Omniscient POV
The warehouse was quiet save for the occasional creaks and groans of its aging structure. Adam stirred in his makeshift cot near the corner of the room. He had insisted he wasn't tired earlier, claiming adrenaline and fear were more than enough to keep him awake. Yet, here he was, wrapped in a thin blanket, snoring softly.
The sound of shifting metal woke him. Adam blinked groggily, his vision adjusting to the dim light overhead. He heard it again—a scraping noise, faint but deliberate.
"Hello?" His voice was hoarse as he sat up. "Damien? Is that you?"
The only answer was the sound of something heavy brushing against the concrete floor. Adam swung his legs over the edge of the cot, his pulse quickening.
"Damien, this isn't funny!" he called out, standing now and craning his neck toward the shadows.
The scraping grew louder, closer. Then it stopped.
Adam squinted into the dark. For a brief moment, he thought he saw movement—a ripple, almost, like heat waves rising from asphalt. The overhead bulb flickered, and that's when it stepped into the light.
The creature towered over Adam, its translucent skin pulsing as though a thousand veins beneath it carried not blood but shadows. Its eyes were large, lidless orbs of molten amber, scanning Adam with predatory intensity. Rows of jagged teeth gleamed as it parted its grotesque mouth, letting out a low, guttural growl.
"What the—" Adam stumbled back, his hand reflexively reaching for the chair behind him.
The creature lunged.
Adam dove just in time, rolling across the cold floor as claws slashed the space where he had just been. "Damien!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet. "Anytime now would be great!"
The creature stalked toward him, its movements eerily smooth, as if it floated rather than walked. Its name echoed faintly in Adam's mind, like a whisper carried on the wind: Vraxxen.
Its translucent form shimmered, taking on a darker hue the closer it got. "You've got to be kidding me," Adam muttered, his back against the wall now. The Vraxxen stood mere inches away, its amber eyes locking onto him like a cat toying with its prey.
Before Adam could scream, a silver blade sailed through the air, piercing the creature's arm.
The Vraxxen shrieked, its molten eyes flaring brighter as its translucent skin sizzled and bubbled where the blade had struck. It whipped around to face the direction of the attack, leaving Adam momentarily forgotten.
Damien stepped into view, casually adjusting his gloves. His lips curled into a crooked smile. "What's the matter, Sparky? Didn't like that? Shall we begin?"
The Vraxxen hissed, crouching low before charging at Damien with blinding speed.
"Super speed," Damien mused, dodging just in time. "Fantastic. Because the day was going so smoothly."
The creature darted toward him again, its claws barely missing Damien's side. It was too fast, its movements a blur. Damien spun around, gripping the handle of another blade as he narrowed his eyes. "Alright. If I can't see you coming, I'll just have to make sure you can't see me either."
With that, he threw a small cylindrical object onto the ground.
The bomb erupted in a hiss, releasing thick, swirling smoke that quickly consumed the room. Adam's coughs were muffled as the fog grew denser, enveloping every corner of the warehouse.
Damien slipped on a sleek black mask, its fitted design leaving his eyes unobscured but shielding him from the effects of the gas. He listened carefully, tuning out Adam's distant sputtering.
The Vraxxen moved, its heavy breathing giving away its position.
Damien struck, a quick slice along its leg, before stepping back into the cover of the fog.
The creature growled, swiping furiously at the air. Its claws scraped against the concrete, tearing through empty space where Damien had been moments before.
Another hit. This time, Damien embedded a knife deep into its shoulder. He grinned, retreating again as the creature thrashed wildly.
"Getting tired yet?" Damien taunted, his voice echoing in the fog.
The Vraxxen let out a roar, its growls growing more frantic. Damien was patient. He moved quietly, striking once, retreating, then striking again.
Minutes felt like hours as the fight dragged on, Damien's blades lodging themselves into the creature's limbs, its once-smooth movements growing sluggish.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the Vraxxen stumbled. Its knees buckled, its fiery eyes dimming. With a final groan, it collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Damien removed his mask, wiping sweat from his brow as the fog began to dissipate. The silver knives embedded in the creature's body shimmered faintly in the fading light.
"Really glad I picked the sleeping fog over the acidic one," Damien muttered, kicking one of the knives loose. "Soft work."
He turned to where Adam had been, only to find him sprawled out on the floor, snoring softly again.
Damien let out a long sigh, crouching to check his friend's pulse. "Out cold. Figures."
Reaching for his phone, he dialed a number and waited as it rang. When the line connected, he smirked.
"Hey, Dad. I'm at that warehouse close to the edge of town. How soon can you get here? I got something."
"Give me thirty minutes. Tie it up and make sure it remains conscious. Those things are highly intelligent. The way you defeated it the first time won't work again."
"Alright."
Under an hour, Damien's dad's Van drove into sight. His dad came down and three more people followed him out from the car.
"What is it?"
"It's a Vraxxen. We found it thought a murder it committed. Don't know why it killed those it killed because it definitely did not kill them for food."
"We discover the motives later." His dad started. "For now we have to use it to find a way to where those demons took your partner. River right?"
"Yes. How are we even sure this demon is connected to the others that took her?"
"All demons come from the same place, I think. It's not the best plan, going to the place where they'll be the most powerful but it's the only plan we got."
"Why do we even have to save this person?" One of the men asked. "We lose people every once or twice, it's normal. What's so special about this chick."
"My son wants us to try to save her. Besides going to where all the demons are will give us a good chance at eliminating them all at once."
"Who's that?"
"Oh that? he's my boss from work. Adam. I used him as bait to lure the creature. his blood matched the victims' so I knew this demon would take the bait and come for it."
"What could be so special about his blood?"
"Well he's O negative."
"Apart from the fact that the blood type is rare. I don't see anything special about it."
"We'll do our research on the blood type and what significance it could have the the Vraxxen." Damien's dad said. "But for now, let's get this creature back to base and see what information we can get through it."
"What about my boss? We can't just leave him here."
"You can take care of getting him back to where he should be. When you're done. You can meet us back at the base." Damien's dad said. "Let's dissect this bastard and see what mystery lies in its internal organs."