The two girls darted into a narrow alley between two rows of dilapidated buildings. The cracked brick walls and half-collapsed concrete ceilings looked as if a single touch could bring the entire structure crashing down. Nozomi ran, her eyes quickly scanning their surroundings, locking onto a large iron beam dangling precariously, held only by a fractured slab of concrete.
"Shion, duck and stick to the left wall!" Nozomi shouted, pulling out her axe.
Shion didn't question her, moving instinctively. Nozomi spun around, swinging her axe hard at the cracked pillar. The first strike sent dust billowing. Gritting her teeth, she poured all her strength into a second swing, targeting the critical point holding the structure together. A sharp crack echoed.
Boom!
The ceiling above collapsed in a deafening cascade. The sound of crashing bricks and stone reverberated through the alley. The creature, hot on their heels, was buried under the rubble. A massive iron beam plummeted from above, impaling its left shoulder and pinning it to the ground. Black blood gushed, and it let out an agonized roar, its body thrashing as it struggled to break free.
Nozomi didn't stop to check, grabbing Shion's hand and sprinting forward. "Hurry! It might not be dead!"
Behind them, a furious screech rang out. Through the dust cloud, the creature yanked itself free from the debris, its limping legs still pursuing with terrifying persistence. The beam remained lodged in its shoulder, making its movements heavy and erratic, but its ferocity was undiminished.
"I can't believe it's still alive…" Shion gasped, her legs nearly giving out.
"We need to lose it before we reach the supermarket. We can't fight like this there," Nozomi said, her breath ragged.
Shion nodded, but despite their words, they were out of options. They couldn't overpower it directly, and using the terrain hadn't killed it. Worse, this creature was much smaller than the one they'd encountered last night, yet they were still helpless against it.
Time for planning ran out as the supermarket came into view.
Suddenly, the creature summoned all its strength, leaping forward in a single bound to block their path. Nozomi and Shion skidded to a halt, gripping their weapons tightly, eyes wary.
Nozomi scanned the area for anything useful, but they were on a wide, flat road with nowhere to hide.
"Looks like we have no choice but to fight…" Nozomi said quietly.
"Nomi-chan, are you sure?" Shion asked, her voice uncertain.
"Yeah."
"Then I'll be right behind you!" Shion's eyes flared with determination. Nozomi had protected her enough, and this time, she wouldn't let her friend fight alone.
The creature growled, crouching low, its four limbs gripping the pavement like a predator ready to pounce. Blood still dripped from its shoulder wound, but the savage glint in its cloudy white eyes never wavered.
Nozomi tightened her grip on the axe, lowering her stance, ready to charge at any moment. "Shion, don't face it head-on. Try to divert its attention, got it?"
Shion nodded quickly, clutching her baseball bat and circling to the side in a crescent arc to create an angled attack. The creature instinctively turned its head toward Shion's movement, and that was Nozomi's opening.
She let out a sharp cry, swinging her axe horizontally at the creature's flank. The blade sliced into its side, blood spraying in arcs. The creature roared in fury, whipping its arm toward Nozomi. She dodged just in time, though the glancing blow grazed her shoulder, making her stumble.
Seizing the moment, Shion charged from behind, swinging her bat with all her might into the creature's hind leg. It growled, abandoning Nozomi to lunge at Shion, but she quickly backed away, creating distance.
Nozomi rushed forward, not giving the creature time to fully turn. Gritting her teeth, she channeled all her strength into a second swing, this time aiming for a protruding bone on its lower back—a potential weak point.
Thud!
The axe sank deep into flesh, forcing the creature to its knees, its head rearing back with a frenzied roar. Its long arm swung backward, nearly grabbing Nozomi, but she released the axe as it lodged in, rolling away to safety.
"Shion! Now!" Nozomi shouted.
Shion didn't hesitate. As the creature writhed in pain, she charged from the right, swinging her bat upward in a powerful arc that smashed into its face, snapping its neck to the side.
Nozomi darted forward, yanking the axe free from the creature's back, black blood gushing out.
"One more!"
Shion responded with a yell, and together they attacked—axe slashing horizontally, bat striking vertically—in a perfectly coordinated assault on the creature's head and neck.
After their barrage, Nozomi could feel it: the creature's movements had slowed, its breathing labored, the wound on its back bleeding profusely. They were close to finishing it—just one more blow.
But then—
A deafening roar erupted.
Unlike its earlier instinctive cries, this was an invisible wave of pressure, slicing through the air like a shockwave that slammed into their eardrums. Nozomi froze, her head throbbing as if it might explode. Shion, closer to the creature, wasn't prepared. A sweeping arm struck her chest, sending her flying like a ragdoll into a nearby wall, chunks of plaster crumbling around her.
"Ghh—!"
Nozomi had no time to turn. A sharp, searing pain shot through her left arm, making her gasp—the tail, which she'd forgotten about since it hadn't appeared earlier. The camouflaged weapon had pierced her arm, blood pouring out, hot and stinging.
"NOZOMI!!" Shion screamed, her eyes wide with fear and rage. She tried to push herself up, but a slight movement sent excruciating pain through her back, forcing her to grit her teeth to stay upright.
Nozomi, still reeling, was struck again by the tail, this time a horizontal swipe. Her body was flung like a sack, crashing onto the pavement, her back burning and blood from her arm leaving a long streak.
She coughed, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, but before her vision could blur, a massive shadow loomed over her. Nozomi barely managed to roll, grabbing the axe with her uninjured hand and raising it to block.
Crash!!
The creature's massive jaws clamped onto the axe blade, the force numbing her hands. It wasn't just biting—it was trying to crush her, inch by inch. Its hot, rancid breath, reeking of blood and decay, blasted her face.
Nozomi gritted her teeth, both hands gripping the axe handle, struggling to keep the deadly maw at bay. She knew she was losing this tug-of-war. The creature pinning her was a dying mass of muscle, yet even in its death throes, it was far stronger than her.
One second, two seconds…
Her arms began to tremble, the axe inching lower.
But at that moment, a piercing sound rang out, freezing all three in place.
The creature, still pressing down on Nozomi, suddenly went limp. Before Nozomi could process what happened, black blood streamed from its head, splattering onto her. Realizing it was wounded, she quickly kicked it off with both legs, seized the axe, and charged, swinging it down onto its head with lightning speed.
Blood sprayed again.
Nozomi didn't stop, delivering over a dozen frenzied strikes until her arms went numb. Beneath her, the creature had long gone still, showing no signs of life.
"Is it… dead…?" Shion crawled over, and she and Nozomi leaned on each other to stay upright.
After a few seconds, they regained their senses, only then noticing the unexpected factor that had turned the tide at the critical moment.
Nozomi turned toward the supermarket, her gaze locking onto a middle-aged man with a beard, dressed in what looked like protective gear. In his hands was a rifle—the weapon that had dealt the fatal wound to the creature, allowing her to seize the advantage.
"Nomi-chan, there's someone!" Shion's face lit up with relief, but Nozomi remained guarded. She knew that in life-or-death situations like this, humans could be even more dangerous than monsters.
Not wanting to dampen Shion's fleeting optimism, Nozomi chose silence. She bowed her head slightly to thank the man.
"Nomi-chan, let's go to him! You need to treat your wound too," Shion urged.
Nozomi opened her mouth to protest but realized her left arm, still bleeding profusely, needed immediate attention. They also desperately needed to replenish their supplies.
"Alright, let's go," Nozomi said softly. They supported each other, moving step by step, Nozomi's hand still gripping the axe tightly, her eyes never leaving the man.
"I hope this turns out okay…" she muttered to herself.