the screams of pain, the noises of buildings being destroyed and falling started to get fainter and fainter and they were being replaced by the heavier and heavier breathe of Silmo and Raeneris, who never stopped running, but now, the fatigue was too much to bear for Raeneris, maybe sometimes he could have done some cardio instead of only lifting weights; and started to slow down to a fast pacing refusing to completely stop.
Silmo, who was behind him, slowed down to match his pacing, he was not tired as him, all of those hours at the basketball court really helped him.
both of them stay in silence as they went on forward into the dark plain, the sky ripped apart was really slowly mend itself together, leaving no natural light to illuminate the world.
Raeneris start to have difficulties to look in that darkness so, took out his phone to light ahead them, but thought that wasn't a bright idea, maybe those monsters could have seen them.
he looked first at the black sky, a total black of nothing, then he looked behind, the mansion was completely destroyed, some lights were also destroyed, some remain still to light that disaster, with the mansion destroyed covered in blood and the dead body of the giant wolf, which it seemed to Raeneris that was smaller, but perhaps was the distance; the only thing he saw moving was the troll who was going in their opposite direction, and that was a relief for him.
then he looked left to see the city, half of it was blocked by the terrain of the hill, the other half he can saw clearly was a warzone, half of the tower were missing, distant sound of monster can be heared, but also he could heard gun shots, maybe the police or some military base near were resolving the situation.
"Raeneris, we cannot stop here, we need to hide somewhere" said Silmo when Raeneris stopped to look at the city and the valley.
"where? there is no where to hide, we are a easy target, moreover i have to check out a thing" respond him while he called his dad phone.
"there's a forest if we go toward Flemin, there we can hide in caves or up to the trees" said him, but Raeneris was more focus on the phone.
each ring only strengthened his doubt, after a minute no one answer the phone.
he put his phone back to his pocket and turn to Silmo.
"i'm glad you're fine. mom and dad?" Silmo was talking on the phone, apparently he was not getting good news judging by his serious face and his staring off into space. "what the fuck" some tears began to fall from his eyes. "well, at least she doesn't have to live in this hell" he said, wiping his tears and try to regain his normal and jokey behaviour.
suddently his forced smile trasform into pure happiness. "Dad is fine?" his eyes meet those of Raeneris, the opposite, one happy and hopeful for his family and the other one who need to accept the harsh reality. "HI DAD" he cannot bear that eye contact and so he turn around facing the endless plain "yeah yeah, i'm fine, we were in danger but now we're safe... ... me and Raeneris, we are the only survivors i think... we are pretty far from the party, i still see it... we don't know, i thought about hide in the forest between Livik and Flemin."
Raeneris wasn't happy with him, he understand the relief knowing his family was, partially, safe but they were in a difficult position, standing there without anywhere to hide.
but for now he was being vigilant for possible monsters or other survivors.
"wait, wait, Dad can you repeat" said Silmo as he put the phone on speaker and turn to his friend.
"yeah... uhm... now the military has come" the voice of Silmo's dad was a little higher than the noise of hundreds chats, some scared, some hopeful, some angry, noise of people crying and sometimes can be heared gunshots. "they killed some monsters, the police now made a improvised safe place where they are escorting us... thank god the mayor used a part of the military to help the police for the new year. we were lucky-" a deafening noise suddently appear and overwhelm the voice and the chats.
Raeneris understood that was an helicopter and turn towards the city, he waited to see a helicopter, from the speaker the overwhelming noise was getting softer and softer, little by little the voice of the chats can be heared again.
from the part of the city blocked by the hill appears a helicopter, judging by the distance, it was from the top right from where they are, the helicopter lowered and some people could be seen come down. as he was looking and understand the general situation of the city, another helicopter appear and then another one both of them stopped where the first one was and let some soldiers descend.
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"DAD, we see the helicopters, you are at the exact opposite of where we are." said Silmo raising his tone.
"don't yell like that asshole" said immediately Raeneris panicking. "some monsters can hear us." continue.
"shut up, where alone, the troll is gone." responded pissed off Silmo.
"what if that thing have a supernatural hearing? those things are killing machine, you saw it."
"Raeneris, please calm down, i understand your fear, but now you two should try to come where we are." said Silmo's Dad.
"no fucking way" said Raeneris at two centimeters from the microphone. "we don't know how many monsters are in the city and i won't risk my life for that."
"he's right dad we're no safe there is a huge troll that went towards the city afterall " said Silmo after some second of silence where only chats from unknown people near Silmo's dad.
"ok but after the military will deal with the monsters in the city the only ones that remains will be in the countryside" a female voice speak from the speaker of the phone, apparently she was not happy about their decision.
"ok Sarah, what if we try towards you and in the process we encounter a monster, what can we do? punch him in the balls?" responded even more pissed off Raeneris.
"you fucking retarded, you could scream for help and try to run. what if you encounter it where you are? there you really need punching him in the balls." the sorrounding noise where were overwhelmed by Sarah's voice.
"I DON'T KNOW WH--" Raeneris lost his control but Silmo muted him immediately by putting an hand in front of his mouth.
"don't yell." said as calm as possible Silmo try to calm Raeneris.
the two of them noticed how everything has become more quiet, they turned to the phone and saw that the call was ended.
Silmo, out of fear of the endless possibilities that could happened to them, try as fast as he can to call them back, but the call didn't even started.
"there is no signal" said him looking at the phone powerless.
"probably some monster destroyed one of the Linking Towers" responded Raeneris try to regain his composure and his cold logic.
"fuck, what should we do now?" asked Silmo looking at his friend as a little baby look at his mother.
"go to the forest and wait there until all of those creature are killed."
the hill was silent again, Silmo was looking at Raeneris's feet but he was lost in his thoughts, the air was getting cold and Raeneris's hoodie wasn't enough to warm him.
he thought.
"we should go towards the city Raen." Silmo interrupted the Raeneris's flow of thoughts. "my sister is right, if we encounter another one of those in the forest we are as good as dead. in the city there's people, we can join a group and, well, don't fight alone."
"you will be dead as soon as you go down this hill, there are countless monsters down there."
"and there are also here" Silmo spoke right after Raeneris finished. "and... you didn't even know how many of them are here. so don't say countless, incalculable or words like that, maybe they are fewer of them than we think. we need to stay optimistic." continued him with a smile that try to reassured more himself than Raeneris.
"optimistic you say?" he could bear that stupid perspective but not that word. "being optimistic is the worst thing you can be, never being optimistic, always think at the worst outcome."
"yeah but you not think at the worst outcome when you go alone in a fucking forest. you're an hypocrite Raen." he said, lifting the hood of his jacket, even he started to feel cold.
"you just did the same thing, Silmo, you think you can go there and find thousands of people ready to open their arms and welcome you? they are scared and their are locked in their home." Raeneris begin to lose his calm again.
"Look" Raeneris pointed the city with his finger. "down there people will not think logically, they will protect themself and their family, you will be alone even there."
"there is the military and not everyone is evil and think only for himself."
"because you don't know how the world goes, probably you will be kidnapped by some human trafficker."
"how, in that situation" Silmo emulated Raeneris's previous move. "someone think about affairs and choose to kidnap me instead of try to save themself?"
he tried to breath and try to calm down.
"so you prefer to freeze out here than follow my idea?" Silmo continued.
"it's only for this night, i can endure it. down there what will you find? maybe electric current is interrupted and you won't be able to warm up."
"even a garbage ban will be enough for me, i'd like to stink than freeze to death."
there was a small silence between them filled with the cold wind. Silmo was looking at the grass between them meanwhile Raeneris was looking at him.
"you always do this, if someone don't do as you like or..." Silmo was struggling to say those words. "they have an idea better than yours, you tantrum until you win. when they were for where to eat or where to go i didn't mind, but now is different. i will not follow you.".
he heard those words before, Silmo's ones are the nicest ones.
"I'm your friend and i didn't mind the dirty talk they made behind you, because i saw more of you, so please, i'm begging you, follow me."
he knew his friends probably talks behind him but hearing this is something Raeneris wasn't ready to endure.
"i think..." Raeneris was struggling to speak, "that you're going to die, i will go towards the forest. i hope you survive down there." as soon as he finished speaking he turned back and went into the darkness vanishing after a few steps.