CHAPTER 1

The sky was dark, a color that was seen often nowadays. The pools of water on the ground, left from a fresh rainfall, would ripple occasionally, when a stray drop would fall from an overhanging pipe or street sign. The city looked as if it had been abandoned. It was a total mess. There were cracks in some of the buildings. Some street signs hung downward and were bent in several places. The dark clouds from the recent rainfall still hung in the sky. The only light came from the few streetlamps that were still undamaged.

Through the silence, there was but one sound that entered it. It was the steady sound of footsteps. They were getting louder by the second and never seemed to lessen, always staying at the same pace. Three figures appeared, coming down the dark streets. One was taller and much more bulk than the other two. He walked in front of them. As they came into the light, they stopped briefly and looked around.

The taller man had short black hair. The other two were around the same height. The one who was slightly taller was a boy with dark orange hair. It was in a mushroom cut and hung down just a little passed his ears. The last was a girl with purple colored hair. It was short and framed her face, but she had one side tucked away behind her ear, allowing the rest on the other side to hang down her face, nearly covering her left eye. All three of them were wearing black. The two men wore black pants, a white t-shirt and a black over shirt. The taller man had his buttoned so that it covered the white shirt while the other man left his open.

The girl wore tight black pants, a black shirt and an over shirt that was of the same color. It was tight fitting on her slim frame. Each of them wore a pair of black sunglasses and an earpiece over their right ear. In their hands, they each held a handgun.

The taller man glanced at the other two behind him. They all nodded their heads and then proceeded forwards. They left the light of the streetlamp and moved onward into the darkness. As they walked, they continuously scanned the area. On the ends of the guns were small lights that allowed them to see what was in front of them.

To the side, something streaked by in the darkness, making very little noise. The figure could barely be seen. The girl quickly turned to where it had been and aimed her gun. The light scanned the area, finding nothing. The other two stopped and turned towards her.

"What's wrong?" asked the taller man, his voice soft but deep. She didn't speak, just lowered her gun and shook her head.

"It's nothing. I thought I saw something, that's all," she said.

"Let me see," said the other man, his voice sounding younger than the first. He walked over to the girl and looked around the area, finding nothing.

"Let's go," said the taller man. They continued to walk until they stopped near another streetlamp. This time, something made a noise. It sounded like a scream of some kind, very loud and very long. They all raised their guns, scanning the area. They stayed close, their backs to each other.

"We're not alone," said the taller man. The sound came once again, only louder. They looked up, only to find what they were looking for. A huge creature stood on the building. It was at least twice as big as any one of them and much more bulk. The arms were long and slender, along with the legs, which were shaped like that of a Velociraptor’s. Its claws on its hands and feet were long and deadly. They looked as if they were made of ivory. Its head was the only part of it that was a normal size. The creature was bald with a smooth looking scalp. Its eyes were a ruby red color and glowed an eerie light in the darkness. It opened its mouth to let out a loud cry, revealing the many sharp, white teeth it had and the two fangs that were much longer than any of the other pearly whites. Its skin was a brown and green color, smooth and glossy as rubber. The creature was bent over, crouching with its hands pressed on the roof of the building.

"There it is," said the taller man.

"No problem, I can handle it," said the other. He aimed his gun up towards the creature.

"No, wait!" yelled the girl. It was too late. He pulled the trigger, releasing not a bullet, but a laser pulse that raced towards the creature. It made contact, but the creature didn't seem hurt in the least. Instead, it let out another scream and then stood up straight, showing its full height. It turned its ruby eyes to them and smirked wickedly.

"Look what you did!" yelled the girl angrily.

"Never mind! Let's go!" shouted the taller man. The three of them began running down the street, as fast as they could. The creature jumped from the building, landing on the street and cracking the cement. It then proceeded to chase the three of them. It wasn't long before it caught up. The girl looked over her shoulder and saw it coming up fast.

"We have a problem!" she yelled.

"I know, but we can't do anything about it! All we can do right now is run!" yelled the taller man.

"Then why do we even carry these guns?!" asked the other man, his voice holding a high level of irritation.

"I don't know! We'll work on it when we get back!" The creature was practically right behind them now.

"We're not going to make it!" yelled the girl. The creature was about to strike them with its claws when something flew out from the right and hit the creature, knocking it away. The three of them stopped running and turned to see what had happened.

The creature was still rolling until it put its feet down hard on the cement ground and jumped back. At the same time, what had hit it jumped back as well. The three people stood there in shock at what was before them. The thing that saved them appeared to be human and female, but it was too dark out to see much more than that.

The creature attacked at her, but she kicked it away easily. It attacked again and this time, the fight ensued a little longer, both contenders throwing punches and kicks. The girl jumped upward, jumping higher than any human ever could. Her feet touched the side of the building near the three spectators, and she quickly pushed off, aiming towards the creature. She extended her arm, ready to strike it, but as she neared it, the creature moved out of the way quickly and she punched the ground, cracking a large portion of the street. She quickly used her arm that was pressing on the ground to throw herself back up into the air. She pressed off the side of one building and onto the top of another that was across from it. The creature was left below.

The girl put her arms forward, placing her hands a few inches apart, palms facing in. A small ball of glowing light appeared in her hands. It grew quickly and seemed to be pulling in small particles of blue light. The creature below didn't look happy. It gave out a loud cry as two large wings quickly extended from its back. The wings were white and feathered, not something normally seen on such a hideous creature.

It flew into the sky and came just in front of the girl. She looked at the creature, and the ball in her hands stopped growing. She faced her palms out, keeping the distance that was there. The ball exploded into a huge beam of white and blue light. It grew larger as it went out further. She stepped back with her right foot to brace herself. The beam crashed with the creature, completely engulfing it. When the light finally cleared, the creature was gone, not a trace remaining.