13 R 1 2

I began checking contents frantically until finally coming across a tightly sealed packaging. I relentlessly clawed at it. I was after pinkish canisters. There was no way I could forget those.

Box popped open and chunky bulk revealed only two containers inside. I huffed. That's not nearly enough to take out a monster of monumental proportions. I emptied crate of hurtful calibre and fit sixteen death cloud flasks. Then couldn't lift it. World always had to be cruel to my plans.

One or a bunch, probably won't make a difference. But perhaps snail could precision spray him? Ended up strolling out with two of original boxes in each hand. "Make some noise when you're ready to leave. I'll be deeper in the city," I shouted in the increasing cacophony of mishandled ammo. I needed to be far away when fireling set everything ablaze and turned this place into a hellish spa.

Whether portable fireplace patiently waited until I was on the other side of the planet or just indulged in smaller calibre appetizers, when the explosion finally hit sometime the next day, all the windows shattered and the ghost town finally looked the part. Before that the city looked so disgustingly normal. I could delude myself into thinking the unreasonable. I still waited. But now it was clear - nobody would be coming back.

I could not stand being around empty houses any longer. I gone back to wait by the crater. It grew. There was not a sign of life. Could the walking hazard even be counted alive? I began worrying that taking entire roomful of dynamite to the face could have been a little too ambitious for the little pile of embers. The military had to have tried heavy artillery on it though, right? But not everything all at once. Should have at least asked which way he'd seen the traces of another.

My teeth were chattering in the breaking dawn when the crumbling woke me from the light slumber. Sounds of shifting boulders changed into roar of boiling liquid. Something was spilling out, making a way through the indiscernible mass. As much as I hoped for it to be an errant volcano, a giant pillar made me want to run and not look back. I forced myself to be still and watch it. After all, this was what I waited for.

One thick trunk made up from unexploded munitions and boulders lifted up a mass of radiant, still swirling lava atop it, then the other leg stepped out of the glowing depths. The sight of the towering rock made my heart race.

Something will fall on my head. The animate rock will trample me and won't even notice.

It gurgled along ominously. The sound alone forced a shudder, the longer I listened the more it sounded like burbling of a stomach - something I had been intimately reacquainted in the deathly still cell. Giant creature's outer layer began to cool and crack.

I needed to get out of here. To be somewhere else. What the fuck was I thinking? Why am I getting involved with monsters? Again?! I stood up but my legs refused to do anything else. When the giant climbed all the way out of the pit, its size was even more staggering. And it walked. Away.

"Hey," I croaked out in a whisper, feeling all my opportunities slip away. I wasn't doing this for myself. It didn't matter what became of me.

"Hey, wait!" I said little firmer and started walking the perimeter of the explosive indentation. Then ran. Few steps and the golem was outside of the base's perimeter. I won't catch up. No no no no. I picked up some speed and cursed with all my might. 

"This way, this," once the pounding of my heart retreated from the ears I could finally distinguish words in the ominous roar of the lava.

Swirling mass cracked and piece fell down with a boom, to my relief nowhere near me. After that I was content to trail far behind. Distance grew when I couldn't keep the pace up and then I just walked, especially when plains changed into a god damn forest. The giant unabashedly ploughed through the thicket, stomping it out of existence, singeing or burying under misplaced rocks altogether. It wasn't difficult to follow, but clambering through the obstacles a different matter altogether.

The trek wasn't too bad during the day, however those were growing awfully short now. Darkness fell and I started noticing hell of a lot dearly missed noises from all directions. Forest wasn't as quiet as city of the dead but it wasn't as comforting as I had imagined. I tried to not make a sound.

This was all so dangerous. This was a terrible idea. I was so alone. The last monster I travelled with at least bothered to keep me safe. I then cursed, not wanting to remember the rat bastard fondly. I could see my breath and that meant the moment I stop I'll get to enjoy a bone-chilling, restless sleep. So much to look forward to.

Being the sole survivor out of entire city I contemplated luck. Did that mean I had it, after all? Didn't feel like such a win. Couldn't I have found a thick wallet instead? My fingers noted an absence of flat round object in the pocket. Did walking through all those shards count as seven hundred years of bad luck? Sole survivor… Was I the bad luck itself?

At least the moon was out and I wasn't forced to stop, albeit my face was still getting scritch scratched by branches every whichever way. Not that I cared, it was a fine addition to the nail marks. There goes my sale value and the career prospects. Of course, I could still wear a bag over my head. Felt myself grimacing like a loon. I won't need to. There was no coming back from this. Me being alive this long was already stretching it.

Was I alive? It was far more likely I was trapped inside one monster or another and made to run in circles. I stopped, breathless. This was a definite possibility. Maybe everyone was okay then? Oh, how great would that be! I'd embrace the option wholeheartedly. I said so to the trees and whoever has been making those awful sounds all around.

"You hear me?! Isn't this enough? This much is fine, right? You've convinced me!" I shouted on and on but nothing popped out of the dark. Which was suspicious on its own.

Having exhausted my screaming potential I resumed the ordeal, putting one leg in front of the other and again. I wasn't afraid of the rustling anymore. Talked to it more often than not.

Came across an animal… or was it two? It wasn't like anything I've ever seen before. Both toothy undulating parts looked in a hurry to be somewhere else. Figuring out I would not be joining it in its endeavours from within the stomach pouch I also made my rapid disappearance.

Eventually came across what appeared to be landslide and a dead end. The ground wafted heat and embers glowed in the centre of the unnatural pile-up. As far as traps went, this one was at least cosy. Completely spent I climbed up and, after nothing swallowed me whole, I plopped my ass down. My feet burned with pain of overuse and I groaned in relief to be off them however briefly. Shrugged out of the bag pack, pulled up the jacket's hoodie and lied down in the ashes. Warmth helped me relax and unconsciousness took me immediately.

After that impressive showing of the first day, the fireling kept to a much smaller body and it was harder to track it. It still waited for me to catch up in some irregular intervals. The days it didn't burn bright and had shorter legs were easier. Other times I'd find uprooted patches in the forest and sweat for it. It was hard to hold conversations when the companion wasn't a roaring fire pit and I was always too exhausted to even bother, so we didn't talk.

This fine morning I found the fireball walked no more. The hearth on legs stood still near an odd patch of discoloured grass. Since it was early and I wasn't yet buried deep in my permanent fatigue and looping thoughts, I planted my heavy legs next to it and turned head to inquire.

"Here, here, here," flames hissed in the drizzle. Here? I turned back lazily. There was a smattering of trees. And that was about it.

The pines in the distance were darker. Wet wood usually was, so I didn't pay much attention at the start. However… The whole region ahead seemed off-kilter. There was a red tint to this. "Oh," I've gasped out.