Black-spot

Tearing, bright lights, and screams, a canvas of mobile chaos, gray strands stained in dark red, appearing almost black in the cold moonlight, and the dancing flames of the few torches that got set up before they arrived. Skin sticky and loose with several long patches of hair, seemingly fragile in one moment and in the next they loosened up their morbid jaws and thorn into the flesh of your someone by your side, screams, no it must stop, yelling, what are they saying? Eyes, pale white as the snow with black thick veins protruding from their sockets, almost moving like worms, eyes only betraying one singular instinct, hunger.

Hands grasping, gripping my body from the blur of my peripheral vision pulling me backward towards something unseen, screams emanate from my scars, this strain, the hands are pulling me urgently back into the embrace of more, away from those dead eyes staring at me from partial darkness, blurred by the mere moment of connection before a blazing ring of light envelops me and the ones the hands belong to scraping away the scape of the night with its radiance, pulsing like the life flowing through each and every vein in my body. Its shapes stand firmly through the blinding storm, oh god, this is, it is, isn't it? The Erarrat came, came to devourer on the first freezing nightfall, oh no, oh god, not the, they, they're shapes barely betrayed by the blaze just a few arms away from us, stalking around this dome of radiance.

"Joan, Edward execute A10 formation and lead them off, rest of you when the barrier fades you will recover and secure the wounded and dead, also rile up and manage the brought equipment, it will be needed!" Him, he? A10? *Flash* Bright, then consumed by the pressing darkness, blurry shapes pass before me and a choir resonates through this chaotic scape of night, something alluring, something powerful, something drawing them away, all of those ragged malnourished bodies and deformed jaws sprouting piercing dead eyes, they're turning, away from me, away from us, away from their planned meal, then sharp sweeps accompanied with complete and utter silence, only betrayed by the thuds of bodies showing that sound still recovers even when cut and alienated, is this the power of the first? No wonder they were trusted with leading missions like this, such efficiency, such grace... Such, power. Their bodies, cut and maimed with precision, spread over the permafrost, bodies, paws, tails, snouts... Shit, it is north from here, it must be, this cannot be a coincidence, no, I must make sure.

"What are you doing recruit? Secure the wounded and dead.". When did he come beside me? When did I get this close to the bodies of the Erarrat? I must tell him.

"Michael, this recruit wants to share vital information with you, he is also the one who had the vision that originally led us out here for this mission.". Joan was it? Her eyes are so clear, like her gaze sees past everything, leaving both yourself and the environment blotted and naked. I should not be surprised about how she knows, she seems keen on details.

"So you're Straid, what do you want to share?" A complete change in tone.

"These bodies, they are similar to the ones I had in my vision, it might just be a coincidence, but I can't just ignore this if this is more than just mere chance then the black spot we are looking for is north from here, and I don't think that we have much time for resting, it is the day after tomorrow after all.".

"So you're saying that we are behind, time-wise?".

"That is what I suspect.".

"Then we tend to the wounded and embark as soon as a single ray breaches the horizon, no time to lose, we will have to temporarily leave the dead behind, but that's a small price to pay for our world.". Fair, god my body is heavy, I need to get as much rest as I can manage in the few hours my situation can spare, wait, June, did she get pulled back with me? People are swarming around, tending in this fragile makeshift camp, soothing the needs of the wounded while separating the fallen from the ones still clutching on to the thread of life, how many did we lose? How many strangers that had just some hours ago been assembled side by side of me, strangers that had all been unified by one thing, the exposure of the secrets prodding our realm and a wish for stable balance.

Salt, I taste salt as the thin streams of tears freezes to my cheeks, creating a burning sensation, don't fall apart now Straid, you know you can't do that, June, I need to find June within this tight assortment of busybodies. Whos that? Oh, it's that silent girl from my Unit, her empty gaze grazing the environment and it people almost in a scanning matter, is she looking for something, or perhaps someone too? I can't be sure, I must find June, she must be alright, I mean she was just by my side prior to the attack, she was within arms reach, maybe if I call out.

"June!" Only whispers of the wind and the chatter from the busy people.

"June!" A crunch, someone gasping for air.

"June!" Thuds in quick succession threading the snow behind me.

"Straid! Oh, thank god you're alright" Collision, almost knocking me down on the ground and the squeeze from her clutches almost undoing whatever stitches that rests beneath my bandages, yet still I'm happy and relieved, I don't want to force myself to imagine or even think about what I would have done if she were to disappear, yet the panic had almost overwhelmed me before I heard her voice again, my arms find the strength to return the embrace.

"I'm glad too, for one moment I just.".

"I know Straid, me too, it is just when the chaos ensued and settled it was both disorienting and frightening before I knew it I found myself tending to a man with a chunk of flesh missing from his arm, and I just knew that I had to find a way to stop that bleeding, that flow, leaking out forming a dark stain beneath him. And when I did make it stop that frightening shiver set in when I realized that I could not see you.". Nothing I can say to that, just holding on, just keeping the contact, but I know that we will have to let go soon, time is precious, and it is not much left of it until we have to continue the pressing march ahead to that black spot.