There was no time for thought as the blazing beam of energy soared past the cropped hair of Robert Fiazio, prompting an adrenaline spike and a burst of speed. Nevertheless, the pursuing beast kept pace with him. It seemed to be toying with him, a common trait of predators looking at an ensured victory and time to kill.

The predator in question, at first glance, was a shoe-in for both. It stood possibly seven feet tall, yet stood hunched on two powerful-looking legs. The beast’s arms were two different stories. The left one was powerful muscle, ending in razor-sharp claws, demonstrated recently as being able to dice through most grades of iron.

Its right was stranger still, a massive, curving, scythe-like blade protruding directly from where a normal elbow joint would be. Whenever it slashed in front of him, a blue ray of energy shot forward and created a concussive blast on its target.

Most fearsome of all was its face. Its eyes, a pale shade of yellow, glared with a demented intensity. It had curving fangs that reached up around its cheeks, and massive, elk-like horns atop its forehead.

The incident, still in progress, had began in a blur for Fiazio. He was pulling a late night in his office, the time being somewhere close to 12:30. His office, situated on the 30th story of a skyscraper New York, was a graphic design firm generally employed by small businesses and individuals.

Claws raked at his back, barely making contact but nevertheless removing strips of his shirt. He remembered a high-pitched noise, a bright flash of light, and a roar down the hall. Curiosity overcoming fear for a moment, he wheeled his chair out of his cubicle and peered down the hall.

That’s when an energy beam knocked him out of his chair and Fear made a comeback.

Fiazio sprinted to the elevator, something that saved his life as another beam impacted the spot he had occupied moments before, reducing it to a blackened mark, the chair a pile of cinders. Realizing that the elevator wouldn’t be the best option, he hung a right and made for the stairs. And that’s where the memory and the present converged, and he found himself ducking another beam, sprinting the length of the corridor. The beast let out another guttural howl, bounding after him.

He found the door closed, and he rammed into it with all of his might, praying that it wasn’t locked.

Click.

It burst open, and he spilled into the stairwell, its cave-like musk and echo flooding into him. He caught his breath, the subtle change from a sterile office to an industrial shaft washing over him. Proceeding to descend, he wondered what the thing chasing him was. It was certainly nothing natural, not with arms like that, let alone the rest of it.

Most of the wall two stories above him was obliterated, indicating that the calm before the storm was gone. He took the steps four at a time now, intent on getting to the ground floor and his car, or the nearest police station.

Yet another roar, and he felt a gust of wind go by him. Suddenly, the monster was in front of him! Its twisted mouth curled into a savage smile, and it held up its claws, as if taunting the puny human in front of it.

That’s when Puny Human decided to get the hell out of there.

He turned and ran, adrenaline once again saving his skin, save for a small section on his side. The claw came down lightning-fast, raking off the skin and producing no meager amount of blood. Fiazio let out a shout but kept running, determined to survive.

He burst through a similar door to his own office, this one to a small fast-food chain’s corporate headquarters. It was almost the exact same as his office, save for the lack of destruction, and the fact that the buildings beyond the windows seemed a bit taller.

The creature seemed to be opposed to doors, as it destroyed the wall around it and bounded into the room. Things were looking bad for Rob, as he began to lose his breath. Worse yet, besides the damning elevator there was no way out.

Then the thing really hit the fan as he tripped, sprawling to the ground.

It was on him, a twisted deviation of life in all of its terrible splendor. It raised its claw to effectively remove him from the face of the earth. Sweat beaded his face, his skin, and he silently prayed for a miracle as his lungs wailed out a scream of raw terror.

A Rocket Propelled Miracle soared through the window. Glass exploded into the room as the beast let out a twisted howl, flying across the room. Robert, realizing that it was merely dazed, got up to run, and that’s when he saw his savior.

He had about shoulder length hair, and he clutched the now-empty tube of an RPG in his muscular arms. He wore a black combat vest, loaded with firearms, grenades, and ammunition, and two weapons adorned his back. One a contemporary sniper rifle, the other a Japanese katana, strange marks and symbols along the silver blade.

“My name is Sethryn. Stay back, and don’t move.” He said, his voice youthful and calm, with an undertone of kindness, yet weighted with stress. Robert was dazed by now, but was glad for any sort of assistance in this endeavor. It now went from a chase sure to end in slaughter to a bona-fide fight.

He drew the katana as the beast rose to its feet, somewhat unsteady but ferocity welling up inside it.

“What about the gun?” queried a confused Robert. His newfound ally laughed. “The blade can hurt it far worse.” He responded as he assumed a stance and gripped the blade with both hands. The beast let out a low growl, glaring at the man. He shot back a look of pure disgust and hate. It began.

The monster struck first, firing a beam towards him. He swung a diagonal arc, deflecting it into the wall. He dashed forward, letting a horizontal slash loose. Blade and blade met, producing a clash and a shower of sparks. The beast pulled back and stabbed forward. Sethryn skirted the blow, launching an attack of his own. A flurry of jabs, slashes, and parries made up the next few minutes, neither fighter losing ground or determination.

Finally, Sethryn slipped up. A triumphant roar accompanied the beast’s left arm sweeping in and impacting the man’s torso. Sethryn let out a gasp and hurtled to the opposite side of the room. The beast assumed its freakish smile again, turning its attention to Fiazio again. It began to lope over to him, raising its vicious blade again. Strangely used to this, Robert barely showed any fear, knowing that the end had come.

He was proven wrong yet again, a crack! Heralding the sniper bullet soaring through the window and into the beast’s head. It yet out a horrible scream, falling to the ground. Sethryn pulled himself to his feet and shouted into a radio. “Get in here! It’s starting!”

An older man, looking to be about 50, appeared in the hole where the beast had broken through. In one hand was a silenced pistol, the other a tape recorder. He clicked the record button and held it up to the apparently dying creature.

The spectacle began. The creature bellowed a horrifying, unearthly wail. White energy welled up around it, which slowly began to seep towards the tape recorder. The remaining windows shattered, and small objects within the room began to vibrate as the cry became louder and louder.

Sethryn merely stood, katana in one hand, examining the event. It seemed oddly routine to him, as opposed to Fiazio, who was seconds from screaming his head off.

As quickly as it began it ended. A flash of white light, a final scream from the beast, and it was gone and quiet.

“Bagged and tagged.” Said the older man. Sethryn nodded, but then angled his head strangely. His eyes narrowed, and his ears perked. “Damn.” he muttered. Brandishing the radio again, he spoke into it. “Marcus, we’ve got cops coming. Get us out of here.”

A moment passed. Suddenly, from the radio, “Can do, boss. Get to the roof and I’ll give you a pickup.”

“Roger.” The older man then regarded Robert, who seemed to be in a minor shock. “What about him?”

Sethryn considered him for a moment. “He’s been marked by Them. We can’t afford to let the bastards have him if they need him bad enough to send one of those after him, and God knows they’ve got more than what we just killed.”

The older man didn’t need further convincing, pocketing his weapon and leading Robert out. Sethryn looked around the floor, searching for any trace of the creature. Finding nothing, he silently disappeared into the stairway.