We're Dead

As the others began to make their way up the ruined stairs, Silas helped Nyx up off the ground, wrapping one of his arms around him. "Thank you, Silas."

He gave a slight chuckle. "Don't mention it. We're brothers after all."

Nyx smiled. "Right."

Upon making their way into the tower, the gave a slight glance up towards the destruction in their wake. Seren had already made it into the side door, stepping out and back onto the cold, desolate flat roof. The others, slowly but surely, made their way up as well — the fractured stairs making this no easy task.

Regardless, they did so. Upon reaching the door and stepping outside, once more they were greeted with the heartless view of the city. In an odd sense, it felt different now. It felt changed.

After everything that had happened, it was almost as though the city felt even more disrupted and desolate than before.

With that in mind, it also felt oddly peaceful. Hauntingly beautiful.

Being met with the face of death was probably the deciding factor for how it felt. After a brush with their potential final breath, everything seemed to be more worthwhile. They had obtained a new lense in their perspective in life- everything, even the sad, in some way was gorgeous.

Seren peered just to the Church's west end, pointing off into the horizon. "There," He murmured, a slight hint of possible sadness or lingering hope in his tone, "The city's edge."

Though it was dark, it was still clear to see the ruined city trail off into nothing but desolate plains in the distance, a single slim river somehow managing to form in the basin they found themselves in.

Looking back, Nyx knew that not far from now, it'd be time for the group to make a choice. They could either risk going further in, or hope to stay near the surface and be rescued.

Nyx didn't know which was better.

The Phantoms, due to a lack of manpower, lack any form of envoy to communicate back to home base. Even worse, only those considered to be an 'Elite Phantom' even gain the potential to have their own personal corivus.

Still, it was odd that no one even bothered to try and check up on how the mission was going. Throughout the journey so far, Nyx didn't want to think about it, but in the end he couldn't help it.

It was possible that the events that transpired here had affected other places as well.

Regardless, what mattered at the end of their day was their survival. And, as they could clearly see, they were still alive.

They were determined to make it out of this.

"Why don't we head back to that storehouse," Rei murmured, "Sleep there for the night before progressing."

Seren nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Quietly, the other began to walk away. Nyx had expected Silas to do the same, though he planted himself- eyes aimlessly peering towards the sky above.

"Silas?" Nyx murmured, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, a slight quiver in his voice. "Nyx... do the stars look... odd to you?"

Slowly did his eyes widen. Never before had he turned his head with such speed, looking on in terror at the night sky. "Holy shit..." he muttered, not even trying to hide his horror from the others. "This can't be happening..."

The others stopped moving away. After hearing Nyx's shock, they turned, and only what could be described as pure dread followed.

The stars were bleeding.

Nyx felt the strength in his legs once again recceed — though now not due to an odd injury, but out of pure terror. Far off in the distance and emerging from the darkness, shadowy beasts carved their way out from the ground below, twisting and turning their way up to the surface.

They were spindly in appearance, down on all fours like that of a dog. More horrific, their faces were that of a glowing, almost neon-appearing white. Forever stained was an expression of twisted joy- and all at once, they peered towards the group in the distance.

"We need to leave..." Seren spewed, "Now- NOW!!"

Without much more thought, the others ran. Silas lifted Nyx from the ground, pulling him back whilst shouting more of the same.

Still with his eyes locked into the distance, he could see the Terrors begin to leap their way across the surface of the buildings, all in an attempt to reach their prey.

Seren stayed near the top, pushing both Silas and Nyx inside before slamming the door shut. "GO- DESCEND THE TOWER-!"

Before he could even finish his thought, a petrifying clicking — similar to the sound of bones splitting in two — echoed just out from the other side.

With no time to react, the entire upper half of the tower crumbled and cracked downwards, door bashing in as Seren went flying. From the corner of his eye, Nyx could see the prideful boy smash his back against the stone wall, producing an unsettling amount of blood from his mouth.

He limped forward, gushing his way down the stairs behind them. He tried reaching for his gun, though it was pointless.

The creature gripped his leg, squeezing so hard that the bones began to break from within. Slowly he was dragged away, and all Nyx could hear was a shout in the distance.

Acher jumped up, twisting the spine of his glaive up and perforating into the Terror's shadowy arm.

Reluctantly, it loosed its hold, Acher lofting Seren forward and down the stairs with the others. "EVERYONE GO-! DON'T STOP!!!"

Of course, they listened.

When all they could hear was hell, and all they could see was close to nothing from the amount of destruction following behind them, Nyx could only get one thought on his mind as they ran.

'We're dead.'

[Readers, welcome to BLOOD EATER-]