Like a pressure hose being shut off, the unnatural wave of energy faded and so too did the terrifying woman when Xander blinked again.
"Fuck," Vi gasped, shakily getting to her feet. "What the hell was that?"
"Xander?" Caitlyn choked out before doubling over and vomiting, her body trembling.
"No idea…" he muttered.
The entire city seemed to breathe out in collective terror. Distant screams echoed through the streets of men, women, children crying in panic. In the square, survivors backed away from the dead zealots, some sobbing, others whispering desperate prayers over the bodies.
Who's here? What's going on?
Xander, drenched in cold sweat, looked down at Powder, her face streaked with tears, and pulled her to her feet by the shoulders. Vander was pushing himself up too, shaking his head and growling under his breath.
Everyone was trembling, their breathing erratic, everyone except Xander.
"You don't look as affected as the rest of us," Caitlyn said weakly, glancing him over. Her hands shook as she picked her rifle back up, the metal rattling to match.
"I guess not," Xander replied, trying to keep a sense of composure. "Did you guys see anything? Do you see anything?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Outside of people fucking slitting their throats in front of us?" Vi snapped, gesturing wildly, disbelief and fear cutting through her anger. "Why the fuck aren't you freaking out?! People just killed themselves for no goddamn reason!"
"What do you expect of him?" Caitlyn shot back sharply, turning to Vi. "I don't know what you see in this group—"
Xander tuned them out, his gaze fixed back on Powder. She was trembling violently, still clutching her head with shallow and broken breathing.
Her mind's already fragile, he thought grimly, steadying her shoulders. Whatever that was, it was probably worse for her.
His mask hid his face, its ember glow giving him an unfeeling, almost mocking look. But behind it, his expression softened as he pulled her closer and rested a hand on the back of her head.
She's shaking like a scared animal, he thought, listening to her ragged sobs.
"Get the fuck off her!" Vi snapped suddenly. She stormed over, yanking Powder back and shoving Xander hard against the wall. "You've known her for days. Don't fucking touch my sister."
Her glare met his cold, unreadable eyes. He opened his mouth to explain, but the mask shifted subtly, its grin twisting like it was mocking her.
"Are you fucking seri—" Vi started, fists balling.
But Vander finally moved.
He hadn't said a word, towering in the background like a shadow and watching everything silently. His eyes followed every movement, every emotion in the room, but his face remained expressionless.
"It's the mask," Caitlyn muttered, glaring at Xander before looking between the others. "Everyone calm down. Enforcers will be here any second and we need—"
"AAAAAAHHH!"
Fresh screams ripped through the air from further down the street away from the Last Drop. Everyone froze, muscles tightening in dread as the terrified wails echoed closer.
Without hesitation, Xander shoved past them, haunted by the lady's earlier warning.
He peered out into the street and the others followed, heads poking past the corner. Everyone except Powder, who stayed back with Vander. He crouched beside her, his massive hand resting on her shoulder, trying to calm her trembling form despite the chaos brewing outside.
Down the street, people were running, stumbling, clawing, falling over each other. A few sprinted down their street, eyes wide with terror. One was missing an arm, clutching the bloody stump, while the others screamed incoherently.
"RUN! GET THE FUCK AWAY!"
"They're coming! SAVE YOURSELVES—GAH!"
Xander's blood ran cold. His entire body locked up as a gut-churning recognition hit him.
No… no fucking way.
He ripped the mask off, not caring anymore who saw him. He had to see, to confirm that what he was witnessing was real and that it wasn't the mask.
"Run! We have to get out of here!" Caitlyn shouted, her voice breaking as panic entered.
"Oh my god- how the fuck do we fight that?! Xander, can we beat those things with our new—XANDER!"
Vi's words barely reached him.
Xander just stared, his mind struggling to process the nightmare before him. A creature, grotesque and twitching, cleaved a screaming man clean in half. It dropped to its knees and plunged its head into the corpse, slurping blood and entrails with sickening, wet noises before letting out a triumphant howl.
From its shoulders, two massive arms extended with each ending in jagged, blood-drenched scythes. Human hands still protruded from its decayed chest, shriveled and twisted. Its flesh was rotten, its lower jaw missing, its tongue dangling loosely as its red eyes burned with hunger.
When it howled, its vocal cords flailed visibly from its throat like loose wires. Then it sprinted forward, each step leaving thick, bloody prints while its scythed arms swung wildly, carving through anything in reach.
"XANDER!" Vi yelled, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE THOSE THINGS?!"
"They're… they're not even Diablo…" he stammered, shaking his head before forcing himself to focus. "Fuck- listen! Cutting off their heads won't kill them. You have to sever the limbs. Chest shots won't do shit!"
Even as he spoke, another agonized cry cut through the air. The creature tore through two more victims before it hovered over the third. Xander raised his hand, and it exploded beneath the creature in a shower of gore.
Corpse Explosion didn't kill it. Noted., he thought as the creature stumbled back stunned. There were visible lacerations, chunks missing from its torso, but it didn't die.
Gritting his teeth, Xander raised both hands. Bone spikes burst from the cracked stone beneath the monster, slicing through its legs and scythed arms. It screeched, thrashing violently, still trying to crawl toward the nearest human. Another bone spike drove through its skull, and the creature finally fell still.
But from beyond the street they came from, more guttural howls echoed in rage.
"We need to get Silco- now!" Xander urgently shouted. "He might know something! We find the source, or this whole city's fucked! No, this world is fucked!"
He glanced back just as a shadow moved in the window above. Silco stood there, eyes wide with fear.
"GO!" Xander shouted, summoning three more bone spear that ripped into an advancing pack that came sprinting around the corner from that same street. One creature's legs were ripped off, and another was hurled backward into its kin when the bone spear struck its chest.
"They have to know something, anything!"
Powder, pale and trembling, glanced from the monsters to the Last Drop above. Her wide eyes found Silco's again just before he vanished from the window.
Vander didn't wait. He scooped Powder into his arms and roared, "Into the Last Drop!"
Screams multiplied as another body fell from the upper walkways, splattering across the street in a burst of blood and bone. The group sprinted with the scattered crowd.
Caitlyn, Vi, Powder and Vander charging through terrified civilians.
Silco's men had already barred the doors but Vander didn't slow. He slammed his shoulder into the entrance, wood and metal fragments spraying, and the two guards behind it crashing into nearby tables.
Weapons were drawn, the air thick with panic, until a furious voice from the stairs cut through the chaos.
"STOP!"
Silco stood there, breathing hard, his usual composure gone as his gaze fell upon Powder, and then slowly rose to meet Vander's blood-lusting rage.
"Silco!"
"Vander…"