Chapter 3: The First Battle Against the Bimor

The sun began to set, and the city prepared for another night. The last shops closed their doors, and people gradually disappeared from the streets as a large group of Night Guards prepared to head out on patrol. Adrian and Dan walked in the middle of the group, each carrying a rifle. This was the first time they had left the training grounds to face the monsters beyond the walls.

Adrian kept looking around, his rifle following every sound that came from the nearby alleys, even when he had no idea whether anything was actually there.

“Adrian,” Dan whispered, “you’re making me feel like something’s following us.”

“I feel it too,” Adrian replied without taking his eyes off the darkness.

One of the veteran guards laughed. “Don’t worry. On my first night, I kept hearing my own footsteps and thinking a monster was chasing me.”

Dan looked at him. “Really?”

“Of course. But after you see the monsters a few times, you’ll get used to them.”

“I hope so,” Dan said.

The group continued through the streets until they entered a narrow road. Suddenly, the guard leading the patrol stopped and raised his hand. The entire group came to a halt.

“Nobody move,” the guard ordered.

Adrian stared into the darkness, trying to figure out what had made the guard stop, but at first, he heard nothing. A few moments later, a faint sound came from the top of one of the buildings, and several guards immediately raised their rifles.

“They’re here,” one of them said.

The next second, a black creature leaped from the rooftop and crashed into the middle of the group.

“Fire!” one of the guards shouted.

Gunfire erupted instantly, the shots echoing through the narrow street and bouncing between the buildings. Several bullets struck the creature, forcing it backward as it let out a piercing screech. But before it could fall, more creatures appeared on the rooftops. Others emerged from the alleys, and within moments, dozens of them had surrounded the guards from every direction.

“Oh my God...” Dan muttered.

The monsters charged.

Adrian raised his rifle, but his hand was shaking.

“Adrian, shoot!” Dan shouted.

Adrian pulled the trigger, but the bullet flew past the creature.

“I missed!”

The monster lunged at him. Adrian quickly backed away and raised his rifle in front of him, firing several rounds in rapid succession. One of the bullets struck the creature in the head, and it collapsed right in front of him.

Adrian stared at the body for a moment before looking down at the rifle in his hands.

“I... killed it,” he whispered.

He barely had time to process what had happened before another creature appeared behind him.

“Adrian, behind you!” Dan screamed.

Adrian spun around, but he couldn’t raise his rifle in time. The creature leaped at him, and Adrian squeezed his eyes shut, raising his arm to protect his face. Several shots suddenly flew past him and struck the monster midair, sending it crashing to the ground.

Adrian slowly opened his eyes and found one of the guards standing in front of him.

“Don’t close your eyes in the middle of a fight,” the guard said.

Elsewhere, Dan was firing at a creature chasing him. He fired one shot, then another, but the monster kept coming.

“Why won’t it die?!” Dan shouted.

He backed away quickly, but his foot caught on something and he fell to the ground. The creature closed in and raised its claws. Dan threw up his arms and yelled, “Help me!”

Adrian looked at him and hesitated for a moment. Then, despite his shaking hands, he raised his rifle and fired. He missed. He fired again and missed once more, while the creature continued closing in on Dan.

Adrian pulled the trigger a third time. The bullet struck the monster in the chest, and it collapsed to the ground.

Dan quickly got back on his feet and ran toward Adrian.

“I almost died!” Dan said, trying to catch his breath.

Then he looked at Adrian’s face. “You were shooting everywhere!”

“I was scared!” Adrian shouted.

Dan didn’t have time to respond. Another creature suddenly charged at them. They both backed away and opened fire, and a group of guards quickly joined them, unloading their rifles into the monster until it finally collapsed.

But the battle was far from over. More creatures continued pouring out of the alleys and crawling across the rooftops, while the guards kept firing without pause. Adrian stood in the middle of the chaos, gripping his rifle tightly as gunshots and screams filled the street. The monsters darted between cars and buildings with terrifying speed.

“Adrian...” Dan said.

“What?”

Dan pointed toward the end of the street.

Adrian looked over and saw a massive group of creatures advancing toward them.

“That’s... a lot of them.”

The squad leader shouted, “Everyone, take your positions! Don’t let them reach the civilians!”

The guards raised their rifles and prepared to fire. Adrian stared at the approaching monsters, gripping his weapon with both hands. He was terrified, but he refused to back down.

“Are you ready?” Dan asked beside him.

Adrian glanced at him.

“No.”

The creatures charged all at once, and chaos erupted across the street. The guards opened fire without stopping, but the number of monsters seemed to increase instead of decrease. Adrian aimed at one of them, but another creature suddenly leaped over a car and lunged at him. He stepped back and fired, taking it down before it could reach him.

Three more creatures suddenly burst from between the cars and charged straight at Adrian. He shot the first one and dropped it, then turned toward the second and fired. But the third reached him before he could react.

Adrian tried to pull away, but its claws caught his leg and dragged him to the ground.

Adrian shouted, “Let me go!”

He fired at the creature from point-blank range, and it collapsed. But before he could get back on his feet, he felt something grab his arm. He turned and found another creature dragging him with tremendous force.

“Dan!”

Dan turned toward him, his eyes widening when he saw several creatures surrounding Adrian. He tried to reach him, but a group of monsters rushed in front of him, blocking his path. Dan raised his rifle and fired at them while Adrian struggled against the creatures holding him.

“Get off me!” Adrian shouted.

Amid the chaos, Diggo appeared. He was fighting alongside a group of guards, firing several shots in rapid succession. Then he noticed Adrian trapped among the monsters. His eyes widened as he raised his rifle and fired at the creatures holding Adrian, forcing one of them to retreat.

But a massive monster suddenly charged at Diggo from the side.

Diggo tried to turn toward it, but the creature struck him hard enough to knock his rifle from his hand. Without hesitation, he quickly drew his dagger and charged at the monster as it prepared to attack him again. He barely dodged its strike before driving the dagger deep into its neck with all his strength. The creature collapsed in front of him, but Diggo didn't even have a moment to recover. Another monster lunged from behind and slammed him to the ground.

Adrian immediately fired. The monster collapsed before it could finish Diggo.

Adrian rushed over and dropped to his knees beside him.

“Diggo! Are you okay?”

Diggo looked at him with difficulty and tried to get up, but his body refused to cooperate. His injury was severe, and blood was pouring from his side.

“We’ll get you out of here,” Adrian said, trying to help him up. “Just hang on.”

Diggo grabbed his arm and pulled himself upright before speaking in a weak voice.

“Leave me... There are still more monsters.”

Adrian refused. “I’m not leaving you here.”

Diggo gave him a faint smile.

“Looks like I was wrong... I thought I was ready for this day.”

Adrian remembered what Diggo had said during training, when he had stood in front of everyone and bragged about his experience and strength, convinced he didn't need any more training. Now that same man was lying in front of him only minutes into their first mission, unable to stand because of an injury sustained in a real battle.

“You’re not dead yet,” Adrian said. “We’re getting you out of here.”

Diggo slowly shook his head before looking Adrian directly in the eyes.

“If you’re going to fight... don’t let my death be meaningless.”

Adrian fell silent.

Diggo continued in a faint voice, “Protect the others... and don’t die here.”

His hand went limp and fell to his side.

Adrian remained beside him for several seconds, unable to say a word as the battle continued around them.

He stared at Diggo, still unable to process what had just happened.

“Adrian! Move!” Dan shouted from a distance.

Adrian slowly raised his head. The monsters were still closing in, and the fighting hadn't stopped for even a second. He grabbed his rifle, forced himself back onto his feet, and stared at the creatures ahead of him.

Then he raised his weapon and charged back into the fight, anger driving every step.

One of the monsters grabbed him by the shoulder while another seized his leg. More creatures quickly joined them, and together they began dragging him away from the street.

Adrian dug his hands into the ground, trying to hold himself in place, but the creatures were far stronger. His body scraped across the asphalt as they dragged him farther and farther away, until they pulled him off the road and into the nearby trees.

“Adrian! Hold on!” Dan shouted.

Adrian lifted his head with difficulty and saw Dan trying to reach him through the swarm of monsters. But with every second, the distance between them grew.

“Dan! Don’t come!” Adrian shouted.

The creatures continued dragging him deeper into the darkness until the sound of gunfire behind him slowly faded away.

They dragged Adrian into the forest, where darkness surrounded him from every direction. He struggled again, but he couldn't break free.