Chapter 3

“We need to get going, right now,” Lorna said. “There are probably more of those things out there.”

Billy rose to his feet, still breathing heavily. He felt woozy and his head throbbed. He calculated that he had lost 25 hit points to the frog. He did not know how many more he had left but it could not be many.

Finally, he said. “You are right. Those things do poison damage. We are in no position to fight off more.”

Yuki started crying. She sunk to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Hey, Yuki!” Trevor said. “It’ll be all right. We don’t have to go far.”

“I hate it here,” she replied sobbing. “I hate everything here. I just want to go home. Why can’t I go home?”

“Listen, Miss Princess,” Lorna said, each word slow and sharp. “If you don’t move you will die. I am not going to die with you. So, get to your feet and start walking or we will leave you behind.”

“I hate you!” Yuki said.

Su Li snorted. “These people are trying to help, Yuki. Come on!”

Yuki slowly stood up. She glared at Lorna but did not say anything.

Lorna just shook her head and gently picked Su Li up in her arms. “Lead the way, Trevor.”

Trevor gave them all a long look before shaking his head. With stooped shoulders he turned and started walking. Lorna and Yuki were right behind him with Martin and Billy bringing up the rear.

Martin said, “Together we can make it, Yuki.”

“What do you know? You will probably die first.”

Billy smiled to himself. No good turn goes unpunished. Yuki reminded him of his niece – spoiled and never having worked for a thing. This was probably the first time she had encountered any problems like this. He just hoped that she would come to her senses soon enough. Whatever world this was surviving was not easy here. The name enough was ominous enough.

He followed the others concentrating on putting one wet step after another. His whole body was wet now and he could feel his jeans chaffing his thighs. His breath felt heavy in his chest. The others too did not seem to be fairing any better. The sounds around them were also increasing and he caught glimpses of movement around them.

“We need to move faster,” Su Li said. “More creatures are coming!”

“I am moving as fast as I can,” Lorna said. “How far now, Trevor?”

Trevor turned around momentarily. “I think we are nearly there. About four hundred meters.”

“Then why can we not see anything.”

“Patience,” Billy said, his voice now rasping. “Let’s just keep going.”

A few minutes later the ground beneath their feet became more solid. Lorna lowered Su Li to the ground, her arms shaking with effort.

Stolen novel; please report.

“I can’t carry her anymore,” she said forlornly.

Billy could tell that she was disappointed with herself.

“Put her on my back,” Trevor said. “Piggy-back style.”

Billy nodded. He lifted Su Li up, and she put her arms around Trevor’s neck. Billy then adjusted her legs so that Trevor’s arms supported them. Clearly, she was unable to grip with her legs. He realized she must be completely paralyzed from the waist down.

“Hurry!” Yuki screamed.

Billy turned to see more frogs coming out of the marsh. There were also a few cat-sized creatures that looked to be a cross between a lizard and a snake. If the frogs were poisonous, he hated to think what a bite from these snizard creatures would do. He also did not fancy his chances unarmed against them, or even armed if he was honest with himself.

Trevor did not say a word but started off in a loping run. The gait was uneasy with Su Li on his back. Lorna, Martin and Yuki quickly followed leaving Billy staring at the oncoming creatures. With a growl, he motivated his shaking legs into a stumbling run. Trevor had better be right about the distance. He did not think any of them were going to be able to maintain this pace for long.

After a minute of running, with the creatures rapidly closing he saw a low building in front of them.

“Keep going,” Lorna said.

The ground now was firm underneath and their pace had improved. Billy was just starting to think they would make it when a flock of birds rose from behind the building and surged towards them.

“Get down,” he yelled.

They all flattened themselves to the ground except for Trevor who, carrying Su Li, could merely sink to his knees. The birds scratched at them as they flew past. Billy just managed to lower his head in time to protect his eyes but the rest of him was not so lucky.

<-5 hit points. Warning you only have 25 percent of your hit points remaining.>

Billy did a quick calculation. He had suffered 30 hit points of damage which meant he had 40 hit points to start with. That also meant he only had 10 hit points remaining.

The group rose to their feet, both Su Li and Yuki now sobbing. Billy could see blood streaming down Trevor’s face.

Trevor struggled to his feet – his legs shaking as he rose.

The frogs and snake creatures were now only meters away.

“Run!” Billy said. “I will slow them down.”

“Don’t be a fucking hero,” Lorna said. “We make it together.”

They set off again. This time Yuki was in the lead. Of all of them, she seemed to have the most energy left – either that or it was just plain old adrenaline.

Despite Lorna’s words, Billy knew he had to do something. The frogs had now hopped ahead of the snakes and were only one leap from overwhelming the group.

He stopped running and turned hoping to slow down the demonic creatures. He sensed someone else stop next to him but did not have time to see who it was.

One frog leaped towards him. Billy lifted his knee up catching it under the bulbous chin. He felt a satisfying crunch and the frog went up in the air. It landed in front of the other frogs stopping their momentum.

Billy laughed and turned. Martin was there next to him with the stone raised defiantly in his fist and a determined look on his face. Another frog leapt forward, this one bigger than the others. It smashed Martin to the ground, its tongue lancing into his face.

Billy tried to shoulder barge the frog off of Martin, but the frog was too heavy.

“Run!” Martin said. He tried to hit the frog with the stone but it seemed to have no effect.

The building was just meters away. Already the others had all reached the doorway – everyone except himself and Martin.

Billy smashed his knee into the frog’s head and it lurched to the side far enough for him to pull Martin away. Martin stood up shakily – his face covered in blood.

He tried to move forward, pulling Martin with him. All his legs could manage was a shaky lurching movement. He knew he was not going to make it. Nearly there you old bastard, he thought to himself. But then he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.

Martin went down under the weight of a couple of frogs pulling them both to the ground.

<-3 hit points. You have been poisoned for ten seconds losing 2 hit points per second.>

Shit, Billy thought. I am dead now. Still, he was not going to stop and let these creatures chow down on him. He crawled forward still pulling at Martin who was struggling to push the frogs away. Just a few more meters but it seemed more like kilometres. He fell to his knees sobbing.

Darkness took his vision as he stopped fighting the tides of weariness and pain. He distantly felt something touch his body.