Their feet pounded the cracked streets as they fled. The woman led them through a tangle of alleys, her rifle slung across her back now as she moved like someone who knew every corner of this ruined city. The beast's roar echoed behind them, closer with every breath.
Ayla's legs burned, her shoulder throbbed with each step, but she didn't slow. Kade leaned on her, his weight heavy but familiar. The stranger kept pace, though blood stained his side where the beast's claws had torn him open.
They turned a corner and found themselves in a narrow lane choked with wreckage. The woman didn't hesitate. She climbed over a fallen wall, boots scraping stone, and dropped into the dark on the other side.
"Hurry," she called.
Ayla helped Kade up and over, then scrambled after him. The stranger followed last, landing hard but steady.
The alley beyond was darker, quieter for a moment.
"This way," the woman said, leading them deeper into the maze of the city.
They ran until their lungs burned and their legs felt like they might give out. The beast's roars faded, but Ayla didn't trust the quiet. She could still feel it, as if its shadow clung to them.
Finally the woman stopped beside a crumbling building.
"In here," she said.
She kicked open a rusted door, revealing a stairwell that led down into darkness. Without waiting, she started down, motioning for them to follow.
The stranger hesitated, eyeing the place with suspicion, but Ayla didn't care. They had no other choice.
They descended into the dark, the air growing cooler, heavy with the smell of damp stone and rust.
At the bottom, the woman led them into a wide chamber, part of some old underground shelter. The walls were cracked, the floor littered with debris, but it felt solid, safe for now.
The woman turned, pulling off the mask that hid her face. Her skin was scarred, her eyes sharp and watchful.
"You're lucky I was nearby," she said.
"Who are you?" Ayla asked, breathless.
"Name's Mara. I've been tracking that thing for days."
The stranger wiped blood from his mouth, eyeing her warily.
"Why help us?"
Mara gave him a thin smile.
"Because I hate that monster more than I hate strangers."
She moved to a battered crate and pulled out a ragged map, spreading it on the floor.
"You're in its territory now. That thing doesn't stop. You hurt it, you made it mad, and it won't rest until you're dead."
Kade sank to the ground, wincing as he touched his ribs.
"We noticed," he said dryly.
Mara glanced at him, then at Ayla.
"You're bleeding," she said, nodding to Ayla's shoulder.
"I've had worse," Ayla said, though her head swam and her arm felt like fire.
Mara knelt and dug through a battered pack, pulling out a small bottle and some strips of cloth.
"Sit. Let me see."
Ayla hesitated, but Kade gave her a look that said not to argue.
Mara worked fast, cleaning and wrapping the wound. The sting of the alcohol made Ayla grit her teeth, but she didn't flinch.
"You're lucky it didn't go deeper," Mara said.
The stranger watched all this in silence, his eyes never leaving the stairwell they had come down.
"The thing is still out there," he said quietly.
Mara nodded.
"It always is."
She rolled up the map and stood.
"There's a way out of the city. A tunnel the thing hasn't found yet. But it won't be easy to reach, and that bastard from before will be waiting. You crossed him too."
Ayla tensed.
"You know him?"
"I know his kind," Mara said. "And I know he won't stop either."
The ground above them shook with a distant roar. Dust rained down from the ceiling.
The beast was near again.
Mara grabbed her rifle.
"We move at dawn. Rest while you can."
But sleep didn't come. Ayla lay with her back against the cold wall, eyes open, listening to the night beyond. The stranger kept watch, sword across his knees. Kade sat with his head back, eyes closed but body tense.
And above them, the beast prowled, waiting, hunting, its breath a whisper in the dark.
A sound came from the far side of the shelter, soft but sharp, the scrape of stone on stone.
Mara raised her rifle, eyes narrowing.
"We're not alone down here either."