Greg's chest heaved with each labored breath, his body trembling with exhaustion. The room felt suffocating, the air thick with the weight of the power he now controlled. His muscles burned from the strain, but his mind was sharp, focused. The creatures were still coming, drawn to him like moths to a flame, and he couldn't stop. Not now. Not after everything they'd fought through to reach this point.
The rebar in his hand felt heavier with every swing, but he didn't dare lower it. Every time he brought it down, another creature fell. They staggered, faltered, but they didn't stay down. His strength was fading, the power surging within him growing more erratic. He could feel it, a deep, gnawing hunger that threatened to consume him, to pull him into a place he didn't want to go.
Another creature lunged at him, its claws flashing in the dim light. Greg's arm moved almost instinctively, slamming the rebar into its side with a bone-crushing crack. The monster screeched, but before it could retaliate, it crumpled to the ground.
Greg's heart hammered in his chest, and his breath caught in his throat. He could feel them, the others. Laura and Jared were still fighting but a large number of people had already died . He could feel the desperation in their movements, the fear that still clung to them, no matter how much he was holding them off. They needed him. But the truth was—he couldn't be everywhere. He couldn't fight this alone.
He glanced over his shoulder. Laura was still cornered, fighting to stay on her feet as two monsters bore down on her. Jared wasn't much better off, his wounds slowing him down, blood dripping from his side as he struggled to rise. His eyes locked with Greg's, fear and pain etched across his face. There was nothing Greg could do. The creatures were too many, too fast. The power he wielded, as strange and overwhelming as it was, could only reach so far.
"Laura! Jared!" Greg's voice cracked as he shouted, but they couldn't hear him. Or they wouldn't, not over the sounds of the chaos, the screeches and the battle cries.
Greg fought to control the power, willing the monsters to stay back, but his body was weakening. His head spun as the pressure in his chest built to an unbearable crescendo. He could feel the weight of the energy pulling at him, draining him, and it was all he could do to keep himself standing, to keep his mind focused.
Laura was backed into the corner, her hands trembling around the jagged metal rod she'd picked up. She slashed desperately at the creatures that came too close, but it wasn't enough. One of the monsters reached for her, its claws like hooks, its mouth gaping wide, ready to tear her apart.
Greg's heart lurched in his chest. He could feel her fear, her desperation, and it burned in his own veins. He tried to pull at the power within him, to redirect it, to force the creatures to turn their attention to him once more.
The energy surged, but it wasn't enough.
Jared stumbled to his feet, his face pale as he clutched his side, the blood staining his shirt. He swung his pipe weakly at one of the creatures, but his movements were sluggish, and the monster easily dodged his attack, its claws slicing across his chest in a spray of red.
Greg's vision blurred, his focus splintering. He could feel them all, each of them struggling, fighting their own personal wars, and he was powerless to help. He couldn't save them all.
The creatures were closing in, their movements fluid and terrifyingly coordinated. His rebar slammed into another one with a sickening crack, but it didn't go down. It just reeled back and charged again.
Greg's breath was ragged as he raised his weapon again. But his strength was failing, his legs shaking beneath him. The power inside him was slipping through his fingers, like sand in the wind. He couldn't keep holding them back. He couldn't—
"Greg!" Laura's voice cut through the fog in his mind, sharp with fear and desperation.
The words shattered him. But what was left for him to do? His body was on the verge of giving out. The weight of the power he commanded was crushing, suffocating. The pressure in his chest was unbearable now, the force pulling at him from the inside.
"I... I can't..." Greg whispered, his voice breaking. He swung the rebar again, his hand trembling.
The creatures were almost upon him, he could no longer feel that power , all that was left was fatigue.
A monster lunged at him, its jaws open wide, as he resigned himself to fate , Greg's eyes widened in disbelief a blur of motion shot past. Faster than Greg could even register, something was there, moving with a speed that made it almost invisible. The form flickered in and out of view, like lightning, streaking across the room, striking down creature after creature before they could even react.
The blur of motion came to a sudden halt in front of him. He blinked, struggling to focus on the figure now standing between him and the remaining creatures. A shape began to solidify in the haze, a person—familiar. The world slowed around him.
Mike.
Greg's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't understand it at first, couldn't process what had just happened. Mike stood there, breathing hard, his form still flickering slightly as if his body couldn't quite keep up with the speed at which it was moving. His chest heaved with the exertion, but there was an intensity in his eyes, a fire that hadn't been there before.
Mike's gaze locked with Greg's, and without a word, he grabbed Greg by the arm, pulling him to his feet with unnatural ease, his speed making it seem almost effortless.
"Come on," Mike said, his voice strained but steady, "We're not done yet."
Before Greg could say anything, Mike darted forward, moving faster than Greg could comprehend, pulling him out of the immediate danger zone. Another monster lunged at them, but Mike was already gone, his movements a blur as he took it down with a swift strike.
Greg stumbled, his legs unsteady beneath him, but Mike was there, always a step ahead, clearing the path and ensuring that Greg stayed on his feet.
"What—what is happening?" Laura gasped, her mind racing as she tried to process the abilities both Greg and Mike had demonstrated. The Mike she knew could never move like that.
Mike was barely managing to drive the creatures back. His speed, while incredible, was beginning to take its toll on him. Each movement sent waves of exhaustion through his body, but he pushed forward, his mind focused on the battle at hand. The creatures were relentless, attacking in waves that seemed endless, but with each blur of motion, Mike struck them down, one by one.
Greg, still struggling to stay upright, could only watch as Mike dashed across the room, his form a blur of speed and precision. For every monster Mike took down, two more seemed to take its place. The pressure was mounting, and Greg knew that even with Mike's newfound power, they couldn't keep this up forever.
Mike stumbled for a moment, breathing heavily, his vision blurred from the exhaustion. He tried to shake it off, pushing through, but the weight of his body was starting to feel heavier. He wasn't invincible.
Then, just as Mike started to feel like he might gain the upper hand, something unexpected happened.
A loud, shrill horn blared, cutting through the chaos like a knife. It echoed down the hallway, its deafening sound sending a shockwave through the room. Mike paused, his body instinctively freezing in place. The monsters, who had been relentlessly charging at him just moments before, suddenly halted.
For a split second, everything was still.
Then, without warning, the creatures began to retreat. Their movements were frantic, almost panicked, as they scrambled toward the door, disappearing into the shadows from where they came. The remaining monsters, who had been closing in on Greg, turned tail and fled, vanishing as quickly as they'd arrived.
Mike stood frozen, his chest heaving as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. He'd been seconds away from being overwhelmed, and now—now they were running?
Greg, still shaky but now on his feet, looked around, trying to piece it together. The room that had been full of violent screeches and the sounds of battle was now eerily quiet. The last of the creatures had retreated into the dark, leaving only the ringing silence in their wake.
"What the hell was that?" Greg asked, his voice barely a whisper as he wiped sweat from his brow.
Mike's face was tight with confusion. "I don't know. But whatever it was, it scared them off."
The horn sounded again, a short blast this time, but it was enough to confirm that the creatures weren't coming back. The tension in the room started to loosen, but neither of them felt safe yet.
They stood there, waiting for something—anything—to happen. But the silence stretched on, unnerving in its stillness.
Finally allowing the tension in their bodies to take over , they both collapsed.