The creature was different from the one earlier, but no less horrifying. Its grotesque form twisted unnaturally as it emerged fully into view, sharp mandibles clicking rhythmically like some dreadful metronome.
Thin, needle-like fangs glistened with dark ichor, twitching slightly as if tasting the air. Its hollow, glowing eyes locked onto Ezra with an intensity that froze the blood in his veins.
Ezra's mind screamed at him to run, and this time, his body complied.
He turned on his heel and bolted, his boots pounding against the cracked pavement. The monster shrieked behind him—a sound so sharp it felt like nails raking against glass.
Ezra ducked as a twisted metal beam was flung past him, crashing into a nearby wall with an earsplitting clang. His feet barely missed colliding with scattered debris and the broken bodies littering the alleyway.
Don't stop. Don't trip. Keep moving.
Years of sneaking away from guards, darting across rooftops, and fleeing from angry shopkeepers had prepared him for this moment. His body moved on instinct, weaving through narrow pathways, hopping over obstacles, and ducking beneath shattered overhangs.
But the creature was relentless.
It moved with an unnatural grace despite its grotesque, skeletal frame. Its limbs—elongated and crooked—allowed it to scuttle across the ruins with terrifying speed. Ezra dared a glance back and immediately regretted it.
The creature's mandibles twitched excitedly, its needle-like fangs dripping with venom. Its hollow, glowing eyes glared straight at him, never blinking, never losing focus.
"Not good. Not good. Not good!" Ezra panted as he spotted a broken ladder hanging precariously off the side of a collapsed building.
Without thinking, he lunged forward, grabbing onto the rusted metal rungs. The ladder groaned under his weight, bolts creaking as if threatening to give way.
"Come on, come on!" he hissed through gritted teeth as he scrambled upward.
The creature lunged below him, its elongated claws scraping against the building's side, leaving deep gouges in the concrete. It hissed in frustration, its mandibles snapping mere inches from Ezra's boots.
His arms burned as he hauled himself higher, muscles trembling from exertion. The ladder shuddered again, one of the bolts popping loose and clattering to the ground below.
"Don't you dare break! Not now!" Ezra yelled at the ladder, as if shouting at it would improve its structural integrity.
The creature hissed again, this time louder, its shriek vibrating through Ezra's very bones. He risked another glance downward and saw the creature attempting to climb after him, its claws embedding themselves into the concrete as it pulled its twisted body upward.
It's climbing. Oh, fantastic.
Ezra's breaths came in sharp, ragged gasps as he reached the top of the ladder. With a final desperate heave, he flung himself onto the crumbling ledge above, landing hard on his side. The impact knocked the wind out of him, but he had no time to recover.
The creature was still climbing.
"Alright, Ezra. Think!" he muttered to himself, clutching his side as he staggered to his feet. His eyes darted around, searching for anything—anything—that could buy him some time.
The rooftop was a mess of shattered glass, broken air ducts, and exposed wiring. A rusted metal pipe caught his eye, half-buried under a pile of rubble.
"Okay, it's not much, but it's something."
He grabbed the pipe, its weight awkward in his trembling hands. As the creature's clawed hand emerged over the ledge, Ezra gritted his teeth and swung with every ounce of strength he had left.
CLANG!
The pipe collided with the creature's hand, knocking it loose. The monster shrieked, its hollow eyes narrowing in fury. Ezra swung again, this time catching one of the creature's mandibles and sending dark ichor splattering across the rooftop.
The monster recoiled slightly, its grip faltering as it snarled at him.
"Yeah, that's right! Back off, ugly!" Ezra shouted, raising the pipe again.
But the creature wasn't done. With terrifying speed, it lunged forward, its claws snapping dangerously close to Ezra's chest.
Ezra stumbled backward, nearly losing his footing on the uneven rooftop. His heart hammered in his chest as the creature pulled itself fully onto the ledge, its elongated body arching menacingly.
The faint glow of its eyes burned into his mind as it hissed, venom dripping from its fangs.
"Okay, plan B. Run again," Ezra muttered under his breath, already backing away.
But there was nowhere left to run. Behind him lay a sheer drop into darkness, and in front of him—the creature, stalking closer with predatory intent.
His heels met the edge of the rooftop. Ezra turned his head briefly, looking down into the abyss below. It wasn't a comfortable fall—jagged metal, broken glass, and loose cables hung haphazardly against the side of the building.
It's now or never.
With a deep breath, Ezra turned back to the creature and sprinted toward the edge. The monster lunged just as he jumped, its claws narrowly missing him by mere inches.
Time slowed as Ezra fell.
His hands shot out, grabbing onto a thick cable running along the side of the building. The sudden stop jolted his entire body, and the friction burned deep gashes into his palms as he slid downward, barely slowing his descent.
"Ahh! Shit!" he hissed through clenched teeth, his bloody hands trembling as the pain flared white-hot.
The cable frayed slightly, sparks dancing around his fingers as he finally reached the end and dropped the last few feet onto a narrow ledge.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed against the cold, unforgiving wall. His breath came in sharp gasps as he clutched his torn hands, blood dripping down his fingers.
Ezra's gaze darted upward. The creature peered over the rooftop edge, its glowing eyes still locked onto him, mandibles clicking furiously. But it hesitated, unwilling to follow him down onto the unstable cables below.
"Yeah, that's right. You stay up there," Ezra wheezed, slumping back against the wall.
"Enjoy your rooftop. I'll just… sit here. Bleeding."
He glanced downward. It wasn't far to the ground—maybe two stories. Enough to break some bones, sure, but not enough to kill him.
"Alright, Ezra. One last jump. Don't mess this up."
With a final breath, he pushed off the ledge and let himself fall.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs as he collided with the cracked pavement below. Pain flared through his body, but he was alive. Broken, bloody, but alive.
For a long moment, Ezra just lay there, staring up at the swirling smoke-filled sky.
"Okay," he rasped weakly. "I officially hate rooftops."
Somewhere above, the creature let out another guttural hiss before disappearing from view.
Ezra forced himself onto his side, spitting blood onto the cold ground.
I need to move. Now.
But as he tried to crawl forward, darkness crept into the edges of his vision.
Everything went black.