The Shadows are Awake

Kiran tossed and turned listlessly in the corner he had taken refuge in. His mind haunted him with the red glow of murderous eyes chasing him through endless streets with nothing but a piercing hum to warn him of what followed. Wet, oozing splatter of something unpleasant bathed his bare feet, almost as if trying to glue him to the ground. Terrified screams made his ears burn as hot steel and stone crashed around him. Barely able to take another breath from the fumes and smoke, he staggered to a halt, exhausted. People shoved by him in their fear, knocking him to the side of the road where a tree lay burning. The blaze blurred with the red and black clouds above and brought tears to his eyes. No one stopped, their forms turning into streaks in a haze of swirling chaos. He could feel danger approach him, but he was frozen in place, eyes locked onto the burning tree.

His senses were suddenly overrun with a scream of a siren and waving bronze cloth wrapping around beautiful almond skin. Golden eyes stained with anger and desperation adored him for only a moment before they were shut away from him. The reflection of light from her spear was blinding as she held her ground against the grim. In the back of his mind, he felt a pair of eyes fixated on him, but he could not tear his eyes away from the scene. Her back was the last thing he saw as the inferno swallowed them whole.

With a start he was awake, covered in a cold sweat. He bolted upright, gasping for air as he fell forward into his hands, shivering harshly against the night, barely holding on. His breath hitched as reality crashed back in on him. As he tried to regain his composure, he listened to the group around him sleep restlessly, ready for the first sign of trouble. For once he didn't mind the frigid air reminding him of where he was.

"Bad dreams?" Kiran jumped, looking around in a daze. Dio was flat, face first on the ground, the earth quieting his otherwise thunderous snores. A giant axe he has plucked from the hands of a long dead soldier was embedded in the ground by his side. Muse was tucked in on herself by his feet, her arms crossed as if holding an invaluable object to her chest. She shivered slightly, shifting closer to him in her sleep, her fingers curling around his pant leg delicately. Felds sat quietly on the other side with the rest of the group, still reading a scroll by meager candlelight. The others were scattered through the small space, some sleeping on top of each other, while others were curled in on themselves in various corners, shivering against the night.

E'wan however, sat quietly next to him, leaning on the smooth boulder that had until recently also given him a place to rest. She watched him patiently. He shook his head, refusing to look at her. Instead he laid back down against the stone and tried to wipe his sweat from his face with his sleeve. The thin fabric didn't do much, but it gave him something to focus on.

"Who is haunting you?" She asked after a time of watching him. The last of the mist was clearing as the sun began to peak over the mountains in the distance, sending radiating streaks of purple and pink through the rotting timber. It was an odd collision of life and death. Kiran glared at the light. "Nothing that concerns you." He said after a pause. She huffed out a small laugh, watching the sunrise. "…I lost so many when the Metalian's overtook the city. My husband died protecting our daughter. She watched while they ripped him apart. I couldn't do anything either, I was following too far behind with our grandchild." A sorrowful smile overcame her.

"I couldn't even save that beautiful little boy. There was nothing anyone could do. No one knew of the monsters the Metalians had created to overthrow us back then. Those damned metal men… My darling girl, she couldn't take the loss. She followed after them to rest. For a long time I thought about following them too." Kiran didn't say anything. He kept his attention up to the skies, determined to watch as the morning grew stronger. "I see them every night, asking why I couldn't save them, why I didn't join them. It's hard not to blame yourself when it's every night. But…"

"You don't know anything about me, don't pretend to understand." He interrupted, snapping at her sharply. Taken back, E'wan didn't respond, she simply watched him with a careful look. He fixed her with a final glare before Feld's voice broke the tension. "Everyone Up! It's time to go!" His call woke Muse, who groaned. Her slender fingers wound themselves up Kiran's thigh as she stretched, her back crackling as she straightened. "Ugh… I think my old cage was softer than that… Ouch." She muttered as she tried to pull the knots out of her muscles. "Don't say such things. You could always end up back in it if we aren't lucky… Or worse. Now get up, it's time to go." E'wan chided softly, as if she were speaking to a toddler.

Muse continued to sit there, watching the old woman absent mindedly before Kiran coughed. "What?" She followed his gaze to her hand, and she stared at it for a moment. "I'm sorry!" She gasped, snatching her hand away and turning red. Kiran turned away and got up as Muse continued her flustered apologies. He glanced over to the Herculean who was still fast asleep. Sighing, Kiran nudged him with his foot. "Hey. Get up. Or we'll leave you."

A snort was Dio's response as he blinked one eye at him. "Hah…" A tired laugh escaped Dio, sending a puff of dust swirling over his head. "You wouldn't dare." "Oh really." Kiran shrugged as he gave him another shove with his foot. "You're looking to get your ass beat, aren't you?" Dio opened the other eye and glared at Kiran who was preparing to nudge him again, the ghost of a smile playing on his face. In the next instant, Dio was on his feet and lunging for Kiran's legs. Kiran easily stepped aside in the doorway; a defined eyebrow raised as Dio fell forward into the dirt. "You mothe-" "Both of you be quiet." Felds shushed them, holding his hand up. "What the hell?" Dio retorted but again Felds held up his hand to his lips, listening.

Dio was about to retort but Kiran placed a hand on his shoulder before taking a careful step outside. The morning breeze had stilled, and the trees were filled with an eerie quiet that put everyone on edge. Kiran turned in a circle, taking in the entirety of their surroundings. He dared not even breath. Still, it stayed silent, nothing stirring in the lingering shadows. "…. We should go. While we still can." Felds broke the silence, causing several others to jump. "Dio, take the lead. Call out if you see anything. Kiran, take up the rear." Felds brought up his staff, and lurched forward, the others following closely behind.

Kiran didn't respond, he simply stood still as the others followed after the loud Herculean who was busy puffing out his chest.

"Screw them. They can all burn in hell."

E'wan dragged Muse behind her to join Felds who was not to far behind Dio. "What do you know of that boy?" Felds glanced out of his maps at the old woman who still watched Kiran who had just begun to walk, bringing up the rear with a sour expression.

"Who? Kiran? Don't know much about him. But Dio insisted we bring him with us when we escaped. Said he wouldn't have a chance without him." E'wan deadpanned. Noting her expression, Feld's continued hastily. "Dio and Kiran were raised together in the same pit and he did well in the arena, I even got a glimpse of a few fights. He is admittedly good, good enough to go toe to toe with Dio. Other than that, and the fact he's a bit…temperamental, there's not much any of us know about him." E'wan continued to watch as Kiran turned around again, watching both the skies and the shadows. "Can we trust someone like him?" "Don't be naive, you shouldn't trust any one of them. Just keep moving forward."