"Nooooo—!"
The scream was cut short, crushed as if someone had snapped a string mid-note. The mouth clamped shut with a wet, grinding sound, its jagged edges of metals scraping together as it chewed once.
Then again.
The noise echoed through the narrow alley, slow and deliberate, until even that faded. What remained was an oppressive silence, broken only by the faint sounds of chewing again, as if the wall itself were savoring the moment.
Tyler stared at the place where the demon had vanished. His face showed no triumph, no shock, only quiet calculation.
"So much for bargaining," he said softly. He felt this demon is useless.
Before anyone could respond, the air beside him warped.
A hand burst out of nothingness.
Tyler reacted instantly. He grabbed it mid-motion and yanked hard, expecting resistance, a body, something to follow.
Nothing did.
Only a severed wrist came free, slick with blood, fingers twitching weakly in his grip.
The alley went still.
