The monsters let out eerie, guttural growls as they shuffled forward, dragging their grotesque bodies across the cold, concrete floor. Numerous eyes gleamed in the dim light, their gaze locking onto the group with unnerving precision. The horde twitched, an unsettling chorus of distorted limbs and grotesque shapes emerging from the shadows like some twisted nightmare made flesh. Each creature seemed to crawl, stagger, or slither toward them, their bodies deformed beyond recognition. Some had arms that stretched too long, others with faces contorted in ways that no human form would be capable of. Their movements were jerky, disjointed, but the hunger in their eyes was unmistakable.
Greg's body tensed, his hands sparking with energy, ready to unleash hell. But Xander's voice rang out, cutting through the tension.
"Wait for the signal," Xander said firmly, his eyes trained on the approaching threat. They had been waiting for this moment, but he knew that the first move could make or break everything. They had to stay disciplined.
The first monster lunged, its twisted mouth opening wide, revealing jagged teeth like unrefined slate. Jared was the first to react, stepping forward and raising his arm as he readied himself.
"Now!" Xander ordered.
Greg wasted no time. He thrust his hands forward, releasing a surge of energy that crackled through the air like a thunderclap. The bolt of electricity shot straight at the monster, slamming into its chest with such force that it was thrown back into the legion. The creature shrieked in agony, its body writhing in an unnatural spasm before it lay still on the ground. Just as the rest of the monsters began to start moving again , a lingering spark appeared in the middle of the horde.
"It seems that you were correct Greg" , Xander's eyes shimmered as he watched the horde collapse in on themselves as they fought over the body of the first creature.
So that's what they want
Noticing Greg's success , Laura began organising the rest of the survivors into a different formation. While it wouldn't last forever and may not be replicable , the first step of their plan was complete.
Jared's body moved with a swift, almost mechanical precision as he stepped forward
He raised his hand towards one of the stragglers , the creature's claw met Jared's chest, easily ripping through him. The monster then turned its attention toward the rest of the crowd , but the instant it began moving , a tearing noise sounded. Jared's recovery had been more than swift , using one of his shattered ribs as a dagger , he managed to partially gut the hellish beast.
The monster staggered back, furious, its aggression only growing. A horrid gurgling screech erupted from the creature's jagged maw, thick and bubbling like something trying to claw its way out of it's suffocating throat. It lunged at Jared, but this time Jared stepped aside, letting the creature rush past him and right into Greg's path.
Greg didn't hesitate. His hands surged once more as he struck the creature , sending it flying into a nearby wall. The impact caused a loud thud, and the hulking corpse crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
"Nice job, Jared. Keep an eye out," Xander called, nodding in approval.
But there was no time to relax. The ground beneath them rumbled as more monsters appeared from the shadows, their exaggerated forms emerging like twisted phantoms from the dark corridors. Xander's heart raced, adrenaline flooding his system. This was it. This was the fight they'd been training for.
Mike moved, a blur of motion as he zipped past the group. He was a flash of speed, his body almost impossible to track as he went straight for the next creature. But, as expected, his lack of control over his power caused chaos. Mike slammed into one of the monsters with enough force to send it sprawling, but the impact also sent him crashing through a nearby wall with enough force to level a small building.
"Mike!" Xander shouted, rushing toward him. But Mike was already back on his feet, shaking his head with a grimace.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Mike said, trying to shake off the effects of the collision. He looked dazed, but there was no time to check on him further. The monsters were recovering from their frenzy faster than expected.
"We need to pull back!" Laura's voice cut through the chaos. She was already eyeing the choke point they'd mapped out earlier, a narrow hallway where they could funnel the monsters into a concentrated kill zone.
"Fall back!" Xander barked, and the group began to retreat strategically. Jared held his ground for a moment, ensuring the monsters stayed at bay as the others moved.
As they shifted back into position, the first wave of monsters surged toward them, but they were no longer scattered. They were crowded into the narrow corridor where the group could hit them with everything they had. Xander felt sweat drip down his brow , though he hadn't been fighting directly , the mental pressure alone was taking a significant toll on his body.
"Now, Greg!" Xander yelled, and Greg unleashed another powerful bolt of electricity, aimed straight at the oncoming horde. The energy collided with the monsters, and the resulting explosion sent them flying into the surrounding walls , their bodies crackling with the aftershocks of Greg's power.
But it wasn't enough. More monsters poured in, clawing their way through their half dead brethren without a single second of hesitation.
Xander's mind raced. They couldn't keep this up. They needed something to turn the tide.
"Mike! Get to the far side and cut them off from behind!" Xander ordered.
Mike nodded, his face serious as he shot off in a blur of motion, streaking past the monsters and circling around them. His agility had improved significantly allowing him to dodge relatively well , but as seen earlier , landing a clean hit at those speeds is almost impossible.
Jared's abilities were keeping him on his feet, but Xander could see his eyes becoming duller by the second. His face was pale, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He was pushing himself too hard, too fast.
"Stay focused, Jared!" Xander called, though it was clear the strain was starting to get to him.
Mike was going to try and cut of the reinforcements but Xander wasn't sure whether they even last that long. They needed a breakthrough, and fast.
They had prepared for this , the answer was simple but it also represented their final hope.
"Laura! The traps! Now!" he yelled.
Laura had already anticipated this moment. With a quick motion, she activated the traps they had set earlier. The floor beneath the monsters gave way, and the creatures fell through to the basement , howling in rage as they struggled to get free. The tide of the battle shifted, giving them the time needed to regroup.
"Move!" Xander ordered.
The group surged forward, pushing through the horde with renewed determination. They fought as one unit, working together to outmanoeuvre the monsters and clear their path. But Xander knew they couldn't keep this up forever. They were still vastly outnumbered.
And yet, they kept fighting. Because that's all they had left.
Then, in the midst of the chaos, that damned horn blared once more.
The shrill, metallic sound sliced through the air, and for a brief moment, the monsters paused. The horde, disoriented and disorganized, slowly began to retreat, their grotesque bodies shuffling back into the dark recesses of the building. The survivors exchanged wary glances, disbelief lingering in the air.
"It's finally over," Greg muttered, his breath coming in ragged gasps. But even as he spoke, the air seemed to thicken, a weight settling over them, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
Then, the ground beneath them trembled once more, but this time, the shake felt different.
A suffocating oppression settled over them, heavy and cold, as though the very air around them had changed. It was a presence, unseen yet undeniable, pressing in from all sides. Something was coming—something far worse than they had faced thus far.
From the shadows emerged a small, but unmistakable group—monsters unlike any they had faced before. They were not the mindless, grotesque beasts they had just battled. These were something... worse. Something much more dangerous. If what they had faced before could be likened to wild beasts , what stood before them were apex predators.
The first to step forward was a towering figure, its body a hulking mass of writhing, twisted flesh. It moved slowly, its massive form scraping against the walls and ceiling as it approached. Its face was a nightmare—a warped, eyeless visage, with a gaping mouth that stretched impossibly wide, filled with rows of blackened teeth that seemed to move of their own accord, like they were eager to tear into anything nearby. Its skin was like flayed, rotting leather, barely clinging to the bones beneath, pulsating with an unnatural rhythm as if something inside it was constantly shifting.
Behind it came a smaller figure, but no less terrifying. Its body was emaciated, thin to the point of skeletal, but with limbs stretched fat too long. It moved with a jerky, twitching gait, its fingers curled into grotesque claws that scraped the ground with a sickening, grating sound. The thing's face, or what passed for one, was a mosaic of raw, uneven patches of skin, stitched together as though hastily put together from the remains of other creatures. Its mouth was sown shut , as if trying to restrain its insatiable hunger.
The third monster was a terrifying amalgamation of warped features. Its eyes were not eyes at all, but empty, hollow openings where the flesh had been burned away, leaving only blackened sockets filled with a deep, otherworldly darkness. Its body was covered in scales that shimmered in the dim light, sharp and reflective, making it appear as though it had been forged from pure malice. The sound of its breathing was the worst part—deep, rasping, like a vacuum sucking the life from the air.
The survivors felt a cold wave of terror wash over them as the monsters closed in, their every movement sending a shudder through the group. They were no longer fighting for survival—they were fighting for their lives. And even then, it felt like the odds were against them.
Xander's heart hammered in his chest. This wasn't a fight they could win.
A voice, barely a whisper, slipped from Jared's mouth. "What… what are they?"
Greg swallowed, his eyes wide with fear. "I don't know. But I think... I think we're in deep trouble now."
The pressure grew unbearable. The air seemed to constrict, the very atmosphere suffocating them as the elite monsters closed in, their unnatural presence choking any hope that remained. It was as if they weren't just predators—no, these were hunters, sent to finish what the others had started.
And suddenly, Xander realized the horrifying truth: they still hadn't seen the boss.