A Pulse That Wasn't Human.
When I opened my eyes, my body was covered in wounds that were closing with a whisper of flesh. The blue blood contaminating me was throbbing in my veins… but it was still red. I felt something inside me waking up.
The carriage was a graveyard. Bodies were piled up among the smashed seats. Valentine lay behind me, her breathing a faint gasp. Claire… was still unconscious.
A guttural roar shattered the silence.
The monster that led the others was watching me from the opposite end. Its skull was fully regenerated. Its empty eyes burned with inexplicable hatred.
I took a step forward.
My legs obeyed with new firmness.
"Come on…" I muttered.
As if it understood my provocation, two of the lesser creatures lunged at me. A tingling sensation ran down my spine. Instinct. Or perhaps madness.
I felt everything slow down.
Time itself shattered like frozen glass.
The beasts hung suspended in the air, just a blink before falling upon me.
I took a step.Then another.
I stood in front of them.
I reached out my hands and grabbed their heads tightly.
"This… is over."
I slammed their skulls together. The impact was a muffled thunder, a burst of bone fragments. Their bodies stiffened as time resumed its flow. When everything returned to speed, they collapsed lifelessly at my feet.
I can stop it… time.This… is my power.
A third monster leaped toward Valentine.
I didn't give it a chance.
I ran to meet it and delivered an upward kick. The creature's skull caved in with a dry crunch. Its body shot out like a projectile. It smashed through the carriage window, flying toward the tracks.
Another creature tackled me from the left.
I dodged and grabbed its arm.
I spun on my axis, putting all my weight into the throw. I hurled it with a roar toward the monster watching me.
The leader raised a hand to ward it off. But the force of the impact made him stumble back a step.
A step that was enough for me to realize he bled like everyone else, too.
"What are you going to do… now?" I whispered, gasping.
The creature threw its ally's body aside. Its chest swelled as it released a scream that made the metal of the carriage tremble. Pure hatred.
It charged at me.
Its claws aimed for my throat.
I didn't back down.
The first attack forced me to cover up. Its claws sank into my forearm. The pain made me see flashes.
I gritted my teeth and countered with a punch to the side of its jaw. Its skull tilted with a snap.
—"GRAAAAH!"
My fist struck its face again.Once.Twice.Three times.
A viscous liquid soaked my hand.
Its claws tried to close on my chest.
The kick I delivered broke several of its ribs. It flew toward the carriage wall, buckling the sheet metal.
But it was still breathing.
It slowly got up, a spasm running through its neck. It looked at me with a hatred so ancient I felt a shiver.
And it charged again.
I didn't wait.
I ran to meet it.
Our bodies collided like two trains.
My hands clamped around its throat while its claws dug into my sides. A shared roar shook the floor.
My forehead slammed against its own.
A fissure crossed its skull.
I didn't wait for it to regenerate.
I twisted its neck with a dry snap.
The body jerked one last time… and went still.
My arms trembled.
I released it and took a step back. The creature fell on its side, motionless.
A thick silence fell over the carriage.
It was over.But I was alive.
I turned back to Valentine. Her breathing was weak, but present. I gently lifted her and settled her over my shoulder.
Her weight was a reminder of why I was still standing.
An agonizing screech crossed the carriage. The train, mortally wounded, lost its path. The wheels screamed against the metal.
The world shook as everything fell apart.
The last memory I had was seeing Claire, still passed out, roll toward the shattered door…
A second later, the impact ripped away my senses.
Darkness.
A silence so deep I thought it would be eternal.
When I came to, I didn't know how much time had passed. The carriage was destroyed, embedded in a concrete structure. Flames climbed through the wreckage.
Claire… was gone.
—"Claire…" — I whispered, but the name was lost in the smoke.
I took a staggering step, carrying Valentine on my shoulders. My legs protested, but I didn't fall.
I went through the broken door, leaving behind the corpse of the monster that had tried to devour her.
The sky was gray.
Ash fell like snow.