Chapter 1: Prologue: Unfortunate Demise

Otherworldly screams echoed in the distance. Helios anxiously glanced over his shoulder in the direction it originated from. He was searching for signs of pursuit as he urgently navigated through a maze of fallen debris. The sky was a maroon-tinged black without any sign of stars or anything familiar, such as clouds or birds. The sweltering heat baring down from the eclipsed sky caused him to sweat profusely. He uncomfortably tugged at his shirt collar. It was stained with dirt and blood. Helios paused in his escape to investigate his surroundings. 

 

Directly ahead, the silhouette of a person recklessly emerged from cover into the poorly lit street. Street lights flickered ominously as they unlocked a parked car, a coup, accidentally setting off a car alarm.

 

“Shit. Shit. Shit…” the rest of what they muttered to themselves couldn’t be distinguished as they successfully stopped the alarm.

 

The person cautiously looked around the destroyed street before opening the coup’s door and climbing inside. Following the sound of the car ignition being started, he could hear movement coming from a building ahead, debris collapsing to the sidewalk. The disturbance had caused the worst possible scenario for Helios. Something was coming. He shrank back into the shadows of his hiding place. 

 

There was a concerning groan of protest from the damaged building’s structural supports. Twisted figures crawled out from broken windows onto the building’s surface just outside the range of the street lights.

 

How did they even survive this long, do they want to be eaten alive? I’ve seen some stupid shit, but this takes the cake. That idiot alerted the whole fucking block. As if that’s not enough, they’re trying to drag me down with them. They should know by now that the demons are fucking everywhere. They like to rest inside the taller buildings, I assume for a better vantage point. 

 

Under the fluttering illumination of the street lamps, the dust-covered car’s wipers turned on. Through the windscreen, Helios watched with morbid fascination as the person fumbled to remove the lock on their steering wheel. The person inside the car finally had enough sense to look out the window. It was a panic-stricken elderly woman. Helios continued to watch in horror, frozen in place.

 

A wall started to slowly tilt under the strain of bodies. The car’s occupant caught a glimpse of movement in the darkness, causing them to plant foot. The car’s engine roared into life, quickly accelerating down the obstructed street. Their escape was short-lived, a pair of nightmarish creatures dropped from the crumbling building onto the car’s rooftop. One of the monsters smashed in the front windscreen while the other took advantage to reach in and drag out the struggling occupant. 

 

This was the first time Helios had been able to see the invaders clearly. Their appearance caused his heart to pound loudly in his ears, afraid any movement would draw their attention. The demons shared a basic form but possessed otherwise entirely different anatomy. The pair of monsters stood atop the hood of the idling car at a similar height.

 

“Help me!” the elderly woman shrieked in despair. She futilely punched at the hand holding her as it effortlessly lifted her from the car. The creatures were humanoid but unnaturally tall and slender, twice the height of the unfortunate person in their grasp.

 

I’m sorry, but no one’s coming to save you. Make dumb decisions, and win dumb prizes.

 

Helios quietly sighed to himself, unable to look away. The one holding the struggling victim stretched to its full height, snarling a challenge. Its face was eerily human but different enough to give a feeling of unease. The second demon hissed in response. It abruptly lunged toward the dangling woman only to miss as the other pulled her out of the way. A shower of debris fell from above, distracting them from their conflict to shield their faces. The rubble ineffectively bounced off their pale skin to severely dent the car underneath them. 

 

The second creature produced an elongated tail, wrapping it around the wrist of the first in an attempt to wrestle away the elderly woman. She had been mercifully knocked unconscious by a stray rock. The demon holding the woman unfolded an extra set of arms, using them to slap away prying hands and untangling the arm restrained by the tail. The victor was never decided because moments later they were completely submerged under a building as it collapsed on top of them.

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Are the demons dead? A building falling on top of them should be enough to kill them, surely.

 

Helios’s question was soon answered. A piece of rubble was thrown into the distance, crushing a parked car further down the street. More debris was tossed to the side accompanied by grunts of annoyance as the first demon dug itself free. Its pale skin showed faint signs of bruising from the impact but was otherwise uninjured. 

 

The creature climbed atop the pile of rubble and reached into the cavity behind it to retrieve something. Helios involuntarily gasped in shock when the creature pulled out the severed head of its peer. It raised the gristly trophy to its mouth, it then started to rhythmically inhale. The head in its grasp responded to the strange breathing, a string of light was coaxed from it to flow into the living creature’s lips. Stepping backward, Helios fell to the ground after tripping over the curb. 

 

Oh shit, did it hear me? This might be the end.

 

His heart was racing in panic while scrambling back to his feet. The demonic creature ignored him, too busy focused on the head in its claws. It greedily devoured the strand of light, the head visibly shrivelled in its grasp and shrunk in size until it withered into a dried husk. After finishing its meal, the demon mercilessly crushed the dried skull in its fist. Roaring with satisfaction, the demon threw one pair of arms to the sky while beating its chest in victory. 

 

Helios recoiled in horror as he watched muscle and sinew move unnervingly beneath the demon’s skin. It shifted down its spine, rapidly growing a tail similar in appearance to the dead demon under its feet. It swished chaotically behind it. 

 

Helios cursed before hurriedly turning to flee in a cold sweat, running into an unexpected obstacle. Grunted while stumbling backwards, he panicked before recognising the shadow standing behind him as human. They stood at least a significant amount taller than him. It was a man covered in garish tattoos with missing teeth. Helios could smell his rancid breath at this close distance.

 

“Sorry, mate. No hard feelings, but those big fucker’s have noticed our scent. I need you to keep them distracted while I get out of here,” the shadow spoke, their voice was deep and raspy. Dried out from excess heat and lack of water.

 

“What?...” Helios answered in confusion, stumbling backward.

 

His question was cut short by gut-wrenching pain. He looked down to discover a knife embedded in his stomach. The man braced a hand against his shoulder and wrenched the knife free, wiping it on his already stained shirt before ruthlessly shoving him to the ground. 

 

The man didn’t hesitate, he fled toward a nearby alley. Anxiously glancing around as he made his exit. He didn’t get far, freezing like a deer in the headlights when something moved in the alley in front of him. Another demon emerged from the shadows. Before the man could react, he was gripped by a pair of claws and lifted from the ground. A demonic face bared its fearsome fangs at the man, dragging him into the shadows moments later.

 

Helios cynically laughed at the irony before coughing up blood. He watched a stream of light illuminate the silhouette of a man held by a demon as his eyes lost focus.

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