Death March II

The sun began to fade as night rapidly approached. Alex and the others knew it was best to make camp for the night; it had taken them longer than expected to return to the compound. As such, they quickly found an abandoned building and took refuge for the night.

Unbeknownst to the group of slayers, they had been followed for quite some time. Lurking on the rooftops above a grotesque creature with stone skin, a large pair of bat-like wings, and a set of menacing horns had been stalking them since dusk.

After drawing straws, Alex was the one to keep watch for the night. His job was two-fold. He had to make sure nothing dangerous approached their position, and he had to keep watch of the prisoners. Alex had little experience with the creatures of the night in this fractured world. However, he had heard stories from the other slayers.

Apparently, more fierce monsters would appear at night, which was why the slayers usually set their missions within proximity to the compound. Only by grouping together could humanity survive the night.

Alex could hear the terrifying howl of monsters in the distance; they were far enough away that they posed no immediate threat to the group. Nevertheless, the bestial roars made his skin crawl. As the creature's cries began to fade, Alex noticed the sound of rain splashing down upon the ground.

Hours passed as Alex kept his lonesome vigil; the sound of rain and thunder grew more apparent. Truthfully, Alex was quite bored. While the others slept, he was left alone to guard the perimeter, with nothing to entertain himself. Just as he began to rub his weary eyes, lightning flashed, and in that brief moment, the figure of a grotesque monster was illuminated.

It gazed upon Alex like a predator glaring at its prey which sent shivers down his spine. Just as Alex was about to alert the slayers, the figure vanished into the night. As if it were a figment of his imagination.

Alex clenched his fists tightly; he did not dare investigate it further. He silently made his way to the sleeping slayers while keeping an eye on the entrance. Alex shook the sleeping body of Cassie, waking her with a shock. She slashed one of her daggers at Alex while half asleep, which he carefully evaded.

As she turned around and saw Alex with a frightened, she began to relax, however at the next moment, lightning flashed once more, and the menacing figure of the creature appeared behind Alex with its claw raised.

"Behind you!"

she screamed at the top of her lungs in an attempt to alert Alex; though Alex had fast reflexes, he barely had enough time to avoid a lethal strike. The claws cut across his iron flesh like a knife through butter. Alex grunted in pain as he touched where the claw made contact. His hand was dyed red with his own blood.

Cassie's shriek had awoken the rest of the group; they quickly acclimated themselves to the situation. However, the monster gave them little time to react. It was much faster than any of them had imagined and immediately plunged its dagger-length claws into Gunnar's guts.

Gunnar collapsed to his knees and spat out blood. After such a vicious strike, he no longer had the strength to fight back. Brandon immediately opened fire upon the monster, but it did not affect them. The bullets shattered upon the impact of the creature's stony skin.

Alex immediately recognized that they were not the creature's match and grabbed ahold of Cassie's hand, dragging her out of the building. While it was focused on fighting Brandon and the others, he fled with Cassie leaving their allies and prisoners behind.

Brandon had quick instincts, realizing Gunnar was as good as dead, and they had no chance to defeat such a monster; he grabbed ahold of the closest prisoner and used him as a human shield. Afterward, he followed Alex's example and fled while the monster took its time to butcher those who remain.

The last thing Gunnar saw was his companions abandon him in his time of need.

"Fucking bastards!"

He cursed as the monster removed his head from his shoulders. After Gunnar's death, the creature took its time to play with the prisoners. After all, even if they weren't tied up, they would be no match for such a monstrosity.

Brandon eventually caught up with Alex and Cassie; he didn't mind that they left without him; after all, he had no room to complain. He did the same thing to Gunnar. Rather he focused on sprinting with the group as far away from the monster as he possibly could.

After a while, the group ran out of energy and took a moment to rest at a nearby bus stop. It wasn't an ideal shelter, but they no longer planned to stay in one place for the night. After what they just witnessed, they would not feel safe until they reached the compound.

"What the fuck was that thing."

Brandon exclaimed as he struggled for breath; he had never been so frightened in his life. Until now, the terrifying monster he had witnessed were creatures on the same level as the lesser lizardmen in which Alex had taken out just hours prior.

Cassie shook her head, with tears streaming down her eyes; in between her sobs, she managed to speak a few words.

"Oh my god... Gunnar!"

Alex and Brandon looked away in shame; the three had abandoned their companion in the face of death, only a sociopath would feel no guilt from such actions. Still, Alex trembled at the thought of encountering such a monster again; it was so fast he couldn't even react. Its claws clearly outclassed his low-level skill [Iron Hide]. If he had been just a bit slower, he would have ended up just like Gunnar.

He had grown a bit arrogant. Lately, after all, all of the monsters he had encountered previously were either weaker than himself or on par with his level. Aside from a few close encounters, he had never come across a monster that outclassed him completely. Now he realized he had merely been slaying the dregs; there were far more terrifying beings in this fractured world he had yet to encounter.

After a few moments of silence, Brandon finally spoke up

"What do we do now?"

Cassie had a blank expression on her face and said nothing; she was clearly traumatized, but what had just occurred.

Alex clenched his fists tightly with determination

"We make our way back to the compound, we report the location where we left our supplies, and we give Gunnar a proper burial!"

Cassie wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded resolutely

"It's the least we can do."

Brandon sighed and looked in the direction of the compound with fierce resolve.

"Alright, let's do it!"

With that said, the trio embarked on their death march once more, believing the worst was behind them.