Ignited, page 6
“Really, man? Do you have to be so on edge?” Asks Bruce.
“Sorry, I’ve just got a bad feeling, you know?”
“No. I don’t.”
Niles shrugged and exhaled, stretching before he turned back towards town. He scanned the immediate vicinity for possible threats and suggested they take a break. A couple of hours into the morning and so far so good. They all relax and take sips from the canteen and a bottle of water. They packed light to make sure they could bring back as much as possible.
Niles, ever on high alert, is the first to stand up as a chill runs down everyone’s back. A powerful gust pushes the tree tops back and forth like in a storm. It being windless, there were only a handful of options for the source of this out of nowhere pressure.
Breaking through the canopy, one massive raptor’s form lands on a fallen log several feet from the gang. On the opposite side, two others land on the ground and begin slowly stepping towards them from the ditch between them and the road.
Primarily white feathers adorn these avian beasts, with the tips of their crown feathers being bloody red. Faces that would make owls uneasy with how unblinking they stare, and legs as thick as a bobcat’s. These are Harpies, though slightly larger than the ones the group have seen in town and who’ve attacked their camp. Possibly meaning that these are more developed. The narrow beaks snap open and shut a couple times between them, making a clicking sound like one you’d hear from tapping two rocks together.
Bruce and Dominic stood in front of Nadia, letting her spearhead be exposed from between them. They faced the two on the road side. Niles stepped forward and looked at the one further in. He could feel nothing but primal hunger coming off this monster.
Taking a deep breath, Niles makes the first move. Charging his target at an angle. Confident, it doesn’t move. Happily watching and waiting for its prey to get closer. But when it loses sight in an instant thanks to his skill being triggered, it squawks and flails its legs forward, flapping its massive wings for a second before slamming one against a tree by accident. In shock and pain, it hardly notices the sharp tool pressed to its throat between swipes of its taloned feet.
On the other side of this battle, the two other Harpies fluffed up their feathers to intimidate. Nadia’s spear thrusts and the wild swinging of axes on either side kept them at bay for long enough. A shout from behind calls out, “Make way!” as a decapitated monster comes running at them like a literal headless chicken.
Nadia ducked in time to not get scratched, but Dom and Bruce got shoved to the ground.
Surprised by their headless kin, the two Harpies get ready to make flight again, only for one of them to be jabbed by a spear in its rear. Frantically flailing on the ground, it couldn't calm itself at all to fly. The other escapes, barely avoiding a thrown axe.
“Nicely done guys.” Niles says as the one he beheaded runs straight into the lake on the other side of the highway with a loud splash, and the maimed one still panicked on the ground.
“Yeah yeah, mister ‘badass with powers’.” Dom sighs.
“What I did wasn’t badass because of that power. I only had one to deal with and it almost ran you guys over. Sorry about that, by the way.”
A soft chuckle from the guys laughing about the headless terror gets cut off by the frantic squawking in front of them.
“Anyway... Who’s killing that one?” He points to the injured Harpy, now still and breathing heavily. It had tossed up a lot of dirt and rocks with its powerful legs, but ran out of energy in its tantrum from getting ‘poked’ by the sharp stick.
Dominic and Bruce are about to raise their hands when Niles raises his in a motion to stop them. “On second thought. Nadia, you were the one who attacked it, you should finish it.”
“Huh? B-but I’ve never killed anything before.” She stammers in protest.
“Sorry, but I think it’s a good time for you to learn. Besides, who knows if these guys have memories like crows and hold a grudge. It’s better that you get rid of it. I mean, you did already hurt its pride. Best you be the one to put it out of its misery.” Niles said in a serious tone.
She teared up a bit at the thought of taking a life. She’d never gone hunting, and much of her adolescence was as a vegan in protest of animal cruelty. Even though she grew to be okay with the idea of eating meat, she still wasn’t okay with doing the deed herself. Even if Niles had a point.
Bruce traded weapons with her. “One big swing and it’ll be done.” He consoled her. “If you and Dominic end up in a fight for your lives, you’re going to have to be able to do it then.”
Reluctantly, she nodded, knowing full well the chances of that happening. She stood parallel to it, holding the ax with both hands. The guys got ready to jump in if it got up again. She took a breath. So did it. In. Out. In. Out. Then, the harpy stopped moving and held its breath. Natural instincts telling it there was no point. “Heurk!” She yelped as the ax fell. The now lifeless body lay still before her, bisected at the nape of the neck.
Before anything else, Niles didn’t want to waste the food. He told the others to go ahead a bit while he guts and butchers the bird. Once done, he called them back and gave them one of its massive legs. “Cook this while I bring the rest to camp.” He states as he begins making the trip. First with one leg, then the two breasts, wings attached.
The amount of food could easily be surplus, meaning those who have been starving themselves for their loved ones, or simply couldn’t get enough from bits and pieces of what little they could catch, can finally have a decent meal.
The leg he kept back served as both nourishment for the group, and a means to calm Nadia. Having gone through a vegan phase, it was obvious she wasn’t a fan of doing such things as hunting. However, to Niles, it was important that she understood that her actions did good even if it felt bad. She removed a threat and fed the people, including her own grandmother. Morals and good versus evil do not exist in the wild, but to mankind and her specifically, killing is evil, but a necessary one to be sure.
A hearty meal, that Bruce ate the bulk of, now polished to the bone, they return to the task at hand. Niles made his way ahead, scouting for danger and stumbled across three goblins fighting amongst themselves. He knocks an arrow, landing straight through one’s head. The others didn’t realize right away. But once it clicked that a threat was close, they pulled out their weapons, yelling and screeching at the top of their lungs.
At top speed, he rushes in when he saw an opening and severed the leg of the one wielding a club. The goblin holding a spear turns in time to get a huge cut on its mouth when he was aiming for its neck. Still, there isn’t much hesitation. With his left leg, he trips the short green creature following through with his knife aimed at an eye, which connects as the goblin bounces back from hitting the ground.
Leaving his knife there for a second, grabs the spear and finishes the one legged enemy writhing in pain.
Besides that encounter and the Harpies previously, there wasn’t much in the way of obstacles. The next meeting would be the last before they reach town, so he hurried to the spot. They all arrived, around the same time, at a large building just under a kilometer from town.
The place had been ransacked, but there wasn’t anything hiding inside after a cursory inspection. They hid inside patiently to catch their breath and collect themselves.
“From here, we move together. I won’t be able to use Wild Step once we make it into town.”
“Right, then we’re heading to the C-tire on Broadway, splitting off from there?” Bruce continues.
“Yeah, Nadia and I will go to the school just behind there, then make our way to the hospital.”
“Me and Bruce will go straight for the arena. Maybe take a detour at the grocery store beforehand and stash some stuff somewhere for when we make our way back from the school.”
Once reaffirmed and rested, the quartet marched out with tense determination.
Chapter 5:
The Raid
The journey from the lake building to the Auto and Recreation store wasn’t bad, that is, if you don’t consider the destruction they saw ‘bad’. The United church on the top of the hill at the intersection was completely dismantled. All the businesses on that main stretch of road had broken windows, blood splatters and bones covered in scraps of clothes everywhere. Inside, everything was a mess, from splintered furniture to holes slammed into the walls.
They peeked into the first of many pharmacies, but all the drugs and medical supplies were completely scattered. No containers or labels. Of course, the culprits were obvious. The dead goblins who clearly overdosed thinking it was all food.
Pocketing a couple snacks still left in their wrappers near the entrance, they returned to the street heading north. Beyond the catholic church, stepping over debris that once was the Royal Bank, the café diner and its neighboring restaurant, which almost looked like an explosion went off.
Being close to midday, they opted to skip the dentist and other pharmacies, thinking they’d likely be just like the the first.
Across the next intersection, they finally made it to the Retail store and Auto and Recreation center. Inside the former, they grabbed five backpacks and whatever clothes were still intact, folding them into army rolls and half filling each, excluding Bruce’s second bag.
Moving to the next building, they looked for more weapons and gear they could take with them.
Niles located more camping supplies, including another big bag like his own that he left at camp, as well as some boxes of strike anywhere matches, toiletries and multiple knives. All getting packed together. Nadia found some bottles of water still unopened and passed them around.
Dom went straight to the sports counter where there used to be guns. Of course, nothing of the sort was still present, but he was thankful to find arrow kits and one compound bow that wasn’t completely wrecked. He and Niles worked quickly to put it together and test the tension, setting it up for Nadia since she was the only one with a wooden weapon.
They all geared up with belt sheath knives and some thick jackets. Not great for mobility, but it’d help them take big hits with the extra padding.
All settled, Bruce showed Nadia and Dominic to the back exit meant for employees and hands them some walkie-talkies. He had unpacked and put in fresh batteries he had to scour for and set pairs to separate channels. His and Nadia’s matched, and Dom and Niles’ were paired. When he returned to the front where Niles was waiting, he tested them properly.
“You set to go over there?” He whispers into his device.
A second later. “Yup, all good.”
After the tests, the beep sound was pretty loud. “Okay. Let’s only use these in case of emergency. We can’t guarantee each other’s situation after all.” Bruce reasoned that if one group was trying to stay quiet, it’d be best if the other only contacted them if they were in danger.
A fair point. Getting spotted while doing recon is a high risk. But the ability to communicate was an equal boon in that respect. Plus, having taken advantage of the ‘all you can take’ sale, Bruce had made sure to take the most expensive ones which happened to have a decent two kilometer range. Conveniently just over the distance from the Hospital to the south exit of town, and much farther than needed.
Officially just after noon, they set off.
Niles and Bruce returned the way they came and head down the hill in the opposite direction. At the bottom, they turned to the corner store, seeing it as much of a mess as other businesses and being the only part of the strip mall still standing, decide not to venture inside, just in case it collapses.
Across the street, the hotel looked to have been raided as well. If anyone was still in there, they’d likely be half dead or just gone outright. Still, it’s an opportunity to get extra hands if available. They only searched the main floor, poking their heads in a calling out to anyone. But no answer.
Disappointed, they move on. They don’t have time at the moment for any more than that.
Back on the corner store side, they walk past an apartment building and onto the grocery store parking lot. The supply gate was locked and the main entrance is a mess of glass shards and twisted metal. They inched their way inside and scanned their surroundings.
To Niles, who was looking on the ground for tracks in the broken glass and blood, sees nothing. The dried blood tells him that even if he did find anyone, otherwise corpses and undesired visiters might be it.
Meanwhile, Bruce hears rattling and low, guttural growling coming from the furthest aisle. He pulls Niles back and keeps only a thin line of sight in that direction. The noise gets louder as the creatures get closer. Rounding the corner from the darkness would be a huge canine beast. It held itself with pride. Head up and chest out. Confident in its fear inducing appearance. The snout skin flaps, like all others of its kind they’ve seen, are tight and pulled up above its gums. At first, it looked thin, but as it walks up more, the protrusions they mistook for ribs were revealed to actually be a gnarled bonelike armor which covered the forward half of its body like plate mail.
The eyes of this alpha direwolf had cataracts, but where it’s vision would be lessened, its sense of smell would be heightened.
Two smaller direwolves came out from behind it. They look to be new hunters since they explore everything they see with excitement and reckless abandon. The alpha snapped at them to keep them in line. They’d be cute if not for their hellishly ugly faces. Responding to the alpha like children, they’d sniff around with more focus. It was clear that the big one noticed the two, but wasn’t quite aware of where they were.
Bruce looks back at Niles who’d gotten a different vantage point, and gives him a look that says “What do you think?”
In response, Niles took some of the glass fragments around his feet in one hand, then looked into the room. He placed the shards in his coat pocket and makes a mental image of the battlefield. His skill ‘Improvised Fighter’ kicked in, evaluating chances of success, and he grins.
Slowly standing, he whispers as quietly as possible to the older, much taller man before him. “We got this.”
Sweat beads down Bruce’s face unsure if he believes Niles. The current situation is two regular humans against two young Direwolves and a very experienced Direwolf. Comparing that to all the other situations where they only made it out alive by outnumbering a single monster or small group of goblins, still getting cuts and bruises, and the two that Niles killed with his super speed and buffed archery skills, it was pretty one sided. And at the moment, Niles didn’t look like he planned to use his bow to get the first shot in.
Niles signs to Bruce to stay where he is and to jump in as soon as he lures one of the younger ones to the corner he’s in.
Still wavering, Bruce couldn't really say no. He dids’t have as good of a grasp of combat that Niles did. So he nods, gripping his ax tight enough that he was shaking.
Happy to see him accept, Niles ducks back down and throws a chocolate bar low towards the opposite side of the wall the hide behind. The sound of it hitting makes the beasts’ ears lift and hone in on the direction. The alpha, curious, sends the other two alone. They ran and jumped over the broken produce stands and scan the floor. The first to find the chocolate bar sniffs and paws at it, instantly piercing the foil and releasing the sweet scent that enticed the second to run up and nip at the candy. The two started to bicker and get on the alpha’s nerves.
Stepping into the clear spot he made, Niles snuck across to the hall across the way without a sound thanks to his skills. The alpha couldn't see too far, but could tell something was off. Once again, he snapped at them and like little soldiers, they stand at the ready.
Niles looks across the way, currently standing at the opening of the hall where employees would bring out carts of prepacked food that were just delivered, at Bruce and nodded to get him ready. Reacting, Bruce brought his weapon’s blade up to his shoulder. Niles threw one of the bigger pieces of glass at the shopping carts behind them.. It cracked into smaller pieces against the metal, causing the two young hunters to perk up and become curious.
One walked slowly in each of their directions, unsure of where the sound came from exactly. The two men made themselves small against the walls, waiting for the moment their snouts were visible.
Hearts beating in their chests like drums so loud they could hear them in their ears. Blades at the ready, the black noses with pinkish hues at the tips round the corners. Niles whistles, getting both of their attention. The one closest to him gets its nose cut off by his bowie knife and a few more cuts in the abdomen. Not dead, but gravely injured.
The wolf next to Bruce looked away from him, giving him the split second chance to strike at its neck. Both hands dropped the felling ax down, cutting the canine’s neck in half, spilling blood all over the tool, floor and Bruce. Absolutely dead.
The whines and whimpers of its young causes the alpha to howl, sending chills down the spines of the humans and the still breathing pup. Niles narrowly came to his senses fast enough to dodge the snap and swipes from the direwolf he faces. As soon as he caught his footing, he jumped back at the monster, who went for another bite. Unfortunately for the young hunter, Niles wanted its mouth open, as he put his knife in it vertically, ready to pierce its jaw.
He also took out the second knife on his belt, jabbing it in its quite visible jugular.
Niles’ hand is cut as he pulled it out before the jaws closed. The Hellish hound rammed him with the last of his strength, which threw the shorter man a little over halfway down the hall. With several rapid breaths and one long exhale, the direwolf finally died.
Sensing the loss, the alpha charged through the registers, destroying them like thin ceramics and paper. It rounded the intersection and sniffed Bruce out, who had a mix of direwolf blood and the metal scent to him. Stepping on the corpse of its young to get closer to the terrified man who, despite being over six feet tall, was looking up with wide eyes. Fear and desire to live didn’t allow for his hand to open, keeping his hold on the ax firm. Every step of the monster brought them closer. Rot and ikor coated its maw and expelled horrible odors. The smell, while delightful to a direwolf, caused Bruce to bend over, puking at the creature’s feet.
