Jake's POV
A guttural screech tore through the mall, deeper, more resonant than anything I'd ever heard. The sound alone sent a tremor through my bones, primal and wrong. My grip on my dagger tightened, and my breath hitched.
Mark stiffened beside me, his knuckles white around his metal pipe. Ellie sucked in a sharp breath, stepping back instinctively, she pulled out her sword.
Then, the shadows moved.
A massive form slithered out of the darkness, its grotesque limbs twitching at unnatural angles. Its dark, glistening scales looked wet, pulsing as if something inside was desperately trying to claw its way out. The stench of rotting flesh thickened the air, and when it locked its gaze onto us, I felt my stomach drop.
Then, something behind that thing moved.
It was not alone. There were two of them.
F*ck, we can barely deal with one, and now their is another one?
The creature grinned towards us, revealing spiraling, needle-like fangs that dripped with like an ink substance. It was not like the same creatures we have encountered before.
Is this what attacked Ambrose and his group before?
I remember something. Ambrose said it was afraid of light and when it followed him to the diner, he pointed the light in its eyes and it ran away.
Damn, these flashlights came in handy.
"Guys, remember the one that followed Ambrose to the diner?"
Mark and Ellie exchanged glances, looked at me, and nodded.
"Maybe, it's one of them," I said.
"Then, it's afraid of light, right?" Mark said, while picking up the flashlight on the floor.
"Yes," I agreed. "But, don't make sudden moves."
My heart was pounding. I could hear and feel my heartbeat. I picked one of the scattered chargers slowly on the shelves and threw it across the food court, away from us, to distract it.
It roared and lunged forward towards us. They knocked up the tables and chairs. The second creature stirred, its movements eerily synchronized with the first.
Well, I guess the distraction didn't work.
Mark was switching the flashlight on but it's only flickering.
"Damn it! Come on, work!" I heard him cursing under his breath.
I was tapping the flashlight in my palms while stealing glances at the creatures coming forward.
"F*ck!"
Then, our flashlights flickered to life. A harsh bream cut through the dim surroundings, landing directly on the first creature's face. It screeched, its elongated jaw unhinging as if the light was burning through its flesh. Its claw scraping against the tiled floor.
For a split second, I thought the light trick wouldn't work. It was a long shot.
Ellie was quick to follow, clicking on her own flashlight and aiming at the second one. The same reaction — another wail, another step back.
"It's working," Ellie breathed. "Holy Sh*t, it's actually working!"
The creatures did not retreat completely though. They lurked just beyond the beams of light, pacing like caged predators, their glowing eyes locked onto us with unrelenting hunger.
"For f*ck's sake, they're learning," Mark muttered.
They were not just mindless beasts. They were thinking.
I swallowed hard, my fingers clammy against the handle of my dagger and the other one on the flashlight. He was right. The way they moved, the way their heads tilted ever so slightly as they avoided the light.
"Slow steps," I said, keeping my voice low. "We get out of here, now."
Mark and Ellie moved in sync with me, keeping the lights steady, stepping backwards towards the nearest exit. The creatures followed, pacing just at the edge of the light, waiting.
Then, the first one stopped. That's weird? Why would it stop? Its head twitched, then snapped towards the ceiling. The second followed, its elongated limbs curling inward like a grotesque spider preparing to pounce.
"What are they —"
The ceiling above us groaned.
And then, before I could react, something heavy crashed down from above.
The breath left my lungs, just in time to see a third one rise from the wreckage, its ink-drenched fangs stretching into a grin.
So, we flashed our lights into its eyes.
But this one…
This one wasn't afraid of the light.
Zack's POV
Ambrose's words sent a chill through me. The screeching sound below intensified, echoing through the empty mall like nails on metal.
"Damn it!" I muttered. "We need to get to them. NOW!"
Arya was already running.
Ambrose cursed under his breath.
We bolted, weaving through the empty corridors of the mall, the eerie fluorescent lights flickering over us. We had to reach them before it was too late.
As we neared the food court, the first thing I saw was the overturned tables. Chairs scattered, trays dumped onto the floor. Then, I saw them.
Mark and Ellie were behind Jake, their flashlights beaming directly at the monstrous figure looming over them. Its grotesque limbs twitched, its fanged mouth stretching into a cruel, ink-drenched grin.
But the light did nothing to it.
My stomach clenched. "F*cking hell... what is that?"
I recognized its eyes. It looked like the one from the diner, but worse — larger, more intelligent. And…this one wasn't afraid of the light.
The creature let out a guttural growl, inching forward as Jake, Mark, and Ellie struggled to keep their distance. It was toying with them.
Then, before we could react, something shifted in the shadows behind us.
A blur of movement.
Clark.
He emerged from the darkness, his body tense, his grip firm on an object I couldn't quite make out. Nicole was right behind him, her expression tight with urgency.
"Get down!" Clark's voice was sharp, commanding.
Without hesitation, Jake and the others ducked.
Clark lunged forward.
Ambrose, Arya and I didn't make a move nor a sound. We watched from a distance. It was like in that moment, we knew that we should keep still and not approach them further as to not cause a disturbance.
Then, we heard Nicole yell.
"Mark! Jake! Keep your lights on the other two!" Nicole ordered, her voice cutting through the tense silence.
Jake and Mark snapped out of their shock, immediately turning their beams toward the two remaining creatures lurking just beyond the reach of the light. They recoiled, hissing, their glowing eyes filled with malice as they paced at the edges, unable to approach.
The object in Clark's hands gleamed for a split second before he drove it straight into the creature's chest. A wet, sickening crunch echoed through the mall as the blade-like weapon sank deep. The monster shrieked, its limbs flailing violently, but Clark didn't stop.
With a sharp, guttural sound, he dragged the weapon downward, slicing through flesh and bone. Ink-like blood splattered across the floor as the creature convulsed, its horrifying screech rattling in my ears.
Then, finally, it stilled.
Clark yanked the weapon free, breathing heavily as the monstrous body collapsed in a heap.
He stood over the now-motionless creature, his grip still tight on whatever the hell he had used to kill it. His chest rose and fell in deep, measured breaths, but his stance remained alert — like he was expecting it to rise again.
Now is the chance.
We ran towards them. We pulled our daggers out and tightly held it.
As we move closer to them, while catching our breath, Ellie muttered, "They're getting bolder," her knuckles white around the hilt of her sword.
"Yeah," Ambrose agreed, voice low. "They were like the ones who attacked us…But they don't look the same as if they have evolved or something."
I shifted my gaze to Ambrose. Why does he suddenly act like this? Like he cares? Since I confronted him, his demeanor seemed to have changed.
Clark ran towards us while Mark and Jake were still beaming their flashlights on the other creatures behind. He was catching his breath, wiping the black ink from his face, then his weapon.
His jaw was tight as he met my gaze, his knuckles still wrapped around the weapon that had just ended the monster's life.
And then, the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then — darkness.
A deep, guttural growl reverberated through the walls.
The remaining creatures had stopped pacing.
They were no longer afraid.
A deafening screech rang out as the creatures lunged.
Ambrose whispered, "I don't think they're going to let us walk away this time."