The Story Without A Name

The alleyway was a death trap. The air was hot and foul, and a dark path stretched before them.

 Ava wiped her forehead and peered into the shadows.

"So this is it, right?" she asked Erik, who stood beside her with a white flame hovering over his palm. He nodded, and then bit his lip and glanced around nervously.

They were in the heart of a forsaken city, where shadows danced with malice and the very air whispered of long-forgotten secrets. They were in a city that had been deserted by its people long ago, a city that now belonged to anything but sane, Devils—demonic creatures that preyed on the living, or worse. Some existed as beasts having horns, tails and hairy bodies while some were far more disturbing than creatures with broken twisted and morphed limbs to nightmarish brutes with plastered smiles that would haunt you until your end. 

These were twisted beings that had existed for thousands of years, a curse sent upon the world for all the misdeeds and disobedience committed despite countless warnings. What was driving the human conscience back then? Were they blinded by expected everlasting growth and prosperity? Back then human science had reached its true potential, a breakthrough from every discomfort. But sometimes this greed only destroys everything, the foundations, the pillars. Forcing you to start over without any blueprint or help, solely lying on your understanding and what you can remember.

The truth is, no one will have a peaceful end.

Every country had sealed itself behind walls to escape the horrors that lurked outside. But these two fellow humans had a mission to complete, and they couldn't turn back now.

"Anyone there!?" Shouted Ava, but as expected nothing descended.

"Did you really expect to get an answer?" Erik couldn't help but scoff as he met her frowning gaze.

"I know what I'm doing!" Ava shook her head. She pointed to the silver badge attached to her breast pocket as she stated rather haughtily, "I'm one rank higher than you, which means I have more experience." She puffed out her chest proudly.

"More like one neuron short, if you ask me." Erik couldn't help but smirk.

"Hey-"

She was interrupted by a strange sound from inside the alleyway. It was brief and muffled, but it made them both freeze. They looked at each other, wondering what it was but failing to come up with a conclusion they let it slide hoping it was only their probable imagination trying to mess them up. They didn't have time to waste. They had to complete the mission before nightfall.

After checking the pollution index with a small metallic device with an antenna, having a small display on its body, it was concluded according to the graphical and temperature monitor that the pollution index of the alleyway was quite low, with no chance of infection just like the rest of the small city.

Ava took a deep breath and stepped into the dark path, her cape trailing behind her. Erik hesitated for a moment but then followed the little lady after quickly shoving the device into his bag. The darkness swallowed them up.

The two kept walking for some time but the path stretched on and on without any signs of its end. Erik looked back time to time expecting to see the alleyway's opening from which they came from but all he saw was the the pitch-black murk. At times he thought he saw some shifts and movements but he didn't know if he was going insane or something was really following them. He had this gnawing feeling, continuously choking him, there was something strange about this place, but strangely, he couldn't land a finger on what it was. Ava, however, seemed to be quiet resolute and firm, with no tension or anything. Maybe she has found herself in similar situations countless times, only that reason could justify it.

They walked for a long time, but the alleyway seemed endless. The flame in Erik's hand grew fainter as if it sensed something wrong. Erik realized that this place was extremely humid and hot causing himself to sweat slightly. How long would the path stretch? Thinking this he was about to suggest turning back when suddenly he heard Ava shout to him.

"I see something!" she exclaimed, seemingly excited.

He looked ahead and saw a faint glow in the distance. It was hard to make out what it was, but it was different from the darkness around them.

"Finally! I thought we were stuck in a maze."

"But I thought you knew what you were doing," Erik said sarcastically slightly relieved himself.

Ava rolled her eyes and ran towards the light, with Erik close behind. They reached a large shop window that was embedded in the wall. It was lit up by some unknown source. Inside the window, a dusty mannequin sat on a stool, it was positioned as if it was adjusting a hat that wasn't there, its hands only gripping a small bit of air.

Ava stared at the hatless mannequin, wondering what it was doing there. Was this some kind of marketplace in the past? Before the catastrophe, shops were everywhere, ranging from food, clothes and daily essentials to even luxuries. She was interrupted by Erik, who pointed to something else further down the alleyway.

Surprised, they saw another shop window a few meters away. They exchanged a puzzled look before moving towards it. This shop was the same as the previous but the mannequin's posture was a bit different, this time it was only sitting, with one leg crossed over the other, the faceless mannequin only staring blankly towards them. It was a bit unsettling.

"Was it normal to have such shops in the past?" Erik spoke to himself.

Ava froze as she saw the light coming from deeper within the alleyway. they saw another shop window ahead, and another, and another. They were all the same, except for the mannequins. They moved deeper and inspected each one of them, before picking up pace and eventually their footsteps became urgent, they were running now. The litted displays kept appearing and appearing, were they stuck in a loop? Were they just repeatedly coming across the same shop? What was even happening?

As they ran past the shop windows, they noticed the mannequins changing. Can the mannequins also feel their presence just as these two can feel theirs? As they passed by more mannequins, they became more twisted and distorted, as if they were alive and in pain. The lights also grew dimmer and dimmer, until they barely lit up the windows.

"I think I preferred the darkness to this..." Ava muttered.

"You're not the only one." Erik agreed.

They stopped abruptly when they saw the last window on the right. It was different from the others. The lights were flickering erratically, and the glass was smeared with blood. Fresh blood. Something was inside the shop, something that was moving and making horrible noises. It sounded like crying and screaming. Then the glass cracked as if something had hit it from inside. It had seen them.

The glass was shattering, and the sound from inside was growing louder and more terrifying. A strange shadow became visible inside, it hit his huge hand on the glass multiple times. "What is that thing?" Erik gasped. "It's coming out!" Ava quickly pulled Erik away reflexively as she gritted her teeth

"We can't wait here to find out Erik, quick we need to get out of here!" Ava shouted as she tried to pull Erik away, whatever that thing was, no way could they battle it alone without support.

"What do you mean? Are we just abandoning our mission?!" exclaimed Erik as he pulled his arm away from her grip.

"Do you prefer to die? Then go ahead, I'm leaving!" Ava snapped at him before turning away to make an escape. Clearly, in this sort of situation, one's survival instinct always gets the best of him.

Suddenly, a claw-like hand smashed its way through the window and tried to grab Erik! He quickly fell back as the beast was only able to grapple air. Taking this opportunity and not wanting to become its prey he quickly got on to his heels and followed Ava behind.

Throwing a brief glance back they saw a clawed hand reaching through the broken window, it was attached to a monstrous creature that looked like a twisted version of a devil. It had black fur, red eyes that glowed with malice, two horns that curled above its head, and massive hands with sharp claws. Its mouth was wide and full of jagged teeth, and it seemed to be hungry for human flesh. The beast roared and pushed its way through the window, shattering the remaining glass and finally being free. A deep groan came from its mouth, it turned its head towards the two runaways. It gave an ugly grin, dark saliva dripping from its massive mouth. The beast got on all his fours before lunging forward and chasing them! 

Both comrades were sprinting through the darkness towards the exit of this horror house.

As they ran past the windows, they saw more of the clawed hands breaking through the glass, followed by the horrific faces of more beasts. The screams of the creatures filled the air, growing louder and more piercing with every second. They felt like their ears were going to burst. Blood spattered from the windows and splashed on the ground, creating a slippery and sickening trail. Every step they took made a squelching noise that made their stomach churn in disgust.

"SAVE US!"dreadful voices growled.

 "DON'T LEAVE US!" one shouted.

 "PLEASE HELP!" the other joined in.

 "WE DON'T WANT TO STAY!"

 "IT HURTS!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

The screams blared from every direction in pain and agony. Small black figures moved in every direction in front of them. Smashing sounds came from everywhere, angry growls, painful screams and laughter all mixed together, creating a cacophony of terror. They felt the beast behind them getting closer and closer, breathing heavily and snarling. 

What was this nightmare? 

 Erik spotted a gap in the wall ahead of them. "That must be the exit!" he shouted. Ava followed his gaze and felt a surge of hope. She could see the light outside, shining through the opening. They ran towards it, but before they could reach it, a black figure leapt in front of them, blocking their way. They skidded to a halt. Ava drew her dagger and held it in front of her. Erik muttered an enchantment and a strange flame appeared above both his hands.

"Get out of the way!" Ava shouted as she pointed the dagger in the man's direction. This man was definitely not here to assist them in any way. As the loud and heavy noise increased behind them, it was clear that they couldn't stand around wasting time, survival was most impulsive in the current predicament. Ava quickly moved forward moving the sharp dagger in the man's direction.

"!"

She was taken aback when the man deflected her attack and forced her back with the blade that he took out in only a moment as if he already had expected such a surprise. 

The figure smirked and pulled off the cape that covered his head. He revealed himself to be a tall and pale man with white hair and sapphire eyes. He looked at them with amusement and drew his blade. He held the blade up and admired its shine, then glanced back at them.

 "I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave so easily. You've made some interesting friends here. Though I hoped them to meet someone else."

The beast was now right behind them, a smile plastered on its face.