"If they're here to kill you, then I must help," Renny said, pulling out the firegun pistol he'd bought.
Tela's eyes went wide for a second, then he laughed. "What ya gon' do with that?" he asked, pointing at the pistol like it was a child's toy.
Renny looked down at the gun, then back up. "What else? I'll fight alongside you."
Tela shook his head, smiling almost sadly. "Ney, ney… ya nuh strong enough yet. Ya must grow the seed in ya. One day… ya gon' fully save me from the claws of me mates."
The disappointment hit Renny before he could answer and then the glass beside them shattered.
A massive dog, shaped like a rottweiler but wrong in every proportion, burst through the window in a rain of shards.
Tela didn't flinch. A shotgun seemed to appear in his hands from nowhere.
BOOM!
The blast slammed the beast back through the hole it had made.
The world around them had been swallowed by the Shadow Realm.
From nowhere, a hand, long-fingered clamped around Renny's throat and lifted him into the air.
"Ezraaa…" the creature growled, breath reeking of rot. Then, with casual force, it swung him like a ragdoll, hurling him through the bar's counter.
The Rotman turned to Tela. His voice was rough, accented, rolling like gravel. "How long do you think… you can run... how long do you think you can hide?"
He stopped, something about the words bothered him. His head twitched once, twice. Fingers flexed like claws. His lips peeled back in a smile too wide for his face.
"No. Not… right. Is not what I mean." He straightened, smoothing his voice into something almost calm. "This is the end of the line for you."
Tela's grin was sharp. "For eons, ya nuh been able to touch me. What makes ya think ya can now, hah?"
Six more rottweilers poured into the bar, claws clicking on wood.
Outside, three more Rotmen appeared, watching silently. Each wore green-and-brown cloaks, gold walking sticks resting in their hands, heavy rings gleaming, beads swaying around their necks.
Renny staggered to his feet, rage bubbling. He fired several shots at the Rotman in front of Tela. "How dare you toss me like that!"
The bullets didn't even reach him. They dropped to the ground, hissing into black flames that spread at the Rotman's feet. His eyes flared, and the flames surged upward, creating a wall between him and Renny.
The heat shoved Renny back. "Tela!" he shouted.
Tela didn't look at him. "Run, boy. Don't ya worry. We shall meet again."
The Rotman's head turned slowly toward Renny.
"No. You will not. This is...this is the...the last time… you see one of your kind."
The flames rose to the ceiling, cutting Renny off completely.
Tela's eyes narrowed. "Kubra… ya know the flames are not for ya control."
His own gaze ignited. The fire bent, twisting against its master, shoving the Rotman backward and forcing him outside.
The dogs lunged, teeth snapping, bodies blurring.
One of the Rotmen outside barked an order in a deep, rolling accent.
"Chase him. Make sure he goes back… to the city."
The lead hellrot nodded and bolted after Renny.
He'd been trying to reach Tela through the wall of fire, but the instant he saw the creature coming, he spun and sprinted back toward the bridge he'd crossed earlier.
He raised his gun mid-run, snapping off shots. Getting a clean hit on something moving like that was near impossible, but the bursts were enough to keep it guessing, make it veer, lose a step, anything.
The gap between them stayed slim. Being a demon meant his speed was inhuman, muscles surging with each stride, but it was only a matter of time before the thing closed the distance.
Distraction shots were his only breathing room.
The far end of the span was closing in. He pushed harder, legs screaming, heart hammering, until the guardrail finally came into reach.
With one last burst, he leapt, hit the ground on Oroshika hard, tumbling in a messy roll that sent dirt and gravel scraping his palms.
Before he even got to his knees, he forced his mind to focus.Shift. Shift now.
The world gave a faint shiver, and in the next heartbeat, he was back in the living world.
He drew in a sharp breath. The bridge was back to normal, ordinary traffic flowing, people crossing, oblivious to the chase that had just played out in another realm.