Time to Meet The Joneses

The village was in full panic mode, but they had a system. They had been through this many times—sometimes it was light, sometimes it was dire. It all depended on what kind of beast attacked. Some were easy to handle. Some beasts just passed through and fled from confrontation. The problematic beasts were the carnivores, attracted to the dense human population.

The village didn't receive the church's protection. There was no value here for the church, so they didn't send any powerful Guardians. The village had only a few Guardian recruits, and if an evolved creature showed up, they might be unable to stop it.

Soli, one of the village warriors, was 18 years old. He was a good fighter, with some muscle on his still-lean frame. His body hadn't yet fully developed its muscle potential. Having lived his whole life in the village, he was resolved to protect it. He hoped it wasn't the worst-case scenario; if not, he could still fight and gain glory.

He was at marrying age, and it wouldn't hurt to score extra points with the girl he liked. Women preferred strong, handsome men who could provide. Soli was a good hunter, confident his beloved wouldn't go hungry. He had an okay appearance with lighter brown skin and dark brown eyes that glistened in the sunlight. He was tall, ticking another box. Now he only had to prove he was strong enough.

Competition was fierce; his crush was one of the most beautiful girls in the village, sought after by many suitors. He had to come out on top.

Standing on the platform over the gate, he and his comrades saw only darkness as far as the eye could see. The sun had set, making it a horrible time for a beast attack. Human eyes were weak in the dark, but beast eyes were stronger.

Soli would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid. In fact, it was too quiet, making him nervous—it was never this quiet. His heart pounded faster in fear. But fear was fuel; it meant attentiveness and readiness. As a warrior, Soli was taught not to abandon fear but to embrace it. Only fools were fearless.

Soli felt the presence of lurking beasts, as if they delighted in their terror, playing with their food. After a long, uncomfortable silence, distant laughter reached Soli and the warriors.

"Oh no," Soli muttered.

The worst-case scenario was here.

---

Sizwe was preparing. He didn't have much: laid out on his bed were a dagger, a Springfield rifle, and eight cartridges. The odds were unfavorable, and he needed to conserve his shots. He was a trained soldier and skilled, but fighting beasts, especially evolved ones, was new to him.

The world had gone crazy with animals evolving to be more dangerous. His biggest surprise since waking up was encountering a giant frog. Fortunately, it wasn't aggressive. A more dangerous foe could have killed him.

Sizwe resolved to assess the risk of the attack first. If it was too much, he'd bolt—there was no reason to die here. He was no saint and didn't owe the villagers anything; his life was his priority. He was sure the village had countermeasures against such attacks; otherwise, they would have been long buried.

Sizwe grabbed the gun, took a cartridge from the bed, bit off the end to open it, poured the gunpowder into the priming pan, put the rest of the powder and the musket ball into the barrel, drew his ramrod, and firmly seated the cartridge. He was ready.

He took the rest of his belongings in a bag and prepared to leave. Noise outside indicated he needed to move quickly and catch the action.

Soli heard noisearound him. He was frozen in his thoughts while the other warriors reported quickly. He knew that laughter; he had encountered it before. The laugh was disgusting—a nightmare.

He knew what lay beyond the veil of darkness. It was hyenas, Dire Hyenas. The village was in panic. The last time they encountered Dire Hyenas was ten years ago, the day Soli lost his parents. He still remembered being shoved into a cage and watching the hyenas kill his parents. Only he and his little sister survived that day. He vowed to avenge his parents, but the evil eyes of the creatures still haunted him. It was his first time seeing an evolved creature. The way it laughed, it was as if to mock him. It was massive, with glowing yellow eyes and a grin that never faded.

That day, it let him live. It couldn't be bothered with a caged child when there was easy prey. He knew the hyena could have broken the cage if it tried; it just didn't. They were at its mercy, and it let them live to show how insignificant their lives were. Now it was back.

---

The village was brighter than usual, with fires burning everywhere and torches lit in every street. There was no sight of villagers, only warriors by the gate, waiting for a fight. Sizwe could tell they were scared. He wondered what had them so rattled.

From afar, he spotted the Church. There were two acolytes, eight Guardian recruits, and two novices. The acolytes stood behind the Guardians, as did the novices. It seemed the Church was in no mood to help; they were the last line of defense.

Sizwe heard laughter coming from the other side of the gate as he hid in the darkness. The laughter disturbed him. It reminded him of hyenas. His face darkened; he didn't know how this evolution thing worked, but he knew this was bad news. If a rabbit could become that big, he could only imagine a creature like a hyena.

The massive wooden gate started to move.

Bang! As if being rammed. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

One ram after another. Looking at the gate, Sizwe saw a large paw with claws over the top.

"What the hell?"

A second later, one of the hyenas appeared, trying to climb the gate. The laughter intensified; it was so creepy. The hyena got over the gate and fell. It didn't seem to mind the fall as it got up and looked at the humans surrounding it, saliva filling its mouth.

In the next moment, the warriors attacked the hyena with relentless fury. It was amazing to see; the hyena stood no chance against their numbers. It quickly whimpered and died. Sizwe was impressed; the warriors knew what they were doing. But he knew this was nothing. The worst was still to come. There was another ram on the gate, but this time it was stronger, the gate almost falling off its hinges. A second ram came, and the gate was on its last legs. The warriors backed away, and the last ram came, bringing up a cloud of dust. From that dust came yellow eyes, followed by giggles.

From the smoke, the hyenas emerged. There were 10 or so of them, striped with fur that resembled porcupine quills. They looked menacing. Sizwe was intrigued. The hyenas began their attack. The warriors shielded themselves and tried to fight back, but this time it wasn't one versus many.

Although the hyenas were fewer in number, they were stronger and faster. The warriors had swords and shields, but the hyenas were weapons themselves. Reality set in when one of the hyenas swiftly moved and tore a warrior's neck open. It was quick and precise. Granted, the warrior was frozen in fear, but it was impressive.

The hyenas went on the offensive while the warriors defended themselves. There were about fifty warriors against thirteen hyenas. The fight was brutal.

Soli was in the middle of it. He and two warriors were fighting one of the hyenas. They were struggling but managing. Seeing these hyenas here reopened wounds for Soli, and he fought like a man possessed. He went for the hyena's blind spot, dodging its attacks and countering with stabs. After several wounds, the hyena slowed down. Soli moved for the kill, thrusting his sword into its neck with all his might. The sword tore through its neck, the sound and fell of its neck tearing was satisfying to him, the hyena fell. He enjoyed the life escape from its eyes, it was the revenge he needed, it was the revenge he longed for. Killing the scum with his own hands. That is what he trained for.

With this sword, he could avenge his parents. Soli continued the bloody fight. Warriors and hyenas fell alike, the ground littered with man and beast. Only a few remained on both sides. Soli didn't even know how long it had been. He was covered in blood and guts, the battle at a stalemate. As he regained his senses, he noticed the battlefield—horrible. He was in bad shape, but better off than those who had lost limbs or were at death's door. It was like a dream.

As they geared up for round two with the remaining hyenas, more giggles came from the darkness outside the gate. A few more hyenas entered the scene. The warriors were down to half their number and in bad shape. Whatever hope they had dissolved before their eyes.

More so when the Alpha entered the scene, giggling as if to mock them. There was no doubt in Soli's mind—it was the hyena he had met that day. Soli made eye contact with it. The hyena looked at him with its grin, as if happy to see him. Its giggle intensified. This hyena was much bigger than the rest. It was different, with darker green fur, sharper teeth and claws, and a more muscular build. It walked slowly, as the other hyenas made way. It moved as if it had all the time in the world. Soli watched as it approached.

In that moment, everyone was in disbelief. The creature that walked slowly as if it were in no rush had suddenly leaped and landed on Soli's neck, decapitating him instantly. Every warrior froze.

Sizwe, from afar, saw what happened. It was a trick. The Alpha gave the illusion that it was far away by moving slowly, but it was closer than anyone anticipated. This one was dangerous.

Just as Soli's head hit the ground, the other new arrivals pounced on the warriors. Now the Church Guardians had stepped in to help. The Guardian recruits were better equipped and could put up a fight against the hyenas.

After its show-off, the Alpha backed off and watched from afar. Sizwe had seen enough. This wasn't his fight; it was time to leave. He threw a glance at the Alpha, and in that moment, he broke into a cold sweat. The Alpha threw a glance back at him, grinning. Sizwe knew how to pick his battles, and this time he had to bolt. He packed up and left. Before he got too far, he threw one last glance at the Alpha, but it wasn't there.

"Damn it!"

Sizwe started running, thinking too much could get him killed. He ran as if his life depended on it. He didn't want the smoke, but the smoke wanted him. As he ran he kept looking back, there was nothing.

"Was I being Paranoid?" He slowed down his pace. He sighed a sigh of relief. He turned a corner towards his pre-planned escape route.

"Fuck."

It was time to meet the Joneses. The Alpha was right infront of him with its unsettling grin.

"Fancy meeting you here." He said as he smiled awkwardly.