Hale raised her weapon and spoke with sharp clarity, "Watch each other's backs. Eyes sharp."
Angelo and Ryan stood close, backs pressed together, scanning the dark around them. The shadows within the factory felt heavier now, alive.
Without warning, the Duskborne dropped from above.
Hale and Angelo dove away, but Ryan wasn't fast enough—it raked its claws across his left arm.
"You alright?" Angelo called out.
Ryan winced. "Just a scratch."
Hale fired twice. The creature hissed and slipped back into the shadows.
"It's using the dark to travel," Hale warned. "It can phase in and out through shadows. Be careful."
From somewhere in the black, the Duskborne's voice echoed. "Didn't take you long to figure it out, huh? Hand that one over… and you both can leave alive."
Ryan didn't hesitate. "Not happening." He fired into the dark, but it was already gone.
Angelo's eyes darted across the shifting gloom. "We can't fight it in here—there's too much cover."
"Then we take it outside," Hale replied.
The Duskborne struck again and again—sharp claws flashing from the darkness—before vanishing once more. Hale and Ryan retaliated, but the creature moved too fast.
"Buy me twenty seconds," Angelo said.
Hale nodded. "We've got you."
They opened fire again, forcing the Duskborne to retreat deeper into the shadows. Angelo moved to the center of the room, pulling out a lighter and a small flask. He knelt near a broken metal beam—far from his teammates—and muttered to himself.
"Close your eyes when I say 'now,'" he warned.
The seconds ticked by like hours. Then:
"Now!"
Hale and Ryan snapped their eyes shut.
A small flame burst from Angelo's hand and surged forward, hitting the flask he'd tossed moments earlier. The fireball ignited with a concussive flash of light, flooding the factory with searing brilliance. Every shadow vanished. The Duskborne shrieked—its skin blistering in the sudden glow.
"Outside! Move!" Angelo shouted.
As they stumbled into the night, Hale asked, "What the hell was that?"
Before Angelo could answer, Ryan muttered, "Homemade flashbang. Bet he stole the flask from the supply crate."
They regrouped just outside. The moon broke through the clouds at last, casting pale silver light across the overgrown yard. Fewer shadows now—but still enough.
Smoke curled from the factory doorway.
The Duskborne stepped out, charred and furious.
"I'll slice you all to ribbons," it snarled.
It charged—blade-like arms slashing, body flickering through pools of darkness. The trio spread out, each trying to pin it down with gunfire, but it was fast—too fast.
It locked onto Hale. Ryan fired, trying to cover her, but the creature weaved through bullets like smoke.
Angelo sprinted to Nomad, grabbing a heavier rifle. He returned and fired in bursts, driving the creature's attention toward him.
It vanished—then reappeared right in front of him, shadowy claws ready to strike.
Angelo didn't flinch.
He pulled the pin on a real flash grenade and hurled it forward just as the clouds cleared, bathing the yard in pure moonlight.
"Burn, bastard," he muttered.
The grenade went off.
The blast blinded them both. The creature shrieked, its skin peeling under the intense light—but it still lived.
Angelo, caught in the flare's brilliance, staggered backward, eyes seared. He dropped to the ground, groaning and holding his face.
Hale and Ryan didn't hesitate—they raised their rifles and opened fire, finally bringing the creature down.
"Nice work," Hale said. "Next time, close your eyes when you throw a flashbang."
They laughed, relieved. Angelo slowly sat up, blinking hard. "These things are dangerous," he muttered. "Almost made me blind."
But the humor died instantly.
As his vision cleared, he saw movement behind them—four more Duskbornes, emerging from the trees.
His voice caught in his throat.
"Behind you—!"
Too late.
One drove its blade clean through Hale's chest. Her eyes widened in shock before the light left them.
Another skewered Ryan through the gut, lifting him off the ground.
"Fuck…" Ryan gasped. "There were more…"
It tossed him aside like a ragdoll. The first one dropped Hale's body without a word.
Angelo screamed.
He charged, firing blindly, rage overtaking reason. A Duskborne crept up behind him and drove a blade through his lower back.
Still, Angelo fought—pulling the trigger until the gun clicked dry.
The last thing he saw before everything went black was the creature raising its claw—and then, nothing.
They took him.