Me and the Chimeras

The rain is deafening as it slams the leaves of trees growing on the broken streets like a hundred drums being pounded, making it extremely difficult to hear how far or close my pursuers are. I vault over dead cars covered in wet moss and keep running and waiting. Ten meters… Fifteen meters… Twenty meters…

Thump!

On top of the car. I whip out a gun, turn, and shoot.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"You miss me, little rat!" One of the pursuer cackles.

I click my tongue and push my aching legs further down the prairie-like streets filled with a gallery of broken vehicles wrapped in vines and away from my destination. Damn these Chimeras!

A splash to my right followed by a shout. Claws glint in my peripheral. I leap forward, spinning my body toward my pursuer; its sharp cat-like nails rush past my vision. A human body with feline ears, tail, fangs, and my gun clenched tightly in my hand, feeling the bumpy grip texture bite into my skin, pointing at its human face. I pull the trigger.

Bang!

It falls with a thud in front of me. But the splashes don't stop, so I quickly push my muscles off the ground and back to my feet.

"Brother, no!"

Claws jump out of the rain. I reach for the handle on my waist, and a narrow sword collapses out of the hilt. Clashing, sparks light up; I swing again, pushing up against its nails. This one is built more, with veins popping on the surface of its ball-sized biceps and red feline eyes glaring down at me.

"You'll die, human! I'm a Chimera!"

I have no words but lead for this thing. Tightening my grip on my sword, I push it off and swing and clash with its claws repeatedly. Then I raise the gun. But it launches its foot into my gut, sending me rolling back and letting out a loud grunt through gritted teeth. The feline Chimera shouts from above. I gasp; my heart races. Shooting up from the ground, I toss the bottom of my trench coat up to give me small coverage; I hear it tear through my jacket, and then I pull the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Click!

I yelp as a sharp pain lashes across my abdomen, feeling the warmth of my blood spilling down my body, then cold again as rain soaks me. I rush my sword at the Chimera, but it ducks and bashes my head with its foot, spinning my world and sending me flying over a vehicle.

"You got me. But I'm not dead yet, little rat!"

Now that there's a bit of a distance between me and it, I shake the swirling sensation from my head and dash toward an alley, reloading my gun's magazine.

"You can't outrun me, human!" the Chimera's voice bounces around the brick walls surrounding me.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

All shots miss as the Chimera wall jumps around closer to me, making my heart pound in my ears. I need to slow it down!

Clink.

I casually drop a grenade, hoping it didn't see it, and cover it by shooting some more.

Bang! Bang! Click!

"You're a horrible sho-"

Boom!

Fire erupts, but I still hear the thing cursing in the smoke. I take a right and drop another bomb, then a left and drop another.

Boom!

Boom!

In front of me, there's a door. I can use the bomb to blow it and let me inside while the Chimera is busy being blown up. I grab another grenade and pull the pin.

Clink.

I turn my head and am greeted by the Chimera's furry hand lunging for my neck. The Chimera slams me against the door, crashing it open. I drop my gun, and I drop the grenade. Next, I am thrown onto what feels like a metal grated floor with my sword arm locked in its clutches; my eyes water, blurring the animal's glare in my face. I grip the thing's finger around my neck, pushing every ounce of strength to break its finger. But it doesn't work. Then I jab my thumb toward the Chimera's glowing red eye. But it sinks its fangs into my arm. My lungs burst, wanting to scream, but nothing comes out. I find its slimy tongue and tug on it hard. The Chimera roars as the hand on my throat tightens like it's going to explode.

Boom!

The explosion from the grenade I pulled earlier sends the Chimera flying over me, and the grated floor breaks. I descend to who knows where and crash onto another metal floor. I gasp for air as each cough feels like a knife in my lungs. Wiping tears out of my eyes, my gun lies just a few feet in front of me, and the Chimera groans to my left. As of right now, my wounds are all numbed out thanks to the adrenaline rushing through me; I push myself off the ground as quickly as I can and grab my gun. The magazine pops out, and then I jam in a new one.

A roar echoes. My gun clicks. Then I raise it at the Chimera and shoot.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Chimera jumps around the room and bounces off the many human-sized test tubes. I don't know how many I missed or hit as it lunges into the air.

But there, in one of the test tubes with bullet holes… is a girl? No, she has fox ears and a tail, and she's… looking at me? Fire surrounds her as her eyes light up as well. Flames erupt, shattering the glass, and engulfs the room with the Chimera roaring.

I scream.

I'm sorry, guys. I didn't make it either.

* * *

"-ake p…"

…

"Wake up."

"Wha-" I open my eyes to the dark, cloudy skies. It's still raining, but not as heavy as before. Turning my head, I see the girl with orange fox ears and a bushy tail beside me- a Chimera.

I rapidly blink and shoot up from the ground and reach for my gun, but it's not in my holster, nor are my sword or grenades. Then, looking at my arm, the wound where the feline Chimera had bit me is gone, even the claw mark on my abdomen.

What happened to my wounds? Did this Chimera do something to me? Looking around, I'm on a round helipad of some building's roof?

The Chimera approaches me and casually hands me my weapons. It's wearing a tight red trench coat wrapped around her, almost like a dress, with steel gauntlets and greaves. "My name is Tamamo, and I am not your enemy, Liam," says the fox Chimera.

My chest tightens. "What?" I jump back, pointing my gun at it. "How'd you know my name?"

"There is no time for questions. We have an enemy approaching," it says as it turns its head.

"What?" I also turn to what it's looking at.

There in the distance. Flying, it grows and travels toward us in a blur. Its brown wings clap like thunder. Then, it circles around the helipad and flaps in place, twirling a steel spear and pointing its tip at me.

A falcon Chimera with long blond hair, wearing steel armor plates in feather-like designs, including its mask that hides it's eyes.

Flames burst from the fox Chimera's palms, then its red coat lights up along with its eyes, creating a heat wave around it that dries up the rain into smoke before it lands on it. "Liam, I will provide you with support and do my best to keep you alive."