Chapter 3: Flux Level 1
Chapter 3: Flux Level One
Windows burst in shards of crystalline glass as the creatures tore their way through. The sound was deafening, like a thousand wine glasses shattering at once. Jagged pieces rained down on the carpet, glinting in the strange blue light that now filled our home. The air grew thick with the acrid scent of something alien, something wrong, as the beasts forced their way inside.
I pushed Lynn behind me and lunged forward, throwing myself in the way of one whose powerful arm bashed me to the side like my son's action figure from earlier. My body felt weightless for a moment before slamming into the wall with enough force to crack the drywall.
The wall cracked as air left my lungs in a burst. Stars exploded across my vision, bright pinpricks of light against encroaching darkness. My vision darkened, my head spinning as it bounced off the wall. A family picture, already broken, couldn't manage to stay up. It crashed to the ground, shattering. The smiling faces of our family Christmas portrait disappeared beneath cracked glass, a final insult to what was unfolding.
I tried to push myself up, my palms slicing on broken glass. Blood smeared the beige carpet as I struggled to regain my feet. The ringing in my ears subsided enough to hear screams, my wife's and children's voices blending together in a symphony of terror.
"Run!" I screamed, or tried to. The word came out as a hoarse whisper, barely audible over the growls and hisses of the invading monsters.
My vision cleared, showing me a vision out of my worst nightmares.
Jackson stood frozen at the top of the stairs, his eyes wide with incomprehension as one of the beasts bounded toward him. It moved with impossible speed, a blur of shadowy fur and glinting claws. I watched, helpless and still dazed, as it reached my son. Time seemed to slow, each second stretching into an eternity as the creature's massive jaws opened, revealing row upon row of obsidian teeth.
"NO!" The word tore from my throat, raw and primal.
Too late. The monster's teeth closed around Jackson's small body. My beautiful boy, who just hours ago had been excited about a toy car, who had laughed as he ran through sprinklers in the yard, who still needed me to check under his bed for monsters, was gone in an instant.
Jackson's chest was ripped open, one of the creatures feeding on my boy's blood, unimaginable sounds of slurping and unholy swallowing coming from it as the creature's throat constricted. Crimson spray painted the walls, the ceiling, my face. I tasted copper on my lips, my son's life essence marking me.
The world tilted beneath my feet. This couldn't be real. This was a nightmare, a fever dream. I would wake up any moment to the sound of Jackson's laughter, to Elisa calling for breakfast, to Lynn's lips on my cheek.
But I didn't wake up.
My eyes widened, my heart thudded like a locomotive down tracks. Each beat felt like it would burst through my ribcage. Time seemed to slow further, the creature's movements becoming languorous as it feasted on my child. I could see individual droplets of blood suspended in the air, catching the eerie light like rubies.
I screamed, and with it came a surge of my first taste of power.
Flux Awakening... Level 1.
The words appeared before my eyes, glowing blue text hovering in the air. A warmth spread through my limbs, starting from my core and radiating outward. The pain in my head vanished, replaced by clarity unlike anything I had ever experienced. Every sense sharpened to a razor's edge. I could hear Lynn's rapid breathing from across the room, could smell the distinct otherworldly musk of the creatures, could see the individual strands of fur on the beast that had taken my son.
Before I knew it, I was across the room, smashing the creature that killed my son. I didn't pay attention to where the extra power came from, the surge of strength in my limbs, the power behind my punch. My fist connected with the creature's skull with a satisfying crunch. Bone gave way beneath my knuckles, yet I felt no pain. The monster let out a growling hiss as it was knocked back from its meal. Jackson's broken body slumped to the floor, his eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling.
"Get away from him!" I roared, my voice unrecognizable even to myself. Something had changed within me, something fundamental and irreversible.
I kept it up, landing blow after blow on the creature. My hands should have broken from the force, but they remained intact, fueled by the strange energy coursing through me. The monster tried to fight back, slashing at me with claws that could tear through flesh like paper, but I moved with newfound speed, dodging just enough to avoid lethal wounds.
Blood ran down my arms from dozens of shallow cuts, but I barely noticed. All I could see was Jackson's face, peaceful in death despite the horror visited upon his body. All I could hear was the maddening, wet sounds of the creature as it had fed on my child.
The beast retreated slightly, assessing me with intelligence that no animal should possess. Its crimson eyes narrowed, calculating. In that moment, I knew it was deciding whether to continue the fight or seek easier prey.
But another creature tore into the room, ripping our door off its hinges. The wood splintered, sending fragments flying like shrapnel. This one was different, larger and covered in what looked like bony plates. Its head was elongated, almost reptilian, and a forked tongue flicked out to taste the air.
I heard a scream, high pitched, like nails on a chalkboard. A scream I recognized instantly, that cut through the chaos like a knife. Elisa.
I whirled, searching frantically for my daughter. She had been right behind Lynn, holding onto her mother's nightgown. Now she stood alone in the corner, her small face contorted in terror as the new creature advanced on her.
"Elisa! Get down!" I shouted, already pushing off the floor to reach her.
The first monster, seeing my distraction, lunged at my exposed back. I felt claws rake across my shoulder blades, tearing fabric and flesh alike. The pain was white-hot, a brand pressed into my skin, but I didn't falter. My little girl needed me.
The metallic, tangy scent of blood stabbed the air, but I felt it deeper than that. As I moved toward Elisa, fighting through the searing pain in my back, a new scent reached me. A scent that stopped me cold, that froze the very blood in my veins.
Lynn's perfume, mixed with her blood.
The blade cut deep, slashing into my soul, tearing a bit of it away.
I knew then what I would see when I turned around. The monster I had been attacking was still on the floor, stunned but not defeated. Beyond it, the new creature stood over a crumpled form, its claws dripping with fresh crimson.
I turned to find my wife on the floor, her golden hair spread around her like a halo, now stained with spreading red. The creature had opened her from throat to navel with one swipe of its massive claws. The nightgown I had bought her last Christmas, the one with little stars that matched her eyes, was now soaked through with blood.
She wasn't moving.
Time stopped completely. The creatures, the house, even Elisa's terrified screams faded into the background. All that existed was Lynn's still form and the impossible reality that she was gone. My wife, my partner, the mother of my children, had been taken from me in an instant.
"Mommy!" Elisa's voice broke through my shock, high and desperate. "Mommy, get up!"
I turned back toward my daughter, who was trying to run to her mother's body. The reptilian creature blocked her path, its tongue flicking out as if tasting her fear. It made a sound like stones grinding together, a deep, rumbling growl that vibrated the floorboards beneath my feet.
"Elisa, stay back!" I commanded, the strange power still flowing through me, giving my voice an authority it had never possessed before.
To my surprise, the little girl froze, not from fear but in response to my command. Her eyes, so like mine, widened in shock at the tone. In that split second of her hesitation, I made my move.
I lunged forward, putting myself between the creature and my daughter. It struck with blinding speed, but I was faster, riding the wave of this new energy. I caught its clawed hand inches from my face, the talons so close I could see the fine serrations along their edges.
"Daddy!" Elisa sobbed behind me. "Your eyes are glowing!"
I had no time to process her words. The creature was immensely strong, its arm slowly forcing its way toward my throat despite my resistance. I felt my reserves flagging, the initial surge of energy beginning to wane. We were locked in a deadly embrace, neither giving ground.
From the corner of my eye, I saw movement. The first creature, the one that had killed Jackson, was stirring, shaking its massive head as it recovered from my attack. It would be on us in seconds, and I couldn't fight both.
"Elisa," I grunted, straining against the monster's strength, "when I say run, go to the bathroom and lock the door. Don't come out no matter what you hear."
My daughter whimpered but nodded, her small hands clutched to her chest.
I gathered the last of my strength and twisted sharply, using the creature's momentum against it. As it stumbled forward, I delivered a kick to its abdomen, sending it crashing into the wall. The impact shook the entire house, pictures falling, plaster dust raining down.
"RUN!" I shouted, and Elisa bolted, her small feet pounding across the carpet toward the hallway bathroom.
The reptilian beast recovered quickly, hissing in fury. Its companion was on its feet now too, both converging on me with murderous intent. I backed away, trying to lead them from Elisa's hiding place, buying her precious seconds.
My back hit the wall. Nowhere left to retreat. The creatures advanced, their movements synchronized as if they shared a single mind. I raised my fists, determination hardening within me.
I might die here, but I would take these monsters with me.
"Come on then," I snarled, feeling something shift within me. The blue text appeared again:
Flux Surge detected. Temporary stat boost.
A fresh wave of energy washed through me, stronger than before. My muscles tensed, coiled like springs ready to release. The room seemed to slow again, the monsters moving through molasses as I perceived everything with preternatural clarity.
I launched myself at them, no longer caring about my own survival. Jackson was gone. Lynn was gone. All that mattered was giving Elisa a chance, however slim, to escape this nightmare.
My fist connected with the first creature's jaw, bones shattering under the impact. It howled, a sound that would haunt my dreams for years to come, and staggered back. I didn't pause, whirling to face the reptilian monster as it slashed at me. Its claws caught my side, opening three parallel gashes, but I barely felt it. The rage, the grief, the power, they all combined to numb me to anything but the need to destroy these abominations.
I fought with a savagery I never knew I possessed, landing blow after devastating blow. Blood, both theirs and mine, slickened the floor beneath us. The creatures began to retreat, their confidence faltering in the face of my onslaught.
A crash from below caught their attention. More of their kind, entering through the shattered windows downstairs. Reinforcements.
The wounded beasts seized the opportunity, breaking away from our deadly dance and bounding toward the stairs. I started to pursue, then remembered Elisa. I had to get to her, to protect her.
I staggered toward the bathroom, leaving bloody footprints on the carpet. My side burned, the wounds deep enough to be serious, but not immediately fatal. The surge of power was fading, leaving exhaustion and pain in its wake.
"Elisa," I called, my voice hoarse. "It's Dad. Open the door."
No response.
"Monkey, please. It's safe now. The monsters are gone."
The silence stretched, broken only by the sounds of destruction from below as the creatures ransacked our home. I tried the handle. Locked, as I had instructed.
"Elisa?" Panic began to rise within me. Had one of the creatures gotten to her first? Had she been injured, unable to respond?
I was about to break down the door when I heard a small voice from within.
"Are you really my daddy?"
Relief flooded me. "Yes, monkey. It's really me."
"Your eyes were glowing," she said, her voice trembling. "Like the monsters."
I had no answer for that. "I promise it's me, Elisa. Please open the door."
After an agonizing pause, the lock clicked, and the door swung open. My daughter stood there, her face tear-streaked, her nightgown spattered with blood that wasn't hers. She looked at me, taking in my torn clothes, the wounds on my body, and whatever she saw in my face.
"Mommy and Jackson are in heaven now, aren't they?" she asked, her voice small but steady.
The question nearly broke me. How could I possibly answer that? How could I confirm that her world had just been shattered beyond repair?
But I had to. For her.
"Yes," I said, kneeling to her level despite the pain that lanced through my side. "They are."
She nodded, her eyes too old suddenly in her young face. "I heard the monsters downstairs. There are lots of them."
"We need to go," I said, forcing strength into my voice that I didn't feel. "Right now. Can you be brave for me?"
Elisa squared her tiny shoulders, so much like her mother in that moment that it stole my breath. "I can be brave."
I picked her up, wincing as her weight pressed against my wounds. We had to make it out of the house, away from the creatures that had destroyed our family. I had no plan beyond that, no idea of the nightmare world we were about to enter.
All I knew was that I would protect my daughter with my life. And that I would destroy every last one of these monsters, whatever it took, whatever I had to become.
I didn't understand what it meant. I didn't care. All that mattered was Elisa, and survival, and vengeance.
The monsters had taken my son and my wife.
They would pay in blood.
As we moved toward the window at the end of the hall, our best chance at escape, the blue text appeared one more time:
Flux Level 1 stabilized. Bloodline detected. Beginning analysis.