Chapter 2: Incinerated by a Six-legged Dog.

“EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! All residents are to shelter in place and to avoid the outdoors! Beasts of indiscernible origin have appeared and all citizens are urged to lock their doors and avoid the outside at this time!”- NO Emergency Band

Chapter 2B: Training Wheels.

I’m dead.

The two words echoed in Isaac’s mind as the beast clamped down on his torso, the air, knocked out of his lungs as the voice of his sister cried out in shock.

It happened in an instant, one moment he was in the city, his sister reaching out for him and the next he was in the woods, his body being viscously knocked side to side by the creature that held him close.

No warning, no heads up, just pain.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE! LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Lily cried, her voice jolting Isaac from his shock of his organs being torn apart.

LILY!

His hand reached down, frantically unholstering his gun only for his 1911 to drop from his hand.

I'm dead.

*BANG!*

A yelp, and then Isaac hit the ground with a wet thud, pain radiating through his sternum as the wolf-like beast fled into the overgrowth.

“Isaac!” Lily cried, dropping the silver gun and rushing to Isaac who laid on the cool grass struggling to breath. “Isaac! Isaac!”

“Lil…” Isaac let out between gasps, the little girl pushing on his body in a desperate attempt to try and stop the bleeding.

“Help! Someone help!”

Isaac groaned, his vision swarming, the edges of his eyes constricting with darkness mired by white spots as he bled out onto the grass.

“Isaac!”

Was the sky always so bright?

Then, on the grassy knoll overgrown with colorful flora Isaac had never seen before, he drowned, his lungs filled by his own blood.

[You are Dead.]

[Conditions Activated!]

[Loading Save Point!]

“Lily, lil, my arms…huh?”

Isaac blinked, pausing in the middle of the street as pedestrians flowed around him and his sister he carried on his back.

“What… what the hell was that?” Isaac muttered, every hair on his body standing on end as his jaw clenched and his pulse sped up, his lungs burning as though someone had poured hot coal into them.

“Huh?” Lily let out as Isaac patted her and woke the girl up. “What's up? I'm eepy.”

“Lil, you…” Isaac trailed off, watching as the girl rubbed her tired eyes. “Did…”

Isaac struggled to make sense of what he experienced, the event replaying in his mind over and over again with his skin crawling, chest, heaving at the pain that was there but wasn't. Almost like a phantom pain.

“I…”

“Whaaaaat?” Lily groaned.

Isaac dry swallowed, the memory of his punctured lungs seared into his brain.

A tingle on his skin, Isaac frowning as the familiar sensation prior to the attack pricked his body.

“STAY DOWN!” Isaac shouted, shoving Lily to the ground, a tear in reality opening and releasing a massive mutt that snarled, snapping at the space Isaac had once been as it flew over him and into the crowd.

What the hell is that?! Isaac said to himself, the crowd surrounding him taking notice of the large beast with pandemonium breaking out.

It was canine in nature, six-legged with spotted black fur that covered its lean and muscular body.

“Wha… what is that?” Lily asked, her eyes wide with fear.

“Stay behind me Lil!” Isaac shouted, drawing his gun, the beast snarling, revealing large incisors that dripped with drool before rocketing forward with inhuman speed.

Isaac opened fire, unloading his gun at the beast, the monst dodging each bullet and gnashing its jaw repeatedly before suddenly incinerating him in a blast of heat.

[You are Dead.]

[Loading Save Point]

“Lily, lil, my arms…GAH?!”

Isaac shouted, dropping his sister, his eyes wide, hands frantically patting his body as the heat of the flames seared his-

He blinked, looking down, his suit intact, pink skin unmarred by the flames that had once engulfed him.

“Isaac?! What gives?” Lily groaned, rubbing her head and wincing.

“Lil-”

The tingling sensation again, every hair on Isaac's skin standing on end.

Is this a dream? A nightmare? Did I get infected with malware?!

“Isaac? Isaac are you okay?”

Isaac didn't have time to ponder before a bluish light began to illuminate his face, the same rip in reality opening up to allow charred fangs to snatch at his head.

He dove left, shoving Lily away, the six-legged wolf snarling as it hit the concrete and skidded before opening its mouth.

One click, two, each one producing sparks as Isaac swore and dodged to avoid the blast.

“Tch!” Isaac scowled, “That won't work a second-”

“AHHH!”

Isaac froze at the sound of Lily's scream, a haunting shrill that called time to come to a crawl, his eyes round at the sight of his baby sister on fire.

“LILY!”

Distracted, Isaac wasn't fast enough for the fireball that claimed his life.

[You are Dead.]

[Loading Save Point!]

“Lily my… LILY!” Isaac spun, setting his sister down on the ground and violently waking the girl up.

“Huh? Wha? What? I-” Lily groaned before Isaac's hand smacked the girl's face, causing her to jolt awake. “Wha? That hurt!”

“RUN! RUN!” Isaac shouted, the little girl freezing in place with fear as tears welled at the brim of her eyes at the sight of her panicked brother. “RUN!”

He watched her go, his heartbeat pounding his ears, hand reaching down to his sidearm as passerbys gave him odd looks.

C’mon, c’mon, where the hell are you?

Isaac spun, the bluish light emerging once more, his gun, coming out its holster as he dodged and avoided the six-legged monster.

“Die!” Isaac spat, gun up, the barreling unleashing a volley at the beast that immediately began dodging left and right, the crowd fleeing in all directions as gunfire echoed out. “Damn bastard sit still!”

Finally he struck the beast in the flank, the monster releasing a yelp, its beady red eyes focused on its target.

Then Isaac saw it as the monster opened its jaw, revealing green mist flowing between its serrated black fangs gnashing together to create sparks.

Gas?

Isaac pointed his gun at the green gas, his finger pulling the trigger only for the gun to respond with a simple, Click.

“Shit,” Isaac muttered before the fireball singed his side, spinning him in a 360 and setting his arm on fire before he could dodge.

Isaac swore, scowl on his face, the only thing he could do before the iron jaws clamped down on his neck and pinned him to the sidewalk.

[You are Dead.]

[Loading Save Point!]

“Lil,” Isaac paused, jaw clenching and unclenching, the pain around his neck a vivid retelling of the trauma of having his trachea torn out.

Come down. Catch your breath. Don’t try to figure out what the hell is happening, just survive this moment.

“Lily.”

He spun, placing the girl down and sticking his pinky in his mouth before placing it in the girl's ear.

“Ah! EW!” Lily recoiled, waking up and smacking at her ear.

“Lily, look at me and listen close. You have to run.”

“What?”

“You know where the Loyola police station is?”

The girl nodded, confusion on her face.

“Run. Get to a police station and stay there. Do you understand?”

“Isaac you're -”

“NOW!”

Lily took off, the pink-clad girl fleeing past the stream of pedestrians as Isaac clenched and unclenched his jaw.

He drew his gun, pointing it at the ground, the nearby crowd whispering as they eyed him.

“Is he crazy?”

“What's his deal?”

“H-h-hey we should get out of here.”

“Whoa! Hell! He's got a gun!”

As to affirm their fears Isaac fired once, sending the crowd around him packing as the blue portal opened up.

However this time it came from behind.

[You are Dead.]

[Loading Save Point!]

“Come on, come one!” Isaac shouted, psyching himself up as Lily ran, his eyes scanning his surroundings of fleeing pedestrians.

Again the portal opened, this time from above with Isaac shifting left to allow the canine thing to snap at the space he'd once been.

Isaac spun his torso and fired once, twice, three times as he took flight, fleeing away through the downtown street to put space between him and the beast.

Damn bastard!

He paused, unleashing two more shots, each one connecting with the monster and causing it to yelp before opening its mouth to spew its flames.

Got ya now.

Isaac took aim, firing his last bullet, his round entering into the maw of the six-legged feign that was filling with gas.

An explosion, a ball of fire swelling in the monster’s throat and sending it recoiling away as Isaac hit the mag release on his pistol and quickly reloaded.

“Hrrrrrrn!” The creature whined, mouth smoking, Isaac’s finger tapping the trigger of his 1991 repeatedly, dumping the entire contents of his pistol into the creature and reloading before firing again and again until it keeled over and died.

[LvL ??? Igarg slain!]

[Attempts: 5]

[Grading…. Acceptable.]

[Remaining Power: 67% Converting excess…]

Isaac blinked, staring at the words from some program that had hijacked his HUD.

“What the hell is this?” Isaac muttered, sirens drawing near.

[Congratulations! You have successfully passed the Tutorial Test!]

“Freeze! Drop your weapon!”

Isaac blinked, his head turning to the cops pointing their guns at him.

“What? Wait! That thing attacked me! Why are you-” Isaac shouted, his words drowned out by a high-pitched whine that brought the nineteen-year-old man to his knees.

[Candidate: Isaac Carter, Prepare for Teleportation!]

“What? What?! Cancel! Cancel!” Isaac shouted, his thoughts turning to his sister as he spotted the girl running between the police officers with their weapons drawn.

“DON'T SHOOT MY BROTHER!” Lily cried, getting close as Isaac's skin began to prick with the familiar sensation of a portal.

“Lily! No! Run away-”Isaac yelled as he and his sister were whisked away from the universe.