the endless night
The night air was thick with the stench of rot and decay. Ethan's boots pounded against the cracked concrete as he sprinted across the rooftop, every muscle in his body screaming in protest.
Behind him, the city was alive with horror.
The screech from the broken sphere had unleashed something far worse than just a few creatures—it had called an entire swarm.
Ethan risked a glance back.
What he saw made his stomach twist.
Mutants flooded the streets below.
They moved with inhuman speed, clawing over wreckage, their grotesque bodies illuminated by the dim, flickering streetlights. Some crawled on all fours, their limbs unnaturally elongated. Others lurched with sickening spasms, their bodies twisted beyond recognition.
And worse—some of them were climbing.
Their fingers dug into the walls of buildings, their deformed faces twisted with hunger. They were chasing him.
"Goddamn it," Ethan hissed, forcing himself to move faster.
He could feel his lungs burning, his body on the verge of collapse, but there was no time to stop. Stopping meant death.
The fire escape rattled beneath his weight as he slid down another level, landing hard on a rusted balcony. From here, he could see the streets below—
A complete warzone.
Cars lay overturned, their metal frames twisted and melted like something had chewed through them. The sidewalks were covered in gore, the remnants of people who hadn't been fast enough. And then there were the sinkholes—gaping, endless voids in the earth that had swallowed entire buildings.
The city was collapsing.
And Ethan was stuck in the middle of it.
A Fight for Survival
Ethan reached the edge of the building, scanning for a way down. The streets were packed with mutants, and the nearest alleyway was completely blocked. He needed an alternate route.
His eyes darted toward a nearby power line stretching between two buildings.
"…That could work."
With no time to second-guess himself, Ethan took a deep breath—and jumped.
For a split second, he was airborne. The wind rushed past him, his fingers outstretched—
He grabbed the power line.
Pain shot through his arms as he swung forward, his momentum carrying him toward the next rooftop. He braced himself, releasing at the last second and rolling onto the rooftop with a grunt.
No time to rest.
The mutants had seen him.
They shrieked in rage, their eyes glowing in the darkness. Some had already leapt from the streets below, their twisted bodies slamming into the walls of the buildings.
Ethan kept moving.
He sprinted across the rooftop and leapt onto an adjacent fire escape, gripping the railing as he slid down. He landed in a narrow alleyway—temporarily out of sight.
But he wasn't alone.
A low, wet growl echoed from the darkness.
Ethan's fingers tightened around his hunting knives.
From the shadows, a new creature emerged.
This one was different.
It was taller—seven feet at least—its body covered in patches of decayed flesh and exposed bone. Its eyes were deep, sunken pits, glowing faintly with an unnatural light. Its mouth was filled with jagged, uneven teeth, and black ichor dripped from its claws.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"…You're new."
The mutant snarled—and then it lunged.
Ethan dodged to the side, slashing upward. His knife carved through flesh, sending black blood spraying across the alley walls.
The creature didn't flinch.
It spun, its elongated arm swinging toward Ethan's skull.
He barely ducked in time.
The force of the attack shattered the brick wall behind him.
Too strong. Too fast.
This wasn't a mindless monster—it was something else.
Ethan's mind raced. He couldn't overpower it. He had to outthink it.
His eyes flickered to his surroundings. The alley was tight, enclosed—which meant limited movement for something this size.
"Alright, big guy," he muttered. "Let's see how well you move."
He backpedaled, leading the creature deeper into the alley.
The mutant chased after him, its movements erratic but incredibly fast.
Ethan counted the steps—one, two, three—then dropped low.
The creature lunged, but the moment it did, Ethan rolled to the side.
CRASH!
The mutant slammed headfirst into a dumpster, momentarily stunned.
Ethan didn't hesitate.
He lunged, driving both knives into its neck.
The creature twitched violently—then fell limp.
Ethan panted, his body trembling.
"Not so tough, huh?"
But then—it happened again.
A small, black sphere rolled from the corpse.
It cracked open.
A low, unearthly whisper seeped from within.
And then—
SCREEEEEEEEEECH!
The city came alive with the sound of thousands of voices responding.
Ethan's heart dropped.
He turned his gaze upward—
And saw them.
On the rooftops. Crawling down the sides of buildings. Pouring from the sinkholes.
They were coming.
Hundreds. Thousands.
They had heard the call.
A City Swallowed by Darkness
Ethan took off running.
He dashed through the alley, skidding onto the main street—only to see the horde closing in from both sides.
His mind raced. No weapons. No time. No way out.
Then—his eyes landed on something.
A motorcycle—partially buried under debris, but intact.
It was a gamble, but right now, he had no choice.
Ethan sprinted toward it, vaulting over a crushed car and yanking the bike upright. He hit the ignition—
The engine roared to life.
The mutants screamed in response.
Ethan twisted the throttle—and the bike shot forward.
He navigated the ruined streets, weaving through abandoned cars, dodging grasping claws. The horde chased him relentlessly, their forms flickering in the rearview mirror.
He wasn't safe.
Not yet.
The city was collapsing.
And he had to find a way out.