WHISPERS IN THE DARK

CHAPTER 6

The ceiling groaned loudly as claws tore through the wooden roof, raining dust.

Jace looked confused of why the door wouldn't open as he stirred at Ana.

"Ana what are you doing?" He asked.

It was Ana who placed another wooden barrier against door, not wanting Jace to come in.

"You're trying to trick me." Ana replied.

"Ana, please we're in the middle of death right now." Jace said, banging his shoulder against the door and the wooden barrier that stood between him and Ana.

"I don't trust you." Ana replied back holding a wooden weapon to protect herself.

"I'm not trying to trick you, Ana. I'm here to take you home." He said angrily, banging the door harder as the barrier cracked a bit, but held still.

One of the monster's claws ripped through the ceiling, slashing the air just feet away from where Jace stood.

He turned quickly, firing the clawed monster that ripped through the ceiling. His gunshot shook the walls as the monster screamed above, but another claw tore through a different spot.

"Ana, please. You have to trust me or we both die." Jace said, turing back to the door.

Ana moved away from the door and her reply came back with panic. "Better safe than trust a lair."

Jace cursed under his breath, moving back a little from the door and drove himself forward. The door bursted open, and Ana's eyes widened with fear.

She pointed her wooden weapon towards Jace. "Stay away from me."

"I'm not here to hurt you, Ana." He replied, but didn't lower his gun.

The ceiling above them split wide open, and a hulking shadow poured through. It was one of these monsters he shot above the ceiling few minutes back. It's legs were horrible, it's mouth splitting unnaturally wide.

"Get down!" Jace barked.

Ana froze, torn between fear of him and the nightmare descending above.

Jace fired three rounds into the beast's chest, spilling black liquid as the monster crashed onto the floorboards, shaking the room.

Ana screamed, stumbling backward, but Jace lunged forward, pulling her out of reach as the monster's claws raked across the ground where she'd stood.

"Do you believe me now?!" He roared, dragging her behind cover as the monster twisted on the floor, it's flesh shaking.

Ana pushed back at him, her voice breaking. "No... I don't know who you are! You're all liars! You're all monsters!"

The roof above them groaned again with more claws and more shadows gathering.

"Damn it," Jace hissed, pushing Ana against the far wall. He spun, drew a grenade from his vest, and hurled it toward the thrashing beasts.

The explosion ripped the floorboards apart, blasting black blood across the walls. Ana screamed, covering her ears as splinters rained over them. Some monsters were torn in half, as their bodies twitched on the floor before dissolving into ash.

Jace grabbed Ana's wrist, forcing her toward the shattered door. "Move, or we're both gonna die!"

She pushed him away, eyes brimming with tears. "I don't trust you!"

"Fine!" Jace snarled. "Then hate me later. Right now, I'm the only thing keeping you alive!"

Another monster crashed through the ceiling, it's body smashing the dining table to splinters. Jace spun, unloading bullets into it's face as he pushed Ana toward the hall. The beast wailed, collapsing, but more claws ripped through the roof above, their screeches deafening.

The house was collapsing around them.

Ana's breathing was ragged, her chest heaving with panic. She stared at Jace, torn, her grip tightening on her wooden weapon even as he shielded her with his body.

Outside, dozens of monsters howled, their voices rising into a chorus that rattled the broken glass in the windows.

Jace grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. His voice was rough, but his eyes burned with unshakable resolve.

"Ana, listen to me. You don't have to trust me. You don't even have to like me. But if you don't run with me right now, they'll rip you apart before you ever get the chance to decide."

The monsters shrieked again, the roof finally caving in as clawed legs burst through.

Jace leveled his gun at the nearest one, shouting over the chaos.

"Choose!"

Ana's wide eyes darted from the monsters to him, tears streaking her dirt-stained cheeks. She trembled, gripping her broken weapon. Then, finally with a ragged breath, she moved to his side.

Jace didn't waste a second. He grabbed her close, turned, and blew a path through the doorway as the monster's poured in behind them.

Together, they sprinted into the chaos, the house collapsing in fire and shadow at their backs.

******

The streets of Creek Falls were alive with screams. Not with humans who were long gone, but with guttural shrieks of monsters spilling from rooftops and alleys, hunting the fresh scent of prey.

Jace and Ana tore through the wreckage, their footsteps pounding against the cracked road. Jace fired at anything that lunged too close, his rifle barking thunder through the night and each bullet bought them only seconds.

Behind them, the house collapsed with a stack of fire and splinters, swallowed whole by the creatures. Shadows poured out of it like smoke, eyes glowing, jaws snapping.

"Keep moving!" Jace roared, dragging Ana down a twisted alley.

"I can't..." She gasped, stumbling against the wall, her face pale with exhaustion. "I can't..."

"Yes you can!" He pushed her forward, spinning to fire at a beast that lunged from the rooftops. It's body slammed to the ground, shaking, but another landed in its place. The city was a hive, and now... it buzzed with hunger.

Ana cried out as a claw scratched the wall beside her, showering her with sparks from broken pipes. She nearly fell, but Jace grabbed her firmly.

"Go!"

They burst into a wider street as shadows stretched long in the lantern glow, the monsters were coming from every side. Jace's eyes darted quickly, searching for an escape. His heart clenched when he saw a narrow drainage tunnel half-hidden by collapsed stone.

"There!" He dragged Ana ahead of him, firing in rapid bursts to keep the monsters back. His rifle clicked empty. Cursing, he tossed it aside, pulled out his pistol, and dove after her into the tunnel.

The monsters howled, claws scraping the stone, but the opening was too tight for them to swarm through at once. Their snarls echoed behind, the tunnel vibrating with their rage.

******

Inside the tunnel was dark, except for the trembling beam of Jace's flashlight.

Ana moved away from Jace, pressing her back to the wall. Her eyes flashed with distrust, her chest rising and falling fast.

"Stay away from me," she hissed, voice shaking. "You could be one of them. You all pretend, you talk, you look human, and then..."

"Believe me when I say this, Ana. If I were one of them, you'd already be dead." Jace said.

"Or worse," she spat, clutching her wooden weapon tighter.

For a moment, only the drop of water echoed around them. Then Jace bent down, pulling a knife from his vest, and placed it flat on the tunnel floor between them.

Ana's eyes flicked down, confused.

"You think I want to trick you? Fine." Jace's voice was rough, but steady. "If you really believe I'm one of them, pick it up and kill me now. End it before they come back."

The knife glimmered faintly in the beam of his flashlight. Ana's grip on her wooden weapon trembled. She stared at him, breathing hard, tears brimming in her eyes, but she didn't move.

Jace leaned forward, his face half in the shadows. "I've lost everyone, Ana. My crew, my family. I won't lose you too. But I can't do this if you're fighting me instead of them." He said.

Torn between rage and desperation. Finally, she whispered.

"Why should I believe you?" She asked.

"Because I'm still here." He said simply.

The silence stretched a bit. Then slowly, Ana lowered her wooden weapon.

Neither of them spoke. For the first time since the chaos began, they weren't running, weren't fighting, but just breathing together in the dark. An unspoken peace forced by survival.

The silence was fragile, until it shattered.

Deep within the tunnel, a new sound stirred. Wet, slithering, like something dragging itself along the stone.

Ana suddenly froze, and Jace snatched his knife back from the floor, raising his pistol with his other hand.

The shadows at the far end of the tunnel twisted like liquid, and a voice whispered from the darkness. It wasn't Malvoryn or a monster, it was a child's voice.

"Help me..."

Ana's eyes darted to Jace, horror etched across her face.

Jace raised his gun, steady, every muscle screaming.

Whatever was coming, it wasn't human.