A few hours earlier, long before the underground station turned silent with a single gunshot, Victor and the last remaining members of his temporary team had taken shelter on top of an old traffic control tower. The structure rose above a wide, broken intersection, giving them a narrow advantage in visibility but very little safety. Rusted railings surrounded the top, and parts of the platform had already begun to crumble. Still, it was better than being on the ground.
Below them, three massive creatures circled patiently.
They resembled hippopotamuses, but nothing about them was natural. Their bodies were a grotesque fusion of steel plating and raw flesh, with mechanical joints grinding as they moved. Their eyes glowed faintly, scanning upward, while their heavy footsteps cracked the pavement beneath them. Despite their size, they were disturbingly agile, shifting direction quickly and occasionally snapping their jaws at the base of the tower as if testing its stability.
