Burning Flames

After Mass

It had been ten years since the city of Cloverton had been overrun by monsters all in one night. One night that refused to be erased from the memories of those that survived. The survivors had fallen back to the barren part of the city. They called it 'The Ends'.

They had fortified it over the years enough to be safe for them. They would all be dead if it hadn't been for the help of the strangers. The pale kid and his buddies had been able to save most of them. They had abilities that helped change the tide of the invasion. The creatures had been fast and relentless. They had torn into the city in a matter of minutes reducing the unsuspecting population to nothing.

The survivors had chosen Anton as their commander which was expected. The big man had saved a lot of them and he had lost the most. He had lost his left arm and his family. The worse part was watching as they were torn apart. He had tried to save them but the beasts had taken his arm instead and would have finished him off if not for the kid with the mysterious eyes.

Most of the survivors had been lucky not to see the creatures. Most of them had just been in the right place at the right time and had followed the horde fleeing from the chaos in the city. All they had witnessed were the screams and echoes of terror that lasted the whole night.

***

The figures on the bed moved a little then went still as they slept in each other's arms. They were both naked after the passionate lovemaking from the previous night. His hands crossed her heavy breasts as he dreamt with a clueless smile on his sleeping face. She waited to watch the sun.

The light licked the surface bringing day with it. The sun moved with a deliberate slowness that could be seen as admirable. The woman didn't. She had been waiting for this moment. The right moment. She snuck out of the shed kissing her lover as he slept. Her bones throbbed a little. They had f****d each other's brains out for hours throughout the entire night.

She knew what she had to do and where she had to go. She just hoped she'd be more careful this time. The last time, Anton had almost caught her but a part of her suspected he was aware she was the one they now referred to as 'The Hood'.

The place was still asleep which wasn't unusual seeing as she had drugged the leaders during the previous night's celebration. She had made sure Anton had drank double. It would take more than the usual dose to keep the big man down.

She moved like a seed underneath the earth carefully packing empty sacs and a big backpack. She wouldn't be needing the cream to mask her scent or the weapons for protection. She grabbed a pocket knife. Just in case.

Moving like a beam of light, she reached the wall. Initially, it had been made of wooden boards and scraps of metals. That had held for a while. Now it was titanium-reinforced steel. The cold metal promised safety against her tender touch. She had to get the supplies for the children. She looked back one last time before deactivating the lock and stepping into the once beautiful city of Cloverton.

I must be f*****g crazy trying to attempt this s**t again, she thought bitterly. The first time had been a mistake. An accident. It was Lady luck flashing a golden tooth at her. This time she was certain she would surely die. She had to congratulate herself as she walked to her inevitable excruciating death. She just hoped lady luck wasn't off duty.

The streets of Cloverton were empty. The same streets she had once roamed without a care in the world. Now the place looked haunted. Cars with open doors and smashed windshields lay here and there. Papers and dust rolled down the road and everything screamed chaos in one silent final whisper.

She stayed off the roads walking along the buildings. First, she needed to grab enough canned goods. More than enough. But she needed to be careful. The creatures rested mostly during the day but some wandered the street from time to time. The day was the only time the survivors had to send scouts to get provisions. The last group of scouts didn't return. Anton had withdrawn all the scouts till further notice. She wasn't going to wait till they started starving to death one by one.

She was about to round off the last residential building when she heard the faint growl. She paused midstep. The creature was on the building above. She waited. Dropping to a crouch, she tried to steady her heartbeat enough to be able to pick up any further sound but all she could hear were the echoes of her tortured heart.

Nothing.

Still nothing.

She continued moving while keeping low to the ground. The beast leaped planting itself directly in front of her. She had seen them before yet seeing this one so close didn't ease the shock or the fear that slammed into her sending her to the floor. It had jumped out of a friggin building just to eat off her head. The creature resembled a wolf but had the form of a man. Its mouth was mostly teeth and drool. Sharp claws and powerful muscles completed the nasty look. The creature stared at her with empty dark eyes that told the story of a void and an abyss. It moved closer to her sniffing the air. She knew she was going to die so she grabbed the pocket knife and bared the blade. She was going down but she wasn't going down easy.

The beast had moved so close now she could smell the offensive odor. Its breath fanned her face making her shriek within. It bared its large teeth, a low rumble coming from deep within its core.

Suddenly the creature froze. It's muzzle twisting. It whined and ran as fast as it could leaping for safety. She expelled a breath of relief. Lady Luck was indeed rooting for her. She stayed there for a while as she tried to get back her composure. She was shaking so badly that her teeth clattered.

Entering the mart was easy. The double doors stood open welcoming her into its paradise. She strolled in gaily. The canned food section was easy to find. She helped herself to all the things she loved. All the things a kid would love were next on the list. She whipped around to the medical aisle. They needed a few drugs. She got only the necessary stuff. Since the night of the attack, the worse sickness anyone in the camp had suffered from was a throbbing joint. Surprisingly no one got sick anymore. She was ready to go back. Leaving the mart would be challenging. She would be exposed till she could run to the corner of the nearest building.

She squatted behind the open doors blinking through the sun. The structures around looked deserted but she knew better. She waited.

It felt safe enough to move. She adjusted her red hood about to move when she caught the movement from the corner of her eyes. She stilled.

A lanky man was walking casually through the streets of Cloverton as if he owned the place. Her jaws dropped a few inches. What the f**k is going on right now?!

He must have heard something because he turned immediately facing her direction but she was no longer visible. He glanced a while longer before continuing on his way but she saw it. He had the same red-blue eyes combination as the sketchy helpers.

She hated them just as much as she hated the creatures. It wasn't a coincidence they both appeared on the same night and this careless bastard was going to lead her to the proof she needed to prove there was indeed a connection.

She followed silently from a safe distance. From what she knew so far about these beings, they weren't human, just like the creatures. They had heightened senses and healing just like the creatures. They could heal and regenerate fast just like the creatures. The only difference she knew of was that one was uglier than the other. The tall man strolled rounding a corner.

She stopped. It could be an ambush. She became alert letting her guts lead her mind.

Well, screw it.

She rounded the corner fast and gasped. This part of the city looked advanced. It was where the laboratory had been. She had been here a lot before the night of the attack. Something or someone had upgraded the place. The building stood like a fort with steel shutters hiding the secrets inside from the rest of Cloverton. There was no force field barrier here and yet it was obvious the place hadn't been affected by the attack. On top of that, someone had boosted security and the architecture.

A memory flashed. The little girl she had once been, giggled with her father who looked handsome in a lab coat. They were strolling over to the parking lot. The lot wasn't there anymore. Odd shiny machines stood in their place.

She looked at the building. Something pulled her to the imposing structure. It felt like a magnetic pull. One that made her joints ache. She had no idea why but she just knew she had to go in. Refuting the pull made her joints burn. Walking into the place would be the death of her so why was everything in her willing her to go?

She was about to walk finally giving in when big cold hands pulled her.