1 The beginning of the end

The deafening footsteps bounced off of the dilapidated brick walls, the running feet slipping on the filth on the road. In blind terror the boy skids around a sharp corner, fighting the urge to look back behind him. He knows it's following him, he swears he can hear the laboured breath getting closer and closer, and the skittering of it's eight legs against the cobbled road.

Suddenly his foot catches on a broken piece of stone that was ironically placed in the middle of the empty road. He crashes to the ground scraping his knees and hands so they spewed out the crimson liquid that flowed through his body.

As he scrambles to get back up he stops, something is next to him...

Eyes wide, he quickly glances to his right, but whatever it was now was gone...

Panting hard he gets to his bruised feet and continues to run, ignoring the sharp pain in his right knee and the blood running down his shaking leg. Faster, he must run faster!

Skittering echoes behind him, fear sends him bolting forward. Out of the corner of his eye he sees a whisp of smoke and tears of terror spring to his eyes. It is just like his nightmare from three nights ago, and whatever happens he prays that he doesn't get to the ending.

"Mikhail, why are you running away from me?" A soft voice caresses his ear and the sobs erupt from his parched throat, he tries to run faster. "Mikhaaaiilll..."

"NO!" He screams and suddenly his knee gives out dropping him to the freezing ground. Lying on his stomach in the trash he sobs uncontrollably, if only he could wake up, wake up from this awful nightmare!

"Ah! I have finally found you..." the soft voice lets out a sinister sneer. Mikhail attempts to crawl forward, but there is something holding him firm to the ground, stopping his every movement. Wailing in fear he is rolled over and looks up into eight beady dead eyes.

"Caught you, Mikhail," the soft voices emanates from the hideous creature as froth drips from its sharpened fangs. It leans in close to the boy's face, shifting its other legs to get near. He struggles in disgust and blind panic, his fear choking out his mere cries for help.

"You should not have ran away from me, Mikhail." The creature's fangs click together and the pressure from its two legs holding him down gets stronger. "Now you have made me very angry." Its face only inches away from his own. Froth drips onto his chest and shudders wrack his body.

Tears stream down his face, Mikhail can only get out one word "Please," before he feels a sharp pain in his abdomen and numbness spreads over his entire body. The giant spider lifts him into the air. One last scream escapes his body before the numbness reaches his throat and darkness fills his vision.

The night falls silent; the sobs of the little boy are gone, his nightmare over. After a few moments the giant spider-like creature turns away, just as three shots ring out over the deserted street.

The spider shudders where it stands and then tumbles over onto its back, awful jerking fits wracking its body. Froth spews from its mouth and black liquid oozes from three gaping wounds in it side. Suddenly the monster stops moving, there is a pop and then a hiss as it's black body starts to dissolve, leaving nothing but a dark red smear on the cracked cobbles.

Out of the shadows step two men, one still holds the smoking gun. They say nothing and move forward toward a still shape in the street. It is the boy.

One of the men leans down and turns the boy over; only to immediately recoil in revulsion. The boy is dead, his body nothing left but pale pasty skin stretched taut over small bones, a bloody slit down his abdomen revealing the empty cavity that once held his organs...

"We could've saved him!" The midnight-black haired boy slammed his fists against a small cobblestoned wall, hoping for everyone's sakes that another appalling creature wasn't lurking nearby. His black hair was swept over his eyes as his slouched form leans back up ever so slowly.

They were close; he could feel their eyes penetrating the back of his skull and the deafening sound of them licking their lips echoed along the empty streets.

He was by far the youngest of the survivors and that little boy he saw today with all his organs missing reminded him of himself, he hadn't even known the boy but his heart told him to weep as every second someone out there got killed by them treacherous nightmares!

BOOM! The sound of the timer went signifying yet another death, not everyone could be saved from those creatures and yet he still had to face his nightmare.

The other man patted him on the back softly, he had become quite a father figure as the years went by and they had both knew they would be dead if they didn't find each other. Both of their hair had grown quite a lot, scars covered their bodies and in some places thick lines of puss had oozed its way out of the newer cuts, they had not had the best time with 'them' around.

A high pitched scream ran thought the night air and made their ears buzz lightly, someone out there was facing their own nightmare but the question was 'will they make it in time to save them?'

Bad thoughts ran through both of their minds as their feet started moving by themselves adrenaline taking hold, all they could do was wait and see as they broke out into a run. Every rational thought had been blown away as their feet started aching and they skidded around a rather sharp corner, bracing themselves for what was to come...