Chapter 38: Veins of Despair

The creature's roar echoed through the night as it charged, its grotesque form lit by the sickly red glow of the blood moon. Nathan barely had time to react before it lunged toward them, its claws raking the air. The force of the attack sent him stumbling back, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Watch out!" King yelled, shoving Nathan out of the way just in time.

The creature's claws missed by inches, scraping the crumbling rooftop. Nathan scrambled to his feet, his blade glinting in the moonlight as he faced the monster. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, exhaustion threatening to take over, but he pushed it down. There was no room for weakness now—not when the thing before them embodied pure nightmare.

Angel stood her ground beside him, wielding her broken plank of wood with a fierce determination. "We can't let it corner us!" she shouted. "If we do, it's over!"

The creature reared back, black ichor dripping from its gaping maw. Its eyeless face twisted in a grotesque grin as it hissed, the sound like nails on glass. It lunged again, this time faster—too fast.

Nathan braced for impact, but King was already there, slamming into the creature with everything he had. The force sent both of them skidding across the rooftop, and for a split second, it seemed like they might have the upper hand. But then the creature roared again, swiping King with a massive claw and sending him crashing into a wall.

"King!" Nathan shouted, his voice cracking.

King groaned, trying to push himself up, but the damage had been done. Blood poured from a deep gash in his side, staining the already ruined rooftop. Nathan's stomach churned at the sight, fear clawing at his insides. They couldn't keep this up.

Angel swung her plank at the creature, landing a solid hit to its side. It staggered but didn't fall, its attention now fully on her. Nathan rushed forward, thrusting his blade into its back, trying to divert its focus away from Angel. Black ichor oozed from the wound, but the creature barely seemed to notice.

With a snarl, the monster whipped around, knocking Nathan off his feet. His head slammed into the hard ground, and for a moment, everything went black.

When he came to, Angel was screaming.

Nathan forced himself up, his vision swimming as he looked toward her. The creature had wrapped one of its long, sinewy arms around her, lifting her into the air like she weighed nothing. She struggled, kicking and thrashing, but it only tightened its grip, a sickening crack echoing through the night as her bones began to give way.

"Angel!" Nathan's voice was hoarse, panic flooding his veins.

He stumbled to his feet, rushing toward the creature with reckless abandon. But before he could reach it, the creature's jaws opened wide, and with one swift movement, it sank its teeth into Angel's neck.

Her scream was cut short as blood sprayed across the rooftop, dark and thick under the blood moon's light. Nathan's world slowed to a crawl, the horrific scene playing out before him in agonizing detail. Angel's eyes widened in shock, her mouth moving but no sound coming out. And then, just as quickly, the light in her eyes faded, her body going limp in the creature's grasp.

"No..." Nathan's voice cracked, barely a whisper. His legs buckled beneath him, the weight of the moment crushing him.

Angel's lifeless body dropped to the ground with a sickening thud, and the creature turned its attention to Nathan, its bloodstained mouth curling into that same twisted grin. But Nathan couldn't move. His mind screamed at him to run, to fight, to do something—anything—but his body refused to obey. All he could do was stare at the broken, bloody form of his friend.

King, bloodied and battered, dragged himself to his feet, his eyes wide with horror. "Nathan!" he shouted, his voice breaking. "Nathan, we have to go!"

But Nathan couldn't tear his gaze away from Angel. Guilt clawed at him, his heart shattering into a thousand pieces. He had promised her they would make it out together. He had failed.

The creature growled, taking a slow step toward him, its clawed hand reaching out. But before it could strike, King was there, throwing himself between Nathan and the beast. He swung a makeshift weapon—a piece of metal piping—with all the strength he had left, hitting the creature square in the chest. It staggered back, letting out a furious screech.

"Get up!" King yelled, grabbing Nathan by the arm and hauling him to his feet. "We can't stay here! We have to move!"

Nathan blinked, the world slowly coming back into focus. Angel was gone. The creature was still coming. And King... King was right. If they didn't run, they would die here too.

Numbly, Nathan followed King, stumbling across the rooftop as the creature let out another enraged roar. They reached the edge of the building, the ground far below them. There was no time to think, no time to hesitate. Together, they jumped.

The fall was brutal. The ground slammed into Nathan with bone-shattering force, the air knocked from his lungs. For a moment, everything was pain—blinding, suffocating pain. But then the world went dark, and he felt nothing.

When he awoke, the blood moon was still high in the sky, its crimson light casting the world in eerie shadows. Nathan groaned, pushing himself up from the dirt. His body screamed in protest, every muscle aching, but somehow, he was alive.

King lay a few feet away, breathing heavily but conscious. "You okay?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Nathan nodded, though he wasn't sure if that was true. Physically, he was alive. But inside, something had shattered beyond repair.

"Angel..." Nathan's voice cracked, the weight of her death crashing down on him again.

King's face was grim, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry, man. There was nothing we could do."

Nathan clenched his fists, anger and grief swirling inside him. He wanted to scream, to rage against the world that had taken so much from him. But all he could do was sit there, staring up at the blood moon, as the cold realization set in.

They weren't getting out of here.