Apocalypse Ascension

'Just wait… for now, your mask holds. But whatever you're hiding beneath it—will eventually slip.'

[38…]

With that thought, a familiar countdown sounded out inside his head—reminding him of the dire situation at hand. Tanya stared back at the barricade, eyes fixed on the hounds on the other side. Then her eyes shifted back to Justin.

"So… do you have a plan?"

Justin took a deep breath, then turned—meeting her gaze.

"Yeah…I might."

She raised an eyebrow.

"…And it doesn't involve running?"

Justin's lips curled into a tired grin.

"We're not running, we're going to make them come to us. But you're going to have to trust me—even if it sounds crazy."

She blinked, noticing the fire in his eyes.

"Alright, after what you just did I'd be crazy not to—I'm listening."

[37…]

"Great, on my way here I passed by the bus depot—it's half collapsed now with all sorts of rubble and rusty crates, but for this situation it's perfect. We draw them in, all five of them—I need them to surround me."

"What?!"

"Relax i'm not trying to kill myself. Just… listen, when they're around me something changes. I move faster, see clearer—I don't know how to explain it but… just think of it as adrenaline, just way sharper."

Tanya hesitated, processing, then nodded.

"What do you need me to do?"

[36…]

"We slip out the rear fire escape—quietly. There's a side alley that loops around to the old bus depot, if we use it right—it's a kill box. Then you and maybe one or two others throw whatever you can, pots, pans, bricks—lead them through the east side entrance of the depot. Once they're inside, I'll pull them my way toward the center. If they circle me…"

"…You become a blur."

She finished for him—Justin smirking in response.

"Exactly."

"And if you mess up?"

"Then I guess I die, in a pretty cool way at that."

Tanya rolled her eyes, then gave him a light tap to the butt—lightening the somber atmosphere.

"Fine, but if you die I'm gonna bring you back just to slap the shit out of you."

[30…]

A rare chuckle escaped from Justin's mouth as he stepped toward the fire escape.

***

The back door creaked open with a subtle groan. Justin was the first to slip through, crouching low with a metal rod in his hand—Tanya followed, gripping tightly on that metal rod she'd had since earlier. Behind them, two younger teens trailed, one with a cracked skateboard in hand and the other—smaller one, Cody he thought his name was—held a frying pan like it owed him some money.

They moved as fast as the situation allowed, the alley behind the shelter was dark—the only light coming from a flickering streetlamp and the crimson hue that still bled through the sky.

"Bus depot's just up ahead,"

Justin whispered, scanning the area. The east entrance was in stable condition—perfect.

"This is where we split."

He muttered.

The teens nodded, walking off to the alley's far side. Tanya lingered next to him, hesitant.

"You sure this will work?"

Justin took one long look into her eyes.

"Nope, but it's better than just waiting to die right?"

Without waiting for a response, he bolted.

Tanya stared at his back as he ran off, a subtle smile forming.

"I remember teaching him how to play cards—now he's leading us into a fight for the fate of the shelter… the world works in mysterious ways."

A small chuckle escaped her mouth before she hurriedly turned around—trying to catch up to the teens.

***

Justin's feet pounded against the cracked pavement as he sprinted into the depot. Inside it, old buses were damaged—their windows shattered and rust already forming. Rubble and other debris filled the middle clearing, making a loose circle of cover.

Justin leapt onto a tipped crate, then into the center—closing his eyes.

'Come on…'

He started wondering if… this would be the last time he stood in silence.

Then, outside, a thunderclap of noise rang out—banging, clattering, and screams of "HEY!" and "OVER HERE!" echoed from the alley.

The bait worked, those familiar snarls sounded out. The hounds took it, all five of them.

The ground shook as they stormed into the depot, claws scraping metal, breath hissing like steam. The biggest one let out a horrible bark and charged ahead.

Justin's eyes snapped back open, and a voice spoke repeatedly inside his head.

'Live on… Justin.'

Then—the world around him shifted, his heartbeat slowed—but his mind? It surged and he felt them, all of them. He didn't need any notification or Pathway to let him know that Pack Hunter was active.

They circled, four burning orange eyes locked onto him. Four across the outer rim and the fifth, the one that he'd hit with foam—recognized Justin and waited to strike.

The air thickened with heat and tension, the hounds circled tighter, claws screeching against metal, glowing eyes never leaving him. Justin's heart should've been pounding—but it wasn't. Instead, his body felt lighter.

His muscles loosened, vision widened, and he could see it all. Each beast's movement traced in his mind—small shifts in their shoulders, claws dragging through grit, the flex of hind legs ready to pounce.

Pack Hunter was in full effect.

'Five of them, four closing in, one in the back waiting to counter. The largest one's the smartest...'

A low growl came from his right, then the first of the pack lunged. Justin ducked low and pivoted, sliding across gravel as the creature soared above him. He kicked upward mid-spin, catching its ribs and sending it tumbling into a pillar with a painful yelp.

The second came from the left, Justin used the rod he brought to counter strike—letting its momentum bring it right into his thrust. The rod plunged deep into its side but it wasn't dead—still, the scream it let out was enough to stun the third.

'Third one's moving… flanking from the right.'

Justin snatched a long shard of shattered glass off the ground and threw it, striking the third in the leg—it shrieked and limped back, crashing onto a bench. Three were down, two were left.

The fourth circled, slower now. After seeing three of its kin die it seemingly got smarter. Creeping wide along the perimeter, head low and growling, eyes flickering between Justin and its fallen brethren—it was learning.

But maybe it was learning too much.

Its circle grew wider with each pass, giving Justin more space, too much of it at that. The fifth noticed, Its deep-set eyes snapped toward the fourth. A low, guttural growl rumbled from its throat.

Justin just stood there—watching, waiting.

The fourth hesitated again, stepping even further back not retreating, just calculating. And that was a mistake in itself.

In a blur, the fifth lunged—not at Justin, but sideways—straight into its own packmate. Claws slashed across the fourth's neck in a clean, brutal arc. The smaller hound yelped, stumbled, then collapsed with a twitch.

Justin blinked.

'Did it just kill its own?'

The beast exhaled loudly, circling once more—only now alone.

Its message was clear: No weakness, no hesitation.

Justin tightened his grip on the metal rod, eyes narrowing as the fourth's blood seeped toward his feet.

"Alright," he whispered, bracing himself.

"Just us two now."