The Brutal Reality

[Nox]

Time slowed to a crawl. Everything happened so fast, but it felt like every millisecond was an hour. The rush of adrenaline flooded Nox's system. The power enhanced the feeling, the euphoria of it all. The hunt was the reason for doing this. The danger was forgotten. Now it was only about killing the bad things.

Alistair Pavlo walked. Lih shot useless cross bolts at it while Nox threw his small stones at the horde surrounding him. There were so many. You couldn't even count them. His heart raced. The stench of the burning body still lingered in his nostrils. It would be there for days even after a long stretch through the smog ridden Moscow.

Nova stayed at Nox's heel. He was the last line before it was on top of Nox. The last line. Nox knew where Ivan was. Knew just by the menacing presense, but Lih, he glanced to where he was supposed to be, but the pale officer was gone. Fucking idiot! Nox scanned the horde for the boy. Fuck!

He let the software do the work, more than his eyes as he kept throwing fireballs.

Nox watched in slow motion as the boy was flung from the flailing body of Pavlo's ghost. He was no longer a man. Nox split his flow and threw a fireball. And another while he lashed out with the fire and air razor whip pulling with all his force as it would slice through whatever it had wrapped itself around. The distinct snap of the weapon sang in Nox's heart. Nova growled and had moved towards the fallen officer. Nox threw a fireball that flung the attacking creature backwards. It howled in pain as the fire engulfed it, joining the existing putrid smells from their deaths and buring. It was a horrid stench.

Nox moved quickly. More of the horde was coming. But they had a man down. Fuck!

Nova crept closer. Nox followed in the dogs wake taking down anything close with a well aimed fireball. His heart was pumping fast. Each breath was becoming harder to take. There were so many of them. One. Another. Another.

More.

One slipped past the last fireball and rushed at them. Nova lungned for its neck and they catapolted across the tunnel. Nox's eyes followed Nova, and another came from the darkness straight at the fallen officer. There was no time. Nox threw a gust of air at Lih and hurled him backwards as he held his arm in front of the creature. It's teeth sank into the flesh of his forearm. Irony would have it on the Atharim tattoo. Panic flaired through Nox. Fuck!

The creature clamped on to his arm and ravaged his flesh. Nox howled in pain but the same pain fueled the power as he dug deep down inside and pushed earth up in front of them. The ground shook as pillars of earth shot upwards creating a wall.

Only one chance. Nox grabbed for the power again but it slipped through his exhausted fingers. The pain, the taint the ichor whatever he could feel flowing up his arm. He yelled. "Cut it off!" Nox drew his gun and shot the creature in the head and they both fell to the ground. The creature hanging limp from his arm. His voice was queit. "Cut it off at the elbow... hurry." Nox started to feel weak. His stomach churned. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!