The Fallen World

Chapter 12: Escape

I turned on my flashlight inside the staircase, holding the railings as we ascend while holding Chase's paw. "Oh god, Kieran... I can't believe we just left Derek back there!" "I know, but that was his choice! We have to keep moving!" We heard gunshots coming from the ground floor, Derek's probably involved.

The stairs ended on the second floor from the collapsed debris so we have no choice but to get out and enter another corridor, the windows give out light and views of the apartments with the fields of grass and cars, we then enter some kind of staffroom. I slowly open the door with a window as we enter and shut it. It's dark, I can see desks filled with office supplies, chairs standing up or fallen down, and whiteboards are found inside... even a Reef.

I heard a muffled scream inside the room—"There's a Reefed in here." I said as I pat Chase's shoulder and slowly crouch back the door, but then I saw light coming from the door's window. We're surrounded by hunters from the outside and something inside.

We took cover behind a desk, trying to see at what's lurking in here... I can see a very blood-soaked deer with fleshy bumps and orange dots with holes growing all over him, his face is fully covered by those bumps—I tremble thinking about all those holes.

The noise it makes are even worse than the rest of the Reefed, it's always muffled—trying its best to scream but its face is sealed, I can't even give it a name. "It's a cracker." Chase whispered, "Huh, you've seen these before?" I asked, the door was suddenly kicked open.

A tigress came inside with a flashlight duct taped under her shotgun, looking around the room cautiously, "Maxwell, I'll check what's in here, you check the other rooms." she faced her flashlight at the bloody cracker as she approaches then it made a muffled scream. "Oh shit!" she screamed.

I watch the cracker's pores get pointy then it pops out toxic clouds of orange spawn—almost has the sound of popping. My fur raised all over me, I stopped looking and cover my mouth. All I can hear are the screams, popping, and the muffled roars. I finally understand why Chase named it a cracker, from its dough-like bumps with holes and the popping noises it makes.

After the roaring and popping stopped, I hear a loud thud—the screaming of the tigress and flesh ripping out and splatters, she's being ripped apart. Someone else stepped inside and gasped, "Olivia!" he shouted, the cracker roared and chased him on the way out. Both of their footsteps faded away, then it all went quiet.

"I guess we're all alone now," I said and coughed, I slowly stood up and look around the room with caution. "Yup, it's all clear." I faced my flashlight around the room in search for anything useful, Chase got out of the desk and search with me.

"Do you think Kieran or Derek might still be alive?" Chase asked while I'm opening drawers from the desks and cabinets, I made a sigh. "Their odds of surviving out there are low, very low." I said, Chase then sighed.

We got out of the room and entered a different fire exit, this time we arrived at the parking lot. The floor ahead of us is collapsed and made a slope, leading to the ground floor parking.

We descended down and found the exit leading to the grass fields, but there's hunters scattered around. We quickly took cover behind a car—but someone spotted us, "They're over here!" the rabbit coming from the right alerted them.

"Shit." I quickly took out my pistol and shoot three times, the first two hit the car window beside her but the third one got her leg. The rabbit screamed in pain and kneeled.

I rushed towards her, bullets pass through me from my left. I grabbed her and the dropped revolver then aimed at her head and stood up. The two hunters saw me use her as a shield.

"Let her go!" a vixen yelled with her rifle pointing at me, the crane on the right wields a machete. My heart races immediately, I shot the vixen—she screamed then dropped dead, I pushed the rabbit away from me and shot her in the back, she's down.

"I'll kill you!" the crane charges with his machete, I pulled the trigger and realised the revolver's out of ammo. "Shit." I dropped the gun and quickly took out my butterfly knife, Chase was suddenly tackled by a panther with a bolted pipe—they both fight each other on the ground.

I can't help her because I'm busy with the crane, he swinged his machete—ducked his attack and kicked him, he grunts then I sliced his arm with my knife and he screamed. He charged again furiously this time with a roar and I swiped his arm away from me then stabbed his chest.

The crane made a loud scream of agony and collapses to the concrete floor. I grabbed the machete from his lifeless hand and rushed to Chase then pushed the panther away from her, "Back off!" I yelled, Chase stood up and bounced back and took cover behind me.

I charge at him, he unexpectedly made a quick swing and struck my face, I groaned and spit blood and dropped the machete under the car we took cover from. He pushed me away with his paw and struck me again, I fell down and whimper.

Chase aimed her pistol at him, "Drop it!" she shouted, he quickly stares at her and he stopped—but suddenly he suddenly charged at her with his pipe then that's where she pulled he trigger. He stood still and dropped his weapon, he kneeled and panted.

I rose up and growled then grabbed his weapon and swinged at him—I roared as I struck his face, he's down.

Out of nowhere I got shot in the leg by someone descending from the slope and I collapsed. "Darwin!" I saw a group of them coming down, approaching us. "Chase... get out of here!" "No! I won't leave you!" "I can't run! Just go!" I yelled as I try to get up, then fell down humiliatingly.

The footsteps are getting closer, "I said go!" I yelled and aimed my pistol at her, she ran away to the fields and heard more gunshots passing by, she disappeared through the mist.

Two of them rushed and grabbed my wrists and ankles and one person with a bandaged foot stepped on my head to the ground, I groaned. "We got you now, little wolf!" a familiar voice spoke, it's the wolf with the eyepatch from the woods. He's stepping on my fucking head with his smelly foot.

I knew crying and begging for mercy just makes them entertained, I grunt from anger and growled.

"Can't wait to tell the boss about this!" I stared at him as he grabbed a rifle from his friend, I gasped and shudder then he knocked me out with the stock.