Chapter 13

The mortuary in Redwood was a place of quiet solemnity, a sanctuary for the dead and those who tended to them. But on this particular day, the air was thick with an unnatural tension, a foreboding that clung to the walls like a shroud. The staff moved with hurried steps, their faces pale and drawn, as the influx of bodies from the recent UFO explosion had turned their workplace into a chaotic hive of activity. The dead arrived in droves, each one a grim reminder of the catastrophe that had befallen the town. Among them, one body stood out—a charred, calcified figure, its chest glowing faintly, as if harboring a secret too terrible to comprehend.

The body lay in its locker, silent and still, but beneath its rocky surface, something stirred. The cracks that marred its form deepened, spreading like veins across its ashen skin. The locker, once cold and unyielding, began to emit tendrils of smoke, curling upward like ghostly fingers. The air grew heavy, the scent of burning metal and sulfur filling the room. And then, a sound—a low, guttural groan that seemed to emanate from the very depths of the earth.

The corpse twitched, its limbs jerking as if pulled by invisible strings. The cracks in its body widened, and from within, molten lava began to seep, dripping onto the metal surface below. The heat was unbearable, warping the locker's walls and melting the hinges. The creature—for it was no longer a man—raised its head, its hollow eye sockets glowing with an infernal light. Where eyes should have been, there were only gaping voids, pouring forth rivers of molten rock.

It moved with a jerky, uncoordinated motion, as if relearning how to control its body. The creature's groans grew louder, more desperate, echoing through the mortuary like a mournful wail. It thrashed against the confines of the locker, its rocky fists pounding against the metal walls. Each strike left a dent, the metal bending and melting under the sheer force and heat. The creature's distress was palpable, a primal need to escape driving its every movement.

The smoke thickened, filling the room and spilling out into the hallway. The morticians, already on edge from the day's events, noticed the haze and sprang into action. One of them, a woman with a fire extinguisher in hand, rushed toward the source, her heart pounding in her chest. She pushed open the door to the locker room, her eyes widening in horror at the scene before her.

The creature was on its feet now, its grotesque form fully revealed. Its body was a patchwork of charred rock and molten lava, its movements slow but deliberate. It turned its head toward her, the lava-filled voids where its eyes should have been locking onto her with an intensity that made her blood run cold. She screamed, the sound piercing the air as she unleashed a torrent of carbon dioxide from the extinguisher.

The creature recoiled, the cold spray hitting its molten form and causing the lava to harden momentarily. But the relief was short-lived. The creature roared, a sound so deep and guttural it seemed to shake the very foundations of the building. It lunged at her, its massive hand closing around her head with terrifying ease. The heat was instantaneous, her hair igniting and her skin blistering as the creature's molten grip seared through flesh and bone. Her screams were cut short, muffled by the creature's hand as it reduced her to little more than a charred husk. It dropped her lifeless body to the floor, the impact causing her skull to shatter like brittle clay.

The sound of the struggle drew more morticians to the scene, their faces a mixture of fear and disbelief. They froze in the doorway, their minds struggling to process the nightmare before them. The creature turned its gaze on them, its molten eyes burning with an otherworldly rage. It roared again, the force of the sound sending two of the morticians flying backward. One crashed into a desk, the impact crushing his spine, while the other was impaled on the jagged edge of the doorframe, his body nearly severed in two.

Panic erupted as the remaining staff scrambled to escape, their screams echoing through the halls. The creature moved with terrifying speed, its massive fists reducing walls to rubble with a single swing. It was chaos, pure and unrelenting. The mortuary, once a place of order and respect, was now a scene of utter devastation.

The creature crushed one mortician underfoot, the man's body collapsing like a sack of bones. Another met a gruesome end as the creature spewed a torrent of molten lava from its mouth, the searing liquid engulfing him in an instant. The building itself seemed to tremble under the creature's wrath, its structural integrity failing as walls crumbled and ceilings collapsed.

Finally, the creature burst through the mortuary's front entrance, its molten form glowing like a beacon in the daylight. It roared again, the sound carrying across the town, a declaration of its presence. As it charged forward, a figure watched from atop a nearby building, his dark grey suit blending seamlessly with the shadows. His mask obscured his face, but his eyes—enhanced by contact lenses that zoomed in on the creature—tracked its every movement with cold precision. He stood still, a silent observer, as the creature's rampage continued unabated, the town of Redwood descending into chaos around him.

The man in the dark grey suit moved with the precision of a predator, his boots barely making a sound as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. His parkour skills were refined, honed through years of training and countless encounters with the unnatural. Below him, the streets of Redwood City buzzed with oblivious life. Civilians went about their day, unaware of the molten terror charging toward them. The vigilante's eyes, hidden behind a mask and enhanced by high-tech contact lenses, remained locked on the lava creature as it barreled through the city, leaving destruction in its wake.

The creature was a force of nature, its rocky form glowing with molten heat. It flipped cars like toys, sending them crashing into storefronts and sidewalks. Lava spewed from its mouth, splattering across the asphalt and igniting everything it touched. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning rubber and melting metal. Panic began to ripple through the crowd as people finally noticed the monster in their midst. Screams filled the air, and the streets became a chaotic scramble for safety.

The vigilante moved swiftly, his movements fluid and calculated. He leapt from one rooftop to another, his grappling hook ready at his side. As the creature roared, a triangular boomerang with a sleek "G" engraved on its surface whizzed through the air, striking the creature's chest before exploding in a burst of light and sound. The explosion wasn't massive, but it was enough to momentarily stun the creature, causing it to stumble back a step. It roared again, this time in irritation and anger, its molten eyes scanning the area for the source of the attack.

The vigilante didn't wait for the smoke to clear. He leapt from the rooftop, his grappling hook firing with a mechanical hiss. The cable snapped taut, slowing his descent as he landed on the roof of a car, the metal denting under his weight. He stood tall, the dark "G" on his chest gleaming in the sunlight. His voice was calm but laced with curiosity as he addressed the creature.

"Haven't seen you around before," he said, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. "What are you?"

The creature responded with a guttural roar, its voice muffled by the lava bubbling in its throat. The vigilante tilted his head, trying to decipher the sounds, but they were incoherent, more animalistic than human. Before he could react further, the creature bent down, its massive hands gripping the frame of a nearby car. With a grunt, it hurled the vehicle toward him.

The vigilante moved with lightning speed, executing a flawless side flip that carried him out of the car's trajectory. He landed gracefully on the ground, his boots scraping against the asphalt as he straightened. "Senseless violence," he muttered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "What a plan."

The creature wasn't amused. It opened its mouth, and a thick stream of lava erupted from its throat, aimed directly at the vigilante. He dove to the side, the molten rock narrowly missing him as it splattered against the ground, sizzling and smoking. He rolled to his feet and began running, the creature's lava blasts following him like a relentless flamethrower.

"He's made of rock and lava," the vigilante muttered to himself as he sprinted, his mind racing. "Getting too close is not an option."

The creature roared again, its frustration evident. It charged forward, its massive feet pounding against the pavement, leaving molten footprints in its wake. The vigilante fired his grappling hook, the cable latching onto a nearby building. With a sharp tug, he pulled himself into the air, landing in the middle of a deserted street just as police cars screeched to a halt nearby.

"Ahh, shit," the vigilante muttered under his breath as officers spilled out of their vehicles, weapons drawn. Their leader, a stern-faced man with a megaphone, barked orders.

"Stand down!" the officer yelled, his voice booming as he directed his command at the vigilante, as if *he* were the one causing the chaos.

Before the vigilante could respond, the creature burst onto the scene, its molten form glowing like a beacon of destruction. It roared, sending a stream of lava toward the vigilante, who barely managed to pull himself out of harm's way. The lava missed him but headed straight for the officers. They opened fire, their bullets ricocheting harmlessly off the creature's rocky exterior.

"It's bulletproof!" one of the officers shouted, his voice tinged with panic. They scrambled to get out of the way, but one officer was too slow, his movements sluggish with fear. The creature lunged toward him, its molten hand reaching out to strike.

The vigilante acted without hesitation. He fired his grappling hook, the sharp tip piercing through the officer's leg and yanking him out of harm's way just as the creature's hand came down. The officer screamed in pain as he hit the ground, but he was alive. The other officers turned their weapons on the vigilante, their faces twisted with anger and confusion.

"Put your weapons down!" their leader shouted, his voice trembling with rage.

"Really?" the vigilante shot back, his tone incredulous. He had just saved one of their own, and yet they still saw him as the enemy. The creature roared again, its attention now fully on the officers. It charged, its massive form barreling toward them with terrifying speed.

The vigilante didn't wait. He hurled another boomerang, the triangular weapon striking the creature's chest and exploding on impact. The creature stumbled, its focus shifting back to the vigilante. It roared, a deep, guttural sound that echoed through the streets.

"That's right," the vigilante whispered, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Follow me."

He turned and fired his grappling hook, the cable pulling him up and away from the scene. The creature gave chase, its molten form leaving a trail of destruction as it pursued him through the city. The vigilante led it toward an industrial area, where rows of containers and factory buildings loomed like silent sentinels.

"This ought to work," he thought as he landed on a rooftop, his eyes scanning the area below. The creature was close, its molten form glowing brighter as it closed the distance. The vigilante turned just in time to see a car hurtling toward him. He leapt off the roof, the car missing him by inches. He fired his grappling hook, but the metal surface it latched onto gave way, sending him tumbling to the ground.

He rolled to his feet, his body aching from the impact. The creature was already charging, its molten fists raised. The vigilante spotted a car door lying nearby, the remnants of the vehicle the creature had thrown at him. He grabbed it, holding it up like a shield just as the creature's fist came down. The force of the blow sent him flying, his body crashing through the door of a nearby container.

The creature roared in triumph, its molten form glowing with satisfaction. It turned to leave, convinced it had finally ended the vigilante's interference. But then, a whistle pierced the air, sharp and mocking. The creature froze, its molten eyes narrowing as it turned back toward the container.

The vigilante stepped out, his suit now covered in a thin layer of frost. Small shards of ice clung to his mask and shoulders, glinting in the sunlight. He stood tall, his breathing heavy but steady, a grin spreading across his face.

"Come and get me!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the industrial yard.

The creature roared, its molten form surging forward with renewed fury. The vigilante turned and kicked open the other side of the container, revealing rows of gas canisters inside. He leapt out just as the creature charged in, its molten body igniting the canisters in a massive explosion of white gas. The container shattered, not into flames, but into jagged spikes of ice that spread out in all directions.

The creature stumbled forward, its molten form now encased in a growing layer of ice. It took a few more steps before finally freezing in place, its outstretched hand mere inches from the vigilante. The man stood there, his chest rising and falling as he watched the creature's final moments. When it stopped moving entirely, he let out a slow breath, his shoulders relaxing.

"Liquid nitrogen," he said, his voice calm but tinged with satisfaction. "Knew it would work."

The sound of approaching sirens pulled him from his thoughts. He turned and fired his grappling hook, the cable pulling him up to the top of a nearby container. Below, the officers arrived, their faces a mix of awe and confusion as they surveyed the frozen creature and the wreckage around it. The vigilante watched them for a moment before turning and disappearing into the shadows, his work here done.