Sierra was so scared she couldn't move an inch.
Swish!
Nicolas suddenly pulled her backward, shielding her from whatever that thing was. They stumbled back, desperate to put distance between themselves and it. Without thinking, they ran out of the church.
"What was that thing earlier?" Nicolas asked, breathing hard.
"How the hell should I know?" Sierra snapped.
"We need to get out of this town. That was a demon, right?" he said.
Nicolas slowly peeked ahead.
The sight froze him.
Only one word escaped his mouth.
"What the fuck…"
The entire town was surrounded by creatures—dozens of them, lurking in the shadows.
"Sir, we need to leave now," Sierra whispered into his ear. "It's not safe here."
"I know," Nicolas said, his eyes still scanning the monsters. "But we'll have to get past them first."
"So… do you have any idea?" Sierra whispered, panic creeping into her voice.
What the hell should I do in this situation?
"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Sierra whispered, her voice trembling.
Nicolas scanned the area, his eyes moving carefully from one shadow to another. "We find a spot where there are fewer of them," he said quietly. "Then we sneak through."
"Okay. I'll check the left—you take the right," Sierra said.
They moved slowly, barely daring to breathe. Their eyes darted from dark corners to broken buildings, counting every distorted shape, every slight movement.
Suddenly, Sierra tugged at Nicolas's sleeve.
"Sir… over there," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "There are fewer monsters there."
Nicolas followed her gaze. His jaw tightened.
"That's our way out," he murmured.
"Let's move," Nicolas whispered, already stepping forward.
Sierra nodded, her voice barely audible. "Quietly… and swiftly. Don't let them notice us."
Nicolas advanced first, every muscle in his body tense. Sierra followed close behind him, watching their surroundings, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow. The creatures—those distorted, twitching shapes—were scattered nearby, unaware of their presence.
For a moment, it seemed they might make it.
They slipped past the monsters.
One step.
Two.
Three—
Stab.
A sharp, splintered branch pierced through Nicolas's palm.
"Ah—!" He bit back his scream, but it was too late.
Blood spilled down his hand, warm and thick, dripping onto the cold ground below.
Sierra's heart dropped.
The monsters froze.
Their heads slowly turned.
They sniffed.
The smell of fresh blood reached them.
Their bodies stiffened.
Their breathing changed.
Nicolas clenched his injured hand, pain shooting through his arm.
"Run," he whispered urgently.
Then louder—
"RUN!"
They sprinted.
Their footsteps echoed through the hollow street.
Behind them, the creatures stirred.
Then came the sound—
Scraping.
Crawling.
Dragging.
Dozens of limbs are moving unnaturally fast.
"They can smell you," Sierra gasped as she ran. "They're following the blood."
Nicolas's breath was uneven, his heart pounding violently in his chest. Every drop of blood felt like a beacon, calling the monsters closer.
The sounds behind them grew louder.
Closer.
Sierra glanced back—and her blood ran cold.
"They're gaining on us!"
Suddenly, she pointed ahead.
"That house—get inside!"
They burst through the door, slamming it shut behind them.
"Upstairs!" Sierra cried. "Fast—fast!"
They rushed up the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. The wood creaked under their weight, each sound echoing like a scream.
Nicolas stumbled, gripping the railing with his injured hand. Blood smeared across the old wood.
They reached the upper floor and turned—
Then froze.
Something was wrong.
The crawling sounds were no longer below them.
They were—
Above.
Around.
In the air.
Sierra's face drained of color.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The monsters were up in the sky
Some hovered.
Their hollow eyes locked onto them.
"Oh no…" Sierra whispered.
Nicolas followed her gaze.
His stomach dropped.
"Shit," he muttered, his voice shaking. "What are we gonna do now?"
His mind raced.
His body trembled.
His wounded hand throbbed violently.
They were trapped.
Surrounded.
Cornered.
The monsters coming towards them in the moon light sky"
Their claws stretched.
Their mouths opened.
Their hunger was unmistakable.
They were ready.
Ready to claim their prey. They move towards them with their wings spread.
"What the hell is that?" Nicolas whispered, his voice trembling as his eyes darted around the space. "And why didn't we notice it earlier?"
A sudden, wet scraping sound echoed from above.
Sierra's breath hitched.
They hastly stepped backward, each movement careful, each footstep light—until Nicolas froze.
His blood ran cold.
Sierra clutched his sleeve then said.
"Nicolas…"
The monsters were also downstairs,So they can't go downstairs.
"What do we do now" Nicolas said.
His eyes scanned the down around the house window, searching for anything—anything that could save them.
Then he saw it.
"Look!" he whispered urgently. "The hay bales!"
They were piled near an opening that led into open air, far below.
"We can jump there. I'll go first."
Sierra grabbed his arm. "Wait!"
Her voice shook. "Isn't there… any other way? Any at all?"
Nicolas looked at her.
Then at the monsters.
Then back at her.
"There are only two options," he said quietly. "One—get torn apartby those creatures,Two—jump from here."
He forced a crooked smile, though fear burned in his eyes.
"And honestly, I'd rather break my bones than let those things sink their claws into me."
Sierra swallowed.
Her legs trembled.
Her heart thundered.
Then she nodded.
"…Then let's jump."
The monsters come towards them.
KRRGGGHH
Nicolas didn't wait.
He grabbed Sierra's hand and ran.
The cold air rushed toward them.
The ground vanished beneath their feet.
They jumped.
The world flipped.
Wind screamed past their ears.
Sierra's scream tore from her throat.
Nicolas felt weightless—then—
They crashed into the hay.
The impact knocked the breath out of him.
Pain exploded through his back.
He rolled, gasping.
Sierra landed beside him, coughing violently, clutching her chest.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Above them—
The monsters screeched in frustration.
Nicolas turned his head slowly toward Sierra.
"…We're alive," he whispered.
Sierra laughed weakly, half-hysterical, half-relieved.
"Barely."
Their relief was short-lived.
Far too short.
Nicolas was still catching his breath, still trying to calm the violent pounding of his heart, when he felt it—a warm, sticky trickle sliding down his fingers.
Blood.
His injured hand had started bleeding again.
Sierra noticed it at the same moment.
Her face drained of color.
"Nicolas…" she whispered.
A low, wet sound echoed from behind them.
Not close.
But not far either.
The monsters had stopped screeching.
They were sniffing.
Tasting the air.
Hunting them.
Nicolas's stomach twisted.
"Oh, no… no, no, no," he muttered.
Then he heard it—
A long, dragging inhale.
Like something pulling the scent deep into its lungs.
His heart dropped.
"Shit—again!" he shouted. "Run!"
They didn't hesitate.
They ran.
Their feet slammed against the uneven stone streets, echoing through the dead town. Nicolas's lungs burned, every breath tearing painfully through his chest. His injured hand throbbed violently, each heartbeat sending a fresh wave of pain through his arm.
Behind them—
Scraping.
Crawling.
Skittering.
The monsters were moving.
Fast.
Too fast.
Sierra's hair whipped wildly behind her as she sprinted, her boots slipping on loose stones. She nearly fell twice but forced herself forward.
"Nicolas!" she cried. "They're getting closer!"
He grab Sierra hands and force her to running for her life.
They turned sharply into a narrow alley, then another, then another—zigzagging blindly, praying to find something, anything.
Their footsteps echoed.
Their shadows twisted along the walls.
Then—
They skidded to a stop.
A wall.
Collapsed rubble.
No way through.
A dead end.
Sierra's breath hitched. "N–Nicolas…"
He spun around, eyes wide, chest heaving.
"Where do we go?" he gasped.
The scraping sounds were louder now.
Closer.
Too close.
His eyes darted wildly—and then he saw it.
A half-broken door.
A dark, abandoned house.
"There!" he shouted, pointing. "Go inside!"
They sprinted toward it.
The door slammed open.
They rushed in—
And slammed it shut behind them.
The monsters' screams echoed outside.
Their shadows passed beneath the cracks.
A Monster sensed the blood odour. Then it breaks the wall.
But there was no one.
Nicolas and Sierra were in the two rooms inside the building to hide from them.***