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Chapter 25
Run
Solenne pressed the microswitch, and the electronic cuffs around Apricot’s wrists released with a mechanical hiss. Her arms free, Apricot stumbled onto the cold, plated floor. Solenne tossed the cuffs aside and moved over to Hunter. “It’s all right, baby,” she said gently, her voice strained. “We’ll get you down.”
Apricot glanced at Shiori, who wriggled his arms and flashed her a coy smile. “Care to help me down?” he asked, his tone light despite their grim surroundings. Apricot reached behind Shiori and took hold of his steel cuffs. She examined the metal device and found the switch on his wrist. With a click, she released Shiori from the cuffs. Now free, he turned his gaze to Solenne. “Boy, am I glad to see you again.”
Meanwhile, Solenne had managed to free Hunter from his restraints. “How did you know where to look?” Apricot asked her, her voice full of gratitude and wonder.
Solenne’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, but her expression remained stoic. Apricot noticed her hands trembling slightly. “I didn’t feel right about the way they treated you. I followed the car to a sketchy, run-down building.” Hunter glanced at Shiori and nodded, a silent understanding passing between them. “Then I followed the truck to the subway station, where they blindfolded you and brought you underground. I kept my distance from the guards, but I could sense something was wrong. And then that guy over there…” Solenne pointed to Urias’s lifeless body on the ground, his mask lying nearby. “He made people explode just by looking at them.” She shivered at the memory. “I’ve never seen anything like that. I followed him down here, and he was mumbling about black gods and other weird stuff.” Solenne shook her head, disbelief etched on her face. “I don’t know, Apricot. What’s going on?”
Apricot wrapped her arms around Solenne in a tight embrace. “You did a good thing, Solenne. We can’t talk about it right now. There are still things we have to do. Can you help us get back to the surface? We need to get to the shrine to end all this.”
As they reached the entrance, Shiori stepped back, studying the ominous machine. “You two can continue without me,” he said, his voice resolute. “Someone still has to stop the machine. Might as well be me. I can’t do anything about the seal or the reaper anyway.”
Apricot nodded, her expression determined. Shiori returned the nod, a silent agreement between them. As Hunter began to move down the dark corridor, he called back to them, “We have to hurry. That machine is active, and who knows what the surface looks like now.”
“What do you mean?” Apricot asked, curiosity mingling with concern.
Hunter’s face darkened. “He means the ability for phantoms to cross over effortlessly. Since the machine has been running for so long, the city is probably teeming with manifestations. There are likely enough of them to cause real damage.”
“Phantoms?” Solenne’s voice wavered, fear creeping into her tone.
Apricot looked at her with grim determination. “Monsters.”
“A little further up there,” Solenne said breathlessly as the group hurried up the ramp. They found themselves in a dimly lit tunnel within the subway system. “They hid it pretty well,” she muttered, guiding the pair in the right direction. As they approached the tunnel’s edge, the lights flickered and flashed, an unnerving sign that the power might cut out any moment. Despite her anxiety, Apricot stole a glance at Hunter, who narrowed his eyes in the direction of the corridor. She then noticed Solenne freeze, her body rigid as a statue as she stared at the metro platform.
Apricot halted in front of Solenne, her heart pounding at the sight that sent shivers down her spine. An enormous snake-like monster towered on all fours, its body covered in overlapping scales. Brassy, vibrant eyes adorned the sides of its head, scrutinizing the intruders. Its tail, long enough to span the entire platform, snapped and writhed with jerky movements. As Solenne tried to grab Hunter’s hand, he gently released it. “You should stay back,” he whispered.
The creature emitted a bone-rattling howl that sent tremors through the group. Solenne screamed, her retreat slow and shaky. Apricot saw her trip and barely catch herself. “Is that what I was like?” she thought, remembering her own monstrous transformation. As a purple flame danced around her fingers, she focused her full attention on the creature. Solenne, catching sight of Apricot’s sudden fire, panicked and fell backward. Hunter, meanwhile, leaped onto the platform and dove behind a bench. The creature’s attention shifted to him, and they locked gazes.
“Raaa!” Hunter bellowed, challenging the creature, which roared back with equal ferocity. Its razor jaws expanded into a mass of writhing tongues, threatening to engulf him. Hunter narrowly escaped as the phantom’s tongues collided with the bench, snapping it in half. Apricot’s heart raced.
Hunter yelled to her, “Apricot! I just need to touch it!”
Apricot locked eyes with Hunter before sprinting along the rail. “Hey!” she shouted. The creature’s head swiveled toward her, its massive tail slicing through the concrete wall. Another scream filled the air as the beast slammed its claws down in front of Apricot, blocking her path. Caught off-guard by the swiftness of the attack, Apricot shrieked and turned back, feeling the creature’s hot breath on her neck as its jaws snapped shut inches behind her.
“BANG! BANG! BANG!” The sound of Solenne’s gun echoed through the tunnel. Apricot saw her standing on the other side of the metro, her hand shaking as she aimed her pistol at the monster. Huffing, she grimaced as the creature’s eyes shrank to pinpoints, and it charged toward her. Apricot squeezed past the immense scales, narrowly avoiding being crushed as the beast bore down on Solenne.
Hunter was struck in the chest by the creature’s tail, sending him sprawling to the ground. As the monster loomed over Solenne, its tail whipping back around, she slumped against the wall, her legs buckling under her. The beast’s snarling maw, dripping with saliva, promised a grisly end. In a split second, Solenne lunged forward as the creature’s jaw collided with the wall. Three orange eyes stared back at her, the pupils filled with black. Desperate, Solenne kicked her legs against the giant eyes, struggling to put distance between her and the monster.
“Not today!” Hunter bellowed, plunging both of his hands into the creature’s side. His arms glowed with an intense light, causing the creature to writhe in pain. It suddenly leaped into the air, scattering orbs of blue light that dissipated throughout the room. Solenne, huddled on the ground, kicked her legs in the open air and screamed as she scrambled to her feet. Tremors coursed through her body, her hands shaking uncontrollably. “You asked what a phantom was. That was one,” Hunter chuckled, still catching his breath.
As Solenne turned her head, she saw Apricot clambering up onto the platform. Apricot walked over and wrapped her arm around Solenne’s back, her voice soothing. “It’s okay. The two of us will get you out of here.” She turned to Hunter, a smirk playing on her lips. “That’s a nifty trick you’ve got there. How did you do that without silver?”
Hunter rolled up the sleeves of his coat, revealing an intricate array of tattoos. “These are all sigils required for exorcism,” he explained. “A phantom’s energy can be disrupted, causing them to lose their physical form for a short time. Before that thing reassembles, we should move.”
As they ascended the subway metro stairs, the group was met with a disquieting sight: a vast, red, glowing sky stretched for miles in all directions. Lights throughout the city flickered and flashed, as if some catastrophic event had befallen them. Gunshots rang out and the terrified screams of people and beasts alike filled the air. Blue Ash had become a battleground, the scent of smoke and iron heavy in the atmosphere, while sirens wailed mournfully.
“What is happening!?” Solenne cried out, staring at the debris and chaos that engulfed the city.
Apricot took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Solenne, what part of town are we in?”
Solenne furrowed her brow in thought. “I’m not sure, maybe the south side.”
“We need to get to the outer eastern side of town,” Hunter told her. “We have work to finish.”
“What do you mean!?” Solenne pleaded, her voice laced with fear.
“Solenne, they won’t die from your bullets. To kill them, you must use silver,” Apricot advised. She removed her shoe and peeled away the sole, revealing a flat silver knife hidden within. “Here,” she said, handing it to Solenne. “Go protect yourself with this and inform the others. Anything silver will work. Merely touching them with silver will seriously harm them.”
Solenne gripped the knife tightly. “What about you? How will you protect yourself?”
Apricot smirked and turned back to Solenne. “I’ve got my own ways of dealing with them.”
“Well, I’m coming with you,” Solenne declared.
Hunter and Apricot exchanged glances. “All right, let’s go!” The group headed eastward down the street, the chaos of battle swirling around them. Apricot couldn’t help but notice the specks of glitter in the sky as airships dropped soldiers to fight in the overrun areas. Monsters rampaged through buildings as they ran, and some parts of the city, such as the highways, were blocked off by military barricades. “I’m still wanted. By now, Hunter probably is too,” Apricot mused, the knowledge weighing heavily on her heart.
She knew Solenne couldn’t come with them, and so did Hunter. But Solenne was fiercely loyal, sometimes to a fault, and she wasn’t about to let them go off without her. As they approached one of the large barricades, Apricot halted. “Solenne, I need your help.”
The skies above were teeming with bizarre, flying monsters, their supernatural aura palpable as they drifted overhead. Their many appendages dangled from their sides, giving their elongated bodies a sharp, menacing appearance. Their tails flailed wildly in the air, and their heads, reminiscent of enormous cicadas, boasted a hundred eyes each. Fighter jets zoomed by, launching rockets from their wings and lighting up the sky. Their deafening screams were accompanied by fiery explosions and billowing smoke.
The flying creatures swatted at the planes, sending them spiraling downward, trailing thick plumes of black smoke. One of the creatures unleashed a burst of light from its mouth, searing the earth below. A flurry of laser beams from the ground struck another creature, drawing blood. As it plummeted, its lifeless body crashed through towers, decimating the structures beneath.
Mechanical Valkners emerged from the ashen ruins, battling the nightmarish creatures. Blue orbs manifested from the ground, spawning grotesque beings that seemed to be twisted amalgamations of beasts and monsters from the darkest corners of the human imagination.
Terrified civilians huddled together in a storefront, furniture piled against the doors and windows, watching the horror unfold outside. Elsewhere, two men crouched behind a dumpster in an alley, holding their breath as a pair of insect-like centipede creatures slithered past them, their many segments scraping against the pavement.
A group of armored SDP soldiers fired their rifles at a towering monster, its height dwarfing that of a human. The creature’s bulbous, faceless head bobbed atop its thick, lumbering limbs, and two clawed tentacles swayed menacingly from its sides. The soldiers held their ground as the monster approached, desperate to protect the fleeing civilians. But their rapid gunfire had no effect, and the creature advanced undeterred.
The centipede-like creatures burst from the alley, lunging at the nearest soldier. He screamed in agony as their powerful jaws tore through his armor and into his chest. Meanwhile, his fellow soldiers continued to fire on the relentless nightmare, unaware of the carnage behind them.
At the sound of the bloodcurdling scream, one soldier turned his head and spotted the centipede-like creatures feasting on his comrade. Fear seized him, his breaths coming in short, panicked gasps, the air hose hissing in response.
“What the hell are you doing?!” his partner yelled, unloading his clip at the advancing monster. Despite being riddled with bullets, the creature remained unfazed. “Damn it!” the soldier shrieked as the monster slashed him with its tentacles. A claw pierced his face mask and tore through the visor, ripping his head and part of his spinal column from his body.
The remaining soldier stared in horror at the headless armor of his fallen comrade. As the insect-like creatures tore into the other soldier’s body, he leaned against the side of the building, his gun aimed at the beasts. His bullets sparked against their gleaming carapaces, but the creatures continued their grotesque feast.
“Come on, kill me!” he bellowed, leaping to his feet. “Want some? Eat this!” With a roar, he yanked an iron rod from his chest and hurled it at the monsters. The resulting explosion shattered the windows of a nearby cafe, eliciting screams from the patrons inside. As the dust settled, both the soldiers and the monsters outside had vanished, leaving only a smoldering pile of charred ash in their wake.
A ring of troops encircled the unscathed portion of the city, a desperate effort to contain the advancing horrors. The first layer of defense consisted of towering Valkner mechanical soldiers, their imposing figures dwarfing the huddled ground troops behind them.
“Solenne, we stick to our plan,” Apricot said resolutely, before striding toward the row of soldiers.
Hunter’s face was etched with anxiety as his gaze followed Apricot. “We can’t do this,” he muttered.
Apricot nodded, casting a glance back at Solenne, who was half a block away. “I know. I just told her that so she wouldn’t follow us.”
As Solenne approached the barricade, a soldier stopped her. “Officer Solenne! What in the world are you doing out here?” he exclaimed in disbelief.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t explain right now. I must let them through,” Solenne said, turning to find Apricot, but she had vanished.
The soldier chuckled. “Everyone is allowed through. Solenne, are you okay?” Her face fell, and her brow furrowed. “Come on, it’s better on the other side. We’ll hold the line. You get yourself somewhere safe.”
Solenne caught sight of a translucent figure emerging from the wall behind the barricade. She pointed and screamed, “Look out!” The enormous Valkner had no time to react before the creature transformed into a gigantic, wolf-like beast with ram-like horns. It used its razor-sharp jaws to rip open the Valkner’s cockpit. On the other side, a mass of thorny tendrils with scythe-like arms and a large bird-like head tore through the machine, cleaving it in two. The machine’s electrical components sparked and caught fire. More creatures poured from the walls, and the remaining three Valkners turned to open fire. Several rounds of heavy ammunition punctured the creatures, forcing them to retreat.
As foot soldiers crossed the barriers to the other side, panic gripped Solenne amidst the chaos. One of the soldiers grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the mayhem. “This is a nightmare…” she murmured.
The soldiers fired at the bizarre monsters, their bullets causing a mix of minor injuries and negligible damage. “Damn you!” bellowed the Valkner leader, obliterating one of the creatures with a roar, “We hold the line!”
To Solenne’s shock, a scythe-like appendage slashed toward her. She sidestepped just in time, narrowly avoiding the strike. As the creature’s mandibles lunged at her, she plunged the knife Apricot had given her into its bulbous eye. The monster emitted a pained hiss, its body convulsing before collapsing to the ground. A brilliant blue light seeped from its corpse into the earth below.
“Are you okay?” an officer asked Solenne, who nodded almost without thinking. Turning her attention to the Valkners, she saw them battling another group of attacking creatures. She ejected the spent clip from her weapon, replacing it with a fresh one, and joined the other ground officers in firing upon the monsters. One Valkner was tackled and brought to the ground by a beast that tore into its cockpit, ripping it apart. As the creature twisted its head, gnashing at the fallen soldier’s flesh, the group’s leader shouted, “Fall back! Move back! Back, back, back!”
Solenne obeyed the order to flee, her heart pounding as she turned her back on the carnage. She could hear the gunfire and the screams receding, but the terror remained. She had been trained for crisis situations, but nothing could have prepared her for this apocalyptic reality. As she ran alongside the others, Solenne couldn’t help but think that nightmares, horrors, and wars paled in comparison to the situation they were facing. “Is this the end of the world? Apricot, why did you leave me?” she wondered, her thoughts a whirlwind of fear and confusion.
As the sounds of battle continued to fade, Solenne’s breathing gradually steadied. Her training kicked in, allowing her to focus on her immediate surroundings, even as her mind raced with questions. The city she had once known was now a war zone, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that Apricot and Hunter were somehow connected to the nightmare that had befallen them all.
The ragged group of soldiers and civilians trudged through the city, their faces reflecting a mix of shock, determination, and despair. Solenne’s eyes scanned the destruction, searching for any sign of her friends. Amidst the rubble, she spotted a glint of metal—a small, silver charm bracelet that she recognized as Apricot’s.
Her heart leaped in her chest, and she bent down to pick up the bracelet. Clutching it tightly in her hand, she whispered a silent vow to herself. “I’ll find you, Apricot. I’ll find you, and together, we’ll figure out what’s happening to our world.”
With renewed determination, Solenne took a deep breath and pressed on, knowing that the fate of the city—and perhaps the world—rested on their shoulders. As she moved through the shattered streets, Solenne clung to the hope that, somehow, they would find a way to overcome the darkness that had befallen them all.
Rivulets of sweat coursed down Apricot’s brow as she sprinted along the devastated streets. Forced to traverse the city on foot due to the lack of functioning transportation, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Barricades obstructed their path at every major intersection, and monstrous creatures relentlessly attacked them.
“We’re going to have to run through a barricade,” Hunter informed Apricot, his voice taut with tension.
Apricot’s shoulders slumped, unwilling to accept the harsh reality. “No, we keep running until we find a clear area to cross.”
Hunter grabbed her arm, halting her escape. “It won’t happen. We need to run through. It’s the only way to get to the shrine.”
Apricot knew they couldn’t risk capture, but she also realized that time was running out to reverse the catastrophic events unfolding around them. Amidst the chaos, she managed to ask, “What if they stop us?”
“They’ll be more worried about the monsters tearing them apart. That’s what I’m going to bank on,” Hunter replied. “Look, you can keep running, but I’m going to cross here, now. We’ve wasted too much time trying to find an opening.” He pointed east, towards a group of soldiers firing at the southern street. “They won’t be looking if we cross from behind.”
“I don’t know, Hunter,” Apricot hesitated, already considering his proposal.
Hunter slipped free from Apricot’s grasp and dashed towards the barricade. Her heart raced, and a sharp pain began to throb in her ankles as she picked up speed to follow him. As they neared the line, the cacophony of gunfire assaulted Apricot’s ears. The echoing booms resonated throughout the city, and even with her hands pressed against her ears, she couldn’t block them out. She tried to avoid drawing attention as she navigated the squad of soldiers.
“Die, you bastards!” one man roared as he squeezed the trigger. The ferocity in his voice sent shivers down Apricot’s spine. She stole a glance at the line of bodies left by the creatures, her heart aching for the fallen. The soldiers, despite being battered and bloodied, fought on with unwavering determination. Patches of the Valkners’ armor had been scraped away, revealing the damage they had sustained. As Hunter had predicted, the soldiers were too preoccupied with the phantoms to notice the two of them slipping past. Focused solely on the battle at hand, the soldiers unwittingly allowed Apricot and Hunter to continue their perilous journey undetected.
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