“You’re citizens of the town, aren’t you?” Nicolae didn’t account for how strange the question would be until it left his chapped lips. The officer’s face contorted with confusion, and an awkward silence came as his only reply. Nicolae observed the individual the officer held up. He was a middle-aged man with crew-cut, black hair disfigured by mud and snow. One glance revealed something had attacked him. He stood with a hunch, gripping his left arm. Blood seeped through his fingers and flowed down his arm, spattering onto the floor with soft, bead-sized drops. His winter jacket brandished rips and tears, an armored vest visible underneath. Dazed, amber-colored eyes barely maintained eye contact. Had it been a large animal? Nicolae backed out of the way, pointing to the exam room he had been scavenging. “Sorry. Not the time. Quick, get him in here.”

The officer named Ericson relaxed his posture, removing his hand from his holstered sidearm. “Thank you,” he said. The two entered the room and approached the sink. Nicolae and Olek followed behind them.

Having heard the commotion, Alex called out from across the hall. “What’s going on?”

Nicolae handed Olek his bag of medical supplies and walked over to Alex, speaking in a hushed tone. “It’s two people dressed in police uniforms. One of them’s injured, but I’m pretty sure they’re from this town.”

Alex stole a glance at the two individuals in question. He could see the one named Ericson trying to mend the injured one’s arm. He turned his gaze back to Nicolae. “So, the town’s people got transported after all. Was the injured one shot?”

“That’s just it. It looks more like he got ravaged by some kind of… beast or something.”

“I don’t like this. We should have just stayed put in the colony. This whole excursion was a bad idea.”

Nicolae peered over Alex’s shoulder with concern. “How is he?”

Alex turned to follow Nicolae’s gaze. They saw Regina securing the roller bandage wrapped around Levon’s wounds. “Hard to say,” Alex responded. “We’ve done really all we can. The rest will be up to Doc… if we can even make it back.”

Regina locked eyes with Nicolae. “Did you get supplies, Nic?” she asked.

“I grabbed what I could. I gave ‘em to Olek.”

“Good. It’s time to go.”

“What about the two who just showed up?”

David jumped in. “What about ‘em? We don’t have the time. We need to go. Now.”

“Now, wait just a moment,” Nicolae hissed. “We should at least warn them.”

“Warn us of what?” Everyone faced Ericson, who now stood behind them. He studied them with intense brown eyes and a raised eyebrow. When no one answered, he spoke again. “I see you all looted the medical supplies. Would be really great if you could spare some for my partner here.” His words dripped with scorn.

“Look, we didn’t just take the supplies for no reason,” Nicolae said.

“Oh, I’m sure. You’re lucky I’ve got bigger problems right now, or I’d arrest the lot of you. Always disgusts me when people take advantage of a crisis to loot. It’s shameful.”

“Hey.” David’s voice cut with venom. “Not sure if you’ve been paying attention, but we have a man shot in the chest over here. You can take that superiority complex of yours and shove it.”

That took Ericson off guard. He finally looked into the room properly. Seeing Levon’s body lying on the examination table, he clenched his lips and averted his eyes. “My apologies. I wasn’t aware.”

“Yeah, perhaps try assessing the situation fully next time before dealing out judgment,” David said.

Ericson gritted his teeth, restraining the desire to attack back. Instead, he steered towards the more important matter. “You said he got shot?”

“Yes,” Regina said, “and we’ll be next if we all don’t leave right now.”

That stumped Ericson. “Someone’s trying to kill you during a crisis like this? Forgive me, but I’m confused here. Are any of you even aware of what just happened?”

“Trust me, we probably know far more than you do,” David replied. Impatience flashed itself with every tick of his body, and Ericson scowled at it.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Oh, so you know what happened at the school then, huh, smart guy? That over half of our town’s citizens just got massacred by a horde of…” Ericson trailed off. He clenched a fist against his mouth, attempting to veil his quivering lips, but he couldn’t hide the moistness in his eyes.

“Wait,” Nicolae said. “Did you just say that over half of this town’s population just got wiped out?”

Ericson cleared his throat, trying to salvage his composure. “Let’s just say that whoever your little friends are… well… they’re not the ones you should be worrying about.” He then took a double-take on Nicolae. “Hold up. That’s… that’s twice now you’ve said something rather peculiar. I ignored it the first time, but you just did it again. The way you talk… you make it sound like you’re not from around here.”

Before Nicolae could respond, David let out a burst of hot air. “We don’t have time for all this. Look, officer, you’re just going to have to accept that there are some things right now that we don’t have time to explain. When we say there are guys coming here with guns, we’re talking over thirty well-trained people who are going to start shooting the moment they see anyone who’s not one of them. That includes you and your partner. Come with us or don’t, I don’t care, but we’re leaving. Now.”

“I’m sorry,” Regina said. “He’s right. We can’t stay. They know we’re here, and they’ll have this place surrounded soon enough. You can either come with us or flee somewhere else. However, I strongly urge you not to stay here. Our friend Olek can offer you some medical supplies to tend to your partner’s wounds, but I would hurry if I were you.”

Ericson cursed under his breath and rubbed his face with stressed hands. “We’ve got one more complication,” he said.

“What’s that?” Regina asked.

“Our dispatcher is currently on her way here with my partner’s two kids.”

“They’ll be running right into an ambush. Can you contact them at all?”

“By radio.”

“Good, get a hold of them and tell ‘em to redirect to the south-eastern end of the town as fast as they can. That’s the direction we’re going to be heading. The bad news advancing our way is coming from the west.” At this, Erickson nodded and reached for his radio. Before he could press the talk button, a loud, muffled bang slammed into the clinic’s lobby.

It was the entrance door…

----------------------------------------

Jake’s legs chugged as fast as the deepening snow allowed. Blades of wind sliced against the bare skin of his face, and every breath stung his lungs. The weight of his rifle grew heavier with every bounce, as crippling thoughts fought for dominion in his mind. What if I get spotted? What if I end up like Levon? What if I die from the cold? What if I have to take the life of another? How could Regina demand this of me? What if I’m the reason everyone else dies?

Jake gritted his teeth and shook his head. He needed to focus. This was where it mattered most. What proved what kind of man he was. What kind of comrade. What kind of friend. The Order of Stygian was marching on his family. They would slaughter every single one of them with a smile. He needed to pick up the pace.

No one would have called him a strategist, but he still had enough common sense to use the forest as cover. His dark clothes blended him with the brown hues of thick wood. His descent was long and didn’t afford him time to take it slow and cautious. Anything that helped shield his presence from potential onlookers was a welcomed gift.

Luscious scenery whipped past him unnoticed, but his nose snagged familiar aromas of pine, along with other, more foreign scents. In a calmer situation, he would have stopped and investigated those odd smells. Sometimes, one could forget that Earth wasn’t the only place affected by this strange world. A moment of peace almost blossomed before the horrors of reality flushed back through his thoughts. People’s lives were on the line. His choices could dictate their fates.

Boom!

Bark peppered his face at the bellow of gunfire. Tangled legs sent him tumbling face-first into the snow, his rifle flung several feet ahead of him. His mind attempted to catch up as an intimidating voice roared out.

“Almost got you, you little rat! Here, have another.”

Backed by adrenaline, Jake jumped up and dashed away in time to avoid the next pop of the assailant’s gun. Snow exploded inches from his previous position. Knowing the countdown had already started, he ran for the nearest tree's protection. To the left. That’s where the voice and shots came from. He angled himself behind the tree appropriately.

“You forgot your gun.” A boisterous laugh followed. Another shot rang out.

Jake felt the wood vibrate to the smacking bullet. He slid to the ground, hyperventilating.

“I know you’re there. Just thought you’d like the reminder. You’re not very good at this, are ‘ya? No weapon. Hiding behind a simple tree. How you expecting to get out of this? Man, I can hear you whimpering all the way over here.”

Bang!

More bark rained on Jake’s head. Had he been standing, the bullet would have caught his arm. To his luck, this side of the tree dipped into a depression just deep enough to provide cover. He could hear the man laughing again.

“You’re in quite the pickle, aren’t ‘ya? Seems almost unsporting. Can’t have that. Let’s make this interesting. Your rifle is quite literally on the other side of where you’re hiding.” The assailant fired one last round into the tree. “Whoops. There went my last shot. Guess I gotta reload.” A silent pause lingered the length of a passing breeze before the voice returned with cold malice. “That’s your time limit, rat. Tick, tock.”

Jake peeked from cover enough to confirm the location of the assailant. The man was indeed reloading his weapon - a bolt-action rifle similar to Jake’s. No choice. He had to take the risk. He darted from the tree and fumbled for his rifle. The assailant had only one round left to load by the time Jake trained his gun on him. He took a deep breath, placing his finger on the trigger.

Click…

He had forgotten to chamber a round.

His assailant had not…

“Damn, rat. This just ain’t your day.”

Jake made the only move he could.

He ran.

Something split through his right side, sending heat broiling through his nerves. The force knocked him rolling down a steep slope with brush, thorns, and branches tearing at his body until he was falling. Falling off a cliff-side. With a smack, his vision went black.