They fled back to the house, eyes to the sky.
The fields behind them were clear but no one objected to blocking the kitchen and front doors off with furniture. Everyone took a room upstairs and kept watch out the windows.
They had learnt their lesson about leaving Swarm alive at Aiden’s farm. The bird thing, tentatively called a Vamp for its fang-like spikes, was no Jackal but it was harder to track. That Jackal had followed them. Would the Vamp?
It was a tense thirty minutes staring out the window before they felt safe enough to leave again.
When they left they went north. They kept the wall in sight as they fought Swarm around the outer areas of the zone.
Twice more they needed to hide to avoid larger packs of swarm. A house and abandoned car sheltered them. Either Louise or Tara spotted the danger in time.
Lone swarm of small packs were fair game. Three hours passed, swarm by swarm until they were back at the house to rest and eat before heading south and home.
User I38-3NA5
Credits
92
Classification
Fighter-R
Energy
Threshold
250.5
700
Agility
3
Channel
3
Endurance
6
Recovery
6
Strength
9
Heinz frowned as he calculated his progress. Just under 50 Energy since he was last here and 17 extra credits. He sighed and scratched his forehead. Here he was complaining when days before he would have celebrated this progress. Since crossing the wall this morning he had gained 163.7 Energy and 76 credits.
It was enough energy to pass the first threshold and almost enough for the second. There were plenty of people back in Kinmore who would ki-. He shuddered. Some phrases could be too on the nose.
The credits were a windfall too. He would need to take a trip to the Shop with Rosa soon for another augment. Or maybe Maggie if he could afford the more expensive options.
“Let me take that.” Shane reached across Heinz and grabbed his plate.
“I can-” Heinz started but Shane waved him back.
Heinz had combined the tins of beans that Louise had supplied them with a sauce and some rice tucked away in a cabinet in the kitchen. It all went into a pot and over his camping stove before being served on the house’s tableware.
The house was beautiful but there were few signs that it had been occupied before the walls. There was art hung on the walls but no photos. One room upstairs had been in use but the fridge only held a few items, well out of date by now.
Heinz found a tablecloth and dried his cookware as Shane cleaned it. The house had no electricity but there was water in the taps.
It might have been silly to spend time cleaning up after their meal. After all they weren’t going to be able to get the mud stains out of the carpets or fix the knife damaged couches. But unadorned or not, the house was someone’s home. It had sheltered them.
“Everyone ready?” Heinz asked as Phil joined them in the hallway. “Anyone need the bathroom? We’re heading back but we aren’t out yet and it’ll be over an hour until we get to Kinmore.”
Tara glowered at him while Louise, Phil and Shane were surprised by the question.
Heinz shrugged. “It’s always better to get people to go at the centre rather than in the water or in a pit on the banks.”
They considered his suggestion this time but no one took the option.
Louise and Phil led the way back on the road. Shane and Heinz stood to the sides and Tara kept her eyes to the sky. No one wanted to be ambushed so close to the end.
It was Heinz that saw the swarm first. Whatever about Agility or Tara’s higher point of view, you can’t see anything if you’re not looking in the right direction.
“Down” He hissed and waved them over to the ditch on the left.
Heinz inched forward and stuck his head past a few branches to check the skies. He felt a questioning tap on his shoulder and he pointed in the direction.
It was the movement that had caught his eye. A tree had fallen and sent shapes hurtling into the sky. Those shapes, likely more swarm, were circling in the air now but as he watched they began to move. Following a hulking shape stepping across the fallen tree below them. Towards the road ahead of Heinz.
“Go back.” Heinz whispered. “I think it’s the thing Tara saw. It’s heading for the road. We can cross into the field as it leaves it.”
They began an awkward crouched shuffle back down the road in the ditch until they came to a gap in the undergrowth. Heinz waited on the road as the others stuck their head into the field to have a look at the creature.
The Vamps were clearly visible in the skies now. Several swooped out of the pack and towards the road before circling back around. The creatures seemed to stay near the van sized swarm on the ground.
They held their breath as the monster barrelled through a tree and onto the road. None of the swarm they had seen were close to its size. Even half a kilometre away it was clear that it would be taller than any of them. The creature stomped back over the trees it crushed and stopped.
To Heinz’s relief the creature only lingered for a minute before crashing over to the other side of the road.
“Let’s go.” Shane said and moved out into the field.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“15 more minutes before our leave is full.” Phil said as he sat by the wall.
They had kept to the field for the rest of the way. The close up sight of the knocked down trees had been motivation enough to not cross back onto the road.
An interesting story was told by the grassy field by the wall. Lines of brown were drawn through it, leading up to where the road and wall intersected. The trail ended where they had fought the musical chair.
When the rest of them sat down, Phil volunteered to keep watch. He spent his time with his eyes to the ground studying the trail instead of keeping an eye out but they were amused rather than annoyed. From their seats they had a clear view of the surrounding fields and didn’t need a sentry.
“Any plans for the evening?” Heinz asked. It was past three o’clock now and they didn’t have a huge amount of daylight left.
“Home.” Tara said with a groan. “My parents won’t let me out of their sight until we are back on a shuttle”
“Me too! But I’ll be a prisoner to my children.” Phil said as they all shared a smile.
“Well I’ll be looking for a pint but I wouldn’t say no to handcuffs.” Heinz grinned at the two. Louise and Phil snickered while Shane snorted and Tara blushed.
“I’ll probably head to the outdoor centre and Shop first.” Heinz continued. “I nearly have enough for the expensive augments.”
“What?” Shane asked with a frown. “How much do you have?”
“92. So I don’t think it’s enough.” Heinz admitted.
“I have 51.” Shane grunted.
They all looked at him shocked.
Phil was the first to break the silence. “70.”
“83.” Louise was next.
“68.” Tara finished.
They looked at each other in surprise. Heinz knew they were all getting different bounties from each kill but this was a large change. Until today they had shared in rewards evenly.
“Adrenaline was the most expensive but..” Phil began.
“I thought I’d be further behind.” Tara offered.
“We should consider pooling our credits anyway.” Heinz said with a shrug. “The more expensive augments seem better.”
“And you first?” Shane asked with narrowed eyes.
Heinz frowned at him and opened his mouth.
The world flashed purple.
“What the hell?” Heinz said instead.
He pushed himself to his feet and looked around. Louise spotted it first and pointed to a gap in a section of the wall that flashed and reappeared. Heinz felt for the zone control.
Zone Control - I38-9G
Swarm Growth
65%
Local
35%
‘This isn’t right. There’s not enough control for the walls to fall.’
The world flashed purple again.
“Something’s attacking the wall.” Phil shouted. Heinz scanned the fields and skies. There was nothing.
“Where?” Heinz asked.
“The corners. Heinz and I saw something there.” Shane was watching the wall.
“The huge swarm.” Tara croaked going pale.
“We can’t..” Phil trailed off looking to their left, to the west.
“The wall can’t fall Phil.” Louise said and moved to the edge of the road.
Shane followed her first. Then Heinz. Phil joined them next and they set off. Tara caught up to them a minute later.
“Tara.” Louise’s voice cracked. Tara was shaking but she held her axe ready.
“I’m helping.” Tara’s voice was anything but steady. “It’s my family and friends too.”
Shane grabbed Tara’s ski jacket and turned her to face him.
“If it goes bad, you get out. You hear me! You run.”
Tara nodded and they ran.
“Take out the adds first. We’ll be swarmed otherwise.” Phil shouted as they ran.
“Phil explain!” Heinz yelled back.
“The Vamps. Kill the birds first but avoid the big one. We rush, we die.”
“Any more knives to throw?” Heinz asked Louise beside him. He would only be able to throw this hatchet once. Louise nodded but didn’t have time to reply as they leapt over a gate.
Then they were in the field. Two walls met with the ground in the centre but as they slowed to take it in a hulking creature sped up.
The swarm pulled forward off two twisted forelegs that dwarfed the ones at its back and began to charge at the intersection. Its oily body shuddered as each step tore at the ground beneath it.
The hulking swarm paid no attention to them. It’s flying companions did.
“Split up!” Louise called as the Vamps began to dive.
Heinz drew the hatchet over his shoulder and hurled it at the creatures before they got too close. The hatchet spun end over end, side to side as it sped through the sky in a wobble. The side of the hatchet struck a Vamp off to the right. Far from where he aimed but the wild throw had connected and the force sent the creature hurtling down.
The others threw as well. Knives flashing with unerring accuracy accompanied by a hammer and a rock. The swarm swooped and tucked in wings but another 3 went down.
Purple flashed.
The remainders clumped together and fell on the group. Heinz swore as the creatures ignored him and attacked Louise. She lashed out with her shear knives but even as she sliced through a wing of one Vamp, its body carried on and smacked into her side and latched on.
He rushed over and began swatting at the sky around her. He struck one down after it flew over Louise’s outstretched arm, slicing her arm and knocking her off balance. He smushed it to the ground but Louise was falling, the swarm impaled on her blade driving her down. The last was diving towards her.
Tara dashed forward and swung. Splattering the creature.
Heinz turned to see Phil and Shane fending off three others with jabs to the sky. One lay twitching on the ground beside them.
“The big one Heinz!” Tara yelled, bringing his attention back around.
The hulking swarm had turned away from the wall and towards them. It was leaning back and splaying its forelegs in front of it. Four thick metallic tusks protruded from its squashed front, ending above his head.
Heinz ran forward and to the left with a roar. He needed it to charge somewhere else. Phil and Shane were distracted and Louise was down.
The hulking swarm twitched and launched itself at Heinz.
Heinz turned back towards it and they charged at each other.
Heinz tossed his halberd to his left. He needed to time this right.
The swarm’s features became everything. Four tusks shimmered as they bounced up and down and grew larger in his vision. The sickly oily texture of the creature’s shifting mass. The grotesque bulging as its forelegs threw it forward.
Heinz stepped down on his right leg and threw himself off to the left. He curled his head to his left shoulder and braced for the fall.
A scream tore out of him as something impacted his shins and he was sent spinning. He landed on his right shoulder and his head jerked.
Heinz shoved himself off the ground and stumbled to his feet. He needed to get his halberd. Each step sent waves of pain on top of the consistent nagging pain in his shins.
The swarm tossed up clods of dirt ahead of him as it skidded to a halt.
The halberd glinted in the sun, halfway between them. Heinz broke into a shuddering jog.
The swarm thudded the ground as it shifted its forelegs and turned.
A yell rang out as Shane dashed forward and swung his sledgehammer into a foreleg. Phil followed and used his momentum to drive his boat hook into its side.
The swarm thrummed and its foreleg in the air slammed down into the earth. It dipped down before pushing back against the ground and pulling both forelegs off the ground.
Phil fell forward as his spear was wrenched from his grip.
Shane grabbed Phil’s jacket and pulled the two of them back as the swarm crashed back down to the ground facing the two of them.
Heinz was there, jabbing his halberd into the back of the creature, into its torso a little ahead of its back legs. He pulled the spike back and began to slam the sharpened sign edge into the creature over and over.
A thrum rang out and the swarm pushed off the ground again. Heinz jumped backwards with a pained cry as the swarm slammed back down facing between him and the other two.
Louise and Tara yelled and joined the fight. Louise jumped onto the back of the creature and secured her place with two knives. The swarm shuddered and its back leg collapsed as an axe bit deep.
Heinz pushed forward again and stabbed at the creature’s front. Phil joined him but Shane was cursing behind them.
The swarm thrummed and lifted its left foreleg up. The creature tilted, trying to turn. Heinz and Phil darted to its right and focused on the remaining leg.
Tara screamed and the creature’s back collapsed. It fell to the left and Louise jumped off with a curse.
Shane joined them with a new scar down his helmet and they attacked.
Heinz crossed the wall and his shoulders drooped. They had waited ten minutes with baited breath but it had stopped flickering.
Two Vamps had fled when the large swarm began to melt and they had spent the walk back to the road on edge and scanning the horizon.
Reclamation duty leave remaining: 12/ 12 hours
Leave Settlement control zones before leave expires.
12 hours. He felt like he could sleep twice that.
There was no van waiting to greet them so with tight lipped grimaces they started to run.