When The Sun Died

Chapter 8

Asher’s pov

The creature exploded from the bushes like a blur of bone and hunger.

“Look out!” I shouted.

The guy spun way, way too slow.

The infected slammed into him, knocking the crossbow sideways. They crashed into the dirt in a tangle of limbs, snarls, and screams.

“Get off me! Get off me!

The thing’s teeth sank deep into his forearm.

“No!” I lunged forward with the hammer, swinging wildly. The hammer cracked against the creature’s skull, once, twice black ichor spraying across my face.

The creature reeled back, hissing, jaws snapping in the air.

The guy scrambled away, clutching his arm, eyes wide with terror.

“It bit me! oh God! Oh God ”

His voice broke into panicked sobs.

“Move!” I grabbed his collar, yanking him up as the creature lunged again.

I swung the Hammer this time full force.

The metal crushed into the side of the creature’s head with a deep, wet crunch. It dropped, twitching, shaking, then finally collapsed in the dirt.

Silence followed heavy and suffocating.

The guy stared at the corpse.

“We… we killed it,” he whispered, trembling.

I didn’t answer.

I looked at his arm.

The bite was deep and his veins were already turning black. He followed my gaze and froze.

“No… no, no, no… please… I can’t… I can’t turn. I can’t turn into one of those things.”

I swallowed. Hard.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

He blinked rapidly, tears streaming down his face. “L…Lucas.”

The black on Lucas’ arm spread like wildfire. His eyes went wide with pure panic. “I…I can’t! I’m..oh God, I’m changing!”

Before I could grab him, his body convulsed violently. His legs buckled, spine arching backward at an impossible angle. His jaw cracked loudly, splitting wider than any human jaw should. Fingers twisted into claw like shapes, nails thickening and blackening.

“No! Lucas!” I shouted, but there was nothing I could do.

He let out a guttural, inhuman scream. His arms shot forward, grabbing at my chest like he was trying to pull me into him. I ducked just in time, stumbling back.

The transformation finished in seconds. Where Lucas had been, a creature now snarled, hunched and jerky, its black eyes locking onto me with pure hunger.

“s**t!” I cursed, spinning around. I grabbed the crossbow he had dropped in his panic. The string felt heavy and awkward in my hands, but it was something. A weapon. Anything.

The transformed Lucas lunged. I dodged, firing the crossbow blindly at the creature. It shrieked, claws raking the ground, and stumbled, but it wasn’t dead not even close. I knew I couldn’t stay and fight.

“Time to go!” I muttered to myself.

I sprinted toward the dilapidated warehouse I had spotted earlier, crossbow clutched tightly, hammer strapped to my toolbox bouncing against my side. The red tinted eclipse painted the streets in hellish light, shadows stretching unnaturally long. Screams echoed behind me Lucas, or what he had become, was following, fast.

I barely dared look back. Every step counted. Every breath was precious. I pushed through broken fences, leapt over rubble, and finally reached the warehouse.

I skidded to the warehouse, heart hammering, only to slam against the door and it didn’t budge.

A rusted pipe jammed it from the inside. Someone or something had already taken refuge here.

“Of course,” I muttered through gritted teeth, scanning the perimeter frantically. Then I spotted a window at the back. No other choice. I climbed my arms.

Once inside, I dropped to the floor and shoved the window shut behind me, sliding the latch into place. Finally, a second of safety…

Then I froze.

A shadow moved across the far end of the warehouse, sleek, jerky, deliberate. Its black eyes glinted in the slivers of red light seeping through the boarded windows.

It wasn’t just hovering around. It was hunting.

My pulse spiked. I didn’t think. I raised the crossbow, aimed, and fired.

The bolt hit the creature squarely in the chest. It shrieked, a broken, gurgling sound that reverberated through the building. It staggered, clawed at the wound, and collapsed in a twitching heap.

I swallowed hard, hands trembling, gripping the crossbow like a lifeline. The warehouse was still not for long, but for now.

I exhaled, finally allowing a fraction of relief.

I was inside. I was alive. And I had the tools to stay that way… at least for a little while.

I didn’t have time to process the adrenaline buzzing in my veins before another sound hit me, a low, cautious shuffle from deeper in the warehouse. My chest tightened.

Whoever or whatever was here wasn’t part of the outside chaos, but they weren’t running either.

“Hello?” I called, voice low but firm. “Anyone here?”

A faint rustle answered me. Then, a man stepped out from behind a crate, hands raised slightly. He froze the moment he saw me, eyes wide with fear.

“Wait…wait, I’m not one of them,” I said quickly, motioning to the crossbow. “I just… killed one.”

The man blinked rapidly, then relaxed fractionally. “You… you killed it?”

I nodded, gripping the crossbow tighter. “There’s more outside. We don’t have much time.”

From behind another stack of crates, a woman’s voice cut in, calm but sharp: “Who’s out there?”

I swallowed, forcing my voice steady. “Me, I made it inside. Just barely.”

The woman emerged slowly, rifle in hand. She was tall, shoulders squared, eyes scanning me with a mixture of suspicion and assessment.

I dropped the crossbow slightly, though not my guard. “I’m Asher,” I said. “Just got in. I… I didn’t know anyone was here.”

Her eyes narrowed, measuring, calculating. “You’re not infected?” she asked flatly.

I shook my head. Then, her gaze flicked down. “What happened to your hand?” she asked sharply, pointing.

I looked down at it, blood caked along the knuckles, the scratch already starting to swell. “Scratched. One of them… got me.”

Kane’s eyes widened behind her, adjusting his glasses nervously. “That’s …” he started, voice cracking slightly, but the fear was tempered by his tall, solid frame.

She stepped closer, scanning it quickly. “It’s not too deep. Might need to clean it before it turns. Did it bite you?”

“No,” I said. “Just a scratch. I think I’m fine… but it burns like hell.”

She nodded, still wary but focused. “Sit. We’ll take care of it. And keep that crossbow ready. You don’t get a moment off in here.”

I moved toward a cleared corner and sank down, gripping the crossbow. She crouched beside me, rummaging through a small first aid kit she pulled from her pack. Kane hovered nearby, adjusting his glasses as he tried to stay composed.

“So… there’s more of you?” I asked, nodding toward her and Kane.

Serena glanced at Kane, then back at me. “ It's just me and Kane surviving. Same as you. If you live through the night, maybe we help each other.”

I swallowed, feeling the sting in my hand as she cleaned the scratch carefully. “Then… we work together. At least for now.”

She nodded once, curt, eyes already scanning the shadows again. “Good. First thing rest. Then we plan. The rest of the night isn’t going to wait for anyone to get comfortable.”

I sank further into the corner, letting the weight of exhaustion finally hit me. The warehouse groaned around us, the red light bleeding in from broken windows, shadows twisting across the walls like living things.

And for the first time in hours, I allowed myself to think that maybe just maybe I wasn’t completely alone.