The city loomed ahead like a graveyard of steel and silence. Crumbling skyscrapers pierced the sky, their windows shattered, their bones exposed.
Vines crept up their sides like veins, and the streets below were littered with rusted cars, broken signs, and the remnants of a world that had stopped breathing years ago.
Mallory's team moved cautiously through the ruins—Mallory at point, Lynx just behind her, Dread watching their flank, and Ashe bringing up the rear with his axe slung over his shoulder.
They had chosen to go deeper into the city, where the Hollows were thickest. It was a risk, but Mallory had insisted.
"If the Council's looking for the cure," she had said, "they're not going to find it in the woods."
The others had agreed. Even Ashe, who usually had a joke for everything, had gone quiet.
They stopped in the shadow of a collapsed overpass, the air thick with dust and the faint, sour scent of Hollow trails. Mallory crouched behind a rusted car, scanning the street ahead.
"We're close to the old biotech district," she whispered. "If the cure exists, it's probably in one of the research labs."
Dread nodded. "Then we keep moving."
But Lynx didn't move. She looked at Mallory, then at the others.
"They deserve to know," she said.
Mallory hesitated, then sighed. "Back at the Halls… the night before the evaluations. Lynx and I snuck into the restricted wing. We overheard the Council."
Dread's eyes narrowed. "What did they say?"
"They're not just sending us out here to kill Hollows," Mallory said. "They're looking for the cure. And they don't plan to share it. Not with the rest of the survivors. Not even with us."
Ashe blinked. "Wait, what? So we're just… disposable?"
"They called us Offerings for a reason," Lynx said coldly.
Dread looked down . "They're planning to let us get the cure for them then kill us once we're done."
Silence fell over the group.
Then Mallory spoke. "So we find the cure. And we keep it safe. For the others. Not for them."
Lynx nodded. "Exactly."
Ashe cracked his knuckles. "Alright then. Let's go steal a miracle."
They moved deeper into the city, weaving through alleyways and shattered storefronts. The deeper they went, the more signs of Hollow activity they found—claw marks on walls, blood trails, the occasional twisted skeleton.
Then the air changed.
Mallory froze, raising a hand.
"Do you smell that?" she whispered.
It was stronger now—that sour, metallic scent. But it wasn't just a Hollow.
It was huge.
And something else.
A low rumble echoed through the ground, like distant thunder. The buildings around them trembled slightly.
Then they saw it.
At the end of the street, emerging from the shadows of a collapsed tower, was a Hollow unlike any they had seen before.
It was massive—easily three times the size of a normal Hollow. Its limbs were longer, more muscular, its skin stretched tight over bone and sinew. Its head twitched erratically, nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air.
It hadn't seen them yet.
But it would.
Mallory's breath caught in her throat. "That's not just a Hollow."
Dread's grip tightened on his swords. "That's something else."
Ashe's grin returned, but it was thinner now. "Well… guess we found the boss level."
Lynx stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "We can't fight that. Not here. Not now."
Mallory nodded. "We need to move. Quietly. Fast."
But the creature's head snapped toward them.
It had caught their scent.
The massive Hollow's head jerked toward them, nostrils flaring, its grotesque limbs twitching with anticipation. Mallory's heart pounded in her chest as she raised a hand, signaling the others to freeze.
"Don't move," she whispered. "It's tracking by scent. If we stay still, we might—"
The creature let out a low, guttural hiss that vibrated through the air like a warning bell. Then it began to move—slowly, deliberately—its long limbs scraping against the cracked pavement as it stalked forward.
They ducked behind a collapsed bus, breath held, weapons drawn but useless in the face of something so massive. The Hollow's scenting tendrils twitched in the air, sweeping side to side like antennae.
Then, from the far end of the street, came the sound of footsteps.
Fast. Panicked.
Another group of Offerings—four of them—burst into view, running straight into the Hollow's path. One of them, a boy with a spear, skidded to a stop.
"Get back!" he shouted to his team. "It's one of the big ones!"
But it was too late.
The Hollow lunged.
It moved with terrifying speed, its limbs stretching unnaturally as it slammed into the group. The boy with the spear was the first to fall, his body crushed beneath a single blow. Another tried to run, but the Hollow's clawed arm lashed out, slicing her cleanly in half.
Mallory's team watched in horror, frozen behind the wreckage.
"No…" Lynx whispered, her voice trembling.
The last two Offerings fought back—one with a pair of electrified batons, the other with a short sword—but their strikes barely scratched the creature's hide. The Hollow grabbed one by the leg and slammed him into a wall with a sickening crunch. The final Offering screamed as the creature descended on him, tearing him apart in seconds.
Then, silence.
The Hollow stood in the middle of the street, blood dripping from its claws, its head twitching as it sniffed the air again.
Mallory's fists clenched around her crossbow.
"They were just kids," Ashe said quietly, his usual grin gone. "They didn't even have a chance."
Dread's jaw tightened. "We can't let that thing keep hunting."
Lynx looked at Mallory. "We go after it. We end it."
Mallory nodded, her voice cold and steady. "We do it together. We use everything we've got. We fight smart."
Ashe cracked his neck. "Now that's more like it."
They moved quickly, silently, circling around the Hollow as it began to retreat into the ruins. Mallory climbed onto a nearby rooftop, crossbow ready.
Lynx took to the shadows, daggers drawn, her ears tuned to every movement. Dread crouched low behind a wrecked car, his fingers pressed to the ground, reading the vibrations. Ashe stood in the open, bait.
"Hey, ugly!" he shouted. "You missed a few!"
The Hollow turned, snarling, and charged.
Ashe waited until the last second, then dove aside as Mallory fired a bolt into its shoulder. It roared, spinning toward the rooftop—but Lynx was already there, leaping from the shadows to slash at its exposed flank.
Dread moved in next, his swords flashing as he struck at the creature's legs, forcing it to stumble. Every movement was calculated, precise—he could feel the Hollow's weight shifting, its muscles tensing before it struck.
Mallory reloaded and fired again, this time hitting the scent gland just below its jaw. The Hollow shrieked, staggering.
Ashe charged in, swinging his axe with a roar. The blade bit deep into the creature's side, and for the first time, it bled.
The Hollow lashed out wildly, but the team moved as one—dodging, striking, retreating, and attacking again. They weren't just fighting.
They were hunting.
And this time, they weren't the prey.
The final blow came from Dread, who leapt onto the creature's back and drove both swords into the base of its skull. The Hollow convulsed, let out a final, gurgling screech, and collapsed.
Silence returned.
The four of them stood over the body, bloodied, bruised, but alive.
Mallory looked at the remains of the other team, her jaw tight. "We do this for them. For all of them."
Lynx nodded. "And we find that cure. No matter what it takes."
Ashe wiped blood from his face and gave a tired grin. "Well… that was fun. Who's up for round two?"
Dread didn't smile, but his voice was steady. "Next time, we strike first."
They turned away from the carnage, deeper into the city, where more secrets—and more monsters—waited.
But now, they were more than just survivors.
They were a team.
And they had a mission.