The creature's hiss faded, but the sharp sting in Coker's arm stayed, burning like a brand. His breath came heavy and uneven, lungs gasping for air he didn't feel. Every nerve was on fire — pain pulsing like a warning.
Behind him, the alley swallowed the fading screeches, but the shadows around him thickened, twisting like smoke caught in a sudden wind. From the black depths, more eyes appeared — glowing red, hungry, and cruel.
Coker's heart slammed inside his chest. The pounding echoed louder than the storm outside. His muscles screamed as he scrambled backward, every step slow and heavy on the slick, rain-soaked pavement. The deep cut on his side ached sharply, a raw reminder that he was fragile — still flesh and blood.
*"Run,"* the voice whispered inside his mind. *"Or die."*
But running was no longer an option. Not here, not now. The monsters were closing in, circling, their breath like cold steel on his skin, their sharp teeth glistening in the faint light. Their smell was a mixture of decay and iron — death itself wrapped in flesh.
Coker forced himself to stop. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath, tasting blood and rain. The strange black energy stirred again in his veins, coiling around his fingers like living fire. The power wanted release.
*"Use it,"* the voice urged.
The first creature lunged — swift and savage. Coker met it with everything he had, slashing with the shadow-claws that had become part of him. The creature screamed — a harsh, terrible sound — and collapsed in a puddle of black blood that hissed as it met the rain.
But the victory was brief. Two more monsters leaped at him from the shadows, teeth snapping dangerously close. Coker rolled to the side, feeling the sharp sting as one ripped through his jacket and grazed his neck. His blood spilled hot on the wet stones.
The voice inside roared louder now — commanding, fierce.
*"Fight. Kill. Survive."*
Coker's movements grew faster, stronger, fueled by pain and fury. His fists and claws moved in a deadly dance, each strike more precise, more brutal. Every blow drained from him a piece of the fear he'd carried all his life. Every cut he took was a step toward something darker, something powerful.
His breath ragged, heart pounding, he landed a heavy blow to a snarling beast, cracking ribs with a sickening crunch. The monster gasped, staggering, then collapsed.
More creatures closed in — never-ending waves from the shadows. Coker's vision blurred, muscles burning, but he fought on. The rain hammered down like a funeral drum, mixing with blood and sweat, painting the streets red and black.
His hands trembled, the shadows around his arms growing longer, sharper, more jagged. The power inside him was rising — hungry, wild. He could feel it clawing to escape.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him shuddered. A low rumble rolled through the alley, shaking bricks loose from the walls. The creatures froze, heads snapping toward the source.
A deep voice echoed through the darkness — cold, ancient.
*"Enough."*
From the far end of the alley, a figure appeared. Cloaked in a swirling mist of shadows, taller than any man, it stepped forward with purpose. The creatures hissed and backed away, disappearing into the darkness without another sound.
Coker's breath caught. The figure approached slowly, the black mist clinging to its form like living smoke.
"Who are you?" Coker demanded, voice cracked and raw.
The figure's eyes glowed faint red beneath the hood. "I am the one who watches those marked by the Abyss," it said quietly. "And you, boy, carry its mark."
Coker's fingers clenched tighter. "What do you want from me?"
The figure's voice was steady but filled with power. "To guide you… if you will let me."
The strange voice inside Coker's mind whispered again, softer now, but no less real.
*"Choose wisely."*
Coker looked down at his hands — scarred, trembling, alive with shadow. The power inside him roared silently, demanding release.
He nodded, slowly. "I don't have a choice."
The figure extended a hand. Black smoke curled around it like a flame. "Then your path begins here."
Coker reached out and grasped the hand. A shock of cold and fire surged through him, lighting every nerve like a thousand needles.
The world seemed to tilt. The alley blurred. Then, everything settled — but Coker was no longer the same.
The darkness inside him pulsed, alive and hungry.
And he knew, deep down, that the fight had only just begun.