Darkness swallowed the city as the storm that had been brewing for the last two days finally broke. Rain lashed down in relentless sheets, hammering against the dystopian cityscape of what had once been a bustling metropolis. Wind tore through the streets, howling between broken towers in a mournful, keening wail that sounded disturbingly like the voices of the dead refusing to rest.
They moved through the flooded streets as a small, tight-knit unit, their footsteps masked by the deafening patter of rain against shattered asphalt and overturned debris. Jane led from the front, her movements fluid and precise, body low and controlled as she slipped from shadow to shadow. In the storm, she looked less like a survivor and more like a predator returned to its natural environment.
Lynis followed close behind her, a makeshift shield strapped to his back. The car door had been stripped down to bare metal, jagged edges ground smooth enough to carry without tearing flesh. His eyes never stopped moving, constantly scanning rooftops, alleys, windows, and reflections in puddles. Every muscle in his body was coiled tight with readiness.
Porpo brought up the rear alongside Jagger. Unlike the others, she carried a restless energy, her movements sharp and reactive, as though she were always on the verge of springing into motion. Jagger struggled to keep pace with her. His boots felt heavier with every step, waterlogged and dragging against the flooded ground. His breathing grew increasingly ragged, chest burning as the simple act of running through the storm drained him faster than he expected.
'I might be faster now, but I should have put some stats into stamina, for fuck's sake,' he thought bitterly, fighting to control his breathing. The rain made everything worse. 'So heavy.' Every step felt like it was pulling him deeper into the street.
But that wasn't the only thought that plagued his mind; the dream or memory he'd seen still lingered vividly. It was Ophilia's face that haunted him. Her crimson eyes and the pale, inhuman features. The star. 'Was that Ophilia...?'
He glanced around, half-expecting her to answer. She remained silent. It was as if she were deep down somewhere, lost.
"You're lagging, newbie," Porpo muttered, her voice barely audible over the roar of wind and rain.
Jagger looked up, the thoughts vanishing as he blinked water from his eyes. "Fuck off," Jagger shot back, forcing a wry grin despite the burn in his lungs.
She glanced at him and grinned, teeth flashing white in the gloom. "Try to keep up."
Jane's voice cut through the storm ahead of them. "ALRIGHT, WE ARE CLOSE. ONE MORE BLOCK AND WE'LL BE AT TAKA. STAY CLOSE!"
They rounded the corner at a sprint, boots splashing violently through pooled rainwater as the street opened up ahead of them.
Takashimaya Mall loomed out of the storm like a wounded titan.
Once a symbol of luxury and polished excess, it now stood fractured and hollowed, its massive frame scarred by fire, impacts, and the slow cruelty of time. The iconic red and black marble facade still clung to the structure, but it was cracked and split, pale veins spiderwebbing through what had once been pristine stone. Small and large sections of the outer wall had collapsed inward, leaving jagged, gaping wounds that exposed dark interiors and twisted steel ribs beneath.
Rain poured down its surface in cascading sheets, water streaming over broken signage and shattered display windows like tears that would never end.
Above them, holograms flickered weakly.
Half-functioning ad projections glitched in and out of existence, their light distorted by rain and damaged emitters. A luxury brand logo sputtered near the upper levels, flickering between polished elegance and violent static before dissolving into bands of broken color. Another projection spasmed, endlessly replaying the same half-second of a smiling model before glitching out into static light.
Electricity arced somewhere higher within the structure.
Exposed cables sparked violently, flashes of blue-white lightning illuminating the storm in jagged bursts before plunging everything back into darkness. The sharp crackle echoed through the open plaza, followed by the low, ominous hum of failing generators buried deep inside the mall.
Movement caught Jagger's eye.
Small figures.
Dozens of them.
They skittered through the rain, hunched silhouettes slipping in and out of sight as they crawled over collapsed marble slabs and squeezed through broken wall sections. Some scaled the exterior with claws and tendrils, vanishing through shattered windows several stories up.
Then, as they passed the alley beside the hotel, Jagger saw them.
Three of them.
Each was immense, nearly eight feet tall, their massive frames wrapped in matted black fur clumped with rain, blood, and filth. Coiled muscle rippled beneath their hides with every movement. Their heads were broad and bestial, jaws hanging open as strips of flesh and blood dripped onto the pavement below. Crimson eyes burned with feral intelligence, slit pupils cutting through the storm's gloom.
One of the wolves stood over a human corpse.
Its oversized front paws, tipped with obsidian-black claws, were buried deep in the victim's chest. The body was unrecognizable, torn apart with casual brutality.
Jagger's heart lurched.
He looked forward. Jane and Lynis hadn't noticed, already pushing ahead toward the final corner to the plaza. He snapped his gaze to Porpo.
Their eyes met.
"GUYS!" Jagger shouted.
"WE HAVE RAZORFUR WOLVES ON OUR ASSES!" Porpo screamed, looking back and pointing as he ran past the alley.
"THREE OF THEM!" Jagger yelled, his voice raw as he pushed past the burning in his legs, forcing himself to keep pace.
A deep, thunderous howl ripped through the storm.
Jane and Lynis turned just in time to see the largest of the wolves launch out of the alley. It slammed into a parked car with terrifying force as it skidded to turn the corner, metal shrieking as the vehicle flipped and rolled down the street. The other two wolves burst out behind it, water exploding around their massive strides as they gave chase.
Lynis's eyes widened, "ALLAHMAK, BRO!"
Jane skidded to a halt, boots grinding against wet asphalt as she pivoted sharply toward the plaza.
"RUN! GUYS RUN! Four hundred meters!" she shouted. "RUN!"
The storm swallowed their footsteps as they sprinted toward Takashimaya, the howls of Razorfur Wolves tearing through the rain behind them.