"What the fuck?!" Leo screeched, scrambling backward like a startled deer, his sneakers squeaking against the alcohol-soaked floor. His wide eyes flicked between the wreckage of Di's bar and the monstrous figure standing amid the crumbling drywall. "Is that a goddamn moose?!" He clutched the bottles of whiskey in his arms like they were newborns.

  Di's attention was locked on the intruder. A Minotaur.

  A pissed-off, snorting, nine-foot-tall nightmare of muscle, fur, and malice.

  She had known that all this bullshit would catch up with her eventually. That the past would come kicking down her door and demanding a reckoning. But that didn't make her any less pissed off that it had ripped a hole into her fucking bar.

  At the Minotaur's hooved feet lay a patron who had been unfortunate enough to be sitting at the booth near the wall. He was now a broken and bloodied mess, crushed beneath the weight of fallen debris. He was still alive, barely, crying out breathlessly for help. His fingers curled against the shattered floorboards as if weakly clawing for salvation.

  The Minotaur exhaled sharply, steam curling from its nostrils like an overworked furnace. Its left hoof lifted off the ground then came down like a meteor.

  Crunch.

  The sound of a skull turning to pulp.

  The crying stopped.

  A thick, wet splatter painted the wooden floor a deeper shade of red as chunks of bone and brain matter mixed into the wreckage. The smell hit Di like a punch to the gut.

  And then it moved.

  Di barely had milliseconds to react before the Minotaur coiled its densely muscled legs and launched itself forward with terrifying force. A blur of dark fur hurtled toward her like a living freight train.

  She didn't hesitate.

  Digging her heels in, she met the charge, stepping forward and bracing herself. The impact was cataclysmic. A shockwave rattled the bar as the force slammed into her arms and nearly knocked her off balance. Her boots skidded against the wooden flooring. The sheer pressure splintered the boards beneath her feet. Her muscles strained...but she held.

  Her fingers locked tight around the Minotaur's obsidian-black horns, sweat slicking her grip as she forced its head back. Its eyes bored into hers. Its breath hit her face in rancid bursts. It was thick with the scent of blood and something far worse. Rot. Death.

  Smash.

  A bottle exploded against the side of the Minotaur's head, shards of glass glinting in the dim light before raining down in a cascade of amber whiskey.

  "Take that, you ugly-ass cow!"

  Di didn't need to turn to know it was Leo.

  She gritted her teeth. The strain in her arms was growing unbearable. "Leo!" Her voice came through clenched jaw. "Get...into the storage room...! It's only after-"

  A sudden, unbearable pressure clamped around her wrists and cut her off.

  The Minotaur had seized them in its massive, meat-hook hands.

  Its grip was crushing. Its fingers were like steel cables digging deep into her flesh, flattening muscle and grinding against bone. She struggled, pushing back with everything she had...but it was stronger.

  With brutal force, the Minotaur peeled her hands from its horns.

  Di's heart pounded. She fought, resisted, snarled through the agony.

  CRACK.

  The Minotaur rammed its colossal head forward and smashed its skull directly into hers.

  A white-hot explosion of pain detonated behind her eyes.

  Her vision fractured into blinding light, static, and ringing so violent it drowned out the world. The pain lanced through her skull like a lightning strike and seared into her brain. Her limbs went limp. Her balance tilted.

  Then she was airborne.

  The world blurred into a whirlwind of spinning colours and distorted sound. She barely felt the impact when she crashed through the wall, her body exploding through wood and plaster.

  Then came the second impact.

  This one she felt.

  Glass shattered. Metal crunched. Something gave beneath her.

  For a long moment, she lay still.

  Pain flared through every inch of her body, a wildfire raging in her ribs and her spine. The ringing in her ears slowly faded, replaced by distant, panicked shouting.

  Leo's voice, grating and frantic. "Di?! Holy fuck! Holy fucking shit! Did you just kill my fucking boss, you goddamn son of a bitch?!"

  Her brain sluggishly caught up with reality.

  She was...outside.

  Flat on her back.

  Bright blue sky overhead.

  A breeze ghosting over her bruised skin.

  With a groan, she blinked away the haze and turned her head. The wreckage of her bar stood across the street and now boasted two gaping holes. The Minotaur was ripping and tearing at the remaining chunks of wood and drywall to force its way into the open. Once in the street it shook itself dry like a dog and sprayed blood, sweat, and whiskey in all directions.

  Di wrenched herself free of the twisted metal she'd landed in and rolled off. She hit the pavement with a heavy thud.

  It was only then that she realised what had broken her fall.

  A car.

  Or...what was left of it.

  The entire roof was caved in from her landing and a deep, human-shaped impact crater dented the steel frame.

  She cracked her neck with a pained groan and flexed her jaw. She could feel blood pooling on her tongue. She turned her attention back to the Minotaur, watching as it took its first thundering steps onto the pavement.

  It repeatedly dragged its hoof backwards across the ground as it snarled and bared its teeth.

  "Alright, asshole..." Di said, spitting blood onto the ground. "Round two."

  Di and the Minotaur launched at each other.

  The beast's thundering hooves shook the pavement. Each stride was faster, heavier, pounding out a brutal rhythm. Every impact rattled through Di's bones but she didn't slow.

  She sprinted forward. Her eyes were locked on the beast. The Minotaur's massive horns were lowered, aiming straight for her chest.

  Right before they could impale her, Di twisted to the side and swung.

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  Her fist rocketed upward into its chin. A haymaker fueled by every ounce of strength she had.

  The crack of impact was like an exploding thunderclap. The Minotaur's head snapped back, spit and blood flying as its hooves skidded against the ground.

  Di didn't let up.

  She hammered its chest with a barrage of uppercuts; fast, vicious, unrelenting. The Minotaur grunted and staggered back.

  Its momentum was broken.

  That was all she needed.

  With a snarl, she surged forward and seized its horns.

  The Minotaur roared as it yanked against her grip. Di didn't let go. She gritted her teeth, muscles screaming in protest as she planted her feet, leaned back and wrenched.

  The beast staggered.

  Di twisted her entire body into the motion and yanked with pure, unrelenting force.

  The Minotaur's hooves scraped against the asphalt, desperately trying to find purchase. But it was too late.

  It lost its footing.

  And Di fucking threw it.

  With a roar of effort, she twisted her hips and hurled it through the air.

  The two-ton slab of muscle and rage became a projectile, crashing into the side of a garbage truck with a metallic BANG. The entire vehicle lurched, tires skidding, before it toppled over, slamming onto its side.

  The street shook. A thick cloud of dust and dirt billowed up, swallowing the wreckage.

  Di exhaled, her breath coming in sharp, ragged bursts. Sweat dripped down her forehead. Her arms trembled with exhaustion.

  It had to be down. Maybe not dead, but damn well hurt.

  A deep, rumbling growl pierced the air.

  Di's stomach dropped.

  The garbage truck shuddered. Then there was an almighty crack. Metal ripped apart as the Minotaur's massive hands tore through the truck's undercarriage like it was tinfoil.

  The beast emerged, snarling, eyes burning with pure, unfiltered rage.

  Di cursed under her breath.

  The monster barely looked hurt.

  If anything, it looked even more pissed off.

  "HEY!"

  Di's head snapped toward the bar.

  Leo had just stumbled out through the hole of her bar, gripping her shotgun like a lifeline. His face was pale and his hands were shaking.

  "SHE'S STILL GOTTA PAY ME, ASSHOLE!"

  He fired.

  BOOM.

  The first shot missed.

  Leo adjusted, fired again.

  BOOM.

  The second shot shattered a window behind the Minotaur.

  The beast didn't even flinch.

  Di sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. "Leo... Jesus Chr—"

  Something slammed into her chest like a wrecking ball. The force sent a shockwave through her ribs as the Minotaur's claws sank deep into her flesh. There wasn't even time to register the pain before the behemoth hoisted her into the air, threw its head back, and let out a triumphant roar. Then it brought her down. Hard.

  The street split beneath her. Jagged shards of asphalt punched into her back as the breath was ripped from her lungs. Before she could react, a shadow loomed over her, hulking and monstrous. A fist like a cinder block plowed into her gut. Di's body jackknifed and a spray of blood bursted from her lips. The Minotaur reared up and slammed both fists down in an overhead strike.

  The pain was unimaginable. It rained down on her like a relentless storm—each blow heavier than the last, each impact shattering something vital. She felt ribs give way, bones grinding, her own blood speckling her face. Then came the final, earth-shattering strike.

  The pavement beneath her crumbled. Di barely had time to perceive the sudden weightlessness before she was falling. She plunged through layers of concrete, steel, and broken infrastructure. The Minotaur came with her and roared as they crashed downward into the darkness.

  A sickening crack shot up her spine as she collided with solid ground. Screams filled her ears. The sharp scent of dust and blood clogged her nose. Di groggily lifted her head, blinking through the haze of pain, and saw people running; panicked commuters fleeing in every direction. She was on the platform of a subway station.

  A wet, sickening squelch made her pause.

  Di glanced down. Her hand was buried up to the wrist in something warm and pulpy. Her stomach turned as she realized she had landed on someone. Or... what was left of them. Their remains were an unrecognisable smear of blood and crushed bone beneath her.

  A rumbling sound echoed through the station. Concrete fragments tumbled into the crater where the Minotaur had landed. The beast slowly rose from the rubble, its hulking frame backlit by the flickering fluorescents. Its snout twisted into something that might've been a grin.

  Then it turned to her.

  The Minotaur stomped forward and seized her by the skull. Its fingers clamped down like a vise, squeezing, crushing. Di let out a strangled cry as the beast yanked her up and slammed her back down.

  The sharp blare of a subway horn cut through the chaos, bouncing off the walls of the tunnel like a death knell.

  Di barely had time to react before the Minotaur slammed her down again, the back of her skull cracking against the concrete. Stars exploded in her vision, but she felt its grip shifting, fingers tightening around her neck, forcing her head down against the platform's edge.

  Panic seized her.

  The bastard wasn't just trying to crush her. It was holding her there, pinning her over the lip of the platform, right in the path of the oncoming train.

  The tunnel ahead was filled with an ever-growing light. The incoming train thundered toward them.

  Di sucked in a ragged breath. No time. She had to do something, or get her head taken clean off.

  She twisted against the Minotaur's grip, muscles coiling like steel cables. Her eyes burned like molten gold. A deep, guttural growl built in her chest as she clenched her fist...then drove it straight up with bone-crushing force. Her knuckles drove straight into the Minotaur's chest. There was a sickening crack, followed by the wet, tearing sound of flesh splitting open. Her arm didn't stop there. Her fist tore through ribs, muscle, and sinew, bursting out the other side of the beast's back in a spray of blood.

  The Minotaur let out a ragged, wheezing bellow. Di clenched her fingers around whatever she could reach. Something warm. Something wet...and ripped her arm back through the wound, yanking out a thick chunk of meat and muscle along with it.

  The Minotaur's body spasmed. Its fingers weakened just enough.

  Di twisted, throwing every ounce of strength into flipping their position and forcing the Minotaur beneath her. It grunted, dazed, but she was already moving. She grabbed a fistful of its blood-slick fur and shoved its head out over the edge of the platform.

  The subway's horn screamed through the tunnel. The light grew blinding.

  If this fucker was going to take her head off, she was damn well going to return the favor.

  The train slammed into the Minotaur's head with a gruesome crunch. Its neck snapped violently sideways, the sheer force whipping its massive body like a ragdoll. Di felt the impact shake through her bones and heard the grind of shattered vertebrae.

  The beast's head bounced back onto the concrete, too loose on its neck. It lay beneath her, twitching. Its breath coming in shallow gasps. Its body was barely able to move beyond useless, dying tremors.

  The train kept going, disappearing into the tunnel, but not without consequence. Di caught the shower of sparks flying from the wheels as they ground against the rails. The sharp screech of metal twisting ever so slightly off track. The impact hadn't stopped it, but it sure as hell had jostled it. For a split second, she thought the whole thing might derail. It had started tipping sideways into the tunnel wall...but then, with a lurch and a protesting wail of steel, it steadied and barreled forward into the dark.

  Di stood, planting her boot squarely on the Minotaur's bloodied chest.

  She grabbed hold of its massive head, fingers digging deep into the fur and flesh. She braced herself, let out a guttural yell, and pulled.

  The thick hide of the Minotaur's neck resisted at first, stretched taut like overripe fruit skin. Then, with a wet, squelching sound, it started to tear. Thick strands of muscle snapped one by one. It peeled away in sinewy strips. The tendons, tough and fibrous, stretched until they popped apart like overstressed cables. Blood gushed from the widening wound. It was hot and slick as it coated Di's hands.

  A sickening rip echoed through the station as the last layers of flesh gave way. It split apart in uneven flaps. The vertebrae, already shattered from the train's impact, cracked and crumbled under the force until it severed completely. With one final, grisly tug, the Minotaur's head came free and dragged a length of its spine along with it. There were strands of tissue still clinging stubbornly before finally snapping loose.

  Di stood there for a moment, panting, her arms trembling from the effort and the decapitated head hanging in her grip. Blood dripped from her fingers, pooling onto the cracked concrete.

  She exhaled sharply, glanced down at the mess beneath her boot, and huffed.

  "...Fuck you."

  The emotions churned inside her, thick and intoxicating. Bloodlust. Fury. Wrath. It surged through her veins like the heady rush of wine, rich and full-bodied, drowning her in something dark and primal. It had taken hold of her and swallowed her whole.

  And...she liked it. She had almost forgotten what it felt like.

  The crunch of bone against her knuckles was a drumbeat in a wild, frenzied revel. The warmth of torn flesh between her fingers felt like the pulsing heat of a festival fire. The scent of blood was coppery, ripe, and divine. It filled her lungs like the air before a storm.

  It was a pleasure as much as it was a power, a delirious high that made her want to laugh, to dance, to tear the world apart with her bare hands and drink deep from its ruin.

  But was the ecstasy hers?

  Or was it her father's?

  A sharp clack cut through the haze. Di's gaze snapped up.

  The shotgun hit the ground first, landing with a dull rattle before coming to rest by Leo's boots. He stood frozen, eyes blown wide. His breath was coming too fast, too shallow. His lips trembled and parted as if to speak. No words came.

  For a long moment, he just stared at her.

  Like he wasn't sure if he was looking at his boss...or something else entirely.

  "What the-... Oh my god. H-How did-... I mean-... Was that-" He stuttered, blinking rapidly like his brain was desperately trying to reboot. "Did you just Mortal Kombat that moose with the fucking B train?!"

  Di opened her mouth, half-ready to answer, half-ready to tell Leo to shut the hell up, but the second she blinked, he was gone.

  The subway station was gone.

  Everything was gone.

  She wasn't standing on concrete anymore. The air around her was thinner and sharp in her lungs. It felt high. So high that she swore she could see the Earth's curvature if she craned her neck just right.

  And she wasn't alone.

  A crowd surrounded her. Hulking figures, many of them streaked in blood; some fresh, some dried to dark crust. The metallic scent of it was thick in the air, mingling with sweat, smoke, and something old and ancient. The air itself thrummed with a presence she didn't understand but could feel deep in her bones.

  Where the fuck was she?