"We were just falling asleep," I say.
"Now," he growls. "Lucifer has sent his hounds to find us. We need to leave."
"Hounds?" I mutter.
But there's no time for questions. They're already outside.
Ash
"This way!" Loki roars.
We turn a corner and sprint down an alley full of other homeless men and women. These are the people of the city that have been pushed aside. If I stayed on the streets for much longer, I'd end up right there with them.
"Head to shelter," I tell them.
One person sticks their head out of a tent and cackles as I trip and slide across the loose asphalt. They're not listening. No one is.
I feel like I'm spinning. The world is fucking spinning.
"Pick yourself up!" Loki shouts.
The city is a wasteland. The last vestige of something that used to be celebrated. Civilization.
We are at the brink of that social experiment, but there's still hope. We can salvage this, I think.
The sound of hungry hounds echoes around us. A cold chill of fear runs up my spine, as I have no idea where the barks and snarls are coming from. I picture sharp teeth, mangled lips, and dripping blood. I picture death.
I feel worse than when I was sleeping under that overpass, but there's a major difference. I have the chance to do some good. I can protect Raven.
We reach another street, but it's completely empty. Devoid of all life. Strangely, the sounds of the dogs die out.
"Fucking Hellhounds," Loki groans.
"Hellhounds?" I ask.
"You heard me," he says.
"Something isn't right," Heimdall mutters. "It's eerily quiet."
We didn't get the chance to make it down to the parking garage. We had to take the hard way out - jumping down a flight of stairs and swinging down with a makeshift rope Heimdall made. We're at the opposite end of where we should be, the furthest direction away from the car.
All of this took us by surprise, but it really shouldn't have. As soon as I met Lucifer, I knew he was evil. Now, I know better than to stay complacent.
Hand trembling, I pull out the pistol. I claw back the hammer and take three deep breaths. "It'll be fine, right? We've got four of us. He's outnumbered," I say.
"That depends. Can bullets hurt him?" Loki asks.
I gulp.
We stop at the end of the road, and the limousine skids directly in front of us. The set of headlights is blinding.
The roar of an engine before the skidding tires scream into the morning sun. He's gunning for us, going as fast as that car can go.
"Run!" Heimdall screams.
"Like hell," Loki shouts. "Time to fuck this puppy up."
"I've got his one. You need to get to safety. I'll fend off the car," Heimdall says. "Don't worry about me. I've got a plan."