Freedom (Part Two)

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to move, her gaze lingering on them for a fraction of a second before she turned, running towards the direction of the Shroud with every ounce of strength she had left. The sounds of the struggle faded behind her, swallowed by the darkness, and she pushed herself faster, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.

Each step brought her closer, the world narrowing to the faint outline of the Shroud in the distance. She could see it now, its ethereal glow casting a faint halo over the ground, marking the boundary between the life she’d known and the freedom she craved.

And then, from the shadows, another one emerged, its form sleek and deadly, its eyes fixed on her with a hunger that sent a shiver through her bones. It looked even more dangerous than the previous one to her eyes. As it drew closer, Iris’s instincts flared; this was not a mindless creature. There was a deliberate awareness in its gaze, a keen intelligence that felt colder, sharper, somehow worse than anything she’d yet encountered.

The hairs on her neck prickled. Ghoul territory after all. Ed's hunch had been wrong.

But before she could move, the faint sound of an alarm echoed through the dense air. Shrill, urgent, haunting, electrifying.

The sound reverberated off the concrete structures around her. She tensed, the pulsing alarm cutting through the silence, magnifying the dread that simmered within her. She´d heard this exact sound once before. 

It was the day hundreds of Prowlers had descended upon their sector. The day the streets were swarmed by mindless Ghouls. 

The day she´d lost everything except her own life. 

The monster prowled forward, smooth and precise, its dark form almost dissolving into the night. She tried to move, inching toward the Shroud, but it shifted to block her, a lethal grace in its movements, its gaze locked onto hers with an intensity that left her blood cold.

Her heart pounded, each beat loud in her ears. She understood now- this wasn’t a chance encounter. It was acting as though it had been waiting. It knew she was coming. This was an ambush.

The Ghoul was sentient. 

It let out a low growl, and in an instant, it lunged forward. Iris twisted to the side, barely dodging the sharp sweep of its blade-like arm. She stumbled back, her mind racing, calculating, her vision narrowing to the creature before her, her body coiled and ready to move.

The Shroud still glowed faintly behind her, tauntingly close. If she could just get past this Ghoul. If she could just make it a few more steps . . .

The alarm echoed louder, now the oppressive sounds of more Prowlers converging on the sector growing louder, closer. Whatever was happening, it was big, and it was pulling them all here.

So she ran. 

She ran as fast as she could under the influence of Arcane, finding an alley in confusion and using the thick walls to propel herself upwards. She pushed herself over the caged wall in front of her with a steady force and dropped down with a thud, getting up and seeing the Ghoul easily propelling itself over the wall in pursuit. 

She turned a hard left and sprinted, occasionally launching forward, still struggling to keep balance. She looked back in horror but didn´t see the figure. Instead, she saw a dark, menacing shadow growing larger and larger against the dimly lit wall of the alley, closing in on her with each passing second. 

Suddenly, the wall to her right gave way, and the Ghoul broke through, lunging straight at her. She ducked, missing the claws by inches, and the creature crashed hard against the opposite wall, steadying itself. 

She turned right again at the next intersection, moving back toward the Shroud. The Ghoul soared above, using the house walls as launchpads similar to Iris, red streaks of light flying across the air from its back. 

She struck upward with a speed and ferocity that belied her exhaustion, feinting left before driving her dagger toward the Ghoul´s core. But it was fast, faster than her- and it swiped to dodge with ease, its arm lashing out to strike her side. The blow sent her stumbling, the breath knocked from her lungs, pain flaring as she staggered back.

The Ghoul didn’t pause. It pressed forward, each step methodical, and Iris could see the satisfaction gleaming in its cold, dark eyes. This was no ordinary creature. It was toying with her, pushing her to the edge, watching her struggle with a calculated patience that was both terrifying and infuriating.

She glanced toward the Shroud, calculating her odds. If she could just throw it off balance, create an opening, maybe she could-

The creature jumped onto her, its arm slicing through the air, and Iris ducked, the blade grazing her shoulder as she desperately rolled to the side. She felt a trickle of blood running down her arm, the pain sharp, but she ignored it, focusing on the narrow space between her and the Shroud. Just a little more.

The alarm continued to echo across the sector, louder now, the shadows alive with movement as more Prowlers converged on the area. Iris knew that her window was closing. Soon, the sector would be swarming with them.

She glared up at it, defiance blazing in her eyes even as fear gnawed at her. “What are you waiting for?” she spat.

The Ghoul tilted its head, its gaze unreadable, and for a moment, she thought it might actually respond. But then it tightened its grip and pinned her down. She felt the sharp sting of its claws digging deeper, piercing her skin.

A surge of panic flared in her chest, and she struggled harder, twisting and thrashing, her movements frantic as she fought against its hold. But it was no use.

But then, through the haze of her fading strength, she heard it- a voice, sharp and urgent, cutting through the darkness.

“Get off her!”

The creature´s grip faltered, its attention snapping toward the source of the voice. Iris blinked, her vision clearing just enough to make out a figure standing a few feet away, a woman clad in the unmistakable cloak of a Prowler, her stance tense, her weapon raised.