Its You or Me

Kade gritted his teeth as he swung the battered pipe, the crude weapon whistling through the air before connecting with a sickening crunch. The Wretch in front of him crumpled to the ground, its grotesque body spasming as its life drained away. He didn't have time to savor the small victory; another Wretch lunged at him from the side, its jagged claws aimed at his throat.

He ducked instinctively, the creature's swipe tearing through the air just above his head. With a roar, Kade pivoted, slamming the pipe into its torso with enough force to send it stumbling back. His arms ached with each swing, but the faint thrum of resonance energy in his veins kept him moving. Every strike felt sharper, every movement faster, like his body had been fine-tuned for survival in this chaos.

Across the street, Julia was fighting her own battle. Her rapier gleamed in the flickering light as she danced between her opponents, each thrust and parry precise. But even her elegance couldn't keep up with the sheer number of Wretches closing in. She moved backward, her boots crunching against shattered glass and loose gravel, trying to create space as the grotesque creatures encircled her.

A clawed hand lashed out, nicking her shoulder. She hissed in pain, twisting away and retaliating with a vicious jab that pierced the Wretch's throat. Another lunged, and she barely sidestepped, her blade slicing cleanly through its chest. The crowd was pressing in too tightly, their inhuman snarls filling her ears. Her movements, though skilled, grew tighter, more frantic.

Her foot hit the curb of an alleyway, and something clicked in her mind. A memory surfaced, unbidden—a vivid image of the narrow fencing strips where she used to compete. The center stage of her professional life, long and narrow, a battleground where she had faced opponents one-on-one.

One at a time. Make them fight on your terms.

Julia's eyes snapped to the alley, its tight confines offering a brief reprieve from being surrounded. Without hesitation, she stepped backward into the narrow space, her blade held steady. The Wretches followed, snarling and snapping, but now they were forced to come at her single file. She smiled grimly, her stance shifting as she prepared to duel them one by one. Center stage again, but the stakes are higher now.

Kade caught a glimpse of her retreat into the alley, her form framed by the pale light of the encroaching night. His attention was ripped away by the sound of heavy footsteps—thunderous and deliberate. He turned, his eyes widening as the hulking form of the larger Wretch emerged from the smoke and debris.

It was monstrous, a distorted exaggeration of the smaller ones, with crystal growths protruding from its shoulders and grotesque, jagged limbs that churned the ground beneath it. Its sheer size and mass dwarfed the others, and it moved with a force that made the earth tremble. Kade watched as it plowed through two of its own, trampling them without hesitation as it barreled toward him.

Shit.

Kade darted to the side, barely avoiding the massive swipe of the beast's claw. The movement stirred a gust of foul-smelling air, carrying the stench of decay and rot. The smaller Wretches paid him no attention now, their primal instincts driving them toward Julia instead. She was still in the alley, dispatching them with precision, but even she wouldn't last long against the tide.

The larger monster roared, its deep, guttural voice reverberating through Kade's chest. He tightened his grip on the pipe, his mind racing. I can run. I can outrun this thing. It's slower than me. I can get out of here.

But then he glanced at Julia, her back pressed against the wall, her blade flashing as she fought with the skill of someone who refused to die. She wasn't running. She wasn't leaving him behind.

His jaw tightened. You could leave her. You could save yourself. That's what you've always done.

But the thought didn't sit right. It gnawed at him, sharp and bitter, as he remembered all the times he'd woken up wondering if it even mattered whether he lived or died. His life had been a series of bad decisions, one after another, and he'd long ago stopped lifting a finger to help anyone. The world's problems weren't his responsibility. They were the consequences of a broken society, not his failures.

And yet, here he was, gripping a shattered pipe like it was Excalibur, standing between a monster and a woman he barely knew.

The beast charged again, and Kade leapt aside, his body reacting faster than his thoughts. He swung the pipe at its leg, the blow landing with a solid crack that sent vibrations up his arm. The creature stumbled but didn't falter, its glowing eyes locking onto him with unrelenting focus.

Think, damn it. His mind raced, analyzing the creature's movements, its anatomy. It was human once. That means it might still have human weaknesses.

The beast swiped again, and Kade ducked, rolling to the side. His movements felt fluid, almost automatic, as if his body had memorized the rhythm of combat. He aimed for the knee again, swinging with all his strength, and this time, the monster buckled slightly, its massive hand slamming into the side of a building for support.

But the pipe was splintering, its battered frame barely holding together. With one final swing, it snapped in half, leaving Kade holding nothing but a jagged piece of metal.

The beast roared, its breath hot and putrid against his skin. Kade backed away, his mind screaming at him to move, to think, to act. He glanced around, searching for anything he could use, but the streets were barren.

The beast lunged.

Kade tried to evade, but the monster's sheer size and speed caught him off guard. Its massive arm slammed into him, sending him hurtling backward like a ragdoll. He hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from his lungs. Pain exploded across his chest and shoulder, and for a moment, he could barely move. Something cracked. A rib? A shoulder? Does it even matter? His thoughts swirled as he clawed at the ground, his vision blurring.

He forced himself upright, teeth gritted against the pain. His body screamed at him to stop, to just stay down, but his mind refused to give in. He couldn't—wouldn't. His eyes locked onto the monster, which stood looming over him, its crystalline form gleaming like some grotesque monument. His breath came in ragged gasps as he tightened his grip on the broken remains of the pipe. This thing is going to kill me. I'm not fast enough. Not strong enough.

The creature bellowed, its roar reverberating in his chest, and raised a clawed arm for the killing blow. Time seemed to slow as Kade's mind raced. What the hell do I do? I'm out of energy. Can't fight it head-on. His hand brushed against his pocket, where the core he'd taken earlier rested, its faint warmth almost forgotten in the chaos. A wild idea bloomed in his mind, reckless and stupid, but it was the only thing he had left.

If I'm going down, I'm taking this bastard with me.

The beast's arm came crashing down, but Kade rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. He scrambled to his feet, every movement sharp with pain, and lunged toward the creature. The monster swiped at him again, but this time he ducked low, sprinting toward its arm as it overextended. Using the momentum, Kade leapt onto the massive limb, his fingers digging into the rough, crystalline surface for grip.

The creature roared in fury, thrashing wildly as Kade scaled its arm. His ribs screamed in protest, his muscles burning with effort, but he held on. Don't think about the pain. Just move. One step at a time.

The beast's movements grew more frantic as Kade clambered toward its shoulder, its claws swiping at him but failing to reach. He hauled himself onto its back, the jagged surface cutting into his palms, and locked his eyes on his target—the side of its head where the crystalline growths were sparse.

The temple. Go for the temple.

With his free hand, he yanked the core from his pocket, its pulsing warmth filling him with a strange sense of hope. This is it. All or nothing. Kade crushed the core in his hand, its energy surging into him like a tidal wave. His veins burned with the raw, unfiltered power, and for a moment, he thought he might pass out. His body trembled under the strain, but he forced himself to focus, channeling the energy into a single point.

The creature bucked beneath him, trying to shake him off, but Kade roared back, the sound tearing from his throat with a ferocity he didn't know he possessed. The resonance energy coursing through him sharpened his focus, amplifying his strength. Just one shot. Make it count.

The monster twisted, trying to throw him off, but Kade leapt to its head, his feet gripping the jagged crystalline surface. He pulled his arm back, visualizing every ounce of energy flowing into his fist, and drove it into the side of the beast's head with all his might. The impact was like thunder, reverberating through the air as the monster froze, its body convulsing violently.

Kade didn't stop. He struck again, his fist slamming into the same spot with even greater force. The crystalline structure cracked, shards flying into the air. The monster wavered, its massive frame swaying unsteadily. With a final, ragged roar, Kade drove his fist into its temple one last time, the energy bursting outward like a shockwave.

The beast collapsed, its body crashing to the ground in a heap of broken crystal and twisted flesh. Kade tumbled off its head, landing hard on the pavement below. He lay there for a moment, his chest heaving, his knuckles raw and bleeding. The resonance energy still hummed faintly in his veins, but his body felt like it had been through a war.

In the distance, the remaining Wretches froze, their grotesque forms hesitating as if sensing the shift in power. One by one, they turned and fled, their howling cries fading into the night.

Kade rolled onto his back, staring up at the ruined skyline. His body screamed in protest, every muscle and bone aching, but a small, grim smile tugged at his lips. Still alive. Somehow.

A shadow loomed over him, and he turned his head to see Julia standing nearby, her rapier still clutched tightly in her hand. Her face was pale, a mixture of awe and exhaustion etched into her features.

"That…" she began, her voice unsteady. "That was insane."

Kade didn't answer. He was too busy trying to catch his breath, his mind still reeling from what had just happened.

The city around them seemed quieter now, though the silence wasn't peace—it was the kind that comes after a storm, fragile and temporary. Kade stared at the smoldering ruins towering above him as he looked up to the sky, crackling sounds of fires heard in the distance, his mind a swirling mess of exhaustion and adrenaline. His fists ached, his muscles trembled, and yet, there was something else—a flicker of clarity in the chaos. He wasn't sure what had pushed him to fight like that, to risk his life for someone else, but for the first time in a long time, it didn't feel pointless. The weight of survival no longer felt like something to endure—it felt like something to fight for.