Morning came slowly, but like all things related to time, it was inevitable. Jack stuck close to Alice and Hiro while they talked on a bench in the backyard. Anubis lazily enjoyed scritches from them both. Alice was talking about her menagerie of tamed beasts, and how some of them were causing problems for her in one way or another. Jack listened with half an ear, but his attention was stolen by a beast flying in the distance. It looked like a cross between a stingray and a flying squirrel. It flapped a few times, chasing a flock of birds through the sky.
Jack didn’t like the flying ones. They were annoying to deal with, not that he had to. If anything posed a threat to him, it was close enough for him to hit back. What annoyed Jack about them was the fact that they were all cowards and Jack’s throwing arm wasn’t as accurate for things in the sky as opposed to things on the ground. From his time as a construction worker, he’d gotten a rather good eye for distance when he had something to compare to. The sky offered no such reference.
His muscles twitched beneath his crossed arms. It was the only outward sign of Jack’s aggravation. He wanted nothing more than to chase after it like a child chasing a balloon.
Hm. Good analogy. Jack praised himself. Maybe I should find a slingshot. Or I could make a sling. Man, why haven’t I thought of that before!?
“Jack?” Alice got his attention. “You good to go?”
“Sure.” Jack said. Now that daylight was good and prominent, Alice wanted to head back to the clinic to take care of her beasts.
He walked behind Hiro and Alice as they walked through the gate leading to the front yard and beyond. As they crossed through the worn dirt path between farm fields, they saw a crowd gathered around the meeting hall. Jack spotted Sensei at the center of it all, looking more than a little annoyed. Jack’s feelings automatically mirrored his. A mechanism he taught himself to fit into social situations a little easier.
Sensei raised placating arms, but all it did was raise the volume of the crowd surrounding him.
“I thought you knew everything!”
“We can’t afford to feed people who don’t work!”
“We need to expand the walls! Let us go outside!”
“Why can’t we just close the doors!”
Heading the mob, directly confronting Sensei, was Blake, the farm girl. She was already up in his face when Jack, Hiro, and Alice joined the crowd at the back.
“We feed you and your stupid militia, so you should do your job and protect us! It’s not that hard, all we need is a path through the city, and we can leave! There’s more farm land out there with all the tools needed for one man to do the job of hundreds! If you want more people to do stupid things, then we need more equipment!”
Jack already saw both sides of the argument. On one hand, the people of Clearview had security in the form of the walls, and theoretical access to the resources of the city around them, like the sewing kit Jack had brought back. On the other hand, they only had a few acres of farmland. They were depending on the resources of the city to supply them with their needs, and with the doors opening, more dangers were being added to what was already a perilous situation.
On the other hand, if they left, they could have indefinitely more land for farming, and this early on in the planting season, if there was ever a time to leave, now would be it. Farming equipment would indeed be handy, and it would free up hands for other projects, like more guards or craftsmen. But they would be without the security that the walls provided, and access to external resources would be much harder to guarantee.
Food or security. A classic conundrum.
“There’s no reason for us to stay.” A large man argued, and others voiced their agreement. “You and your little militia can stay here, and the rest of us will just go off and start our own community!”
“You’ll die!” Sensei shouted, almost desperately. “You have no idea what’s out there-”
“So show us!” Blake shouted. “Let some of us follow the ‘adventurers’ so we can watch!”
“They’re already having a hard time protecting themselves, they can’t protect you too!” Sensei argued. He noticed us in the back of the group and pointed us out. “Hiro! Tell them!”
Hiro’s face was set like stone. “There’s never a guarantee that we can do anything.”
Jack heard the click of a hammer behind him. The other adventurers had joined the crowd, and Ben was holding an old fashioned revolver, pointed at the sky. The crowd went quiet, and his voice carried over them.
“There’s two bullets in this six shooter. That’s a one in three chance of a bullet firing. How many of you are willing to let me pull the trigger?”
Jack scanned the crowd. Everyone looked properly nervous. If they’d survived this long, they knew what the sound of a gunshot would do. If Ben shot that gun, nearly every beast in a ten mile radius would rush to the source of the noise. Even Jack was only halfway confident that he could escape alive.
Needless to say, nobody raised a hand.
Ben stalked through the crowd, leaning his face in close to the people nearest him, glaring at them like a comical gangster. “Anybody? Anybody at all? Raise your hand if you think pulling this trigger is worth it? Ey? Come on, surely you see this as it is, right? This is a test! If you think I can pull this trigger and nothing bad will happen is surely confident enough in their skills to follow us into the heart of monster infested territory, right?”
The crowd gave him a wide berth. Nobody met his intense gaze. Even Blake glared at the ground as Ben, Chad and Lee joined Sensei at the center of the group.
Ben pulled the trigger.
It clicked on an empty barrel.
Half of the crowd flinched. Point made, Ben lowered the gun, pointedly never aiming at anyone. Sensei used the moment to speak quietly.
“We’re facing unknown dangers. We don’t know if there’s a pattern to the doors yet, and so far, the one door we have encountered pointed a gun at our adventurers and pulled the trigger without hesitation. I’m not saying your concerns are invalid. I’m just saying we don’t have a guarantee to any one solution, and I’m not willing to risk your lives on a chance.”
The crowd began dispersing. One particularly angry man growled a ‘you’re not the boss of me’ in Sensei’s direction, but otherwise, nobody did anything.
Blake remained behind with her arms crossed. “I’m giving you one week. Fix our food problem, or I’m taking anyone who’s willing and leaving.”
Sensei sighed, and Blake left with the last of the mob. Jack joined the remaining group around him, watching as Blake quietly spoke with a few people that followed her.
“It’s republicans vs democrats all over again.” Ben sighed.
“I thought that was an American thing?” Chad asked.
“Who’s who?” Hiro joked.
Sensei rubbed his eyes. “Seriously guys, can you leave me alone? I was up all night. I’m tired as fuck.”
“We’re heading out.” Alice told him, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Anything we can do for you next time we come back?”
Sensei contemplated in silence for a while. “We need more information on the doors and the… things coming through them. It’s unlikely from what we’ve seen on the murals, but maybe a deal can be struck with one of them. Somehow. But that’ll take time, more than a week. If you- if we could…” He sighed again. “We might be able to placate Blake and the others for another few weeks if we had more food.”
“No.” Alice said.
“With smoke and salt, we could preserve literal tons of food.” Sensei pleaded. “It’s just one animal! And since it’s tamed, it’s a guaranteed thing!”
Alice hesitated.
“Is this about the hog?” Jack asked.
She nodded. “I’ll think about it.”
Sensei nearly folded. An amazing feat, considering his girth. “That’s all I’m asking.”
“How long will you be gone this time?” Hiro asked.
“Short.” Alice said. “Three days, maybe four.”
“You should go with them.” Sensei said. “There’s a door on the way that you could check out.”
“Are you sure?” Alice asked. “With the doors open, I’d figure people would rather have the extra protection.”
“Which is why we’re going with you.” Hiro jumped on the chance to accompany Jack’s sister. It would be cute if it wasn’t so blatant.
Sensei winked at Hiro. “That, and also if they stick around, we’ll have to feed them.”
“Blake.” Alice said her name like a curse word. Still, she sighed and sagged her shoulders. “Alright, get your things. Let’s go.”
The other adventurers left to gather their gear. Jack, not in the habit of leaving important things behind, still had his either in his bag or on his belt, so he just crossed his arms and waited. Sensei rubbed his eyes and yawned.
“And next time you come around, regardless of whether or not you bring the hog, at least bring something for us to eat, yeah?”
Alice nodded, deep in thought. Probably over her hog.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
With that, Sensei bid them good morning, and went to bed. Jack found humor in the difference between ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ and going to bed. Though, as usual, it didn’t show.
“What do they do in return?” He asked his sister.
“Hm?” Alice gave him her attention.
“You’re bringing food for them. What do they give you in return?”
“Nothing.” Alice answered easily.
Jack unhappily scrunched his face. “You’re not getting paid?”
“We’ve already established that money is useless.” Alice smirked.
“Do they process food for you? Season it?”
Alice laughed. “I bring them seasonings sometimes!”
The power one wields by leaving the wall. “I agree with Blake.”
Alice’s humor dipped. “How do you mean?”
She wasn’t angry with him for siding with ‘the enemy’. She knew Jack better than that, and he usually had a good reason. Jack wasn’t smart, but he wasn’t stupid either.
“More people need to go outside the wall. There’s resources out there that they need, and the experience they would get from risking their lives-”
“People don’t like risking their lives, Jack.” Alice chided him. “And don’t you dare call them cowards for wanting to stay safe.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Not everybody was blessed with muscles like you were. Most of the people here didn’t have muscles a few months ago. Life’s not like it used to be Jack. Little mistakes can cost lives, not just their own. Everyone’s high strung, and nobody wants to die.”
What’s worth living for anymore? Jack wondered quietly. He had come to Alice’s conclusion on his own, but her way of putting it was much better articulated than his thoughts. They watched as the four adventurers walked through the encampment in their direction.
“It didn’t just used to be them.” Alice said quietly. She turned around, opening the series of gates leading past the wall. “There used to be more groups. Most didn’t make it. The lucky ones joined the guard.”
Jack didn’t say anything and just followed her out.
The walk to Alice’s clinic didn’t take Jack’s predicted route. Which would be ‘straight’. Instead, Alice confidently led them through a series of streets and back roads, winding between tribes and troublesome monsters with practiced arrogance. She was obviously showing off, at least according to Jack’s eyes, because she made no move to peer around corners or mask the sound of her footsteps. The other adventurers likewise seemed relaxed about the route.
Jack’s stomach rumbled.
“Sorry, mind if we stop for breakfast?”
“I haven’t thought about breakfast in months.” Chad whispered to Ben, who nodded.
“All the houses around here are looted. Intentionally too.” Hiro informed Jack. “Deters scavengers from hanging around. Makes the path safer.”
“It’s like a river!” Alice said cheerily. “Monsters only ever cross it to get to the other side.”
“It’s not like a river, because it doesn’t attract the thirsty monsters.” Ben pointed out.
“No man’s land?”
“Not dangerous enough.”
Jack peeled back his lips with a finger. “I just need something to hunt. I have firestarters in my bags.”
Hiro warily eyed Jack’s sharp teeth. “You don’t need to eat stuff raw, right?”
Jack grinned playfully. “Cooked stuff tastes better.”
Which didn’t entirely deny the possibility that he could eat stuff raw.
“I’ve collected all the firewood in the area too.” Alice said. “We’re only an hour’s walk away from home. Can you wait so we can cook it there?”
Jack nodded.
“We can probably find you a crow or something.” Hiro offered.
“Why not something bigger? So we can all eat?” Chad asked, rubbing his stomach.
Hiro nodded, and the decision was made. Alice veered off course, and everyone silently followed her, trusting her knowledge of the area.
Lee trotted up to Jack, catching his eye. He hadn’t heard her speak yet, and she looked like she had something to ask.
“How often do you need to eat?”
Jack couldn’t pick up a hint of an accent. Canadian or American born then. “Same as before. Three square meals a day.”
Alice snickered. She knew what a ‘square meal’ meant in Jack’s world. He used to be the human trash can in the family. No leftovers were safe when he was around.
“We generally eat one or two meals a day.” Hiro said. “Close to midday, so the hard work can be done in the afternoon and evening.”
“What do you do in the mornings then?” Jack asked.
Hiro shrugged. “Games, naps, whatever. We’ve got a whole big library collected in one of the houses.”
“It’s heaven.” Chad said, folding his knees a little. “Well, apocalypse aside. I work, like, a third as much as I used to!”
“You also eat a third as much as you used to.” Jack pointed out.
Chad grinned, slapping his stomach. “Lost a lot of weight in the process though.”
That’s not healthy. Jack was a staunch believer against diets. He ate what he wanted to, when he wanted to. Granted, he had a fantastic metabolism, so maybe that played into his beliefs.
They came upon an elementary school, covered knee deep in tall grasses and weeds, and bricks crawling with vines. A small herd of creatures grazed or napped in the clearing. They looked like deer, except their horns looked like they belonged on a rhino, size included. And their eyes were closer to their jaws, but that was a minor detail.
Chad and Ben excitedly tapped Jack’s bicep, gesturing to Hiro, who looked like he was pointedly avoiding their gazes.
“Ask him what they’re called.” Ben whispered.
Jack looked at Hiro and raised an eyebrow, certain that Hiro’s enhanced hearing picked up the question.
Hiro sighed, suppressing a smile. “RG09951-3C-4M1875.”
Jack’s eyebrows raised even higher as Chad and Ben giggled like schoolchildren.
Hiro smiled apologetically in Jack’s direction. “Half the monsters have names like that. The other half have regular names.”
Half? Not a third, or two thirds? If the monsters had each come from one of the three worlds, like the current theory suggested, then why was it split in half?
Regardless, they were there to hunt. Jack ran through some challenges he could give himself for the hunt, and decided upon doing it weaponless. He’d only had a few chances to use his claws so far, and he wanted to get used to them before his life depended on it.
Before he could do much though, Lee pulled back her bow and took aim. Jack sighed mentally, reluctantly letting her lead the hunt.
But then, Hiro raised a hand to Lee. Although, his eyes were on Jack. Everyone looked at Hiro with curiosity.
“Didn’t you say you have a taunt skill?”
Jack smirked, and nodded.
Ben smiled excitedly. “Dude! That means we won’t have to chase them!”
Hiro hushed him with a gesture, but his own excitement was growing. “Can you control it? Like, can you only call half the herd or something?”
Jack thought about it. While he was used to holding back other aspects, his taunt skill was something he always used at 100%. Otherwise, what would be the point?
He shrugged. “I’ll give it a shot.”
Ben and Chad excitedly shook each other as Jack stood out of cover. Almost immediately, he attracted the attention of the herd of deer things. Jack didn’t give them a chance to turn their backs.
“Come at me!” He shouted… quietly. Somehow. It was hard to limit something like that.
The lawn behind Jack burst with noise, and three human figures burst from cover. Chad, Ben, and Hiro all had their respective weapons lowered and ready to strike.
Poised to kill Jack.
“Ah- HEY!” Alice shouted, chasing after the boys. Anubis growled, following her lead.
Chad reached Jack first, thrusting his spear for his gut. Jack casually caught it just behind the spearhead, stopping the large man. Anubis caught Ben by the back of his shirt, slowing him down, but not stopping him.
Hiro’s sword swung for Jack’s neck. Jack tilted back a bit, letting the weapon harmlessly shave him. His attention turned back to the herd of deer things behind him. Unlike what he had wanted, the whole herd had decided his simple provocation was enough to turn them against him.
Lee’s arrow shot over his shoulder by a wide margin, nailing a deer in the neck. It cried out and tripped, collapsing. The first few behind it leapt over their fallen comrade, but the rest who couldn’t see it tramped it on their way past. It vanished into black smoke and embers.
Finally, a black blur shot out from between some houses, aiming ahead of the herd directly for Jack. A panther, half the size of a minivan.
Well, that’s what we get for not being cautious. Jack grinned.
Alice tackled Hiro, accidentally knocking his head on the ground in the process. Jack dismissed him as a non-threat and wielded the tip of Chad’s spear to deflect Ben’s first attack. He then quickly kicked him in the stomach, granting Anubis the opportunity to pounce on him. The dog's teeth chomped on Ben’s arm armor and thrashed, disarming the man.
The herd was nearly upon them. Lee shot another arrow into their ranks. Recognizing the fact that the deer numbered too many for a coherent fight, Jack shoved Chad’s spear back into him and ran directly for the herd.
The first few of them lowered their heads, intending to gore him on their horns. Jack opened both hands, but only extended his right claws. With circular movement, he grabbed onto the nearest horn and kicked off the neighboring deer, using his momentum to pull back the head of his captured deer and mounted it. His clawed hand found the exposed neck and stabbed into the flesh.
He tried pulling his claws through, but all it did was jerk the animal around. His hand was stuck.
Claws are meant for grabbing, not for cutting. Got it.
The herd descended upon him like rabid wolves. Which was somehow both an interesting and funny comparison. Still, Jack handled it as best he could. He retracted his claws to let the wound bleed before stabbing necks, eyes, and whatever else he could reach. Deer reared up and kicked at him, so he politely caught their legs, made eye contact, held a firm grip, and shook. Hopefully he'll be hired later this week.
“Rene! Down!” Alice shouted.
The black panther was midair when Alice shouted at it. For a moment, it glanced at Alice, confused. Jack instantly recognized that this panther wasn’t just some random animal and sighed. He had prepared to stab it in the eyes though!
Instead, he retracted his claws, held up both arms, and vaulted the panther over his head, carrying its momentum to throw it outside the herd of deer.
A number of the deer, especially the ones that couldn’t reach Jack, seemed to be regaining their senses. The bounced away from the crowd, running in circles until enough of them broke away in some random direction. Like floodgates, the other deer began following the others, and soon, Jack was left sitting atop a single corpse, surrounded by horns, hooves, skin, and other body part loots. He even saw a vial of blue stuff! A rare drop!
Alice stood up, leaving a very confused Hiro looking up at her. She trotted her way over to the giant black panther to console it.
Jack crossed his legs to get them out of the bloody grass. “Y’all good now?”
“Fine!” Ben huffed. He was rubbing Anubis’ back, and the dog whined, shoving his face into Ben’s chin.
Chad ran up to Jack, nearly falling to his knees as he looked him over. “Dude! I am SO sorry! I- I didn’t mean to- I mean, I’m so sorry!!!”
Jack shrugged. “To be fair, I’ve never used it around humans before. Maybe we should have tested it in a more controlled environment before doing something like this.
Lee picked up Ben before joining them. “I didn’t feel anything.”
“Neither did Anubis or Alice.” Jack pointed out. “What’s the difference?”
“Because they’re girls?” Ben asked.
“Anubis is male.” Jack said.
“Proximity?”
“The deer were farther away.” Jack eyed Hiro who was still laying on the ground, frozen in time. Jack called out to him. “You good?”
Hiro flinched, but rolled onto his feet. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I didnt-”
Jack waved him off immediately. “Don’t worry about it. Not a scratch on me.”
Alice finally joined them, with a hand resting on the panther’s head. “Are you sure? I have enough bandages to last me a hundred years in the clinic, it’s no bother to patch you up.”
Jack got off his prize and turned in a circle. “Not a scratch.”
“Your armor took some hits.” Lee pointed to his legs.
“I know.” Jack said. “Anyway, who’s hungry?”