CHAPTER 8 - The search II (final part)

I am training, at least this should be considered training, I am hiding to the best of my abilities into the creeping shadows that are appearing as it becomes night. I have already crossed a good distance without being discovered. It probably helps going alone and all the monsters that I found being either those oversized moles or rats. I am lucky I didn't run into any of those felines or lesser versions of the orcs.

I have been following a path to search in the possible places that my sister could be hiding or that I think a group could be hiding. I can’t disregard that she joined a group and she is hiding somewhere else. In the end, the city has too many places for me to cover on my own so I just keep on going.

I search every single spot that resembles a hideout or could be used as one. I check out stores, warehouses, public buildings and so on, however, to no avail. I can’t manage to find any clues and so I decide to go closer to the center even if it is a lot more risky, I need to give it a try at least to leave with peace of mind.

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After entering the city center I started to see more monsters, but the worst part was that they all were in groups and stronger than the ones I have seen before. Groups of rats were scarce yet I continued seeing groups of more than 4 of the lesser version of the orcs like the one I fought in a one on one battle before. In some cases these groups got to double digits. I saw some packs of those armored panthers too, running around with no clear path in mind.

I keep on going while avoiding any foreseeable path they might take. After doing so for so long, the night was finally arriving and luckily it was starting to rain, which would help me to mask my smell from any feline monster with an acute sense of smell. I put all my hopes in my last chance and went to explore the last places I had in mind. Places that were already located in zones overcrowded with all kinds of monsters for my liking. I was sure I just needed some luck and I couldn't bring myself to stop now.

With that mentality I went on in the already nearly pitch black night. I needed to find her and then my parents, yet it all just became worse. The rain changed from a slow and mild rain kind of those in the cold mornings to a stormy one, at some point resembling more a downpour of no precedence. I was drenched already so I didn’t care about that. However I started having issues distinguishing my surroundings. I felt the raindrops pelting me with such force that it even made me dubious of its nature.

With the storm came lighting, making it nearly impossible to advance. Every single time the light came a thunderous rumbling followed reverberating everywhere and making me shudder, I decided not to submit however and I kept going forward. Then I started seeing silhouettes, human silhouettes running towards me. After days of nearly not seeing anyone I found it weird that they decided to leave their homes all at the same time in the middle of the scariest storm I have ever seen. The truth is, they were indeed humans just like me, lots of them. I found myself confused while seeing all these people fleeing from what lied ahead of me. Obviously , I went for it.

I was dodging obstacles carried by the wind and people alike, some were panicking so much that they didn't care if they stumbled or were hit by the rubble. Actually there were lots of bricks and random objects everywhere. As I got near I started hearing thunder in between the thunder itself.

“Huh!!??” The moment I looked at the sky in search of the respective thunder I could make out a humongous shadow coming my way. As the shadow was coming for me it was easier to notice it was not a monster but a huge part of a building that was falling on me. I was in danger, it was so close to touching the ground that my only option was to run forward to try and get outside of the impact zone so that the debris that would fragment from it wouldn’t kill me. I got every speck of energy I could to run as fast as I could against the blowing wind that crashed against my face with way too much strength. Somehow I got away in time and it crashed behind me, making me stumble and crash on the floor due to the impact of what probably was the weight of a few floors combined.

*cough* *cough*

I get up as quickly as I can, but I feel like my whole body has been torn apart by the shockwave. I start to realize that maybe rushing in head first probably wasn’t my best idea this time around. Whatever is happening here, it's out of my control. I am about to start fleeing when I notice the thundering in the distance, the sound comes from the ground. I squint my eyes and get to see a glimpse in between the lightnings of what seems to be a human with something shining in its hands, something similar to a golden rod. The rod, which stays firm on the ground lights up again and I feel a strong pull towards the thing that makes me trip and get sucked its way. I only manage to live because I am fast enough to grip the nearest building I meet on my way to the center somehow withstanding the pressure of the pull for a few seconds until it finally ceases to exist.

Then after a pause it gives a final pull so strong that I feel the wall I am using as cover nearly break apart followed by some of the tops of the nearby buildings falling off to the ground. I am pretty sure I would have heard a lot of screams if they weren’t muzzled by the strong winds and thunder. The light coming from the rod is dimmer, but it is getting stronger steadily so after the phenomenon stops I take the opportunity to run for it and leave this place before I die from a stray brick or a part of a building crashing down on me.

I hadn’t even distanced myself more than a few blocks of flats when I heard another rumbling sound, this time knowing what would come next I found cover. I waited the long pull for a while, and then the strong one for a second before continuing my scape. As I run I was seeing every single person I hadn’t seen these last days scattered all around the streets, all of them death, some hit by the debris falling down and others in places they should have avoid being pulled by the strong pull.

I run as far as I can with no way of knowing when this thing will stop, every single time I take a turn taking only a second to watch out for monsters, but there are none for some reason. Only humans, death ones, the victims of this hellish phenomenon that I only got away by luck. I do not let myself be confident though as there are still plenty of mysteries going on and I have no idea when all of this will die down if it is actually stopping. Let's hope it does stop soon or anyone who survived till now will have very little chances to do so till the end.

After what feels like a eternity running I find where the monsters went, they are in the perimeter of the effects of the storm and they are making sure that no human gets out alive. They do not mix between groups though as there are still grouped in small groups of each species, seemingly wary of each other, but working together against the humans trying to flee nonetheless.

I think about trying to break from the encirclement, it may be dangerous, but all those monsters are making a circle trying to keep us all inside, and while I may not know why, I am pretty sure I need to do just the opposite. I find the easiest spot to break from the encirclement and I see that the only place where the monsters are withstanding the opposing humans or the only place where there still are some humans fighting for their lives for that matter is not that far. There, there are two groups confronting each other, one composed of about thirty humans while the monster side only has eight enemies left.

By the look of it, the humans banded together in a single group and tried to go against the group of the least amount of monsters. Too bad , they picked the lesser variant of the orcs and even with their low numbers they are getting obliterated. I ponder if I should help now or wait for my chance to escape, but I can’t think of a better time than now so I decide to go help.

I rush out of my hiding spot as fast as I can to make a surprise attack. There are a few meters in between me and the fight so I choose the closest of monsters to go against and use the humans fighting it as cover. There are 3 people fighting this one, they are giving their all, but the monster seems relaxed as they can’t go through its defenses with their poor equipment which consists of salvaged metal parts at most. In fact these monsters do have weapons on their back and of good quality to boot, but they don’t bother to use them.I dive into the frey, taking advantage of the blind spot of my foe, my main goal getting its weapon off his back and onto my hands.

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It sounds simple enough, but if the other people fighting them haven’t succeeded, it probably isn’t that easy. I keep approaching till I get his back and wait the perfect moment to join.

“Try to aim for the vitals, he must have some weakness!”

“Why don’t you do it yourself then? I’ll let you take the credit, go on.”

“Focus on the darn fight and stop fighting with each other.”

The three guys that are fighting the monster are getting desperate as their attacks are not getting through and start to make a fuss, probably trying not to despair as the numbers on our side are diminishing at a fast pace. The monster we are facing is unbothered by their rumblings and I see an opportunity to turn the tables. I think of piercing its neck with my knife and trying to slash horizontally to bleed him to death and end him in one move, but I am pretty sure that I can’t pierce its skins that easily or this group of people would have already forced the guy to draw its weapon. Instead I choose to go for the eyes, the guy is taller than me, but not by much so I have no problems getting the angle as I stab its right eye with my knife half expecting him to dodge.

Far from the truth, its eye it's gone in a flash and for a second it bends forward by the pain while clutching the damaged eye. I use that time to try and steal the longsword from its back. I grab the handle and pull so fast that for a second it makes me think that I already succeed, but the lesser variant of the orcs as I like to call them is anything but lesser. It stops my plan just by pushing the weapon down the “sheath” again with only one hand in a display of strength.

‘Oh my, sorry mate… but you are not that guy!’

I refuse to let this end like this and by the time the sword reaches the bottom of the scabbard I have already slashed the inner part of the things elbow making it lose strength. Not taking any chances I slash the same spot while retrieving my knife making its grip feeble. Knowing the weight of the longsword I grab the handle with both hands and give it a strong pull taking it out at last noticing a punch to my chest a little bit late.

*oughh*

The monster withdraws its other hand from its eye in the last moment, hits me and tries to chase after me soon after. I nearly fall to the ground but somehow don’t, so I run away. Yeah, I run away in the opposite direction, not with the intention of fleeing thought, but with the will to make the most out of it by trying to surprise attack the nearest enemy in sight. I arrive at the back of the first monster I find and with a swift motion I put my everything on a swing to its neck, beheading it.

“...” I stand there in shock for a second, not expecting my attack to bring that kind of result, but I continue running as the other guy still chases after me.

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‘This is bad, so bad in fact that I don't see myself getting out of this alive.’

After I killed that monster, all of the other ones started to take me seriously. I thought they didn’t care that much about one another, but it seems I was wrong and now I am paying for it.

I already escaped the encirclement from before and I am running for my life. After my last stunt all enemies remaining started chasing me with wild abandon, they did not care about the other humans or about keeping the perimeter of whatever was going in there. Their only goal seemingly killing me at all costs.

I am not sure what made them have such a change of heart, sure they are pissed by the death of their companion, but I feel like that is not the only thing going on. Anyways I am in a pinch, I am being chased by seven ‘mini-orcs’ throughout the city with no sign of stopping at any point and I call them mini in comparison to their counterparts, cause they are still fucking massive. I am sure that the people I was fighting with a while ago appreciate my beautiful display of bravery and all, but now I feel myself stranded on my own with no hope of escape. Every time I make a turn my pursuers follow, every time I enter an alley they squeeze through it, every jump, feint or bait I make they just gloss it over. My tricks give me just enough time to keep the distance from shortening as they run faster than me. The worst part of this is that while holding onto the sword it’s no easy deal. I could manage thought, if it weren’t for my already sore and tired body screaming me to stop. Just where did I waste so much of my endurance? I have no idea, I can only keep going and wait for the chance to act and lose my pursuers.

Leaving from later the mysterious depletion of my energy I focus on getting out alive of my current situation and I finally see some light. I notice the familiar scenery around me and instantly know what my plan is going to be.

I am near a place where some festivities were hosted at the start of the apocalypse and I go straight where all the stalls and decorations should be with the intention of hiding somewhere in there and taking advantage of the low range of sight that will be available.

I go in a straight line with a clear destination now even if it means shortening the distance from the group of enemies on my back. As I enter the place I start to have problems dodging all the things scattered all over the ground. My pursuers have them too, however some of them just smash everything apart if it means getting to me faster, especially the guy whose right vision got stolen from me earlier on. That one doesn’t mind the bruises or splinters of wood that are ravaging its body at all, only focusing on me, me and me.

After a few minutes and a lot of feints and sharp changes of directions on my part I am exhausted, having been close to fainting for a while and having nothing more than one guy still following me. With no other option that facing him I make up my mind and accept the challenge. ‘Time to settle the score.’ I think as I face my foe with a missing eye.

*Huff* *Huff*

I am exhausted, with nearly no strength left to even move. The punch I received before from the guy in front of me already stopped hurting a while ago and was replaced instead by overwhelming pain due to the fatigue I am feeling. I am still holding onto my latest acquisition, a fine longsword that has a very sharp edge and that I barely held on my way here. Before me there is a monster, unharmed, bleeding and full of rage. However, while it may seem like the guy is mindless it still waits for a while before charging at me, not sure if he is doing it on purpose to rest a bit too, or if fatigue is setting in coupled with the loss of blood from its still untreated wound that has been bleeding for a while.

I stand in place, knowing that time is probably in my favor, but not too much either, nothing assures me that its friends won't get here any time soon after we start making noise. My foe, probably realizing that stalling for time is better for me, decides to rush at me. While its appearance is clumsy and he is nearly tripping at every step I can still cleary feel the dread setting in as it approaches. I have no time to think and just roll to the left to dodge, buying myself some time to rest and recover while its strength diminishes.

Repeating the same move I prepare to dodge again, but at the last moment I notice it is a trap and it was a feint from the start, forcing me to parry a blow to the head. I let it’s fist slide off the blade to negate some of the strength and slip past him while slashing its abdomen. My attack fully nullified by its hard skin.

“Fuck you!” I yell between breaths preparing for the final charge that will decide the outcome of this duel.

It comes at me again, slower than before, but still trying to get its vengeance. I wait to see if it is again a feint or if there is some kind of masked danger behind the charge. Not seeing anything suspicious however I am forced to move and I decide on what to try as he comes at me like a train. It’s charge unrelenting, with no way of stopping it, I go for the head, trying to behead it in a horizontal slash.

*swish* *CRASH*

I did achieve my goal, but I paid the price. With no leeway after killing it, I found myself getting caught in the momentum of its attack, sending me flying and crashing through a nearby tent and into a stone wall. Flying like a kite till the cold stone forces me to stop in my tracks.

*thud*

I lay there against the stone wall, with a buzzing sound going on my head and with no energy left to move and I try to resist the pull to sleep with my sore body, but I fail.

And there.

I fall unconscious.