The wind cut across the rooftop, carrying the stench of smoke and blood. Ethan crouched low, his boots silent against the gravel as he scanned the city from the warehouse's edge. [Predator Sense] thrummed in his skull, a constant hum of instincts mapping the chaos below—dire wolves snarling over scraps, a distant bellow from something massive, the faint cries of survivors. The college was still three miles east, a jagged skyline of dorms and lecture halls barely visible through the haze. Mia was there, somewhere. He had to believe that.
His ribs ached from the anaconda's blow, a dull pulse with every breath, but [Endurance] kept him moving. The torn rope around his waist was all he had left—no crowbar, no screwdriver, just his hands and whatever this system was turning him into. He flexed his fingers, feeling the strength and agility coiled in his muscles. It wasn't enough—not yet—but it was something.
He edged along the roof, sticking to the shadows of rusted vents and crumbling skylights. The fire escape had gotten him up here, and the warehouses stretched east in a jagged chain, close enough to jump between. Staying off the streets was his best shot—fewer monsters, less chance of being cornered. [Predator Sense] agreed, nudging him toward the next building, a squat brick structure with a flat roof twenty feet away.
Ethan backed up, took a running start, and leapt. The gap loomed, wider than it looked, but his legs—sharpened by that [+3 Agility]—carried him across. He landed with a roll, quieter than he'd ever moved before, and froze, listening. Nothing. No screeches, no growls. Just the wind and the distant crackle of fire.
He kept going, hopping from roof to roof, each jump smoother than the last. The city unfolded beneath him—cars abandoned in gridlock, storefronts smashed open, bodies scattered like broken dolls. A pack of velociraptors darted through an intersection, chasing a man who vanished into an alley. Ethan's gut twisted, but he couldn't stop. Not for them. Not now.
Half a mile in, [Predator Sense] flared—feathers, musk, a sharp tang of aggression. He dropped flat behind a vent, peering over the edge. Below, a pterodactyl perched on a tilted streetlight, wings folded, beak snapping at the air. It was smaller than the movie versions—maybe a ten-foot wingspan—but its talons gouged the metal like it was paper. Ethan held his breath. It hadn't seen him, but one wrong move and he'd be a snack.
He waited, muscles tense, until it launched into the air with a piercing cry, soaring toward the river. Ethan exhaled, then stood, brushing gravel from his knees. That's when he heard it—a faint sob, human, coming from the next roof.
He crept to the edge and looked across. A girl—maybe sixteen—huddled behind an air conditioning unit, her knees pulled to her chest. Her clothes were torn, a backpack clutched tight in her arms. She didn't see him, too busy wiping tears with a shaking hand. [Predator Sense] confirmed no monsters nearby, just her heartbeat, fast and ragged.
Ethan hesitated. Mia was the goal, but this kid was alone, exposed. He couldn't just leave her. He jumped the gap, landing soft, and called out in a low voice, "Hey—you okay?"
She flinched, scrambling back, eyes wide. "Don't hurt me!"
"Not gonna hurt you," Ethan said, hands up. "I'm just passing through. You hurt?"
She shook her head, sniffling. "My brother—he went down there to find food. He didn't come back."
Ethan glanced at the street below. [Predator Sense] picked up blood, fresh and human, mixed with the scent of wolves. He didn't say it, but her brother was gone. "You can't stay here," he said instead. "That thing with wings'll be back."
"I don't know where to go," she whispered.
"Head west," he said, pointing. "There's a group near the old steel mill—saw smoke from a fire. Might be safe. Stick to the roofs, stay quiet."
She nodded, wiping her face again, and shouldered her backpack. "Thanks."
"Stay alive," Ethan said, then turned east. He didn't look back—couldn't afford to—but her footsteps faded behind him, small and determined.
A screech split the air, closer now. Ethan ducked behind a skylight as the pterodactyl circled back, talons glinting. It landed on the roof he'd just left, head cocked, searching. He held still, [Predator Sense] tracking its every twitch. After a tense minute, it took off again, wings beating the smoky sky.
The voice chimed:
[Objective completed: Assist a survivor]
[Attributes Gained: +1 Perception]
[Rewards Gained: None]
Ethan blinked, startled. The system hadn't told him to help her—it just… rewarded him. His vision sharpened, the edges of the city snapping into focus, sounds clearer than before. He could hear the girl's footsteps now, faint but steady, heading west. Maybe she'd make it.
He pushed on, the college drawing closer—two miles now. The rooftops thinned out ahead, forcing him back to the streets soon. [Predator Sense] hummed, warning of something big moving parallel to him, a block north.