[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/XZQRXVH.png[/img]
[i]Left to Right: The Scavenger and The Biter[/i][/center]

[b]Chicago, Illinois[/b]
September 23, 2YYY

     The gray overcast skies bathed a land covered in bones and scrap in a dreary shade. Old, hollowed-out skyscrapers towered into the white sky above a city that once upon a time was alive. Racing through the streets, a lone man darted between cars long stalled and cluttering West Cermak Road. An orange bandana was tied below brown eyes that were wide and alert. His brown hair was feathered and glistening in sweat. A Kevlar vest was fastened about his torso, elbow pads and knee pads were strapped to their respective places. A T-shirt once white was underneath his vest, soiled in dirt and grime, the threads easy to tear. His heart was hammering in his ears. His breathing was smooth, hardly labored for he had habitually maintained cardio since he awoke in this world. This world…what was this place? A dinner plate for monsters. Even now, he was being chased by a creature that wanted to make him food.

     The creature was quadrupedal, leaping from vehicle to vehicle. Even with a barbed thrashing tail, the big beast lacked grace. It stumbled and staggered, slipping on side mirrors and its meaty claws punching holes through window shields and sun roofs. It could hardly keep up with him, but he knew for as long as his scent lingered on its slit nostrils, the hungry beast wouldn’t stop chasing him.

     He turned left headed toward West 21st Place, his right hand clenching the sling of a M4 rifle and his left gripping a Beretta. He glanced over his shoulder, curious if the beast was still chasing him until something that felt like a rope or wire snagged his right ankle. His right foot was immediately yanked out from under him. The back of his head slammed against the asphalt and a white glare flashed before his eyes before darkness followed. The man was dragged across the ground, his pistol left on the ground before he was jerked into the air to dangle by his leg. His rifle slipped down his body to clatter on the asphalt below. A large cow bell clanged, its ringing echoing off the walls and resonating throughout the city. 

     The creature followed the sound, scuttling until it positioned itself beneath the meat that dangled teasingly from a string. It reared up on its hind legs, and spread its spiny jaws. The spines along its neck anxiously flared as it leapt and snapped at the dangling morsel before its weight drove it back down. Blood dripping from the back of the man’s head dripped on its muzzle, causing the gills at its neck to flare and shudder with a monstrous growl.