The figures at the mouth of the alley didn't rush them. They stood in the shadows, watching, heads tilted as if curious. Their bodies twitched with strange jerks, like puppets half controlled. The light of the moon caught their teeth, their claws, their eyes that burned with something more than mindless hunger.
Ayla's breath came fast. She felt Kade tense beside her, his knife gripped so tight his knuckles went pale. The girl pressed into his side, silent now, too terrified even to cry.
The stranger stood perfectly still, blade lowered but ready. His gaze never left the man on the rooftop.
The man watched them like a wolf studying trapped prey. His smile grew wider as the creatures below shifted forward, one careful step at a time, as if savoring the moment.
Ayla's heart pounded so loud it filled her ears.
"We run on my word," the stranger said, voice quiet but firm.
Kade nodded once, his eyes locked on the enemy ahead.
The creatures crept closer, their movements smooth now, inhuman. The alley felt narrower, the walls closing in.
Then the man on the roof raised his hand, fingers splayed.
The creatures lunged.
"Now!" the stranger barked.
They ran.
Ayla pushed the pain in her shoulder aside, feet pounding the cracked pavement, breath ragged in her throat. The alley twisted and turned, the creatures fast behind them, their snarls filling the night.
The stranger led the way, weaving through broken fences and piles of garbage. Kade stayed at Ayla's side, pulling the girl along, his free hand ready with the blade.
The city blurred around them, a maze of ruined buildings and flickering streetlights.
A scream rang out somewhere ahead, high and sharp.
The stranger didn't slow.
They burst into a wider street, empty except for overturned cars and scattered debris. The moon painted everything silver and cold.
The creatures spilled from the alleys behind them, faster now, hungry and eager.
"There!" the stranger shouted, pointing to a bus half collapsed against a building.
The front doors hung open, the windows shattered.
They sprinted for it.
Ayla stumbled on loose rubble, but Kade caught her, hauling her upright without breaking stride.
They reached the bus and climbed inside, slamming the doors shut behind them.
The stranger jammed a piece of pipe through the handles to hold them closed.
The creatures hit the sides of the bus almost at once, their bodies slamming into the metal, rocking it with the force.
Inside, the air smelled of rust and old fuel. The seats were torn, the floor littered with broken glass and dirt.
The stranger moved to the back, checking the emergency exit. It was blocked by the wreck of another car, no way through.
"We're trapped," Kade said, voice tight.
The stranger didn't argue.
The bus rocked again as the creatures clawed at the doors, teeth snapping, hands smearing the glass with blood.
Ayla leaned against a seat, chest heaving, the burn of her shoulder worse now, making her lightheaded.
"They won't stop," she said.
"No," the stranger agreed. "But they can't get in easily. That buys us a little time."
Outside, the man on the rooftop had moved closer. He stood on the hood of a car now, watching through the broken windshield. His grin hadn't faded.
He raised his hand again, and the creatures went still.
Ayla felt the weight of his gaze, heavy as chains.
"What is he?" she whispered.
The stranger didn't take his eyes off the man.
"Something we thought couldn't exist anymore."
The man stepped off the car and onto the ground. The creatures parted to let him pass.
He walked toward the bus, slow, deliberate, as if nothing in the world could stop him.
He reached the door and placed a hand against the glass, his fingers leaving dark smears.
And then he leaned close, so close Ayla could see the madness in his eyes.
"Come out," he said, voice soft enough they could hear it through the glass. "Or I'll drag you out."
The pipe holding the doors rattled under his touch.
Ayla's pulse hammered in her throat.
The stranger drew his blade again, eyes sharp, waiting.
The pipe groaned as the man began to force the doors apart with his bare hands.