Novels2Search

11. Grand Theft Auto

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The roar of an engine pulls Astrid out of her dream.

Her eyes snap open, and for a few moments, she listens to the loud noise. Until something clicks in her brain. With a snap, she’s fully awake.

‘Why is someone turning on the tractor at this hour?’ she wonders as she drags herself out of her makeshift bed.

A few quick steps take her to the hay door. With a single movement, she pushes the bolt aside and opens the small door in time to see the tractor leave the driveway. A red figure sits in the driver’s seat, while five more occupy the trailer.

One of them notices her. The figure lifts a dark object.

“Shit!” Astrid yells and drops down before the figure can properly aim at her. “Someone’s stealing the tractor. Don’t go to the window, I almost got shot!” she yells to Lukas and Julia, before she notices that they're both gone.

Suddenly, a gunshot overshadows the sound of the engine.

The loud bang echoes in the distance. A moment of relative quiet ensues, before the people on the tractor return fire. A scream barely manages to slip through, before the air is filled by gunfire.

Astrid clumsily pulls Fynn’s revolver out of its holster. She's afraid that the moment she takes a peek through the window, she’ll receive a bullet through the skull. Her heart racing, she runs downstairs.

Revolver at the ready, she opens the barn door.

Everyone with a gun seems to be awake and shooting at the tractor. Every few seconds, a dim flash illuminates the house and an earsplitting bang pierces the night.

A shower of sparks explodes off the tractor, but that doesn’t stop the driver from driving at full speed and swerving left and right to throw off the others’ aim. The thieves have almost reached a path leading into the forest.

Astrid tries to take aim, but they are too far away. A moment later, the tractor disappears between the trees. The only thing that remains now is the distant roaring of the engine and the two bodies on the road. Astrid can see them in the moonlight, but they are too far away to be highlighted by her infravision.

Silence returns, but it only takes a moment before someone yells, “Help! Bart’s been hit.”

Astrid runs into the house to see what happened. Bart must’ve been shooting at the driving tractor from the living room. The bullet has gone clean through his chest. To Astrid, the cold blood splattered against the wall behind him looks like a dark brown stain on the white tapestry. Dr. Moore is already kneeling next to the man, trying to stop the blood from flowing into his other lung.

Behind Astrid, the Mayor storms down the stairs. “What the hell happened?!”

Astrid quickly explains: “Six people stole the tractor. There was a shootout trying to stop them. Two of them got killed, and that man got hit.”

The Mayor clasps her hands over her mouth. “God. How could this happen?” Her eyes find the man on the ground. “Oh no. Doctor… is he… you know….”

Dr. Moore stands up straight. “Does this look like the picture of freaking health to you? Of course, he’s dead!”

The room goes silent as everyone averts their gaze from the growing pool of blood.

After a few seconds, the Mayor wipes her forehead and sighs. “All right, people, this isn’t the first person that has died. This is no different to when those invisible things killed people, so let's check the perimeter to make sure all that shooting hasn’t attracted anything. Everyone who doesn't have a gun, go back to bed. There’s nothing to do here.” She turns to Astrid and Fynn. “Where is the Sheriff? We have to get that tractor back!”

Fynn asks, “How are we supposed to do that? Our horses aren't trained to have someone shoot from their backs. Besides, we only have three horses, and the thieves still have four guns. Even if we could catch up to them, we wouldn't be able to fight them.”

“Does anyone have any idea who the hell these people were?” the Sheriff asks, as she and Noah come down the stairs.

The Mayor’s eyes focus on the Sheriff. “Where have you been?”

“Checking the perimeter from the roof. Who were these idiots? I couldn’t recognize them in the dark.”

“I don’t know, but we can’t let them get away. We need that vehicle!”

The Sheriff thinks for a moment then says, “We’ll handle this. I have two other officers of the law here. With them and a small number of volunteers, we’re going to catch these assholes. You just focus on keeping things running here.”

The Mayor nods. “Fine by me. What do you intend to do with them? The thieves, I mean.”

The elf places her hand on the pistol at her side. “You know exactly that there is only one thing to do.”

The Mayor takes a look at the man on the floor. The doctor checks his pulse one last time and shakes his head.

“Do what you will, Sheriff. Just… make sure none of you die. We need you all here more than the tractor,” she whispers, then turns away to talk with Dr. Moore.

The Sheriff’s eyes lock onto Astrid. “Astrid, was it? I take it we can count on you to join our new voluntary police force?”

Astrid hesitates. Her eyes flick to the man lying on the living room floor. His body still emits a clear red glow. If it wasn't for the fact that he’s lying still on the ground and that the doctor has stopped his rescue attempts, she wouldn't know that he's gone. Astrid thinks about helping the Sheriff. It would mean risking her new life again, but on the other hand, it feels good to do something. To not just be this new world’s ragdoll, but to take the initiative. “Of course,” she tells her.

The Sheriff slams her hand onto Astrid's shoulder. “That’s what I like to hear. I hereby declare you an officer of the law. How's it feel to be the long sword of justice?”

Astrid smiles. “I'd much rather be a machine gun of justice.”

The other elf lets out a hearty laugh. “You have a sense of humor. I like that. Now, I'm going to go gather another member for our little force. While I'm doing that, I want you and Noah to check the thieves we shot for any clues as to where they were going. Once you’re done, bring their bodies back here. We don't need them attracting anything.”

Noah nods. “Of course, Sheriff. I'll ask Officer Faltan if he'll help us, okay?”

The Sheriff replies, “Yes, of course. Make him carry the bodies.”

They find Officer Faltan sitting against the wall of a barn. It turns out he’s the giant Astrid saw in the Sheriff’s house. Dressed in a loincloth made from a blanket, the only thing that remains of his old uniform is his cap.

“Jakob!” Noah calls out to him. “We need your help getting the corpses.”

The giant smiles. His voice is deep and slow: “Ahh, yes. I'm coming.” He slowly rises to his feet. While his burly frame and thick legs make him look relatively small from far away, standing right next to them he towers over Astrid and Noah like a mountain.

“Holy shit, how big are you?” Astrid asks.

He flexes his muscles. “The doctor says I’m more than two and a half meters tall.”

Noah quickly says, “That’s great! You can carry both corpses. Let’s go. Before something decides to eat them as a midnight snack.”

When Jakob walks, he looks like he’s shuffling forward in slow motion with small steps. Still, even though Astrid takes three steps for every one of his, he keeps pace with them.

They leave the farm and follow the road. As they get closer to the bodies, they are highlighted to Astrid by a fading red glow.

“Disgusting,” she says as they stand over the first corpse.

The bullet hit him square in the mouth. The powerful hollow point round has ripped the jaw and part of the neck completely open.

“Disgusting, but a good shot,” Jakob comments from above them.

Noah shakes his head. “Why would they do this? Why would they betray all of us like that? It's not like they actually gain anything from this.”

Astrid says, “They probably didn't want to wait for the Mayor’s plan to find their families.”

Jakob frowns, contorting his burly features. “Great job they did. Couldn’t wait a few more hours and now we have to risk our lives to hunt them down. Bastards.” He spits a massive glob of saliva at the corpse.

“Wait.” Noah's ears perk up. “I hear something.”

They all strain their ears to hear a faint groan coming from nearby. The other thief is still alive.

They run down the road and see it's a woman. The shot that threw her off the trailer hit her straight in the stomach and has broken her spine. Even though the fall from the moving tractor also broke her shoulder and a rib, she managed to drag herself halfway across the street before her strength left her. Even from a distance, Astrid sees that she doesn't have a weapon.

“Look at this.” Jakob turns her over with his foot. The motion causes her to let out a gargled scream of pain. Astrid recognizes her. It’s Julia. Lukas’s wife.

With a rumbling voice that sounds as deep as the tractor's engine, Jakob asks her, “Where were you going?”

Julia coughs, “Just… shoot me… asshole. I'm dead either way.”

Noah squeaks, “If you want. First, you’re going to tell us why and where you took it.”

She chuckles, though it’s more a pained groan than a laugh. “Screw… you.”

“What are we supposed to do with her?” Astrid asks the others.

Jakob looks down at the wounded woman. “We take her back. The Doc might be able to keep her alive long enough for her to tell us something useful.” He picks her up and throws her over his shoulder, blood dripping from her soaked clothing. She doesn't have the strength to resist him.

Julia feels almost as if her insides are pouring out. The others grow distant until the pain and consciousness finally leave her.

As Jakob picks up the other corpse, he groans, “Damn, these two are heavier than I thought.”

When they reach the farm, they see Dr. Moore accompanying a small group of people as they carry the shot man out of the house.

“Doc, we got one of them alive,” Jakob calls.

Dr. Moore says something to the others and comes over to them. He takes a single look at the woman and says, “Well, she isn't alive anymore.”

Jakob sets the two corpses down near the barn. “Don’t you have to like check her pulse or something?”

“Her insides are mush and I can see the trail of blood and guts you left behind. Even if her heart’s still beating, it won't be in a few minutes.” Dr. Moore walks away without another word.

“Carrying her wasn't a very good idea,” Astrid tells him.

Jakob just shrugs. “Not a loss. We wouldn’t have gotten anything out of her anyway.”

Noah, who picked up the thieves’ weapons, catches up to his new partners. While they talk, he quickly searches the woman's pockets.

“Doesn’t matter anyway,” his high-pitched voice interrupts them. “I searched their wallets and look what I found.” He shows them two driver’s licenses. “They're both from Raitenbuch.”

“That must be where they're headed,” Jakob concludes. He turns his head and says, “Thanks for telling us that,” to the corpse.

“We should tell Sheriff Winkler,” says Noah. “He'll know what to do. Jakob, could you get rid of these two while we talk to him – I mean, her?"

The giant shrugs. “Sure. I’m too big to come with you guys anyway. Have fun hunting those suckers down.” He picks up the two corpses with a groan.

Astrid and Noah find the Sheriff in the stable with Fynn and the horses. Seeing Fynn immediately gives Astrid a way better feeling about the whole mission. She half-expected Lukas to be there too, but that would have been stupid. His wife was on the tractor, which means he was there as well.

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The Sheriff hears them enter. “Did you find anything?”

Noah shows her the driver's licenses. “Yes. We think they're headed for Raitenbuch. We also found Julia among the two that got shot, so it’s safe to assume Lukas is among the thieves.”

Fynn quickly adds, “Oskar might be able to track them. Since we know the general direction they went, we should be able to put him on the right track. Oskar!”

The wolf comes running around the corner. He looks at Fynn, then at Astrid. Oskar more or less ignored Astrid when they first came to the farm, but now that the joy of finding Fynn again has had time to settle down, he is interested in other things. Like Astrid. As soon as he's close enough, he begins sniffing her leg.

As she leans down to pet him, Fynn says, “Oskar and I are a search team. It took a lot of practice, but together we can track a wounded animal for hours. I mean, his behavior is a bit different now, but as far as I can tell, he's still himself. I’m sure he still remembers his training.” Fynn turns to the Sheriff. “I don’t know how much his transformation has affected his sense of smell, but he looks like he’s got the body of a wild wolf. I doubt his nose is any worse than it used to be, so if he manages to get those people's scent, we will find them.”

Astrid gives Fynn a mischievous smile. “Impressive. What breed is he, or rather, was he?”

A proud smile creeps across Fynn's face. “He was a Bavarian Mountain Bloodhound.”

“Aha. I’ve never heard of that breed before.”

“They’re hard to get your hands on. The club that breeds them only gives them to hunters, and even then you need to fulfill certain requirements. It’s worth it though. They have excellent noses and their passion for the hunt is incredible. Now he looks like a slightly large wild wolf.”

“Hghm!” The Sheriff makes a fake cough. “Let’s not get off track here. You mentioned your dog’s behavior is a bit different now?”

“Yeah, he's a bit more aggressive, but I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. Who knows, maybe his new instincts will actually help.”

Astrid looks back down at Oskar. “Who’s a good boy who will find bad people? You are!” she says as she pats him on the head. The dog looks up at her, wagging its tail.

Fynn says, “I think he likes you. He’s always been a good judge of character. Seems he still is.”

Astrid smiles.

Their exchange is interrupted by Noah who says, “Sheriff, are we going to head out right away?”

The elf shakes her head. “No. We have to play it safe. In the morning we’ll be able to follow them much more easily, without having to worry about those oni things or other monsters hiding in the dark. Then we will catch up to them. Well-rested and ready for a fight.”

Fynn adds, “That’s probably a good idea. The trail should be easier for Oskar to follow if we allow it to settle anyway. We should set out early though before the tracks starts getting old.”

“So you want us to just go back to bed?” Noah asks, like he can't believe it.

The Sheriff nods. “Try to sleep as much as you can, so you'll be fit tomorrow.”

Noah and the Sheriff leave.

While Astrid gives Oskar a final goodnight petting, Fynn says, “It’s good to have you on the team.”

Astrid smiles. “Thanks. Though I kinda feel a bit out of place. I mean, we have you: a hunter with a tracking wolf. The Sheriff and Noah who are both policemen, and me. A normal girl who’s never held a gun before. I can’t help but wonder why you’re all so keen on my help. I’m sure another hunter would be a better choice.”

Fynn chuckles. “You forgot to mention your badass elven body,” he says with a wink. “Plus, you have stamina and you’re brave. Most of those hunters are old men, and not very brave ones at that. We need someone who can ride a horse, not have a heart attack after three hours, and watch our backs. Besides, it’s always nice to have something pretty to look at when you turn around.” He chuckles at his own joke.

Astrid smiles and brushes her white hair out of her face. “Well. You have the Sheriff for that. She doesn’t look half bad either.”

Fynn frowns. “Yeah, but I knew him before the fog. I can’t look at her without seeing that old cop. Ugh.” He shivers.

Astrid laughs. “Fair enough. I sure hope I won’t distract you from an incoming monster though.”

Fynn tenses his neck muscles, making him look like a child who got caught doing something naughty. “I hope so too. Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They disperse to catch a few more hours of sleep before setting out the next morning. Astrid has a lot of trouble relaxing again, but eventually, she manages to go back to sleep. She expects another dream, but it doesn’t come.

The next morning, the Sheriff shakes Astrid awake.

The sun has barely begun to rise when the small group gathers in the stable. Just like she did the first time, Astrid goes with Ranger. The horse proved to be relatively reliable during the trip to High Rock.

While they all saddle their horses, Astrid asks Fynn, “So do we like… need something from those people? So Oskar can track them?”

“First, we’re going to go to where the trail starts and then I’m going to give him one of the thieves’ pillows. I’ve never tracked humans with him before. I’m confident his nose is more than good enough, but I hope it doesn’t confuse him.”

Astrid looks at Oskar, who’s taken position next to the barn door and is wagging his tail like there’s no tomorrow. “At least someone is happy.”

“You’re not?” Fynn asks, a smile on his face.

“Well. We’re about to hunt down a group of four armed people. Are you really looking forward to that?”

Fynn frowns. “When you put it like that… I am in a good mood though.”

Suddenly the Sheriff’s voice sounds from behind them. “A good attitude. It never pays to be depressed. Especially since we have a proper tracking dog. I’m not a hunter, but even I know how good these dogs are. Let's hope his transformation didn’t ruin him.”

While the Sheriff lifts him onto his pony, Noah says, “Nice. This is going to be easy. The tracking part, I mean.”

Fynn grimaces. “I wouldn’t get my hopes up just yet. As I said, we’ve only ever tracked wounded animals. I doubt his nose will be a problem, but it’s possible he won’t recognize their scent as something he’s supposed to follow.”

The Sheriff looks down at the dog. “Oh, I’m sure Oskar is a smart dog. He’ll help us find the bad people. Won’t you? Yes, you will. Yes, you will. And then you’ll help us gore them!”

Upon hearing his name, the dog looks up at the Sheriff and opens his mouth. He looks at the elf for a few seconds as though expecting something. When nothing comes, he turns away again.

Astrid isn’t really in a bad mood either. While she is a bit anxious about a potential fight, it troubles her surprisingly little. The others seem extremely confident. While some coolness is to be expected from police officers like the Sheriff and Noah, Fynn’s confidence is contagious. He might know how to use a gun, but he’s still a normal civilian and Astrid figures, ‘If he’s not afraid, why should I be?’

She grabs the saddle and pulls herself onto Ranger. “All right. Let’s do this!” she yells from his back.

“That’s the spirit,” the Sheriff agrees as she mounts Poldi.

No one except the sentry is awake. To prevent another incident like last night’s, the Sheriff and the Mayor have created a watch plan. From now on, one of the hunters will sit on the roof of the main house at all times and watch for anything suspicious. Today's watch is dressed in a camouflage jacket and holds a black rifle in his hands. He waves them goodbye as they leave the farm.

Fynn trots ahead on Shiva, with Oskar right at his heels. Even though Fynn hasn’t put a leash on him, Oskar seems more than willing to follow, staying as close to Shiva as possible.

As soon as they enter the forest the thieves disappeared into, Fynn stops. He dismounts, puts a leash on Oskar and retrieves a plastic bag containing a white piece of cloth from his backpack. His eyes scan the ground for any tracks the large tires might have left. “No tracks,” he tells the others despondently.

The Sheriff rolls her eyes. “That’s what we have the dog for. Give him the scent already… What are you doing?”

Fynn opens the bag and dumps the cloth in the middle of the road. “As I said, he’s used to tracking wounded animals. I’m trying to make this as similar to that for him as possible.”

The Sheriff frowns but doesn’t say anything else.

Fynn leads Oskar to the pillowcase and says, “Find.” Oskar immediately puts his nose to the cloth and sniffs it. Then he starts walking around the road, smelling the ground. He walks a bit away from the cloth, then back to it. Fynn seems to be drawing him towards the road, most likely so he doesn’t mistake the scent leading back to the house as the one he should follow. It takes a while before Oskar raises his head and pulls forward.

“He’s got them,” Fynn says and jumps back on Shiva, this time with Oskar’s leash in hand.

The Sheriff’s yellow eyes narrow in an almost evil smile. “Let’s get ‘em.” She spurs her horse.

They follow Oskar. The dog moves with his nose on the ground. He moves relatively slowly, so Astrid loosens her reins and allows Ranger to follow Fynn’s horse without her guidance.

Instead of focusing on the road ahead, her gaze wanders. She looks at the trees around them. Even though the bright sun gives the forest a very calm atmosphere, she tries to keep an eye out for anything dangerous. Astrid also notices Fynn’s weird gun. She still wants to ask him why it has two barrels, like a shotgun, but also a scope like a rifle. “What is that weapon you have there?”

“Hm? You mean this?” He points at the rifle on his back while Astrid makes Ranger catch up to Shiva so she can get a better look. “It’s a combined weapon. The top barrel shoots shotgun shells, the bottom one rifle rounds. It’s pretty great.”

“Why?”

Fynn smiles. “Because I can hunt anything with it without having to carry two guns. A boar comes along, I can shoot it with the bullet. I spot a fox, I can shoot it with the shotgun. The only disadvantage is that each barrel only holds one round, so I have to reload after every shot. Not a problem against animals, but a big problem against people… I hope it doesn’t come to that though.”

“You think we’ll be able to reason with them?”

Fynn takes a deep breath. “I don’t know how reasonable Lukas will be after his wife got killed, but I hope he’ll listen. God knows what will happen if we start shooting each other.”

Fynn’s words really put things into perspective. ‘We are probably heading towards a real fight with real guns.’ The thought alone sends a mixture of fear and excitement like a shock through her body. Astrid’s rational part tells her she should be scared and that she is definitely not the right person to get into a firefight. That they should definitely try to reason with the thieves. Another, much deeper part only feels anticipation. A new kind of anger that stems more from a will to fight, than from a will to deliver justice.

It takes the group a while to reach the normal paved road at the end of the gravel path. From here, the road goes either left or right. Oskar doesn’t even lift his head as he takes a right.

As they follow the country road, they pass a few abandoned cars. Astrid wonders what happened to the people inside. Her question is more or less answered relatively quickly. After a short time, they come close to a building. Even from the road, they see people inside and around it.

The Sheriff smiles. “Perfect. If the thieves came by here, these people will have heard them.”

“Yeah. We can make sure Oskar isn’t following the wrong scent,” Fynn says.

They ride up to the small building, and as they do, a few people come to meet them.

A man in a black leather jacket steps forward and says, “What else do you want? I told you, we don’t…” He trails off as he recognizes the police uniforms some of them are wearing. “Wait. You’re police, right? Thank God. What’s going on?”

The Sheriff stops her horse and says, “Yes, we’re police officers from a farm near High Rock. We can take you there, but right now we’re following a group of thieves that stole a red tractor from our farm. It makes a lot of noise, so maybe you heard it last night.”

For a moment the man’s face sinks and his eyes flick to Astrid’s and Fynn’s guns. It makes her immediately suspicious of him.

He says, “No, we didn’t see anything like that. They may have come by during the night, but if they did, no one noticed.”

The people in the group suddenly look uneasy, but none of them say anything.

“That’s unfortunate. If we find the tractor, we’ll come and pick you all up on our way back to the farm,” the Sheriff promises.

The man’s expression sinks into a grim frown. “That won't be necessary. We're fine the way we are. Sorry, but we’ve just had… let’s just say bad experiences with armed strangers.”

The Sheriff shrugs. “Your loss. Let’s go,” she tells the others.

As they turn to continue their search, Astrid has a crazy idea. “One last thing,” she says to the man.

He looks agitated, but sounds friendly as he asks, “What?”

“I’m looking for my family. Is there anyone here with the last name Turm?”

The man looks at the other people gathered, but they all shrug. “I’m afraid not. If anyone with that last name comes by, where should we tell them to go?”

“To the farm near High Rock. It's hard to miss.”

The man nods. “I’ll remember that and I hope you find your family soon.”

Astrid smiles and spurs her horse. The people watch the small group ride away before they head back inside their own shelter.

As soon as they are out of earshot, Astrid wants to inform the others about her doubts concerning the man’s truthfulness, but Noah is faster. “You think they were telling the truth?” he asks the Sheriff.

“They were obviously lying. The thieves came through here last night.”

Astrid scowls. “They lied to us. Why? Isn’t that like a crime?”

The Sheriff frowns. “I don’t think so, but what are we supposed to do even if it was? Shoot them? Besides, we got what we came for. We know the thieves passed through here and that’s all we need.”

Noah asks, “What about those people? Are we really just going to leave them here?”

The Sheriff smiles. “I don’t think we need to bother coming here again. They obviously either didn’t believe we were police officers, or they are the type of people who don’t trust cops. I'm not going to help anyone that doesn't want it.”

The small group continues following Oskar’s nose. The assumption that the people were lying is proven right when they reach a cluster of broken-down cars that block the road completely. In the grass next to the asphalt, the telltale prints of large tractor tires prove the thieves came through here.

Sure they're on the right track, they increase their pace until Raitenbuch comes into sight. Just like High Rock, the buildings are enveloped by a cloud of dark fog. The only part of the town not covered are a few factory warehouses standing apart from any houses.

Oskar continues pulling them along. As they get closer to the industrial buildings, they finally spot the tractor parked near a large warehouse. Large letters tell them it houses a company called Dreischell.

A large smile creeps across the Sheriff’s face but immediately fades as she sees a man standing on the building's roof. “There they are.” She turns her horse to face the others and says, “Quick, into the trees.”

They trot into the forest flanking the road, but the man on the roof spots them anyway. He doesn't try to shoot at them, but instead turns and runs out of view.

From the cover of the trees, the Sheriff unpacks a pair of binoculars and scans the area. After a few seconds, she says, “Odd. I don’t see anyone else. Why aren't they getting into position to shoot at us?”

Fynn, who’s watching through his scope adds, “They definitely know we're here. Some of the top-floor windows have blinds. They might be searching for us.”

The Sheriff doesn’t take her eyes off the building. “Doesn’t matter. We found them and they can’t get to the tractor without exposing themselves.”

Noah says, “We can't charge across that field without getting killed. So, what do we do now?”

The Sheriff scowls. “We have two options. Either we set up here and wait for them to come outside, or we try to sneak in from the back.”

Fynn asks, “Why don't we go back and get reinforcements from the farm? Then we can surround them, and while we breach the building, the other hunters can make sure they can't so much as peek outside without getting shot.”

The Sheriff lets out a hollow laugh. “Those pansies wouldn't volunteer to walk through a forest because there might be a few scary creatures inside. We’re the only ones with enough balls to pull this off. Also, by the time we get back in three hours, they'll be long gone.”

Noah moves his hand through his fur. “Sheriff, I’m not sure risking our lives for that tractor is worth it. I think we should just call it quits and head back. Besides, I don’t think police law allows us to do anything like this.”

The Sheriff glares down at Noah. “This shitty event ruined my marriage, but it won’t stop me from doing my job, and my job is to make sure bastards like that don’t get away with screwing others over. You might have been turned into a kobold, but that changes nothing about your duty. Look at Astrid. She’s nothing but a normal civilian, but I don’t see her complaining. Now can I count on you two or will we have to go in there alone?”

After twitching his nose, Noah quickly says, “Of course, Sheriff. I wouldn’t let you down.”

Fynn lets out a sigh. “You know you can count on me. It’s my tractor after all. What’s the plan?”

“Thank you. We’re going to approach the factory from behind. If we go through the fog, we can use all the other buildings as cover to get close to the factory. If we’re lucky, they won't have anyone watching the main entrance and we’ll be able to silently enter through there. In the more or less confined space of the factory, our pistols will have a massive advantage over their scoped rifles. Once we're inside, the single most important thing is to stay calm.” She looks at Fynn, Astrid and Noah in turn. “I know none of you have ever been in a shootout, save for last night, but that is the only real advice I can give you. Stay calm, watch each other's backs, and don't waste your ammunition. Try to get as close to them as possible as their rifles will be extremely unwieldy in close quarters, but don't forget that some of them may have sidearms. Always aim for the chest. Don’t give them a chance to react. If you get the drop on them, shoot to kill. No ‘hands up,’ or ‘drop your weapon,’ or any other crap like that.”

Noah frowns. “Shouldn’t we at least try to take them alive? I mean, we're cops, not gangsters.”

“No. We don’t have any special forces to back us up or any prison to take them to. Unless they drop their weapon the moment they see you, you paint the walls with their guts, because they didn't give a damn about anyone else's life last night and I don’t want to dig a makeshift grave in that field for any of us.”

Astrid turns towards the dark, swirling mist ahead of them. “Are you sure we need to go through the fog? That turned out really badly last time.”

“Don’t worry. We won’t go deep, or into any buildings, and we know what to expect.”

That doesn't really make Astrid feel any better about entering the town. Still, she doesn't say anything else. The thought that they're about to get into a fight makes her heart pound. But to her surprise, she feels not the slightest bit scared, only excited. The feeling is utterly alien.

While the Sheriff finishes her small speech, Astrid feels for the revolver’s handle as though to make sure it's still there. She gives the building in front of them another look.

‘Here goes nothing.’