Rampager

Fifty years ago, the Great Rift tore open a veil between worlds, and thus a seemingly endless tide of monsters and a chaotic force later called dark energy surged into our realm. Monsters of all shape and form killed and corrupted anything they came across, humans, animals and plants alike.

Some monsters took the form of savage beasts that would rip humans to shreds. Some took the form of slithering tentacle like ribbons that would climb up trees, hills, mountainsides and killed swatches of plants and wildlife. In just days, the level of destruction was immeasurable. Before the awakening of the first mages, armies across the world mobilized against the monster onslaught, but manmade weapons would prove futile, only working on the weakest of the creatures. And the behemoths, some as big as 300 feet tall, seemed to be indestructible. Entire countries fell under this assault, it was not even five months before the world as humanity knew it looked completely different.

Most monsters were beasts running on instinct, crossing through rifts to hunt and feed. But occasionally, they possessed intelligence enough to manipulate dark energy themselves. And in the most horrifying cases, they could corrupt a human so thoroughly that the person essentially ceased to exist, the dark energy consuming them and taking control. 

Emma had seen the footage, of course, everyone had. Public service announcements warned constantly about the dangers of dark energy exposure, and the importance of making it to a Safehouse when there was an alert. A person corrupted would begin to transform physically. Tentacles might spring from their mouths or skin, their bones might twist and break as they contorted. But worst of all, they became violent killing machines, driven by an insatiable hunger.

At some point, officials had coined the term "rampage" for these incidents, and "rampager" for a human under the influence of dark energy corruption. There was nothing that could be done to save a person once they reached this point. Unlike mages that could be stabilized by conduits, everyday humans had no defense at all to dark energy. Once they were consumed, they needed to be executed to stop their rampage.

For as much as society had adapted to life with monsters, no one could get used to rampagers. There was something exceptionally cruel about them. It was one thing to be killed by a monster, but another entirely to become one.

The mood in the cafe shifted dramatically as the man outside began snarling and howling, his transformation into a rampager accelerating. Many people looked away, staring at the floor, giving their fellow citizen some dignity in his last awful moments.

Emma's eyes were fixed on the man, if he was still a man. Although this side of PortTown had many wealthy visitors, the the quality and condition of the man's suit suggested he was just an average citizen, perhaps a manager at a local business. As his body continued to convulse and contort, his hand shifted and a quick flash under the sunlight brought Emma's attention to what must have been a wedding ring. Emma's stomach felt like it was in knots. He had a partner evidentially, did he have kids? She wondered about her own father, and her mother, she tried not to think about how they might have died. But as she watched this man succumb further into rampage, she couldn't stop the thought that this is how it happened to them too. 

Suddenly, the floor began to shake slightly, bringing Emma briefly away from her thoughts. In the distance the rumbling and humming of what sounded like large vehicles approaching could be heard. 

 "Someone's here! Finally!" Someone in the back called out.

The sound of heavy vehicles grew louder. Soon one large, armored vehicle pulled up, then a second, a third, a fourth. The doors swung open, and men and women spilled out, carrying weapons and various equipment. They were of various ranks notable by their different styled uniforms, some were grey utility overalls, some wore suits with pinned medals on the breasts. All the uniforms quickly identified them as members of Defense. 

From what Emma could see, it looked like Rank One mages, conduits, and cleanup crews had arrived. They created a perimeter around the two monsters and the rampager, pointing their weapons but not firing.

The crowd in the cafe watched, expecting the soldiers to start shooting at any moment, but they held their positions.

More rumbling could be heard and eventually another truck appeared in the distance, behind one of the armored vehicles. Out came what looked like a camera crew.

Melly grabbed Emma's hand and started squeezing it. She had noticed the camera crew too.

"You don't think...?" she leaned bending over and whispered into Emma's ear.

"Could it be...?" Melly continued. Her squeeze on Emma's hand tightened, and Melly rolled her lips inwards in an attempt to suppress her smile. 

As if providing the answer, the rumbling of a massive silver armored truck pulling up to the site drowned out all other sounds. It was larger than any of the other vehicles present.

Melly crouched further down now next to Emma to see through the gap better, she squeezed Emma's hand tighter. "Oh my God... I think that's..." Her sentence drifted off.

The armored car door swung open and one by one; five mages emerged. Their uniforms were neater then the other mages already on site, more theatrical, with various silver and chrome pieces adorning their gear. Guns were strapped to their backs and sides, daggers on their hips. There were three men and two women, and they confidently walked past the camera crew toward the monsters.

The formally terrorized patrons were now buzzing with an excited energy. Their heroes were here.

"It is!" Melly whisper-shouted, leaning her body into Emma's. 

"It's Team Steel!"