY YOU!!? COME HERE AND GET A PEOPER MEAL!!!"
Though it was doubtful whether the abomination understood what he said, it seemed to take the bait nonetheless.
The moment it laid its eyes on him, it forgot about the children entirely and rotated its body in his direction, salivating as it watched him with its four eyes.
'God fucking damn it!!!'
Holding the metallic lid like a shield, Mark dashed toward the exit with everything he had.
The beast kicked the ground as it chased after him, and from the speed of its movements, it was clear that he wouldn't make it far before it caught up to him.
'Ah. I'm dead...'
The monster's bloodstained claws cut through the air as they headed for his body. Once again the world seemed to slow down and his life began playing in front of his eyes. At that moment something he never expected took place.
"Hmph!"
Appearing out of nowhere, the silver-haired maid swung her fist at the monster, punching it right in the face.
One would think the elegant hand he was holding just a few seconds ago would be incapable of doing any damage, but that was proven wrong right away as the three-meter-tall monster was sent flying, smashing into the building a few meters away.
Mark came to a stop, his eyes torn open. A delicate girl wearing a maid's uniform had just punched a monster into a building.
The fist she had used was covered in a light blue glow and the calm expression on her face showed that she wasn't surprised by what she had done at all.
"Lara…"
Unfortunately, it seemed that a single hit wasn't enough to kill the abomination. As it slowly picked itself up from underneath the rubble, the silver-haired maid stepped in front of Mark and began cracking her fingers.
"Master…" she spoke, her voice showing no signs of fear. "I will be handling the beast. Please take care of the children."