Luke woke up in a daze, ears ringing like a bomb had gone off inside his skull. Slowly, the sound faded, replaced by the blaring horn of the wrecked sports car. His face peeled off the steering wheel, blood dripping down his forehead.The car was smashed head‑first into a concrete building. The engine was dead. Smoke curled from the hood. Luke turned his head.Stuart sat limp in the passenger seat bloody, unconscious, unmoving. Luke's heart dropped. "Stuart…"He shoved the door open and fell out onto the dirt. Pain shot through his leg and something was definitely broken. His arm hung uselessly. His head throbbed.He leaned against the car, breathing hard. Then he heard it. Whispers. Hissing. Movement. Figures shifted in the shadows between the ruined buildings. Luke muttered, "Fuck…"He hopped toward the trunk, every step agony. He popped it open and grabbed his sword, the one with the majestic engraving, the blade that had saved him more times than he could count. He held it in his good arm.Above him, vultures circled.Then SNAP. A demon hyena burst from the shadows, jaws wide.Luke swung. SHING— The head flew off.Another hyena lunged. Luke swung again but missed. A third came from behind he barely dodged, stumbling on his injured leg. More came. And more.
And more. They lunged at every opening, snapping, snarling, circling him like wolves around a wounded sheep. One sank its teeth into his forearm. Luke roared and sliced its neck clean open.Another leaped at him he kicked it away with a brutal strike. But then one slammed into his wounded leg.Luke collapsed onto the dirt.Vulnerable.
Bleeding.
Surrounded. Get up, he thought. Get up! The hyenas closed in—FLASH! A blinding light exploded across the street. The demon hyenas shrieked and scattered back into the shadows. Luke shielded his eyes. The light was too bright to see through.A figure stepped forward glowing, impossible to make out. But it was human. He could feel it. The figure extended a hand. Luke reached out and grabbed it. A calm voice spoke: "We've been expecting you… Hero."