Death's Hunt

Prologue

The roar of the city bus’s engine shattered the night air as the tires screeched on the asphalt. Loud screams and yells were heard from behind as a multitude of glowing red eyes, looking like embers from a fire, followed the machine. Driver and passengers alike were screaming in terror. The vehicle was barreling down the bridge toward me at an alarming rate. The creatures were snapping at the wheels and bumper, their claws were digging into the metal, and their jaws were crunching glass.
Suddenly, the headlights illuminated my figure as I walked into the path of the oncoming vehicle. Without even thinking, the bus driver tried to steer his contraption out of the way. But in doing so, it crashed into the bridge’s supports and plunged down into the ravine, making the monsters leap off it at the last second. And that’s when I heard it – metal bending until it shattered. The sound of glass breaking into a million pieces reminded me of ice caving in. Then came the wet splat of bodies, cracked bones, ripped flesh and dripping blood.
The black red-eyed creatures sat on the edge of the bridge and looked at me. Mantis-like arms dangled from under their wings as they opened their beaks to reveal a toothy smile of sharp perfectly even teeth. One of them flew up to me and perched on my shoulder. I looked at it and then back at the crash below. “Perfect, you all did perfect,” I said looking at my partners. Leaning over the railing, I leapt off the structure and opened my wings.
It took only a few seconds before I reached the spot where the bus had landed. With one swift lash of my right arm, I opened a way into the wreckage. Looking around, I admired my handy work. Not a single person had survived, but that was to be expected. I walked up to what I assumed was an office worker. I couldn’t be sure anymore since I only had the bottom half to work with. I drove my clawed hands into the body, digging around until I felt what I was looking for. Grabbing a hold of it, I ripped it out. In my hand was a soul, a white orb waiting to be harvested. I reached into my trench coat and pulled out a large bag before dropping the glowing sphere into it. I quickly let out a whistle as a signal to my “friends” that I needed their help. In only a few seconds, they chewed their way through the roof, leaving a large circular hole there.
“All right, time to feast,” I said as my little monsters began devouring the carcasses. In no time, all that remained of the bodies were bones and souls. I lashed my tail at a torso, its bladed tip easily smashed through the rib cage and took the white orb. I then grabbed the skull of another victim, and with a single bite, left a huge hole in it. I reached in and took that human’s soul as well. I kept it up until they were all in my bag. “All right, the job is done. Let’s get out of here,” I said as I crashed through the windshield and flew away, my partners flying behind me, looking like a black mass of clouds.
I knew that the humans would try their best to explain this “accident”. But of course, they will not have an answer that is close to the truth of what actually happened here tonight. And why am I so sure of that? Well, that is very simple. For I am… Death!