Chapter one
"Shit Shit SHIT!" I cursed as I ran from hoard behind me. Running down 42nd I turned left at the intersection and I was cut off, Damn it, they're getting smart, I cursed turning on my heel mid sprint and went into the first door I saw.
I took in my surroundings and realized I was trapped, there were bodies everywhere, I choked on the scent of death. It was a blood bath; the walls were spattered with dried blood and the floor was covered in rotting corpses.
To both my left and right there were hallways with loners in both. The only way I could go was forward through the lobby, there was a doorway with a sign that read, Going Up? I heard the moaning outside getting closer and I sprinted up the stairs two at a time, making it to the second floor before I heard the front doors burst open.
Big mistake Alex, big mistake. I thought I kept ran till I got to the fourth floor of what seemed to be a hotel; most of the corridors were empty but a few were strewn with bodies.
I burst through the roof door and froze, there was nowhere to go but over the edge. I jogged over to one side and looked down, nothing. Frowning I went to the other side of the building; about Twenty feet down and fourteen-fifteenish feet away was the roof of the next building. You can make that man, you got this. I could hear them coming up the stairs and I looked around for something to block the door; to my right there was a pile of wooden boards. That'd do. I grabbed the heaviest and sturdiest looking one and shoved it under the handle. I stood a good fifty feet from the edge, the moans hit the door and that was my que to run. I heard wood splintering as I sprinted full speed and leapt just as the board broke.
I hung in the air for what felt like hour but it couldn't had been more than a few seconds, then the wall on the other side came at me fast and I hit hard on the ledge of the building and scrambled for a hold. I caught on the edge and I hung there for a moment by my fingers, swinging slightly, then the hoard started to pour over the ledge, moaning and groping towards me as they fell off the building, hitting the ground with a sickening thud; probably splattering the ally walls with their insides.
I pulled my knees up to my chest, arms straining at the effort, and situated my feet against the wall and then with all my strength I thrust my legs away from my body and soared up. Straightening out my arms and falling forward over the edge onto the roof and I cried out in victory. I rolled onto my back gasping for air and threw my arms up in victory then groaning in slight pain, I rolled onto my back and sat up and started taking inventory of all the pains and aches; My knees and hands were scraped and there were probably going to be a few bruises on my ribs and shins, but I made it otherwise unhurt.
"I didn't think you were gonna make that." In seconds, I was up with my twin 9mm Heckler & Koch USP pistols un-holstered and aimed at the source of the voice. He stopped short and gave me an unimpressed look but took a few steps back, "I'm not gonna hurt you."
I narrowed my gaze on him, "I've heard that one before." I took in my surrounding's and his appearance, looking for all my escape routes and assessing his features. I may not be a big guy but I can hold my own; My brother and I had studied many different styles of martial arts throughout our lives. Wherever my parent's digs were my mother made sure we found the best Dojo or Dojang there was in the area. Jake, my brother, and I were up to our purple belts; two below black belt in taekwondo.
The guy had long black hair pulled half up, he looked to be in his late teens maybe early twenty's and from what I could see was very... fit. Wearing a black leather jacket, a faded slipknot t-shirt, fitted dark jeans that were a bit worn and ripped, and scuffed combat boots, and he was wearing it all very, very well. Along with everything he had a pistol holstered on his left side, a back pack and a machete clipped to his belt. I realized I was staring and looked around. I glanced toward the door that would lead me to freedom.
Noticing my gaze and moved aside, "I didn't mean to startle you."
Slowly I started toward the door, keeping my guns aimed at his chest. His eyes darted to something behind me and widened. Suddenly I was flat on my back with a guy I've never met pinning me to the ground with his body, my hands trapped between us, his hand over my mouth and his voice, barely a whisper in my ear. "Don't. Move."
"Ripper." He whispered under his breath so softly that I almost missed it. Something about the tone of his voice and his demeanor made me go lax, I strained my ears to get any type of clue as to why I was now being suffocated by this oaf of a man. Slowly he lifted his head from the crook of my neck and peaked above the ledge of the roof, the view overlooking the street and other side of the block below. There was a horrendous shriek and the dark-haired man leapt up, dragging me with him. He dashed through the door and I followed
Suddenly there was a loud shriek, and Fade cursed. He gracefully rolled off me and was up in seconds, I followed suit and we ran for the roof door. "What is that thing?" I yelled when I caught a glimpse of the thing as we ran down the stairs. He didn't answer until three flights down.
"A Ripper" He threw back over his shoulder, taking the steps two or three at a time.
"That's so helpful. It all makes sense now" I retorted, then as the awkward lanky guy I am, I tripped over my own foot I tumbled down the rest of the stairs, falling into this guy on the way. We rolled down the stairs and landed at the bottom in a heap with pained groans. There was a glass shattering shriek and that thing was upon us, screaming and slashing at us with its unforgiving claws. I scrambled to get out of the way and unsheathed my twin short swords. The ripper launched itself at me and I slashed diagonally with both, knocking it aside. The thing let out a curdling screech and landed on its feet, at least I think that's what they were.
It vaguely resembled a human, but it looked deformed. It ran on hands and feet, kind of like a gorilla and its spine looked curved forward. There were bullet holes riddling its hide and I had left two deep gauges diagonally across its mangled skin on its chest and hip. Its face was distorted and terrifying, the teeth were all fang like and sharp and the canines were slightly longer and vampire like, but what caught my attention was its eyes. The eyes weren't glassed over and dead like the rest of the dead; they were almost human except they looked predatory and feral.
It screamed at me in fury and launched itself at me again but this time soared over me and landed on the wall behind me. I swung around just in time to impale it in the chest with my swords and the Rippers long arms lashed out and it tore at me with its razor-sharp claws catching me across the shoulder and neck. When I cried out as I twisted away and flung it into the wall I dropped the sword that was in my injured arm's hand, no longer able to hold it and got ready for it to turn back on me. Clutching my wound I watched as the stranger put himself in front of me with his gun out, he aimed and let of a few quick rounds putting the monstrosity down. The bullet ripped through its skull and it fell to the ground with a twisted expression, its blood and brains splattering on the wall behind it.
"Fuck." I said when I took my hand away from the wound, it was drenched in blood. I couldn't see exactly how much damage there was because it was bleeding so profusely. I leaned against the wall and tried to shrug off my pack but decided not to when a white-hot pain shot up my shoulder and neck.
"We need to get out of here, the rest are probably close by." He said turning to me and holstering his gun. His eyes widened when he saw the blood, and he cursed. "We really need to get out of here." Then he grabbed my fallen blade and tugged me by my uninjured arm toward the door at the other end of what looked to be another hotel lobby.
"Shit." Was all I got out as my vision began to swim, I stumbled and fell to my knees. Fade stopped long enough to sheath my blades and then he scooped my limp body up with ease as I lost consciousness.