One of the last things I heard as I fell asleep however puzzled my wandering mind.

"Washington D.C. has gone dark, I repeat, the Capitol has gone dark!"

---

Darkness.

With no idea where I was, how I got there, my dreamscape began to brighten, albeit gently.

It was dark, and I was walking home to my apartment back near Cambridge. The streetlights were muted for some reason, and I found myself with chills running down my back. Somebody was watching me.

I turned around, but I saw no one as I glanced back and forth across the street. The street lamps still flickering. The tall brick-layed apartment buildings towering over the sides of the street.

I slowly turned myself back around and faced forward.

Before I could begin moving forward, however, my eyes tracked motion at the edge of my vision. Just to my right, down a dark alleyway.

I walked forward, slowly, as I attempted to gain a better view of what I had seen.

Just then, a short black figure crawled its way out of the alley. Gradually, one limb was placed in front of another.

It was humanoid, but there was something grotesque about it. As though a child was walking on disjointed arms and legs. It was frankly... Terrifying.

As fear began to grip my heart, the figure, almost sensing my discomfort began moving within the shadows. To my dread, however, it was drawing itself closer to me. Just then, I noticed another, similar shadow, moving out of the alley behind it. Further down the street, at the intersection, I noticed several more.

I heard a scrape behind me. Quickly turning around, there were several more moving down the street.

The street lights dimmed slightly, and I found myself backing up against the brick wall of the building closest to me. With the wall to my back, I got a clear vantage point of the forms drawing closer to me. There were dozens at this point.

Then the first figure I had noticed moved into the dim lighting of the street lamp.

It was hideous, with elongated gray ears, snarling teeth, and long claws extending from both the hands and feet. The creature was hobbling towards me.

Suddenly, it screeched, and all of the other figures surrounding me quickened their pace, closing in on me. They were demons, and I knew I would not survive.

"Stay away!" I yelled silently. However, I was dismayed when no noise came from my throat. It was a silent scream, and I could not call for help.

In seconds the demons were upon me, and I felt the scratches, the gnawing as their bites closed in.

There was nothing I could do, as I noticed I was paralyzed.

In my terror, I silently screamed as my arms and legs were torn asunder, and the pain became unbearable.

BOOM!

My dreamscape shook. The buildings themselves reverberating as though a bomb had gone off. The Demons appeared not to notice however as I could only watch them continue to eat away at me. I would not die.

Then again...

BOOM!

What is that? The pain of being eaten alive almost seemed to fade away, as suddenly one of the demons looked me in the eyes and began shaking me. "Thomas!" it screamed. "Wake up!"

I suddenly felt a searing pain on my cheek as the dream began to fade into black, and I found myself gasping for air as I woke up.

"Uhh, what the hell? Where am I?" I frantically asked. It was still dark, however, there appeared to be a strange firey hue being projected in the night sky.

I noticed Rachel standing over me, with terror in her eyes as she continued to wildly shake me.

"Rachel!" I yelled out, as I suddenly became more awake. "What are you doing!?"

"Thomas! Thank goodness!" Relief clear throughout her face, the others are already awake and-"

BOOM!

Another explosion sounded, however unlike the muted tones of my dream, it was all too real. The explosions weren't part of the dream, I realized.

It was at that moment that I heard the screams, the yelling, the howling, growling, sounds of bullets ripping through the night air, and I noticed the torrent of fires in the forests around us and throughout the camp. People were running, burning alive as they were engulfed in flames.

That was when I noticed it. Towering over the edge of the camp, in the direction of the freeway was a massive form. At least 18 feet tall, the beast was literally spewing fire across the center of the encampment. The military was clearly putting up a fight, as several Bradley's, as well as M1 Abrams, were firing away at the beast.

It was strange, the monster looked like some sort of mix between a Dragon and some sort of Centaur-like Demon in shape. It had the body of a dragon, but from where one would normally expect the neck of such a beast, instead began the upper torso, effectively making the main dragon body the lower half, while the upper half almost bore similarities to the torso structure of a humanoid, but capped with the head of a lizard. The eyes looked intelligently over the battlefield, and as its wings flared out behind itself, extending to what must have been a nearly forty-foot wingspan, the beast roared into the dark.

The sound was absolutely deafening, and if I wasn't awake before, I sure as heck was now. The beast had four legs that extended from the lower half of its body, and a long dragon-like tail that extended behind it. The torso, also bearing the same metallic red scales of the lower body sported two massive arms that were raised in front of it, wielding a massive and dark-colored, two-sided battleaxe. The beast swung the axe at a nearby humvee that had been attempting to make a pass in front of it, firing off the turret that sat on its roof.

The axe made contact with the vehicle, and in a bright blue glow that originated from the battleaxe, the vehicle suddenly rocketed into the air, heading back into the middle of the camp tumbling. The soldier that had been manning the Humvee's turret was flung off of it, and towards us. The rest of his Fire Team likely dead in the fiery explosion that erupted from the crater the Humvee's wreckage created.

Both Rachel and I stood in shock.

I had the quick sense of mind to attempt to appraise the beast, but what I saw only served to increase the sudden bout of fear I was experiencing.

Hardly any info was gained from the Appraisal, however, one striking bit of knowledge was gained. This was a [Demon Champion], and we were screwed if we stayed here any longer.

"Thomas, Rachel!" I heard Kevin scream from behind us. "Get over here, we need to leave now!"

Turning around, I saw that both Kevin and Jackson had, somehow, managed to get themselves a military Humvee. I have no idea where they managed to find the keys or how they had managed to get it over here, but I was not going to complain as both Rachel and I began to make our way over there.

The increased amount of screams of agony only quickened our pace.

At least, it did, until, looking to my left, I noticed the unconscious form of the soldier that had been flung out of the Humvee nearly a minute ago.

I suddenly paused, and before I knew what I was doing, I found myself sprinting over to the soldier.

"Thomas!" Kevin yelled as he noticed me pausing, "Where the hell are you going!?"

Rachel had been a tad bit in front of me and hadn't noticed my change in direction.

Quickly taking in the man, I noticed that despite what would likely be some severe bruises, he had miraculously managed to not be severely injured. At least, if you don't take into account that massive concussion the man likely received.

Using my drastically increased amount of strength I grabbed and hoisted the man effortlessly, surprising both Kevin who had been watching, as well as myself.

I must be able to lift nearly six-hundred pounds at this point! I noted, taking in just how light the man was. If you include the equipment, he has to weigh nearly 300 pounds.

Rousing myself from the brief moment of astonishment, I hoisted the man over my shoulders, fireman carrying the unconscious soldier as I ran towards the Humvee, and, with my increased agility, I made it to the Humvee at the same time that Rachel had.

Kevin, shaking his head in disbelief climbed into the driver's seat. I noticed that Jackson was already in the back, opening the door for Rachel.

"Rachel, Jackson!" I yelled quickly, as I began to hand the soldier over to them. They quickly caught on, and dragged the soldier into the back of the vehicle with them, as I quickly made my way around to the other side and hopped into the passenger seat.

As soon as I was in my seat, Kevin floored the gas, the force of which closed my door behind me.

Taking the chance to look back at the [Demon Champion], I realized that the entire Evacuation Shelter was lost. While the [Demon Champion] distracted many of the more heavy-hitting military vehicles, it still remained relatively unscathed even after the countless barrages. The true damage was coming from the swarms of Demons under it, however. Countless [Imps], [Hellhounds] and numerous other Demons that I had yet to identify were streaming forth around the [Demon Champion], making their way into the shelter and pouncing on the running refugees and soldiers alike. It was clear the base was being overrun as another firey blast came from the Demon Champion, lathering the nearby building in fire.

It'll never end, will it? I thought to myself in exasperation, as Kevin maneuvered the Humvee around the fleeing crowds, callously ignoring the many hundreds who yelled, pleading towards him to stop and let them in. It was clear where Kevin was heading, however, as he drove the Humvee over towards the railroad tracks adjacent to the now flaming building.

We barely made it onto the tracks, heading away from Riverside Station just as the swarming hordes of demons began to converge where we had been mere moments ago.

A small group of the Demons began to give chase, but, Kevin only increased the speed of the Humvee now that he was no longer concerned about hitting the crowds of fleeing people, quickly leaving the pursuing Demons behind.

We followed the railroad tracks for about a thousand feet before merging onto the larger railroad network.

After about another minute following the railroads, Kevin deftly maneuvered the Humvee off of the tracks, and to the left onto a side street I quickly noted one of the street signs that we passed. Auburn St. it read. We avoided the highway at this point, as we turned West, going down side streets until we reached Commonwealth Avenue. All around us the trees were on fire and spreading from where the Demons had come from.

What surprised me was that they didn't come from Boston. No. They came from the direction of Shrewsbury. Did the Demons there already wipe out the entire area? I thought frantically.

With the number of flames that [Demon Champion] was spitting out, I wouldn't be surprised if Worcester, including Shrewsbury, was ashes by now. I could only hope that Alex had listened to me and made it into their basement in time. At the very least if they sealed themselves in they likely could avoid the worse of the destruction that Demon had caused.

We continued our way through the dark of the night. The only illumination being the sinister fires that raged all around us. What had previously been the homes of the residents of the town were now only hosts to the flames wrought by the [Demon Champion]. The forests fared no better as much of the surrounding forests were now faced with the same predicament.

It was surreal. When our group finally thought we may have found some degree of respite, it was clear that this new world of ours would never pose to allow us some degree of safety.

We continued down South Avenue, already having crossed the Charles river some while ago.

Despite the surreal nature of the night, we were largely undisturbed during the drive. It would appear that the demons had been summarily distracted by the evacuation camp, and while it certainly hurt to think so; it was the sacrifice of the thousands that led us to have any chance to escape. In the event, there were some clear silver linings. In fact, had we not stopped at the evacuation shelter and continued on our way down the highway, we clearly would have stumbled upon the advancing horde of demons. It was clear there would have been no way we would have survived such an encounter either.

It was then, in the deathly silence of our ride, that my thoughts eventually wandered to the nightmare I had been so rudely awakened from.

I should've known that fighting wouldn't leave me unscathed. I thought.

It was in the past now, however, and I would either die or need to learn to face my fears of our new enemies.

Nearing a crossroad between South Avenue and Oak Street, Kevin maneuvered the Humvee to continue down South Avenue away from the highway.

The road will ultimately take us through a large, rural section of the forest until we would eventually have the choice to either continue along the numerous diverging backroads or turn and arrive at the onramp to the Massachusetts Turnpike.

"Kevin", I called out. Until that point, everyone had been content to not say a word. Though, that didn't keep both Jackson and Rachel from eyeing our newest, and likely unwilling addition to the group, the unconscious soldier. Miraculously the man appeared to be largely unscathed if you ignored the obvious bruises forming, but we had no access to any sort of medical supplies to help until the soldier woke up, we'll just need to be content in ensuring he was as comfortable as possible.

Kevin looked towards me, a questioning look in his tired eyes.

"The Military Convoy that had been heading towards Boston had been clearing the buildup of vehicles on the Turnpike, right?" While it was perhaps risky, I felt fully confident that the majority of the Demons had been following that [Demon Champion] and its attack on the evacuation shelter. It was likely that the Demon was making its way towards Boston, where I was positive the Demon Lord was settling in.

While that turn of events certainly meant that the Demon Champion had fulfilled whatever nefarious duty he had been tasked with in his invasion of Worcester, it had the silver lining of the area being abandoned. If it was abandoned of Demons for the time being, then it may still yet prove to be a good area to settle down in... At least until we can get a better grasp on the situation.

Kevin, using the moment to take in my words, appeared to brighten as my meaning dawned on him.

"You mean, the Highway is likely to be free to travel on then?" Kevin expressed his thoughts.

I nodded. "Though it might be a bit risky... I'd bet that the Demon who had attacked the evacuation camp had used the Turnpike, so even then, I'd expect the area to be largely clear for travel. As long as there aren't any straggling Demons." I hesitated, "But..." I said as I clenched my fists together, "I believe that if we were to encounter any [Lesser Demons] we shouldn't encounter too many issues at this point."

Kevin, took his eyes off the road for another second, looking me up and down. "You know... Now that you mention it, Thomas, you look... different," he stated.

As he finished, I looked down at myself. I mean, I certainly felt a whole lot different than I had yesterday morning. I felt... Stronger. However, that wasn't all there was. I noticed as I looked closely, that my shirt seemed tighter, my arms were definitely more taut and defined. Stranger still however was the fact that my pants... Almost looked too small for me. The bottom hem now barely rested above my ankles. Had I grown taller? Stronger certainly, but that would be expected considering the gains I've made in my strength attribute and constitution. Taller though; that didn't seem entirely connected to any attribute per se.

That would be something that we'd investigate in more detail as soon as we had more lighting, however. At the moment the only lighting that was truly provided right now was the full moon in the night sky. Which I believed both Kevin and I could agree to be grateful for. It provided enough lighting that we could rive without the headlights. As long as we didn't go too fast we should be able to avoid any obstacles.

In response to Kevin, I simply agreed. "You're right, it might be because of the increase in my attributes. I'm already in the twenties with most of my attributes."

Kevin's eyes grew wide. "Wh- What?" As he looked back to the road, he continued, "How are they already so high? I get if you had gained a few levels from that horde yesterday, but, that's a massive increase in your attributes. That's impossible. I'm only level 2, but I chose warrior, and even then my physical attributes are only in the low teens." He paused. "Just what level are you Thomas?"

"I'm only level 4," I replied.

"Level 4?" Kevin hesitated. "I mean, I guess that isn't too surprising, but still. I didn't think that [High-Human] race would affect your growth that much. Is it that strange class you had gotten you think?

"Oh, I'm sure it's definitely the class," I said matter-of-factly.

Kevin nodded. "Well, honestly, it's probably for the best, I have a feeling your overwhelming growth is the only thing that could possibly keep us alive."

While we had been talking, it looked like Kevin had made our navigation decision for us earlier, as we found ourselves pulling onto the Massachusetts Turnpike, and, to our luck, there were no Demons anywhere that we could see. On top of that, the roadway was clear. What hadn't been pushed to the side of the road from the military convoy, had been left a scorched wreck, likely a result of the [Demon Champion]'s advance.

Kevin and I both looked at each other. "Well then," I said, "shall we get heading to Shrewsbury?" If all went well, and the roads remained clear, we'd likely make it by the time the sun rose over the horizon.

I looked down at my watch. 2:58 am.

Anxiety began to grip me though. What if they didn't survive? I couldn't help but think.