"Uh… hello," Aria muttered.
The theater was hauntingly quiet, the kind of silence that rang louder than any sound.
"Hello?" she called again, her voice trembling as it echoed through the ruins.
She forced herself to move. The once grand hall was in shambles - seats from the upper rows lay splintered across the aisles, paintings that once decorated the venue were torn and burned, and the stage lights dangled lifelessly from the ceiling. Not a single soul remained.
At the front doors, she found only a wall of collapsed debris. The exit was sealed under twisted metal and stone.
Turning back, she spotted a custodian's closet in the corner. Inside were a flashlight, a ring of keys, and a small black pocket knife. She took them all, her trembling hands gripping the handle of the blade.
As she ventured deeper into the theater, her thoughts spiraled.
"Could that flash have been a nuke?" she wondered.
She shook her head. "No way… I'd be dead by now."
Her heart pounded. "Then I must be fucking losing it."
At the rear exit, she found a rusted door blocked by rubble. She braced her shoulder and slammed into it again and again until-CRASH-it gave way, sending her sprawling onto the ground.
When she looked up, the world was gone.
The sky above New York burned a sickening shade of red. Skyscrapers were fractured silhouettes against the horizon. Black smoke drifted between them like ghosts. The air reeked of rot and rust, and far overhead, enormous winged shapes glided through the crimson clouds.
Down the street, rats the size of foxes scurried between broken cars.
"What… what am I looking at?" Aria whispered.
She followed the faint glow of a flickering streetlight, her breath uneven. In the distance, she saw movement , something large, shifting in the dark.
A massive, centipede-like creature hunched over one of the giant rats, devouring it whole. The sound of tearing flesh filled the air.
Aria froze. Her pulse roared in her ears. She ducked behind a dumpster, clutching the knife.
"Holy shit. What the fuck is that thing?"
The creature turned.
It sniffed the air. "Oh, what a sweet scent. What's here?"
Its body slithered forward, a grotesque ballet of limbs scraping against the ground. It peered over the dumpster-empty.
"My nose deceives me? How cruel," it hissed.
Then it turned left. There she was, crawling under a chain-link fence.
"Oh… a human," it said, almost laughing. "It's been years since I tasted flesh so pure."
The monster charged.
Aria ran.
She tore through the alleys, vaulting over debris and shattered fire escapes, her ballet shoes smearing with grime. The creature smashed through walls behind her, its voice echoing:
"Your smell—so beautiful. Don't run!"
She darted into a collapsed pastry shop, slipping past ruined counters, and burst through the back door. A tall fence blocked her path. She climbed-too slow.
The centipede's black tongue shot out, wrapping around her ankles. She screamed as it yanked her down, dragging her across the asphalt. Its jaws opened wide, dripping with green saliva.
In desperation, she thrust the knife into one of its eyes.
The creature shrieked, convulsing, splattering fluorescent green and orange fluid across the alley.
"For that," it roared, "I'll tear you limb from limb!"
Aria stumbled backward, searching for escape. The alley was a dead end. The only exit blocked by the beast. She spotted a crowbar on the ground — grabbed it - trembling but ready.
The centipede lunged.
BANG!
A gunshot cracked through the air, slamming into its chest.
"Get behind me, quick!" a man's voice barked. A soldier in black tactical gear opened fire, emptying his rifle into the creature. "Go! The black jeep! move!"
Aria ran. The soldier held his ground, firing until the weapon clicked empty. The centipede's tail whipped around, slamming him into a concrete wall. It pinned him there, its massive tongue coiling around his throat.
The man strained for his sidearm - too far. The centipede leaned in, ready to crush him.
CLANG!
Aria dropped from above, slamming the crowbar into its skull. It screamed. She struck again. And again. Green and orange gore sprayed across the alley. The creature reeled but didn't die.
Aria grabbed the man by the arm. "Come on!"
Together they stumbled toward the jeep. They threw themselves inside, doors slamming just as the centipede collapsed in a twitching heap.
The man started the engine and tore down the road. For a moment, silence - only the sound of their breathing.
"Thanks," he said between gasps. "What the hell are you doing in the city? How'd you even get here?"
"I… I don't know," Aria stammered. "One second I'm performing on stage, and the next-this. I must sound insane."
He gave a bitter laugh. "We just fought a talking centipede. Crazy doesn't mean much anymore."
He glanced at her. "Name's Reed. I'm a hunter. You experienced the Flash that's what we call it. You'll learn more soon enough. I've got someone who can explain it better once we reach the safe zone."
"I'm Aria," she said softly. "Please… just get us the fuck out of here."
"Yes, ma'am."
They crossed the Hellgate Bridge.
Below, the East River - once brilliant and blue flowed dark red, thick as blood. The air was heavy with decay. Above, the sky blazed with orange fire.
Massive, dragon like creatures soared through the air in swarms, their wings blotting out the sun. On the bridge's steel arches stood tall, winged demons with obsidian skin and haunting eyes. Their claws and talons as violent and sharpe as a razors tip, they turned to watch the jeep speed by.
Aria stared at them in horror.
Reed gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Don't look at them."
But she did.
Every single one of them smiled.
New York was truly gone.
And in that instant, Aria understood ,this wasn't hell.
Hell would've been kinder.