The first sign of anything unusual was the scream that pierced the night in the township. The guard had responded to the cry and sent a patrol to investigate. It had come from over near the docks where very few people lived. The docks were in darkness, with no buildings nearby providing light, and the lanterns the guards carried cast a ghostly glow over the surroundings. They approached the dockside, looking for signs of the scream's origin. They were near the northern end of the docks, close to where the stockade ended at the lakeside. The land across from the stockade curved around slightly so that you could see into the area from outside, but a wall of spikes prevented anyone from crossing to the dockside from around the edge of the wall.
The guards approached the stockade end when they saw the body lying on the ground. The woman's body had a spear protruding from her back. It had pierced her through her chest, and she had fallen forward, lying now in a pool of her blood dead. The woman must have been fishing as she had a stool and rods set up with lines cast out into the lake. Night fishing was popular as certain Wild Ones were easier to catch at night, and some could fetch a decent number of stacks at the market.
"That's Jan." one of the guards said as he approached her, bending down and shining the lantern he held to see her face.
"What the hell happened?" the other guard said, bending down.
"No idea, but I think looking at where she is, someone from outside the stockade threw it," he replied.
The lanterns were not bright enough to cast the light far, and the guards did not see the group of creatures standing on the far side of the pit as another one of them released a spear. The first sign was when one of the guards was struck in the side of his head. The spear tip easily penetrated through his face, shattering his jawbone and teeth, coming to rest with its end sticking out of his other cheek. He tried to scream in pain, but his mouth filled with blood instantly, his shattered face preventing nothing more than a loud gurgle from erupting with bone fragments getting caught in his throat as he tried to breathe through the blood that began to flood his lungs. The other guard spun in the direction of the attack, swinging his rifle around and, without any thought, screamed, opening fire into the darkness.
The bright flashes from the muzzle of his rifle lit the night, and he noticed bodies on the far side moving away as he tried to hit them. His finger had been depressed on the trigger, and his rifle clicked as his magazine emptied and his bolt came to rest. "Shit, shit." he cursed, fumbling for another magazine and attempting to reload his weapon.
The sound of rifle fire could be heard across the township, and anyone whom the shrill scream had not awoken would now be awake. TJ had been sleeping in the barracks when the gunfire had begun and jumped from the bunk bed. The barracks were full of guards brought in due to the increase in population from those entering the township, and there was a double shift rotation. TJ went to the front office area, where Ashton, one of the other supervisors, sat.
"What's going on?" TJ asked.
"No idea yet. I had sent a patrol to investigate a report of a scream, and then there is gunfire the next thing I know," he replied.
"You want me to go? I am awake now." TJ said.
"Sure. Take Cole and Hymbo with you." Ashton said.
TJ grabbed his jacket from the back and, checking his pistol subconsciously in his holster, followed Cole and Hymbo outside.
"Down by the docks," Cole said as they jumped into the truck.
Hymbo drove, and it took them a few minutes before they reached the dockside. The vehicle's lights cast a much brighter light than any lanterns the guards used. They saw the guard running down the dock towards them as they climbed from the vehicle.
"What's going on?" TJ asked.
"Fucking monsters. They killed Jan, and Owen is in a seriously bad way. Whatever they are threw spears at us." the guard called Ivor stated.
The group returned down the dockside towards the end of the stockade. Jan's lifeless body was still lying there with the spear in its back, and Owen's collapsed form lay next to her. TJ ran over, dropping at Owen's side. He was not making a sound, and TJ felt his neck. He could not feel a pulse.
"Fuck. He is dead." TJ said.
The spear that had struck Owen in the face was still embedded through his cheeks, and TJ slowly held his head as he pulled it free. It was a crude-looking weapon, but the tip was razor sharp and appeared made from stone. He placed the spear on the ground and closed Owen's wide-open eyes.
"I want a patrol outside now running the perimeter. Hymbo headed straight back and let Ashton know and then went and informed Taylor as the front gate supervisor. Then come back."
"On it," Hymbo replied, hurrying back to the truck.
"Let's move them from here," TJ said.
Cole and TJ picked up Owen's body and carried it back down the dock and towards the roadside, where the truck would return. Ivor provided cover as they moved. They went back down again and picked up Jan's body again, carrying it back. There was nothing TJ could have done to save either of the dead, the injuries to Owen's face having suffocated him with his own blood and looking at the woman, the spear had pierced her heart.
It took a while before the truck being driven by Hymbo returned. They carefully loaded the two bodies into the back before heading back to the barracks. On returning, they offloaded the bodies and carried them inside, placing them in one of the empty cells.
"We need a post down at the end of the wall," TJ told Ashton.
"No problem, but the light is shit down there could do with a generator as well," he stated.
"Yeah, a good idea. It is pitch black down there," TJ replied.
The guard carried out Ashton's orders, and TJ went and sat in the back again. He knew there was no way he would get back to sleep tonight and decided to get some early food from one of the bars. Heading out of the barracks, he made his way through town, with the increased population moving inside the stockade, meaning the streets were still busy at night. He pushed through the crowd when he saw a fight between two men. He saw the flash of a blade, and one of the men fell to the ground, holding his stomach. He forced his way through, recognising the attacker. It was Callum.
"Anyone else wants to try their luck?" he screamed, staring at the crowd around them.
TJ moved to the front of the crowd and stepped out. Callum was drunk. He was swaying where he stood and held the knife in his hand, covered in the man’s blood. "Callum out the knife down," TJ said.
Callum spun to face TJ, recognition crossing his face. "You. You fucking bastard. It is all your fault." he screamed at TJ.
"Callum. I suggest you drop the knife and step back." TJ said with utter calmness.
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"If you had not got your nose stuck into business which doesn't involve you." Callum slurred, glaring at him.
"Callum, please put the knife down," TJ repeated.
"Fuck you."
"Callum, you will only make things worse. Please do as I ask."
TJ was an exceptionally skilled brawler, the only man in the town who he would even question being able to take him in a one-to-one fight with Lars. He watched Callum's movements as he swayed, saw the look in his eye, and knew he would attack him. He balled his fist in anticipation.
Callum lunged, thrusting his blade at TJ. TJ dodged the frantic movement and stepped inside his thrust arm, bringing his fist up to connect with Callum's jaw. The man's head shot up from the blow, and his teeth clattered together, and he yelped as he bit into the end of his tongue. TJ placed his leg behind Callum's and pushed him backwards, making the man sprawl onto the floor, the knife coming loose from his grip and splashing into the rain-soaked street.
TJ stood over the man, looking down at him as two guards pushed through the crowd. Callum was spitting blood out of his mouth from his bleeding tongue and sat in the street cursing. He then went to pick up his knife again. As he reached out for it, TJ stamped down on the back of his hand, making him scream in pain, hearing his fingers break. There were audible gasps from the crowd.
"TJ, what the fuck is going on," Ryan said as he reached the front.
"Callum is a little drunk and stabbed that man. Can you get him taken to the cells, please?" TJ stated.
"We also need a doctor for the injured man," he added.
Ryan and the other guard grabbed Callum under his arms, hauling him up from the ground, and through the angry crowd, began to drag him towards the barracks.
"He stabbed him for no reason." one of the town members called as TJ stooped to pick up the knife.
"I saw him stab him. Don't worry, we will get it investigated and sorted out," TJ replied.
"He is the guard, though. You lot look after yourselves." An angry voice replied, getting support from others in the crowd.
TJ could tell that tempers were short and high with the current problems, and with the incident already tonight, the town felt as though it was ready to explode like a powder keg. He placed the knife in his belt and then bent to the man who had been stabbed. The man was holding his side and groaning, but looking at the bleeding, it was not a severe injury. "You will be fine," he said to the man offering him his hand.
The man accepted it and slowly stood up, wincing from the pain. The closest doctors were two streets away, and he needed to get this man there. The problem was that some of the crowd were now blocking his path. "Get out of my way, please. I need to get this man to the doctor," he said.
A bury-looking man stepped forward. "We will take him, don't trust you, bastards," he said.
TJ looked at the man; he was no match for him, but he was not going to escalate the situation further than it already had been.
"That is fine as long as you take him straight there," TJ said, offering the injured man’s arm to the big man to support him.
The man had expected TJ to refuse and looked surprised as he took the man by the arm. TJ watched as the man helped him get from the scene to the doctor. The group behind the man had let him through and closed again in front of TJ. TJ just looked at them and then turned to walk in the other direction towards the bar for food.
One of the group called after him, "Where do you think you are going?"
"To eat. You can come join me if you like." TJ replied, walking away.
A few more comments were thrown at him as he walked away, ignoring the comments. The town was on edge; it was the first time he had openly witnessed hostility towards the guard. He was not stupid and had heard rumours that the guard would not be trusted but had never witnessed it until now. If that was the case, an underlying element needed to be weeded out. He loved his job and what it stood for, giving him purpose and meaning since leaving the raiding group, and he was not going to let some idiots ruin what he had chosen as his career.
He went to the closest bar; it was not the best food in town, but it was good enough, and he entered, taking a table by himself in the corner. He ordered food, sat waiting for it to be delivered, and listened to the general conversations. The tension was palpable, and he could feel it pressing against him as everyone was in a heightened state of anxiety. His food eventually arrived, and he sat quietly eating and, once finished, walked to pay and then left again.
As he walked back towards the barracks, he could hear the voices before he saw them. A crowd had now formed outside, and raised voices calling for blood could be heard.
'Fuck', he thought to himself as he walked over. "Let me through," he called. A few turned and saw him backing away and letting him through. On reaching the front, he saw the man who had escorted the other to the doctors. He stood in front of the crowd. "Bring that bastard out so we can deal with him fairly, not like you crooked lot."
Ashton stood in the doorway of the barracks. "I have already told you that will not happen. He will be dealt with accordingly, following the township's laws."
"Rubbish, we have heard that before, and nothing ever seems to happen." A cry came from the back, followed by support calls.
TJ walked up beside Ashton. "Well, this is shit," Ashton said as he approached.
"Yep, and all caused by Callum," TJ said.
TJ turned and looked at the ringleader. "Did you get him to the doctor's, okay?"
"Yes. What do you care," he replied angrily.
"How much did it cost?" TJ asked.
"Four stacks, why?"
TJ dug into his pocket, removed the stacks, and purposefully walked up to the man holding his hand out. "Here, give him this and apologise on behalf of the guard," TJ said as he handed the man eight stacks.
The man took it, looking at TJ. "And now you want to bribe us," he said, snarling at him.
"No, you fucking moron, I was compensating him for the incident. Are you really that fucking stupid, or are you just trying to antagonise me to beat the living shit out of you," TJ replied, letting his anger show for the first time. The calm exterior of TJ had changed in a flash, and his true nature had appeared. The glare he gave the man was not as a member of the guard but that of a stone-cold killer.
The man visibly baulked at TJ's change in tone and demeanour, taking a step back. Although the man was big, the look TJ had in his eyes now was one of a predator, and he did not like what he saw.
"Let me get something straight." TJ bellowed above the crowd. "If any guard member is found to be corrupt or doing anything that they should not be and I find out about it, I will deal with them like any other citizen. If not more so, they are supposed to hold others accountable. I take my job seriously and do not appreciate fucking imbeciles standing in front of me, accusing me of otherwise. If you have a complaint about the guard, come see me when I am on duty, which I am not at the moment, and I will happily fill in the reports myself."
There were grumbles across the crowd, but without the big man's voice speaking for them, no one else had the stomach to address him. TJ stood glaring around the group until they slowly began to disperse. The big man still stood looking at him with a cautious glare.
"The same applies to you," TJ said to him as he turned, walking by Ashton into the barracks.