Chapter 64: Run?

"Voight."

"Grey."

Both Sargeants nodded at one another in respect as Wade Grey turned to look at the West Hollywood Gateway. Where a once popular and busy shopping center stood, piles of rubble and smoke remained. An extensive police blockade and perimeter surrounded the building as several officers pointed their weapons toward the building. Occasional loud stomps and gunfire could be heard from inside.

"What's the situation?" Grey asked as both veteran officers stood side by side.

"We have an unknown man-like creature inside. It suddenly showed up twenty minutes ago and has been on a rampage ever since. Nothing we have seems to have any effect on it." Voight said in frustration. "We're focusing on safely evacuating everyone still inside the building."

"Not even full auto rifles?" Grey asked with a raised eyebrow. "How long until SWAT arrives?"

"Rifles can't even tickle the bastard." Voight shook his head and looked at his watch. "SWAT is ten minutes away."

"Damn! How many casualties?" Grey placed his hands on his hips and looked down, fearing the answer.

"...thirty-four civilian casualties so far, it's unknown how many more inside." Voight said in a low, grave tone. "We've lost nine of our own."

Sargeant Grey shook his head at the horrible situation. After hearing the number of lives lost, he wondered just what they could do to take out this red monstrosity.

"Who is in charge of this command post?"

Both Sergeants turned around to see a blonde woman dressed in a black suit, minus the jacket; she was followed behind by several dozen men and women dressed in tactical uniforms armed with high-caliber weapons. A large bird-like logo sat on the side of their arms with the letters for SHEILD below it.

Voight placed his hands under his bulletproof vest and looked at the woman questioningly. "That would be me. Who are you?"

"Agent 13, I'm here to represent the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, and I'm here to take over the situation." Agent 13 then walked past both men and looked at the destruction. "I need you to pull all your people from the building immediately. You're not equipped to handle an enhanced individual."

"Just who do you think you are? I've never heard of this organization of yours. Just what kind of authority do you think you have!" Voight started walking up to the fearless woman as she looked at Voight unimpressed.

"Voight, hold on." Grey walked forward and tried to calm his fellow Sergeant. "Surely, you must have some sort of documentation to prove your level of authority."

"Of course, here you go." The blonde woman pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him.

Grey opened the folded piece of paper and read the letter's contents. At the bottom was the signature of the city's mayor and state representative. "She checks out."

"You gotta be- Just what do you and your people think you can do? We've used every firearm we had, and we couldn't make a dent in that monster!" Voight walked up to Agent 13 and glared at her. "Just what can you all do."

"Us? Were better trained in dealing with these types of powerful individuals." Agent 13 looked over the building where several SHIELD agents were running into. "Besides, our goal isn't to take it down. It's to stall it."

"Stall it? Stall it for what?" Grey asked in confusion; what exactly was this woman not telling them?

"For the big guns to arrive."

•••

"Goddamnit! Move!"

Eric yelled out to the unmoving vehicles in front of him. Pressing down on his car's horn repeatedly, Eric punched down in frustration. "I don't have time for this..."

Stepping out of his car, Eric looked down the road and saw a police blockade stopping any traffic from moving forward. In the far distance, smoke trials could be seen moving up into the sunny sky.

"Simon..."

VRRRRRRMMM

At the sound of a revving motorcycle, Eric turned around and saw a sight that filled him with dread. Down the road was a leather-bound man with a skull enveloped in fire driving an equally on-fire motorcycle. He drove in the small space between the non-moving cars at high speeds. Any vehicles too close to the flaming motorcycle were knocked out of the way.

"Ah!"

The flaming skull zoomed past, causing Eric to jump back and fall onto the ground so he would not get hit by a fast-moving man. Standing up fast, Eric saw him drive towards where the smoke was rising.

"That skull... is that the Ghost Rider from the Stark Expo? Wait! could he?" Eric felt sweat roll down his brow as he started running forward, completely forgetting his car.

"I have to get there fast! Otherwise- Otherwise, the Ghost Rider may kill Simon!"

•••

"Move your ass, Adam!"

BAM

Quickly grabbing Adam's shoulder, Jay pulled with everything he had. Just in time to avoid a large column thrown in their direction at break neck speeds.

"Fuck!" Adam yelled as he and Jay fell to the side and rolled around on the floor. "Thanks, man."

"Thank me later! Let's go!" Jay and Adam got up and continued running as the red-muscled man burst through the wall and turned in their direction.

"RRRAAAAAGGHH!"

Jay and Adam looked back as the creature roared and ran after them. The creature's strength was monstrous, but its speed was even more ridiculous for how big it was. But for some reason, the beast ran like it was its first time going at those speeds; it continued tripping over its feet.

"Almost there!" Jay yelled as he and Adam turned the corner of the hall and saw the bright lights of the open double doors of the exit.

"CoMe BAcK!" The creature yelled from behind them as it started to catch up to them.

The two members of the intelligence unit sprinted outside and jumped to the side behind two barricades. The two panted in exhaustion and turned around to see the remaining members of their unit posted up outside the exit, armed to the teeth with assault rifles pointed at the exit. They didn't wait long because the red monster burst outside and covered his eyes from the sudden bright light of the sun.

"OPEN FIRE!" Alvin yelled loudly, prompting everyone to shoot at the beast with every bullet they had.

"RAGH!" While bullets had no real effect on the creature's super durable skin, they did affect its face due to the sensitive areas. Such as the creatures eyes and nose, Jay noticed this weakness earlier when he landed a lucky shot at the red beasts right eye.

"It's working!" Adam got up and picked up an AR-15 that was leaning against the wall next to the barricade and opened fire as well.

The creature growled and covered its face with its arms to protect against the onslaught of bullets. Dozens upon dozens of dented bullets fell near its feet as it defended itself.

The continuous hail of gunfire was possible due to Antonio and Erin alternating with Kevin and Alvin so they could reload after they emptied their magazines. Now that Adam and Jay had grouped up with the rest of their team, they joined the attack with their assigned group.

After defending itself for a minute, the creature was starting to growl in anger. Having enough of the gunfire, the crimson creature lifted up its leg and slammed it down onto the ground. Causing a massive shockwave to explode from its foot, causing all of the intelligence members to go off balance or be thrown up slightly.

"What the hell?!" Antonio yelled as he fell on his back alongside Erin, who also grunted in pain.

Jay regained his balance and looked up just in time as the beast lifted his arms with its fists clenched, eyes widening in realization of its intentions. Jay yelled.

"Everyone, WATCH OUT!"

SLAM

With a powerful swing, the creature slammed down its arms and caused a devastating destruction shockwave to explode. Jay could only cover his face as he was struck by the shockwave and pushed back by sheer force.

"AGH!" Kevin yelled as he was sent flying up by a large chunk of concrete.

"AH!" Both Antonio and Alvin were sent rolling back by the shockwave.

"SHIT!" Adam and Erin were lucky enough to get low and protect their heads from the explosion, but they were sent rolling across the ground.

•••

KABLAM

All the officers by the barricade looked up and saw a large smoke cloud rise further in the shopping center. Behind Sergeant Grey, several of his officers from his division were also now at the scene.

"Oh no." Voight whispered and raised his police radio. "Erin? Antonio? Anybody?! Respond!"

After waiting several seconds, The Sergeant received no response from any of his unit members. "I'm moving in."

"Sergeant Voight, hold on!" Agent 13 stepped in front of the angry and worried Sergeant.

Before anyone could move an officer behind the barricade pointed up in the air and saw several large objects fly in the air. "WHATS THAT?!"

"EVERYONE GET BACK!"

Sergeant Grey's eyes widened, and he yelled as loudly as he could as he saw massive slabs of concrete fly in the air, heading right at them. While he was able to warn everyone that could hear him, at the speeds these concrete pieces were flying, they all wouldn't escape in time.

Agent 13 looked up at a large slab of concrete that was about to hit her and suddenly stopped as an orange chain wrapped in fire stopped its momentum. The blonde agent released the breath she was holding and smiled.

"About time you got here."

Agent 13 looked around and saw all the large chunks of concrete floating in the air, wrapped in chains connected to the nearby buildings, building an intricate web-like pattern made of chains that successfully stopped all the incoming hail of debris. Several officers looked up in amazement from where they stood or from where they sat on the floor. The smaller chunks fell harmlessly on the ground, cracking the floor.

VVVRRRMMM

Everyone present looked up at the roar of a motorcycle engine and saw something fly over their heads as it drove off the building behind them all. Its flaming wheels left a trailing arc of fire behind them as the motorcycle crashed in front of the shopping center, causing a crater to form beneath it; not stopping in its momentum, the flaming motorcycle and its rider drove into the building.

"…isn't that…" Officer Angela Lopez watched wide-eyed at the flaming skull figure on the motorcycle. Behind her was her rookie officer, Jackson West. Who looked at the flaming tire tracks left behind by the flaming being.

"He's real… the Ghost Rider is real."

•••

"Ugh, come on. You're okay!"

Alex spoke to a woman, Mary, as she and Haley helped her walk due to her broken ankle. Whatever caused that massive explosion outside caused the entire building to crack and buckle under the impact. Several chunks of the walls and roofs became unstable throughout; unfortunately, one large chunk fell off Mary's leg as they followed behind the two officers, leading them to safety. That was until a large roof section collapsed and blocked their exit.

"Alex." Haley whispered. "This place looks like it'll come down on us."

"Don't worry." Alex looked around and smiled shakily at her sister. "T-The structure integrity looks stable… for now, at least."

Haley nodded shakily; with that, they turned to the front and saw the two officers trying to talk into their police radios. Alex sighed and saw that the red creatures' odd energy affected even their radios.

"Anything?" Officer Nolan asked his partner as they looked at their radios.

"Nothing." Officer Bishop shook her head and looked back at where they had come from. "We're blocked from our exit; going back is just a bad idea."

"H-Hey, that gunfire… it stopped." The store attendant, Troy, said with a confused expression. "Did they get it?"

Alex felt a sliver of hope rise inside her but quickly crushed it. It was certainly possible that the other police officers who helped them get away killed the red creature, but Alex felt it would take much more than just guns to take it down.

Suddenly, the sounds of heavy footsteps reverberated throughout the building. A sense of doom swelled up inside Alex as sweat started to build up on her skin. Everyone held their breaths as the footsteps became louder and louder until it all became silent.

"Did it go away?" A little girl whispered from her father's arms.

KABAAM

Everyone covered their faces as an explosion of dust and rubble flew through the halls. Alex tried to open her eyes, but all the dust in the air made the task impossible. To her left, she heard Haley cough repeatedly. After a few moments, the dusk started to settle, and it became easier to see around them all.

Alex turned her head to the right and froze when she saw the red-hulking figure of the monster from earlier. Its white eyes and hair glowed ominously as it stood still and looked at them all. Behind her, Alex heard a sharp gasp.

"AAHHH!"

"RAAAAGGHHHH!"

The yell from behind Alex seemed to have angered the red beast, causing it to walk forward while clenching his fists. Alex felt her hand be pulled back; turning to her left, she saw Haley pull her back with a scared expression.

"Everyone, Get behind us!" Officer Nolan yelled as he and Bishop reached for their guns.

"Alex! We have to get out of here!" Haley yelled and pulled harder. "We have to run!"

'Run?' Alex felt the world around her slow down; the expressions of hysteria and panic from the people behind her were frozen in her current hyper-awareness. Haley's face was scared but held a sliver of determination. The red creature was moving as if in slow motion as it advanced toward them all. 'Is that all I can do? After everything that's happened to me, all I'm capable of is running with my tail tucked between my legs.'

Snapping her hand out of her sister's grasp, Alex ran to the side, away from all the scared people and officers. As she ran, Alex bent down, picked up a piece of rubble, and threw it at the red monster's farce with all her might. The throw was accurate enough to have hit the monster's left eye, causing it to roar in pain and turn to her.

"Over here!" Alex yelled as she waved her arms around and ran back from where they had initially come from.

"ALEX!"

Haley screamed in a tone of voice she never heard before. Gritting her teeth, Alex didn't hesitate and continued running. Turning her head to the side to yell at the monster to get its attention again, Alex was shocked to see it only five feet away with its fist approaching her at a fast speed.

'At least.' Alex watched the fist approach her. 'I was able to buy them some time to run.'

Before the fist could reach her, a blinding orange light filled the hall, blinding everyone in its radiance. Alex felt her body warm up and become weightless as she closed her eyes. Brown hair fluttered through the air as the wind tickled her skin. Suddenly, her body began to vibrate as she felt her momentum come to a stop. Opening her eyes, Alex smiled as she saw a familiar skull enveloped in fire looking over at her.

"Harvey."

"You were amazing, Alex." The Ghost Rider said and placed her down.

Alex looked over to the red-hulking monster and saw they were at least thirty feet from where she had originally been. Two long fire trails lead up to Harvey's feet, from where he skidded to a stop. The beast turned to them and growled, angry that its prey had escaped it.

Ghost Rider started walking toward it while summoning his familiar pair of burning jagged blades with chains attached to their ends that wrapped around his forearms.

"I'll take it from here."