Into the Depths

The city was a graveyard of chaos and ruin. Fires raged in the distance, casting an eerie orange glow against the cracked facades of once-proud buildings. The streets were strewn with debris, shattered glass, and the broken bodies of those who hadn't been fast—or lucky—enough. Yet amid the desolation, there was movement. Survivors, clinging to scraps of hope, wandered through the carnage with makeshift weapons in hand—rusty pipes, sharpened broomsticks, and even a few battered firearms.

Kade and Julia moved through this twisted landscape, silent and focused. The adrenaline of their earlier fight still coursed through Kade's veins, making every sound feel sharper, every shadow more threatening. He wasn't sure how far Griggs's clubhouse was from their current location, but he knew the journey wouldn't be easy.

As they passed a burned-out storefront, Kade caught the faint sound of footsteps behind them. His muscles tensed, his hand instinctively brushing the pack slung over his shoulder, where the dark purple core and jagged crystals were stored. He turned to see a group of survivors emerging cautiously from the shadows.

"You're the one who fought that thing, aren't you?" a man in his thirties asked, his voice laced with both awe and desperation. He carried a crowbar, the metal streaked with blood. Beside him, a woman held a hunting rifle, its barrel trembling in her hands.

Kade didn't answer right away, his eyes scanning the group that had gathered around him and Julia. There were about thirty of them, their faces pale and weary, their clothes torn and stained. Each clutched a makeshift weapon—whatever they had been able to grab in their desperate fight to survive. They'd been holed up in the community space of their apartment building, trying to fend off the growing swarm of wretches. But when the sounds of Kade and Julia's fight had erupted in the street, the monsters had been drawn away, giving the survivors a chance to escape. A young man near the front gripped a length of rebar with tired hands, his daughter standing behind him, while an older woman stood close by, her fingers trembling as she clutched a kitchen knife.

"We saw you from the window," another survivor said, his voice shaky. "You… you killed that thing. We've been trying to fight them, but—"

"You want to tag along?" Kade interrupted, his tone flat.

The man with the crowbar nodded quickly. "Please. We'll help. We can fight."

Kade's gaze lingered on the group. Most of them looked terrified, their weapons gripped with desperation. But a few, like the man with the crowbar and the woman with the rifle, had a spark of determination that gave him pause.

Julia glanced at Kade, her expression unreadable. "You're not seriously considering—"

"They can follow if they want," Kade said, cutting her off. "But I'm not babysitting. They keep up, or they don't."

The survivors exchanged uncertain glances before nodding. "Thank you," the man said, his voice trembling with relief.

Kade turned away without another word, leading the group deeper into the city. Julia stayed close, her rapier still in hand.

As they walked, the streets grew narrower, the debris more concentrated. Kade's mind drifted to the metallic crystals he'd pried from the monster's corpse earlier. When he'd been on its back, they'd felt solid and sharp, almost like tempered steel. The thought that they might be useful gnawed at the edge of his mind. The core, too—it was heavier, darker, and more potent than the smaller ones he'd taken before. What the hell am I supposed to do with this stuff? he thought, his jaw tightening.

The group moved cautiously, weaving through alleys and shattered streets. Bodies littered the ground—some human, some monstrous, all lifeless. The survivors avoided looking at them, their eyes fixed on Kade and Julia as if the pair were their last hope.

A sudden roar broke the tense silence, reverberating through the air like a signal. Kade froze, his body instinctively shifting into a defensive stance.

"Keep quiet," he hissed, motioning for the group to press against the walls of the alley.

The roar was followed by the sound of heavy footsteps, growing louder with each passing second. The roar and loud footsteps eerily resembled the previous larger wretch Kade had fought. He didn't have the strength to go through that again. Kade's heart pounded as he scanned the area. Whatever was coming, it wasn't alone.

The subway entrance loomed ahead, its metal railing slick with blood. Kade gestured for the group to follow, his movements quick but controlled. They descended the steps into the dark, the air growing colder and more oppressive with each step.

The tunnel was a maze of shadows and faintly glowing lights. Water dripped from the ceiling, and the hum of distant machinery added to the eerie atmosphere. Kade's senses were on high alert, every sound amplified by the tension coursing through him.

Then, it happened.

A Wretch lunged from the darkness, its malformed body a grotesque blend of sinew and crystalline growths. Kade reacted instantly, grabbing a metal spike he'd wrapped in cloth from his pack. He drove it into the creature's chest, the impact sending a jolt up his arm.

"Move!" he barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.

Julia was already in motion, her rapier flashing as she struck down another Wretch that had appeared from the shadows. The survivors hesitated for a moment before rallying, their makeshift weapons swinging wildly.

The fight was brutal and chaotic. Kade ducked and weaved, his enhanced reflexes keeping him one step ahead of the Wretches' attacks. He stabbed, twisted, and struck with the improvised weapon, each movement calculated to maximize damage.

Julia backed into a narrow section of the tunnel, her mind racing as she remembered the long, narrow center stage she'd once competed on. The memory was sharp and painful, a reminder of her father's relentless coaching and the pressure to succeed. She shook it off, her focus snapping back to the present. The alleyway gave her the advantage she needed, forcing the Wretches to come at her one at a time.

The survivors fought with desperation, but the tide of monsters was relentless. One of them—a young man with the rebar—was tackled by a Wretch and dragged into the shadows. His screams echoed briefly before falling silent after he had let out a final scream.

Kade glanced toward Julia and saw her rapier bend under the strain of repeated strikes. She faltered, her movements slowing as exhaustion set in.

"Damn it," Kade muttered.

He surged forward, driving his spike into the side of a Wretch that had cornered her. The creature let out a strangled cry before collapsing. Kade grabbed Julia's arm, pulling her back as another Wretch lunged toward them.

"Your sword's useless now," he said, his voice tight.

Julia didn't argue, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

The fight dragged on, and their numbers thinned as more survivors fell. An older woman, desperate and panicked, hurled her knife at a Wretch before turning to flee, her frantic movements only drawing more attention. The creatures, driven by their primal instincts, immediately zeroed in on her, sensing weakness like predators on prey. Kade, refusing to let the chaos overwhelm them, tossed the metal spike he'd been using to Julia, who caught it without hesitation. Armed with a sturdier weapon, she fought on, her movements sharper and more precise, though exhaustion was clearly setting in.

Kade, on the other hand, fought with a rough, unpolished style, one built purely on instinct and years of dodging trouble rather than any formal training. His movements were raw and wild, each dodge narrowly evading claws and each counterattack delivered with brutal efficiency. There was no finesse, no elegance—only a primal drive to survive and kill whatever stood in his way. Yet, in the chaos, his raw instinct proved invaluable, his reflexes honed by necessity and desperation. Each swing of his fists or kick to a Wretch's legs was precise in its brutality, every action fueled by the understanding that hesitation meant death.

Julia glanced at him briefly, catching the rough edges of his movements, and tightened her grip on the spike. Armed with his improvised weapon, she pushed forward with renewed focus, knowing Kade's reckless determination was the only reason they still stood a chance. Together, their attacks carved through the Wretches, a chaotic yet strangely effective rhythm forming between them.

Finally, the last Wretch fell, its body crumpling to the ground with a sickening thud.

The tunnel fell silent, save for the labored breathing of the remaining survivors. Kade straightened, his body aching but his mind sharp. He glanced at Julia, who was leaning against the wall, her face pale but resolute.

"We need to keep moving," Kade said, his voice steady despite the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him.

Julia nodded, gripping the bent rapier tightly in her hand, its warped blade a testament to the battle they'd barely survived. "Yeah. Let's go."

As they turned to lead the remaining survivors deeper into the tunnel, a distant, cry for help was heard. It wasn't the cry of a monster—it was human. Kade's eyes darted back toward the direction of the fight they'd left behind, where the man with the crowbar had been dragged off earlier.

Kade didn't respond immediately, his jaw tightening as a faint sound echoed through the tunnel—a scraping, uneven rhythm that rattled in the empty space. His eyes narrowed, scanning the dim light spilling in from the fires above. Then, emerging from the shadows, the man who had been dragged away—his mangled leg dragging behind him—staggered forward, leaning heavily on his bloodied crowbar. His face was pale, streaked with dirt and blood, but his voice, though weak, carried through the silence: "Don't leave me," he gasped, his words raw with pain.

For a moment, the tunnel was frozen in collective disbelief, and then the group reacted as one. A gasp rippled through the survivors, some breaking into cheers at the sight of the man still standing, defying what had seemed like certain death. His daughter, her eyes wide with shock and relief, let out a choked cry and bolted toward him. She threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest as he dropped his crowbar to hold her close. The scene felt surreal, a small, fleeting triumph in the midst of the unrelenting chaos.

Kade watched silently, his expression unreadable. He didn't cheer with the others, but a flicker of something softer passed across his face before he turned away, muttering under his breath, "Tough bastard." The moment was brief, the respite short-lived, but for those few seconds, hope felt tangible.

Together, they pressed forward, leading the battered group toward the parking garage looming ahead. Its dim light spilled faintly into the tunnel, a beacon in the oppressive darkness. The survivors shuffled behind them, their steps heavy but purposeful. Each step forward felt like a victory, however small. They were still alive. For now, that was enough.