Ayla's hand stretched down, fingers straining for the stranger's. The cold night air stung her skin, but the heat of the chase, the terror of what clawed below, burned hotter.
"Take it," she said, voice raw.
The stranger slashed at the creatures as they lunged, blade a blur of steel in the gloom. Black blood splattered the walls of the shaft, dripping down into the dark. His free hand shot up, fingers locking around hers.
"Pull," he said, breath ragged.
Jace grabbed Ayla's waist, bracing her. Kade dropped beside them, reaching to grip the stranger's wrist. Together they heaved, muscles screaming, the stranger's weight deadened by exhaustion and blood loss.
The first of the creatures leapt, claws raking the stranger's leg. He didn't cry out. He twisted, blade plunging deep into the thing's throat. It fell, dragging others down with it, but more climbed, teeth snapping, eyes burning.
"Come on," Kade said, his voice tight.
They hauled the stranger upward, inch by inch. His boots scraped the edge of the hatch as Ayla and Kade pulled with everything they had.
Mara stepped in, grabbing the stranger's other arm, helping drag him over the lip of the shaft. His sword clattered to the ground beside him as he collapsed on the concrete.
Ayla fell back, gasping for breath.
The creatures hit the edge of the hatch a second later, snarling and clawing, trying to force their way through.
Mara grabbed a length of pipe and slammed it down across the hatch, wedging it shut. Kade and Jace scrambled to help, piling debris over the opening. The creatures below shrieked, their fury echoing in the night, but they could not break through.
For now.
Silence fell over the rooftop, broken only by the rasp of their breathing. The city stretched around them, broken and empty, bathed in the pale light of the moon. Smoke drifted from a nearby ruin, the scent sharp and bitter.
Ayla pushed her hair from her face, shaking. Her body ached. Her shoulder throbbed. But they were alive.
The stranger sat up slowly, wiping blood from his face, his eyes still burning with defiance.
"We need to move," Mara said.
Kade looked at her, disbelief in his face.
"Move? We barely made it out."
"Move," Mara repeated. "They'll find another way up. And that beast isn't far. We can't stop here."
Jace scanned the skyline, searching for shelter.
"There," he said, pointing to the remains of a church, its bell tower still standing, though scarred by fire.
Mara nodded.
"It's better than nothing."
Ayla helped the stranger to his feet. His legs shook, but he stayed upright.
Together they crossed the rooftop, dropping down into the rubble-strewn street. Every sound felt too loud, every shadow too deep.
The city seemed to hold its breath, waiting.
They reached the church, slipping through a broken door into the dark. The smell of smoke and ash filled the air, but the walls held, the tower rising above them like a jagged spear.
Inside, the pews were splintered, the altar smashed, but the space felt solid, safe for a moment.
Mara led the way to the bell tower, climbing the narrow steps to the top. From there they could see the streets below, the tunnels of shadow where the creatures waited, the beast's domain spreading out in every direction.
A low sound rose on the wind. Not the roar of the beast. Not the hiss of the horde.
A different sound.
A drumbeat. Slow. Steady.
Ayla felt the hair on her neck rise.
The stranger tensed, staring into the dark.
"That's not them," he said.
"No," Mara agreed.
Jace backed away from the window, his face pale.
"Who else is out there?"
The drumbeat grew louder.
Figures appeared at the edge of the street, cloaked in dark robes, faces hidden, moving as one toward the church.
Kade reached for his knife.
"They're coming here," he said.
And the drumbeat filled the night, calling the robed figures closer.