Nox watched from the classroom doorway as Ava ran down the hallway, the dog creature snapping at her heels. She was pretty fast for someone who probably never ran outside of gym class. The monster was faster though, gaining ground with every stride.
He could have just gone back to hunting monsters on his own. That would have been the smart move. But watching someone who had spent years ignoring his suffering now scramble for her own life? That was entertainment he couldn't pass up. Not good enough to actually help her, but definitely good enough to follow and see what happened.
He kept his distance, moving quietly from one wrecked classroom to another. The hallways were a disaster zone anyway, so it was easy to stay hidden behind overturned lockers and piles of broken desks. The earthquake had really done a number on the place.
"Help me!" she screamed as she ran past a row of classrooms. "Please, someone help me!"
A couple of doors were still closed, probably with people hiding inside. None of them opened. Smart choice, really. Why risk your neck for someone else when those things were running around? That was the kind of thinking that kept you alive.
Nox almost laughed out loud. 'So that's what it feels like to scream for help and get nothing back.' The irony was perfect. How many times had he asked for help, even just with his eyes, and gotten nothing? Now she knew what that felt like.
The dog was definitely gaining on her. It was one of the smaller ones, but still way bigger than any normal dog. Its mouth hung open, thick drool dripping onto the floor, and those oversized teeth looked ready to tear into something soft and screaming.
Ava turned another corner, and Nox heard her footsteps change, turning from a steady run into a desperate scramble. He quickened his own pace, peering around the corner to see what was happening.
She'd run herself into a dead end. The hallway just stopped at a wall where they'd been doing construction work before everything went to hell. Plastic sheets hung from the ceiling, and tools were scattered everywhere, but there was no way out. No doors, no windows, nothing.
She spun around just as the dog creature rounded the corner behind her. She was trapped, caught between the wall and the monster, breathing hard and looking around desperately for an escape that just wasn't there.
"Stay back," she said to the creature, holding her hands out like that would somehow stop it. "Just... stay back."
The dog tilted its massive head at her voice, then started moving forward, slow and confident now. It knew she had nowhere to go. It could take its sweet time, savor the moment before the kill.
Nox settled in to watch. This was about to get interesting. Either she'd figure out those fire powers fast, or she'd become dog food. Either way, it would be worth watching.
Ava backed up until her shoulders hit the wall. The plastic construction sheets rustled behind her as she pressed against them. The monster was maybe ten feet away now, still coming at that slow, predatory pace that predators used when they knew their prey was cornered.
"Please," she whispered, the word barely audible from where Nox was watching. "Please, I don't want to die like this."
The creature was done playing with its food. It crouched down, muscles bunching under its diseased fur, then lunged straight at her.
And that's when something weird happened.
She threw her hands up in front of her face in pure instinct, and suddenly there was this red glow all around her. Not just a little flicker either. Her whole body was surrounded by a red aura that pulsed like a heartbeat, like something alive was wrapped around her.
"What the hell?" Nox muttered under his breath, leaning out a little more to get a better look.
The dog was still in mid-air when Ava thrust her hands forward. A stream of red fire shot out from her palms, hitting the creature dead center. The fire wasn't normal. It was too red, too thick, moving like liquid flame. The thing didn't even have time to yelp. It was just completely engulfed in that weird fire.
The flames burned way too hot and way too fast. In maybe two seconds, three at most, the monster was nothing but a pile of smoldering ash on the floor. The smell hit him a second later, like burnt hair and charcoal mixed together.
She just stood there, staring at her hands like they'd betrayed her. The red aura around her flickered a few times, pulsing weaker with each beat, then vanished completely.
"Did I just do that?" she said out loud, her voice shaky and confused. "What the fuck did I just do?"
Nox stepped out from behind his hiding spot, letting out a low whistle. "Well, well. Looks like I'm not the only one who got some upgrades."
Ava spun around when she heard his voice. Her face went through about five different expressions in two seconds. Surprise first, then anger, a little bit of relief, and then right back to pure rage.
She stomped over to him, her fists clenched at her sides, little wisps of red still dancing between her fingers. "You fucking asshole. You followed me this whole time and didn't help?"
"Pretty much, yeah." He was still looking at the pile of ash where the monster used to be. The floor was actually scorched in a perfect circle around it. "That was some impressive fire action, by the way. Where did that come from?"
"Don't you dare change the subject." She got right up in his face, close enough that he could see the red flecks in her brown eyes that he'd never noticed before. "I could have died back there, and you just watched like it was some kind of show."
"It was a show," he said, finally looking directly at her. "A pretty good one, too. Better than anything on TV these days."
She looked like she was about two seconds away from punching him in the face. Her hands were actually starting to glow red again. "Are you completely psychotic? What is wrong with you?"
"Lots of things, probably." He shrugged, completely unbothered by her anger. "But right now, I'm more interested in how you just shot fire out of your hands. Did you get one of those blue screen things, too?"
She blinked at him, the anger on her face fading into confusion. The red glow around her hands dimmed. "Blue screen things? What are you talking about?"
"The system messages. The stats and skills and all that game stuff." He studied her face, looking for any sign of recognition. "You really don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"
"I have no idea what you're saying." She held up her hands and stared at them again, turning them over like she was looking for an on/off switch. "I was about to die, and then... this happened. I don't know how or why. It just happened."
'That's interesting.' Nox frowned, thinking it through. 'I got my system right before the earthquake. Maybe other people are getting theirs at different times? Or maybe they're getting different versions? Or maybe mine is unique?'
"So you just manifested fire powers out of nowhere?" he asked, genuinely curious now.
"I guess so." She looked lost and scared, her earlier anger completely gone. "This is all so fucked up. First those monsters show up, then the school gets destroyed by an earthquake, and now I'm shooting fire like some kind of superhero. None of this makes any sense."
"Welcome to the new world," he said with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Where nothing makes sense and everything wants to kill you."
"And you're enjoying this," she said. It wasn't a question.
"Hell yes, I am." His grin got wider, more genuine now. "For the first time in my life, I'm not the weakest person in the room. I can actually fight back instead of just taking whatever shit people throw at me. Do you have any idea what that feels like?"
"So your solution is to become a monster yourself?"
"My solution is to survive and have some fun while I'm doing it." He gestured at the ash pile. "Besides, you just killed something too. How did that feel?"
She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. He could see her thinking about it, really considering the question instead of just giving the expected answer.
"It felt good," she admitted quietly, looking down at her hands again. "It felt really good to not be helpless for once."
"There you go." He nodded, satisfied. "Now you're starting to get it."
"But that doesn't mean I have to be an asshole about it," she shot back, some of her fire returning. "I'm not going to leave people to die just because I have powers now."
"Your choice." He started walking back down the hallway, away from the dead end. "But don't expect everyone else to be as noble as you are. This world is going to chew up people like you and spit them out."
"Where are you going?" she called after him.
"Back to hunting." He didn't bother looking back. "Try not to burn the school down while you're playing with your new toy."
"Hey, wait for me, you jerk!"
He could hear her running to catch up, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. Having another powered person around might be useful, sure. But he wasn't about to start being nice just because she could shoot fire. She'd have to prove herself first.
And based on what he'd just seen, that might actually be pretty interesting to watch.