The church erupted in chaos. The beast's roar drowned out all other sound, shaking the ground, shattering what remained of the stained glass high above. The shards rained down, catching the moonlight as they fell like broken stars.
The robed figures scattered as the beast barreled through the ruins, its massive frame tearing through stone and wood as if they were paper. Its breath steamed in the cold night air, its eyes locked on the nearest target.
Ayla grabbed Kade, pulling him through the gap in the wall just as claws raked the place where he had stood. Mara was right behind them, reloading as she ran, her face set in a grim mask of focus.
The stranger stayed at the breach, sword flashing as he cut down a robed attacker that tried to block their escape. His blade caught the figure's mask, splitting it in two, revealing hollow sockets where eyes should have been.
The beast lunged. The stranger threw himself aside, rolling to his feet as the creature's jaws snapped shut on empty air.
"Run," he shouted.
They ran.
The night swallowed them as they fled into the maze of the ruined city. The drumbeat had fallen silent, replaced by the screams of the robed ones as the beast tore into them. The sound was terrible, but Ayla felt no pity.
Jace led them through broken streets, down alleys where the shadows seemed deeper, past burnt-out cars and crumbling walls. The city felt alive, watching, waiting to see if they would fall.
Ayla's legs burned, but she didn't stop. Kade stumbled, and she caught him, holding him up as they moved. Mara covered their backs, firing when the dark figures tried to pursue.
The stranger rejoined them, breathless, bloodied but still standing. His eyes gleamed with something fierce, something unbroken.
They crossed into a part of the city where the buildings leaned against each other like drunks, where the streets were choked with debris. The moonlight barely touched the ground here.
"We need shelter," Kade said, gasping.
"No," Jace said, shaking his head. "Not here. This is their ground."
A low moan drifted on the wind. Then another. The sound of the dead.
The horde stirred in the shadows, drawn by the noise, the scent of blood, the promise of the living.
Mara cursed under her breath.
"We're surrounded."
Ayla gripped her weapon tighter.
"We fight."
The stranger pointed ahead.
"There. The subway entrance."
A cracked stairwell led down into the dark, half hidden behind a fallen sign. Without another word they ran for it, feet slipping on loose stone, breath coming in ragged gasps.
The first of the dead appeared at the mouth of the alley, eyes empty, jaws slack. More followed, a flood of rot and hunger.
They reached the stairwell and plunged down, the air growing colder, the stink of damp and decay filling their lungs.
Jace tried the rusted gate at the bottom.
"Locked."
Mara fired once, shattering the lock.
They shoved through the gate, slamming it behind them, and ran into the tunnels beyond. The darkness swallowed them, but they didn't stop.
The dead pounded at the gate, their moans filling the tunnel, their hands clawing at the bars.
Ayla's heart raced as they moved deeper, every step taking them farther from the night above, but no closer to safety.
The stranger stopped, listening.
"Something's down here," he said.
And in the black ahead, something moved.