Jere, Eevi, and Adok looked out the windows of the tower. They had watched the Manor for some time. It sounded as if dozens were fighting amongst each other. It sounded chaotic, but none were sure what it was.

“You think Heikk is involved?” asked Adok, nervously cradling his bow.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” said Eevi, answering a question Adok had yet to ask.

As the three continued to watch, a man ran through the streets in a panic. A woman followed closely behind him. Soon, it was a whole crowd, all moving in unison towards the gates. All very much human.

“What do we do?” Adok whispered. Neither Eevi nor Jere answered, instead crouching out of sight below the barriers. They listened as the people gathered beneath them.

“Fuck!” one of them cried. “Fuck fuck fuck!”

“Can we hide anywhere?”

“Screw that! They’re hiding in the buildings, one of them got Shagmi!”

“Oh God, we’re all gonna die!”

“Gish, you worked on the walls? Can we hide in there?”

“Shit,” Jere thought. They were talking too loud, and screamers would come before long.

“I’ll lead us across the top of the wall to the next tower over,” Eevi said, crouching away from the wall.

“And then where?” Jere asked.

“I have an idea!” said Adok. “We could try Eanna’s hut. None of the guards have ever gone there before.”

“That’s a ways away,” said Eevi. “Lots of screamers between here and there. Might as well go back to the tavern.”

Jere waited for any other ideas, but Eevi offered none. She slung her crossbow over her back, prompting Adok to do the same with his bow. The three crouched patiently as the people from the Manor continued to fight their way into the wall.

Through the clamoring and yelling of the people below, the trio heard the door being broken down. At the same time, they heard screams echoing down the streets. They would be at the walls soon.

Jere motioned the two to follow. He then crawled over the edge of the watchtower and lowered himself to the runway on top of the walls. Protected on both sides by small barriers, the three crouched unseen.

At the adjacent tower, Jere hoisted Adok and Eevi up the wall before being carried up himself. He could hear the yelling again, interspersed between screams. Jere turned and saw at least twenty screamers stumbling their way into the watchtower near the gate. With the tower door open, there was nowhere to run. The screamers would inevitably catch everyone inside.

Jere tried to push the thought out of his mind. They still needed to escape themselves.

Stolen novel; please report.

The three climbed down the other side of the second tower. Instead of going all the way to the third tower near the cliffs, they stopped in the middle of the wall. They were a good distance from the gate, but would still be in the open. They would need to sprint to the collection of mud-brick buildings from the wall. It was a little more than a two-meter drop below.

Jere went first. He inched his way over the wall, sliding down the side. The armor made him off-balance and he buckled as he hit the ground. His armor clattered and his knees ached in pain, but he was okay. He quickly got to his feet.

“Be careful,” Jere hissed, slightly embarrassed by his stumble. If Eevi heard him, she did not listen, as she leaped over the wall and landed gracefully on her feet, barely making a sound. Behind her, Adok slid off the wall, landing in a quiet crouch in the way Jere had attempted to do.

“To be young… and whatever Eevi is,” Jere grumbled in his mind.

Standing below the wall in such open space unnerved Jere. He felt his hand reflexively grab his scimitar, ready for the screaming at his right to become louder.

“Look out!” yelled Adok. In front of them, two screamers lumbered in the alleyway between two buildings. One of them, a corpse-looking figure missing most of the skin on its face, charged first. Adok shot an arrow, missing its head by nearly half a meter. Jere pulled out his scimitar and directed it at the charging creature. Adok quickly shot again, this time striking the screamer’s shoulder. As it stumbled, two of Eevi’s bolts hit the screamer in the chest, quickly dropping it to the ground.

The second screamer followed closely behind, shrieking as it charged with outstretched hands. It reminded Jere of how little reach they needed to get Duncic. Jere flung the scimitar outwards, striking the screamer directly under the sternum. It released a gasp of air as its body bent backward. Jere had nearly severed the spine.

“God, you’re strong,” said Eevi. In a better time, Jere would have gloated.

As Jere reached for the scimitar still lodged in the screamer’s chest, a third scream bellowed from the mud-brick building to his right. This screamer was small, a recently turned girl who had yet to pull out her hair. She was fast and leaped at Jere. He held his gauntleted forearms in front of his face, deflecting a few easy scratches. He trotted backward as the young screamer chased him.

Eevi aimed her crossbow at the screamer, but as she pressed the trigger, the bolt jammed. “Shit!” she said as the trigger cracked around her fingers.

Adok was quick to fire his arrow. Despite the screamer’s thrashing neck movements, it was a well-placed shot, entering the back of the scalp and exiting through the right eye. The screamer did not fall, though. It stood straight up lopsided, its neck twitching as it tried to regain its footing. Adok hadn’t killed it. It had barely even reacted.

“Ati’s dirt,” Adok said.

The hesitation was enough for Jere. He looped around the screamer past its blind spot, getting back to his scimitar. He pulled it out of the other creature’s chest as the young screamer looked around, trying to adjust to its new permanent vision. Before the screamer could charge again, Jere lifted the scimitar over his head and brought it down through the screamer’s neck, its decapitated head rolling away until it bounced off an abandoned trader stand.

The three stood silently for a moment, scanning the area for others. None were coming. Yet.

“Good shot,” said Jere, breaking the quiet.

“Fat luck it did,” said Adok. “Didn’t do a thing!”

Jere laughed. “A few weeks ago, a shot like that would have killed me,” he thought grimly.

“This is bad,” said Eevi. She held up her crossbow. One of her bolts was awkwardly sticking out the side. “It’s jammed. It’ll take a while to fix. We’re not in any condition to keep fighting.”

“Should we climb back up?” asked Adok. “Maybe we can hide out in the other towers?”

Jere shook his head. “We keep moving.” As Jere formulated a plan, something caught his eye. Someone in the alleyway, cloaked in a beige robe, stuck their hands out over their head. The figure stood in front of one of the larger mud-brick buildings, waving them over.

“Know them?” asked Jere, gesturing at Adok.

“The Corps never patrolled this area. Too many screamers. Could be anyone.”

“Need I remind everyone that people are the reason we’re out here to begin with?” said Eevi.

It was true, but there was no other choice. They needed to get out of the open.

Jere took the initiative and ran towards help.