Shore bent down beside a body of a fallen soldier and pulled the rifle free from fingers that had only moments ago still possessed warmth in them. The man could not have been older than twenty five.
His visor had been shattered and one side of his chest armor had been torn open by claws large enough to rip through reinforced composite plating as though it had been paper. Shore forced himself not to look for longer than necessary. There would be time for grief later if later still existed.
He chambered the weapon, checked the ammunition count through habit rather than necessity, then turned toward the far end of the street where movement had begun to gather amongst shattered storefronts and overturned civilian vehicles.
"We have to hurry," he barked toward Raye without taking his eyes off the road ahead. "let's get them out of here."
Raye nodded immediately and sprinted toward the entrance of the partially destroyed building where civilians had been sheltering behind collapsed shelves and shattered counters. Panic still hung over them like a suffocating blanket and more than one person needed to be physically guided back toward motion as the paralysis of terror threatened to root them to the spot.
"Move!" she shouted, waving them forward. "Shelter's this way. Stay together and don't stop running."
Children cried while adults stumbled after her in varying states of shock, bloodied and covered in dust from collapsing masonry and shattered glass. Some carried injuries that would require immediate medical treatment if they survived long enough to receive it.
Shore glanced upward and immediately swore beneath his breath.
The rooftops were moving.
At first glance they resembled shadows sliding across concrete and steel but the illusion vanished the moment red eyes opened amongst black fur and bone white masks.
Beowolves.
At least a dozen of them.
Some crawled along the walls themselves, claws digging into brick and concrete as though gravity had simply ceased applying to them. Others prowled atop storefronts and apartment blocks, their snarling mouths hanging open as they scented the living below.
The civilians hadn't noticed them yet but Shore had.
His pulse quickened.
"Raye!" he shouted. "Hurry up!"
"I'm trying!" she shouted back as she pushed another terrified civilian toward the center of the group.
The first Beowolf leapt.
Its body launched from the side of a building with terrifying speed as it crossed the distance toward Shore in a single bound, jaws open wide enough to take off his entire head.
The rifle barked and the round struck the creature directly through the eye socket, impact spinning the Grimm sideways through the air before it crashed lifelessly into the pavement.
Another one followed immediately behind it and then another. The rooftops exploded into movement.
"Raye!" Shore shouted again as he fired another burst into a second Beowolf scrambling down the side of a building. "Tank it!"
She moved instantly.
One of the Grimm had already slipped past Shore's firing line and was lunging toward the civilians from above when Raye launched herself upward to intercept it. Her enhanced body moved with distinctly superhuman speed as she caught the creature in midair by the throat before slamming it into the pavement hard enough to crack the concrete beneath them.
The Beowolf convulsed and snapped at her face but her katana had already flashed downwards and its head separated from its body.
The corpse dissolved into smoke moments later.
Meanwhile Shore continued firing upward toward the buildings surrounding them as more Grimm attempted to descend upon the fleeing civilians. His aim remained steady despite the adrenaline hammering through his veins and several more Beowolves dropped from rooftops before they could reach the group below.
In the middle of the chaos another thought wormed its way into his mind.
Something was seriously wrong. With Grimm openly rampaging through the streets of Vale the awakened should already have mobilized.
Hell, Vale should never have reached this point in the first place as Commander Ozpin was located here.
A Rank 3.
Every briefing Shore had ever received regarding Rank 3's described them in almost absurd terms. Surgical precision nuclear weapons. Walking disasters capable of erasing entire cities while leaving surrounding infrastructure intact if they wished.
So where was he?
Where were the others?
Where were the awakened?
Why hadn't the Grimm already been exterminated? A cold feeling settled into Shore's stomach. Something had probably happened.
Something catastrophic.
The realization only deepened as the group finally pushed forward through the street and began making their way toward the nearest government shelter.
Shore fell back beside Raye as she ushered civilians onward. The streets ahead looked like scenes ripped directly from war documentaries.
Cars had collided with one another in chain reactions caused by panicked drivers and sudden Grimm attacks. Bodies lay scattered amongst shattered windshields and twisted steel while smoke billowed upward from burning vehicles that had erupted into flames after impacts.
Grimm prowled between them and some fed openly.
Others hunted.
Soldiers fought back wherever they could. Contrary to what many civilians believed, the military was not collapsing.
Quite the opposite.
Shore watched squads establish firing lines behind overturned vehicles and temporary barricades while disciplined bursts of gunfire hammered advancing Grimm. Explosions echoed from farther down the city as armored vehicles rolled into intersections and unleashed heavier weaponry against larger targets.
The counterattack had begun almost immediately but the problem was scale. There were simply too many monsters.
A pair of soldiers dragged an injured civilian away from an overturned bus while another squad provided covering fire against several Beowolves attempting to flank them through a nearby alleyway.
Farther overhead a duocopter swept across the skyline while mounted weapons barked toward several flying Grimm attempting to descend upon the streets below.
Humanity was fighting, but they simply weren't winning fast enough. Two streets away from safety their progress finally came to an abrupt halt.
The road ahead had become impassable.
A collapsed transport vehicle blocked most of the intersection while several damaged civilian cars had piled up around it after failed attempts to escape. Worse still, Grimm activity ahead had intensified considerably.
Fortunately there were soldiers nearby.
A makeshift fortification had been established behind concrete barriers and abandoned vehicles while several squads exchanged fire with Grimm approaching from multiple directions.
Shore immediately guided the civilians toward them.
The soldiers reacted instantly upon seeing the approaching group and several rifles lowered slightly once it became apparent they weren't hostiles.
Shore stepped forward.
"I'm with LUCID," he said quickly. "Any news regarding awakened deployments? Why haven't any of them mobilized yet?"
The sergeant glanced toward him while firing a burst into a smaller Nevermore diving toward the barricade.
The creature exploded apart in a shower of black feathers before dissolving into smoke.
The man frowned.
"Honestly? No idea."
Another burst of gunfire echoed from nearby rooftops.
"We've been getting reports saying some awakened disappeared."
Shore blinked.
"...Disappeared?"
The sergeant nodded grimly.
"Not sure how accurate the reports are. Communications are a mess right now and command's trying to verify everything."
For a moment Shore forgot about the sounds of battle surrounding them.
Disappeared.
The word echoed inside his head.
Was that why they hadn't shown up? His thoughts immediately jumped toward the Dream Realm. Could they have been pulled there somehow?
Except that didn't make sense as reality and the Dream Realm had looked as if it had merged. He had seen it happen with his own eyes.
So if the awakened had vanished despite that...
His stomach twisted.
This was bad.
Because there were Rank Twos here now. He had seen one with his own eyes flying above the city earlier.
Rank Two Grimm were not something conventional military forces could reliably deal with. Heavy weaponry might injure them.
But killing them?
That was another matter entirely. Only awakened of similar rank could properly stand against creatures like that.
Shore silently prayed that whatever disappearance had occurred had only affected lower ranked awakened.
Rank Zeros.
Rank Ones.
Anything except the higher combat assets. Because if Rank Twos and Rank Threes had vanished as well...
He pushed the thought away before it could fully form. He didn't want to imagine that world.
Around them more civilians emerged from overturned vehicles and damaged storefronts as soldiers moved to escort them toward safety. Military medics worked frantically amongst the wounded while gunfire continued echoing from every direction.
This wasn't collapse but resistance.
Messy, bloody and desperate. But resistance nonetheless.
Shore exhaled slowly.
First the shelter, then Beacon Academy.
Then answers.
Because if LUCID headquarters still stood, then someone there would know what was happening. Besides him Raye adjusted her grip on her katana while keeping the little girl close to her side.
The child had gone quiet. Perhaps shock had finally won. The sergeant looked toward Shore and gave a single nod.
"You're heading to the shelter correct? We'll cover your group."
He raised his rifle and fired another burst toward movement emerging from the next street over.
"Go!"
Shore nodded, then he turned toward the direction of shelter and started running. Under the cover of disciplined military gunfire and the bark of mounted weapons, they were able to rush forwards with less opposition.
The soldiers held their position behind makeshift barricades and shattered vehicles while streams of tracer fire cut through the streets of Vale like glowing threads stitched through a dying city. Grimm attempted to surge through alleyways and storefronts only to be met by concentrated volleys of rifle rounds and explosives.
Shore ran near the rear of the civilian column while Raye remained near the front, katana stained black from dissolving Grimm residue. The little girl still clung tightly to her side, refusing to let go despite everything that had happened.
The trip toward the shelter was anything but smooth.
More than once they were forced to divert around collapsed intersections or burning vehicles that had become impassable obstacles. Gunfire echoed continuously from distant streets while smoke climbed into the crimson sky beneath the eclipse of the broken moon overhead.
The most dangerous encounter came only a single street away from safety. The road ahead suddenly erupted.
Concrete exploded upward as an enormous shape burst from beneath an overturned transport truck and landed directly in the middle of the road with enough force to shake nearby buildings.
A Deathstalker.
The giant scorpion Grimm was only a Rank Zero, but that description was almost misleading as even Rank 0's awakened, in the dream realm at least, could throw cars around.
Deathstalkers were absolute apex of what that realm could produce.
Its body alone dwarfed civilian vehicles while black armor plating covered its frame from head to tail. Massive claws snapped open and shut with enough force to crush cars flat while its stinger curved high above the battlefield like an executioner's blade.
Several civilians screamed and the creature turned immediately toward the sound. Shore felt his stomach sink.
Then an RPG struck it directly in the side and the explosion deafened everyone nearby.
Fire and smoke erupted across the creature's frame as the force of the impact blew apart one of its claws entirely while flipping the massive Grimm onto its back.
"Move!" one of the soldiers shouted.
Raye didn't hesitate.
She surged forward before the creature could recover, her body crossing the distance with distinctly superhuman speed as she leapt onto the Grimm's exposed underside.
Her katana flashed.
The blade carved through armor and flesh with absurd ease.
The Deathstalker convulsed violently as the weapon sliced through joints and vulnerable sections of its body that ordinary steel could never have penetrated.
Truly, LUCID technology was superior.
The creature died less than ten seconds after the initial impact. Black smoke poured from its wounds before the entire body dissolved away into ash.
Shore felt a little speechless at its entry versus its ending. But, he allowed himself a small breath of relief.
Fortunately, they hadn't encountered another Rank One.
By the time they reached the shelter district, Shore immediately noticed that the defenses there were on an entirely different level.
Military personnel occupied fortified positions throughout the surrounding streets while barricades and portable walls had transformed the area into a miniature fortress. More importantly, he recognized the equipment almost immediately.
LUCID technology.
Mobile automated turrets tracked targets overhead before unleashing streams of accelerated fire that tore through incoming Nevermores and Vespulas attempting to approach the shelters from above.
Several flying Grimm exploded apart in midair before their bodies dissolved into smoke that drifted across the blood-red skyline.
For the first time since the beginning of the apocalypse, Shore felt a slight amount of cautious optimism. The operatives stationed there quickly ushered civilians toward the entrances.
Shore stepped toward one of them.
"I'm with LUCID," he said immediately. "Any word on awakened deployments?"
The operative grimaced and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Reports are coming in from multiple cities. Awakened have appeared to have all disappeared. Entire squads. Some never arrived at deployment points."
Shore felt his stomach tighten.
"So it's true?"
The operative gave a grim nod.
"We don't know the scale yet or if there are exceptions."
That answer somehow felt worse than uncertainty.
Nearby, Raye continued helping civilians enter the shelter when Shore noticed the little girl tugging desperately at her shirt.
The child looked up at her with red swollen eyes. Her voice cracked.
"What about my mommy? Please don't leave her."
Raye froze and the little girl clutched tighter.
"Please save her, miss. Please."
Shore closed his eyes briefly, then he walked over. The operative beside him continued speaking but Shore barely heard him anymore. He crouched down until he was level with the little girl's eyes.
Then he made sure she was looking directly at him.
Without hesitation or softness. Without even the smallest trace of false hope.
"Your mother is dead and she isn't coming back."
The little girl froze. For a moment Shore thought she hadn't understood. Then her expression simply...
Stopped and the tears ceased. The desperate panic disappeared. Her hands slowly loosened from Raye's shirt. It looked almost as though someone had reached into her chest and switched something off.
An operative gently guided her away toward the interior of the shelter. This time she didn't resist.
Raye stared at Shore. Disapproval flashed across her expression immediately but Shore met her gaze calmly.
Raye however, understood. That was the frustrating part. If the girl had continued pleading, Raye would have stayed and tried to comfort her.
To explain things gently and console her. Raye was soft-hearted in ways Shore sometimes envied and sometimes worried about.
But that would have wasted time. Time that people were currently dying for. It wasn't that Shore lacked empathy.
Quite the opposite.
He simply understood priorities.
The girl was alive and the trauma could be treated later. Therapy existed and counselling existed. After all, the dead could not come back.
Perhaps there was some rune that could have potentially saved her mother or even brought her back to life. But Shore wasn't an awakened, nor could he reliably even use runes. And right now they had larger problems than the emotional wellbeing of a single child.
That was the reality of disasters.
Raye eventually exhaled quietly. Neither of them spoke about it. Instead Shore turned and vaulted over a nearby security fence.
Raye followed immediately.
The fence separated the shelter perimeter from a nearby commercial district and directly ahead sat a motorcycle dealership whose shattered windows suggested looters had beaten them there.
Shore pointed toward the bikes lined up inside.
"We're commandeering these."
Raye blinked.
"Seriously?"
"Grab one you like."
She stared at him.
"...We don't have keys."
Shore raised an eyebrow.
"You have a gauntlet that can function as one."
Raye paused.
"Oh."
She looked genuinely embarrassed.
"Oh right."
Shore snorted.
"Check the fuel first."
Raye approached one of the motorcycles before activating a setting on her gauntlet. The bike immediately hummed to life and she looked down at the display.
"Half a tank."
She glanced toward him.
"That should be enough?"
Shore nodded.
"Should be."
He swung himself onto another bike and activated it moments later.
"Let's go."
The engines roared to life. Raye pulled alongside him as they exited the dealership. She adjusted her grip on her handlebars.
"So what's the plan? We heading to LUCID for weapons? Or joining a deployment squad?"
Shore shook his head.
"No."
Raye frowned.
"Then what are we doing?"
The motorcycle accelerated forward as they tore through the ruined streets of Vale beneath the crimson moon. Shore's expression darkened slightly. The wind carried his words away behind them.
"First we need to confirm whether the awakened are actually gone."
"And if they are?"
Shore remained silent for several seconds. Finally he answered.
"If that's the case..."
His gaze drifted toward the distant silhouette of Beacon Academy standing against the ruined skyline.
"There might be something we can use to counteract what's happening."
Raye frowned.
"Huh?"
"What do you mean?"
Shore waved her question away, indicating that he'll explain later. She clearly wanted to push further but eventually let the matter drop. Behind them explosions echoed throughout the city.
Ahead of them the apocalypse continued. And inside Shore's mind, a single thought repeated itself over and over again.
If the awakened were truly gone and humanity's greatest weapons had vanished... then they might not have a choice anymore.
His hands tightened slightly around the handlebars.
'We might have to use Merlot's new creation.'