The air was thick with the stench of burning flesh. The monstrous creature thrashed violently, its jaws snapping open and shut as the flare burned inside its gaping maw. Its screeches echoed down the ruined streets, shaking Evelyn to her core.
Leon was down, blood soaking his shirt. He clutched his chest, his breath ragged. Evelyn couldn't let him die. Not .
But the creature wasn't done.
As the flames died, the beast turned its head toward her.
Its ruined face began to change.
Black, sinewy tendrils slithered from its wounds, knitting the flesh back together. Its melted lips peeled back, revealing a row of jagged, inhuman teeth. A sickening, gurgling laugh rattled from deep within its chest.
Evelyn's grip on the flare gun tightened. "Oh, come on…"
She dove aside as its massive claw tore through concrete, sending debris flying. She hit the ground hard, pain flaring through her ribs.
Leon groaned, barely conscious. She needed to move—fast.
The creature loomed over her, its gaping mouth splitting wider than any human's should. A thick, writhing tongue, lined with barbed edges, flicked from its throat. Dripping. Hungering.
It wasn't just a mutation. It was something worse.
Evelyn barely had time to think before it struck.
The tongue lashed out, coiling around her ankle like a living whip.
She screamed as it dragged her closer.
Her fingers clawed at the ground, searching for anything—anything.
And then, she found it.
She swung with everything she had.
The metal cracked against the creature's tongue. It let out a guttural snarl and recoiled, dark ichor oozing from the wound.
Evelyn scrambled backward, grabbing Leon under the arms. She had to get him out of here.
But the beast was already recovering. Its maw twisted into a horrifying grin, black veins pulsing along its grotesque form. It was enjoying this.
A sniper shot rang out, hitting the creature square in the head.
Evelyn's head snapped toward the rooftop.
A lone figure stood against the backdrop of the broken city, rifle still smoking. Their silhouette was unmistakable.
She waved frantically. "RUN!"
Evelyn didn't need to be told twice.
She hauled Leon to his feet, his weight nearly toppling them both. The beast roared, its head already regenerating from the bullet wound.
More shots rained down, forcing it to stagger.
The city blurred past as they sprinted toward safety, Mia's covering fire their only lifeline.
But as Evelyn glanced back one last time, she saw the creature staring right at her.