Jay hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud that rattled up his spine and exploded behind his eyes. For a few seconds, he lay there, gasping for air, ears ringing from the impact. Then a deep, rumbling growl snapped him back to reality.
His eyes shot open. The basement was pitch-black, save for faint beams of light filtering through the fractured floor above. Dust floated like ghostly mist. Somewhere in the darkness, heavy claws scraped across concrete.
Get up, he ordered himself. Get up now or die.
He rolled to the side just as a massive shape crashed down where he'd landed, claws striking sparks off the concrete. Jay scrambled to his feet, pain lancing through his ribs. Probably cracked—he'd worry about that later.
The demon rose from the settling dust, towering even more monstrously in the low light. Its single eye glowed faintly, zeroing in on him with hateful delight. Its maw peeled open, drool dripping onto the ground.
"You're… persistent… little prey…" it rumbled.
Jay swallowed, forcing air into burning lungs. He picked up a jagged length of rebar, holding it like a spear. His arms shook. He'd lost count of how many times he'd been hit tonight.
"Yeah? Well you're ugly. So we're even."
He wasn't sure if it was adrenaline or sheer stupidity making him mouth off. Either way, the demon snarled and charged. Jay sidestepped at the last second, swinging the rebar in a wide arc. The tip scraped across the demon's flank, leaving a shallow gash.
The demon howled, spinning with terrifying speed. One of its lower claws slashed out, catching Jay across the chest. The blow hurled him backward into a crumbling support pillar. Stars burst behind his eyes as the impact stole the breath from his lungs.
Jay coughed, tasting blood. Can't keep this up… gotta use my head…
The demon stalked closer, four claws tapping the ground in eager rhythm. It lunged again, jaws snapping. Jay threw himself aside—barely. Teeth clamped down on empty air where his shoulder had been.
Jay rolled, seized a broken metal tray from the ground and flung it into the demon's face. The creature recoiled, more startled than hurt, giving Jay a precious second to dive behind a collapsed lab station.
His heart hammered. He tried to quiet his gasping breaths, hoping the monster would lose track of him in the debris.
Alright, think, Jay. You can't overpower it. But maybe you can outsmart it.
His eyes darted around. The basement was filled with shattered machinery, metal cabinets, and thick cables snaking across the floor. Some sparked weakly—power conduits that must've snapped during the collapse.
Jay spotted a dangling length of cable nearby, humming faintly. If he could get the demon to step on it…
Yeah. Right. Like leading a dog into a snare.
The demon's claws crashed down on the other side of the table, crushing it instantly. Jay yelped and scrambled out the other side.
It was almost playful now, herding him with swipes that were just shy of lethal. The bastard was toying with him.
"Run… human…" it rasped. "It's no fun… if you give up."
Jay's hand closed around a glass bottle—he had no idea what had been in it, didn't care. He hurled it straight at the demon's eye. It shattered on impact, splashing the monster with sharp-smelling fluid.
The demon roared, pawing at its face. Jay didn't wait. He sprinted for the sparking cable, praying it still held a charge.
The demon recovered fast, barreling after him with a hungry shriek. Jay skidded to a stop, turned sharply at the last moment—and ducked behind a support beam.
The demon couldn't slow. It stepped right onto the live wire. A burst of blue electricity danced up its leg, crackling through its muscles. The creature let out a horrible, glitching howl, thrashing wildly.
Jay didn't waste the chance. He grabbed another length of metal pipe and charged. With every ounce of strength left, he rammed it into the wound he'd made earlier. The demon's blood—thick and dark—gushed over his hands, steaming where it hit the floor.
The demon shrieked, claws flailing. One struck Jay's leg, slicing deep. He screamed, collapsing as pain lanced up his thigh.
The creature staggered back, convulsing, its single eye rolling wildly. Sparks continued to crawl over its skin, but it was still very much alive.
Jay forced himself upright, leaning heavily against a cracked cabinet. His leg was already sticky with blood, trembling under his weight. Not much time left before it recovers completely.
The demon swayed, glaring at him with raw, incandescent fury. It spat out a wad of dark ichor and advanced.
"You… hurt me…" it growled, voice deeper, almost wet with rage. "I will peel you… slowly…"
Jay's breath came in shallow gulps. One more trick. Just one more. He grabbed a handful of shattered glass from the floor, closed his fist around it despite the pain, and threw it straight into the demon's eye.
The beast roared, clawing at its face. Jay lunged—bad leg nearly giving out—and slammed his shoulder into the demon's midsection. They crashed together into a half-collapsed pillar. Stone and metal groaned ominously.
Jay backed off, gasping, as cracks raced up the pillar. The demon looked around, confusion flashing in its eye—right before the whole structure gave way.
Chunks of concrete and steel rained down on the creature, burying it under a miniature landslide. Dust and debris billowed out in choking waves.
Jay collapsed to his knees, coughing violently. His chest burned, leg screamed, head spun. But through it all, a savage grin spread across his face.
"Not… so tough… under a pile of rocks, huh…?" he rasped.
The rubble shifted. A massive claw punched free, stone and rebar flying aside.
Jay's grin died instantly.
"Oh, come on…"
The demon hauled itself out of the debris, bleeding heavily, eye cracked and oozing black fluid—but still very much alive. Its breath came in ragged wheezes. It looked at Jay with a hatred that was almost palpable.
Jay tried to stand, but his leg buckled. He collapsed back, chest heaving.
This is it, he thought. No more tricks. Nowhere to run. Sorry, Nathan… guess you'll have to live enough for both of us…
The demon advanced, claws raised high for the killing blow.
And Jay, breathing shallow, battered and broken, still managed a grin as he whispered, "Do your worst."
The demon loomed over Jay, claws dripping, maw splitting into a jagged grin. It raised one massive arm, ready to slice him open.
But then—a voice cut through the darkness.
"Hey, ugly! Come over here so I can finish you off!"
The demon froze. Its single eye swiveled toward the far end of the basement.
Jay squinted, vision blurry. A figure stood there, shrouded in swirling shadows, dark tendrils of some inky mist coiling around his arms and shoulders. It looked almost alive, pulsing with eerie energy.
"Nathan…?" Jay croaked.
Nathan took a step forward, eyes gleaming with an unnatural light, a cold smirk on his lips. "Yeah, it's me. Guess I'm an Awakened now."
The demon let out a guttural snarl, turning fully toward this new threat.
Jay's battered heart lifted with fragile hope.
You picked the wrong friend to leave standing, he thought.