Of Explosions, Guns and Demons

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Stefen looked up from his book and out of the window, where a tower of flames rose to the skies, as the skyscraper, which had been the symbol of his city collapsed.
He leisurely walked over to his TV and switched it on in order to learn what was going on.

He didn't have to wait long and the regular broadcast was interrupted for an emergency broadcast. The sweating newscaster reported, that an explosion had demolished the skyscraper, killing hundreds in the process and that the cause was still unknown, yet terrorism was suspected.
"No shit, pal..." Stefen muttered, lighting himself a cigarette.

The newscaster continued to dish out more information as they came in, but Stefen didn't really listen any more.
Instead he just stared outside to the tower of smoke and flames in the distance, as everyone around him seemed to rally to the streets. Countless firefighters and policeman rushed through the streets to the scene, but Stefen didn't really care.

He simply sat back down over his book and continued reading where he left off.

A few weeks passed and the buzz about the tower slowly died. The families still mourned those who died, some celebrated the heroes who saved the people caught up in the blast.
According to the news, the terrorist who had planted the bomb was still on the loose, likely armed and extremely dangerous and the city was in an uproar about it.

However Stefen had no interest in joining the witch hunt. He just sticked to himself, like he always had.

Another week passed with idle panic as the police was still trying to find the terrorist, albeit with little success.

A scream ripped Stefen from his thoughts and he looked out the window to see what was going on this time.

Down in the alley his house exited to, a man was pressing a woman against the wall, his hand covering her mouth to keep her from screaming again.
Stefen reached for the phone and called the police while keeping an eye on the scene.

The operator on the other side of the line assured him that an officer would be on the scene soon, however as Stefen hung up he muttered, "Sure...too late as usual though."
He walked over to his gun cabinet and grabbed his favorite shotgun from it.

As he exited to the street, the man was just about to force himself on the woman.
Stefen raised the gun to the sky and shot, splitting the air with the noise.
"I believe to recall the Lady saying 'No'," he said, aiming the barrel at the rapist.

The man glared at Stefen in disbelief before reacting, pulling up the woman and in front of him as human shield, a knife to her throat before replying, "Get lost or she dies!"
Stefen shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I simply cannot let that happen."
He loaded the next shell in his shotgun with an audible 'Kachick' while he fixated the man, who slowly backed towards the street, still holding on to the woman.

Just as he was about to vanish around the corner, someone else yelled, "Freeze! And drop the weapon!"
"...maybe I should mention that I called the cops," Stefen said while resting his gun over his shoulder in order to light himself another cigarette.

The rapist sighed and put his hands up, dropping the knife to the ground and was immediately apprehended by the two policemen.
The woman stumbled forward and as the man was taken away she walked up to Stefen and asked, "How...how can I ever repay you? You...you saved my life!"
Stefen put his hand on the head of the young woman and replied, "Just stay out of trouble and we'll be good."

He turned around and was just about to go back into the house, when one of the policemen addressed him, "Excuse me sir...but I need to see your permit for that weapon."
"Sure..."
Stefen rested the gun on a nearby crate and pulled his permit card from his wallet, showing it to the officer, who checked it and finally nodded.

"Okay, thank you. Now I just need your..."

A blood curdling scream interrupted the procedure, quickly followed by multiple gunshots and then another scream.

Stefen's eyes grew wide and  as a monstrous creature slowly turned it's bloody head around the corner he grabbed the woman and shouted, "In! Now!"

Gunshots, a scream and then silence except for the whimpering of the woman next to him.
Stefen peered out of the door using a small hole and watched as the creature devoured the policeman who had just questioned him whole as he wondered, 'What in the world...'

The hulking creature turned it's head towards the door, licking off the blood.
"Shit!" Stefen hissed, grabbed the woman and got away from the door.
He lead her down to the basement of his house and through a solid steel door, while the woman screamed, "What...what is that thing?!"
"Beats me, but I'll be damned if I'll let it catch us! In there!"

Stefen closed the massive door and flicked on the light in the basement room.
"What...who are you?" the woman wondered, looking around the various vials and mechanic parts scattered all over the spacious room.
"The guy saving your ass. You can thank me later." Stefen replied while barring the door with whatever he could find.

"But...but aren't we trapped in here? I don't see another exit."
"There isn't. If we're lucky, it'll just go away."
"And...and if it doesn't?"

Stefen looked at the woman and then tried to reassure her, "First it needs to get through that little barricade. And even if it does, which I doubt, I may have a little surprise for it. Please get me that shotgun from the wall over there."
"How...just how many of these do you have?!" the woman cried, beginning to wonder if she wasn't actually safer with the beast outside.
"Two. The one I left outside and the one here...ah, there it is."

Stefen pulled out a small red cap with the words 'Thinking cap' on it and stated with an eerie smile, "Now let's see what we can do about this little bugger."
Stefen began stuffing a black powder into shotgun shells, explaining, "I've been experimenting with a more potent version of black powder. Name's Stefen by the way. Stefen Palmer. And you are?"
"D...Doris. Doris McKenzie."
"Pleasure to meet you, Doris. And now get to cover. I haven't tested this yet."

Doris scrambled and hid behind a few crates in one corner of the room, as the beast began pounding against the massive door, making dangerous dents into it.
Stefen loaded the shells into the modified shotgun he had constructed for these shells and aimed it at the door.
As the demon broke through the door, Stefen fastened his stand and said, "That door was expensive, you damn bastard."
As the demon lunged at him, he then pulled the trigger and the flames from the barrel made its head explode into a thousand pieces while the recoil sent Stefen flying against the back wall.

After recovering from his daze, he looked at the damage, pulled over a notebook and scribbled down, "Power ok, need to work on recoil."
Doris stuttered, "Is...is it dead?"
"I'm not going to poke it with a stick to make sure," Stefen replied, sacking in the remaining shells, his notes and his tools into a backpack.
"Where...where are you going?"
"No clue. But this...thing right here...probably had friends. And I don't want to stick around until they pick up his scent."

Doris came from her hideout and stated, "This...is the second time you've saved me today."
"Not interested," Stefen replied, lighting another cigarette, hiding his shaking hands from Doris.
"Wha...hey, that's just sexist and unfair!" Doris exclaimed.
"Oh sorry, I used the wrong words. 'You're welcome.'. There, better?"

Doris sighed and said, "There's a military base over at Redford. I think they could use some of that firepower...you know, in case you're right."
"I think they've got ample of firepower already...but you're right, we should probably head there. Stay close to me but not behind me."
"Why not?"
Stefen rested the heavy weapon over his shoulder as he smiled, the cigarette in the corner of his mouth, "Because I don't think you want to be in my way if I have to fire again."
"Oh...oh, right."

They fled using Stefen's car, while other demons were breaking into the houses of Stefen's neighbors, screams followed by silence wherever they went.
Doris, who was driving, asked, "What...what in the world are they?"
"I have no idea...but I also don't want to stop to ask them. Drive faster."

Every now and then, one of the demons gave chase, but Doris turned out to be quite the driver and they managed to escape. When they came to the inevitable traffic jam leading out of the city, they ditched the car and continued their journey on foot, leaving the road as soon as possible to get away from the many people, who would without a doubt attract these creatures before long.

As they wandered towards Redford, they heard screams and yelling from behind them, but they didn't look back even once as the city they came from went up in flames, much like the tower only just a few weeks ago.

Only this time it wasn't just a single fool's futile struggle to try to change something he didn't like. This time it was the really the end of the world as they knew it.
And somewhere, deep within them, both Stefen and Doris knew it.