The crack in space-time sounded like thunder, a rumble so deep it seemed to split the world open. The night was left in a suffocating silence—alive, coiled, waiting. Then came the hum—a low, vibrating note that crawled beneath their skin. The Devourers were here.
The car roared to life with a kick of exhaust, launching up the hill. Naomi, behind the wheel, ignored every rule of the road, her instincts firing as she grinned and revved the engine. "Buckle up! This ride's about to get rough."
Dan threw a glance back at Elias, seated behind him. "Keep those shards close. Losing them isn't an option."
Elias clutched the bag tightly, feeling as though he was holding his own life. His eyes flicked to the edge of the forest, where shadows twisted and stretched in ways no human should.
"Damn!" he hissed. "They're here!"
Naomi floored the pedal. The tires screeched against the asphalt, spitting black smoke as the car shot forward, the scenery melting into a blur.
Ava turned in her seat, staring out the rear window. A dark figure broke from the treeline, running on all fours faster than anything human. The faint streetlights caught a glimpse of a grotesque grin stretching across its face, barely attached to the rest of its shadowy form.
"Oh, hell," she whispered.
Naomi shot her a quick look. "What?"
Ava pointed. "We've got company."
The first Devourer kept pace, claws scraping the pavement with a teeth-clenching screech. Its unnatural, loping gait was somewhere between a sprint and a crawl.
"Faster, Naomi," Dan said through gritted teeth. "It's gaining."
Naomi grinned in the rearview mirror. "Relax. I've got this."
The car hit an off-road trail with a hard jolt. Naomi yanked the wheel, skimming the edge of a ditch. The sudden swerve threw Elias against the door, his bag and Lucius pressing painfully into his side.
"Why do seatbelts feel inadequate with Naomi driving?" Lucius muttered, the faintest hint of humor in his voice.
"Not. Now." Elias struggled to catch his breath.
The Devourer shrieked, its claws sparking on the road as it charged forward, joined by two more dark figures slinking from the shadows.
The road shifted into a crumbling highway, cluttered with abandoned cars and panicked people, screaming for help as shadows whizzed by them. Naomi weaved through the wreckage like a pro at a demolition derby, her eyes darting to the mirrors every few seconds.
Elias leaned forward between the seats. "Is there a plan here?"
"Get to Lucius's HQ, as fast as possible," Naomi said, her voice clipped. "Only place we'll be safe."
Elias frowned. "That's not exactly a plan."
Dan shrugged, grinning. "Welcome to improv, buddy."
They reached a clear stretch of highway, and for a fleeting moment, it seemed like they might outrun the Devourers. But the moment was short-lived.
A shrill whistle cut through the air—a sound too sharp, too human for a monster. A Devourer agent leapt from the top of an abandoned bus, landing on the car's roof with a metallic thud.
The roof buckled. Naomi cursed, clutching the wheel as the car lurched sideways.
"Son of a—!" Dan struggled to stay upright.
Elias twisted around, reaching for his bag as the shards inside vibrated violently, responding to the Devourers. His heart pounded as he fumbled for the cloth-wrapped fragments.
"Hold on!" Naomi shouted, jerking the wheel sharply to the right.
The Devourer on the roof skidded sideways, claws scrabbling against the metal. Through the rear window, Elias caught a glimpse of its glowing eyes, fixed on him with a terrifying intensity.
"Elias!" Ava snapped. "Use the shards!"
Instinctively, Elias pressed the shards against the window. Their glow intensified, and for a brief moment, the creature froze, jerking back as if it had hit an invisible wall.
Naomi seized the opportunity, flooring the pedal. The creature lost its grip, tumbling across the pavement in a flailing mass of limbs before disappearing into the darkness.
Naomi let out a shaky breath. "Nice work."
"Don't thank me yet," Elias muttered, gripping the shards tightly. The hum hadn't stopped. More were coming.
They rounded the final bend, and The Company's building rose before them—a towering spire of glass and steel, faintly glowing in the darkness like a beacon.
Naomi glanced back at the others. "You guys still alive? Almost there."
"Barely," Dan grumbled, rubbing his neck.
"Wasn't asking you," she shot back, her smirk evident even without looking.
Behind them, the Devourers closed in, shadows stretching and twisting across the road as they advanced faster than anything living.
Just as the car crossed into the HQ's entrance, the air shimmered, and a frustrated shriek sounded from behind them. The Devourers recoiled, held at bay by whatever unseen barrier protected the building.
Dan slumped in his seat, breathless. "We made it."
The dashboard display flickered, and Lucius's pre-recorded voice crackled through the speakers. "Welcome to the safest unsafe place you'll ever be."
Elias exhaled, sinking back into his seat, relief bleeding through his muscles. But even as he relaxed, the shards hummed softly in his hands—a quiet reminder that their work was far from over.