Ethan pressed himself against the alley wall, the rough brick scraping his jacket as he caught his breath. The crowbar felt heavier in his hand now, slick with the komodo's blood, but his grip was steady—stronger than it should've been. That rush of stamina from killing the lizard lingered, keeping his legs from buckling despite the adrenaline crash. He couldn't stop moving. Mia was five miles away, and the night was alive with threats.
The alley stretched ahead, narrow and shadowed, littered with overturned trash cans and puddles reflecting the faint glow of a dying streetlight. Ethan's senses buzzed, sharper since that last kill. [Enhanced Tracking] painted a map in his mind: the wolves from earlier were still tearing into the delivery truck a block west, their growls faint but distinct. The snake he'd glimpsed was further south, its musky trail fading. For now, this path was clear—or so he hoped.
He adjusted the rope coiled over his shoulder and started forward, keeping low. The city's usual hum—traffic, sirens, chatter—was gone, replaced by a cacophony of panic. Screams echoed from every direction, punctuated by roars and hisses that didn't belong in Chicago. Whatever had broken the world, it hadn't stopped at one raptor or one lizard. It was everywhere.
A rustle ahead made him freeze. His pulse kicked up, and [Enhanced Tracking] flared—wet feathers, a hint of decay, the faint click of claws on asphalt. Something was around the corner, waiting. Ethan tightened his grip on the crowbar and edged closer, peering past a dumpster.
Three creatures stood in the alley's mouth, silhouetted against the flickering light. They were smaller than the velociraptor—about waist-high—but their heads bobbed with a birdlike twitch, feathers bristling along their spines. Their eyes glinted yellow, and their sickle-shaped claws tapped the ground impatiently. Raptors, but not the big one he'd faced. A pack.
Ethan's stomach dropped. One had been bad enough; three was suicide. He could backtrack, find another route, but that'd cost time—time Mia might not have. He scanned the alley for options. A fire escape hung ten feet up, rusted but intact. If he could get above them, maybe he'd have a shot.
He took a step back, slow and silent, but his boot nudged a glass bottle. It rolled, clinking against the dumpster. The raptors' heads snapped toward him in unison, a low chittering rising from their throats. Ethan cursed under his breath and bolted for the fire escape.
The pack screeched and charged, claws scrabbling on the pavement. Ethan leaped, grabbing the rope from his shoulder and hurling it upward. It caught on the fire escape's lowest rung, and he yanked himself up, the new strength in his arms hauling him faster than he'd ever climbed. The lead raptor lunged, teeth snapping an inch from his ankle, but he swung his legs up and slammed the crowbar down. It cracked the creature's snout, sending it reeling with a shriek.
He pulled himself onto the platform, chest heaving, and looked down. The other two circled below, hissing, their claws raking the wall as they tried to jump. Ethan didn't wait—he swung the crowbar again, aiming for the dazed one still shaking off the first hit. The metal caught it square in the skull, and it dropped, twitching.
The voice chimed:
[Monster slain: Lesser Raptor]
[Attributes Gained: +1 Strength]
[Rewards Gained: None]
His arms burned with fresh power, but there was no time to process it. The remaining two leapt, one clawing its way onto the dumpster, the other scrabbling up the wall. Ethan kicked the dumpster over, sending the raptor tumbling, then swung at the climber. The crowbar smashed its shoulder, and it fell with a wet thud.
[Monster slain: Lesser Raptor]
[Attributes Gained: +1 Agility]
[Rewards Gained: None]
The last one hesitated, chittering as it backed off, eyes locked on Ethan. He didn't give it a chance to regroup. He jumped down, landing lighter than he expected—thank that new agility—and charged. The raptor dodged his first swing, but he pivoted, driving the crowbar into its side. It screeched, flailing, then went limp.
[Monster slain: Lesser Raptor]
[Attributes Gained: +1 Endurance]
[Rewards Gained: None]
Ethan stood over the bodies, panting, the crowbar dripping red. His body felt different—stronger, faster, tougher—like he was being forged in the chaos. But the fight had cost him. The rope dangled uselessly from the fire escape, and his jacket was torn where a claw had grazed him. Blood trickled down his arm, but the pain was dull, muted by the endurance boost.
He retrieved the rope, coiling it back over his shoulder, and pressed on. The alley opened into a side street, and the college's direction loomed in his mind—east, past the old warehouse district. [Enhanced Tracking] kept him alert, filtering scents and sounds through the haze of smoke and blood. He could smell more monsters ahead—something big, reptilian—but they were distant for now.
A crash echoed nearby, followed by a woman's cry. Ethan hesitated, torn again. Mia was the priority, but he couldn't ignore the pleas cutting through the night. He jogged toward the sound, rounding a corner to find a pickup truck flipped on its side, its cab crushed. A woman knelt beside it, sobbing, trying to pry open the door. A man—her husband, maybe—lay pinned inside, groaning.
"Help me!" she shouted, spotting Ethan. "He's stuck!"
Ethan glanced around—no monsters yet, but [Enhanced Tracking] pinged faintly, a threat closing in. He dropped the rope and wedged the crowbar into the doorframe, leveraging his new strength. The metal groaned, then popped open. The woman dragged the man out, his leg bloodied but alive.
"Thank you," she gasped, tears streaking her face. "We were driving when everything just—stopped."
"Get somewhere high," Ethan said, handing her the crowbar. "They're everywhere."
She nodded, clutching the weapon, and helped the man limp away. Ethan turned back to his path, but a low hiss stopped him cold. [Enhanced Tracking] screamed in his head—scales, venom, a predator's patience. He looked up.
A giant anaconda hung from a broken streetlight, its coils thicker than his torso, eyes glinting like polished stones. It dropped, jaws unhinging, and Ethan dove aside as it struck the pavement where he'd stood. His rope slipped free, tangling in its coils.
"Mia," he growled, scrambling to his feet. "I'm coming."
The snake reared back, hissing, and Ethan tightened his grip on the screwdriver in his pocket. This is going to get ugly.