The Next Wave

[00:01:03 REMAINING]

Knuckles white, breaths shallow—each person gripped their makeshift weapons, crafted from the bones of fallen wolves. Crouched low in a tight formation, they waited..

The two children sat in the center with Sophie holding them soothing them softly and Joseph standing straight next to them, his bow taunt and his face grim. His fingers trembling from exhaustion and raw cuts. He couldn't afford to miss—not again.

Christopher barked orders across the campsite, his voice steady, laced with urgency. His commands kept them grounded, kept them from giving in to the fear clawing at their insides.

Michael's hands trembled—not from fear, or at least, not the kind he had expected. A thrill coiled in his chest, something unsettling, something almost… exhilarating. The fire flickered, its remanent embers crackled. He held an arrow unlike the bones that the other carried, running his hand across the shaft he felt its creases and curves as he got used to it in his grip.

The brothers, Dean and Sam, stood apart. Too calm. Too prepared.

They were barely past twenty, yet their movements, their quiet confidence—it didn't fit. Whenever anyone pressed them on their past, they dodged the questions, offering vague stories that never quite added up.

They knew something.

Hunting. Archery. Survival. They moved like men who had seen far more than the rest of them. But they never spoke of it.

[00:00:03 REMAINING]

[00:00:02 REMAINING]

[00:00:01 REMAINING]

[Second Wave Begin]

Nothing happened.

Yet.

***

Minutes passed and there was no sign of anything, everyone's constant attention on every spot around them bore hard into them. Joseph pulled back his bow wordlessly, taking deep breaths in waiting for anything.

He has been acting as the group's scout or rogue, as he looks around checking his makeshift traps made into small pit holes they had planned to slow and allow people to attack and gain levels themselves.

There was ruffling through the bushes before a horrible sound echoed out like a beast struggling to breathe "Hrnk-hank-HNNNGGG!" While laughing at something.

The sound was infrequent at first happening every few minutes, each time from a new direction, sometimes far, sometimes close.

But it was definitely something feral, something no one had heard of before… It was unnatural.

The nerves started to get to people, the children started crying as Sophie's constant soothing had gone away as she jumped side to side like a frightened rabbit from each new sound.

Joseph had let his bow hang to his side, shaking his head in disbelief "there can't be that many can there?" He says mumbling to himself.

Even the naturally stoic and calm Christopher seemed to be striking into a ball, looking odd with his giant physique.

Things were going to shit and if they were to continue like this they would have been easy pickings by these monsters. WAIT this is what they are trying to do-what if we aren't fighting beasts but other intelligent life… this is a scare tactic designed to make us scared and tired!

"GUYS don't fall for it, there just trying to SCARE you. It's not a BEAST it's an INTELLIGENT BEING!" Michael shouts, turning around and telling the group. Sophie and Joseph were the first to react, attempting to regain control of the situation around them while Christopher and Alex acted a bit slower processing the unexpected information.

The two brothers exchanged a knowing glance with Michael. The tricks hadn't fazed them. Before they eyes widened in surprise looking behind him as Michael swung his head back frantically.

He had left his vantage point…

He smelt them before he saw them, like rotten eggs dipped with old squid and covered in shit, the smell made him wanna puke, but the sight was worse.

The undergrowth exploded. Four twisted figures hurtled toward them, shrieking with breathless, choking laughter—"Hrnk-hank-HNNNGGG!" Their wretched forms darted between trees, lunging forward, spears and crude knives glinting under the dim light. The stench hit next—rot and filth curling in Michael's nostrils, making his stomach churn.

Each thing had a brown grotty brown laced clothing attached to its nether regions, covering its green coloured slimy skin looking like the underside of a frog's belly. Wooden spears with fashioned tips of rock and small knives were held in their hands as they raced towards them.

As they breached through the trees, taking advantage of Michael's gap through between the ranks to race towards them. Their faces happily exhilarated as the point towards the center of the group happily.

Michael grabbed his weapon tightly waiting silently as the first arrow whistled past his head, slamming right between the first things legs, making it fall to ground squealing in pain.

"I was, ahhh was aiming for its legs" Joseph mutters scratching his head, making Sophie smacks him on the "Just Shoot him dumbass".

Michael watches as none of the green bipeds even flinch, running face first and arms out like they wanted more.

The rest of the group had woken up from the green bipeds' fear tactics and begun to break away from a circle, wrapping around towards the beast intending to pincer them in.

The green sapiens arrive at once with Michael's closest teammate, one of the brothers Sam a few seconds away as Michael springs to the side letting the first one into the group, knowing that if he tries to fight, his injuries will kill him before he can do anything.

Michael starts ducking to the left under a wild right hand swing by the green sapients, it slammed into his side pushing him to the ground as the rest of them run past them straight for Sophie, Joseph and the kids.

"Stop them!" Michael yells as he gasps for breath, watching as Sam slid behind the creature, wrenching it away from the group in a tight chokehold. Dean lunged from the front, slicing its wrists first, then its legs, crippling it before they finished the job.

That was too smooth.

The other two green gremlin looking rush forward without care, each one breathing lecherously staring happily at Sophie.

Her eyes widening in fear as she clutches her body tightly, trembling in a protective manner.

Her breath hitched. She clutched the children tighter, trembling as the goblins' lecherous eyes locked onto her. When their eager snarls turned into a full charge, her body jolted, instincts screaming to run. But—no, she couldn't just leave them. The hesitation cost her. The moment she loosened her grip, the children pulled away, and her scream ripped through the night.

Michael yells quickly "[Royal Shadow]" his body fading out of view as the rest of the group rush forward, protective of the kind and gentle Sophie.

His body slinked into Dean's shadow as the rest of the group shoved their spears and daggers towards the enemy, cracking their lustful gazes and horror filled screams echo through the night, squealing like pigs as Alex and the usually stoic Christopher tear violently at them.

Joseph's knuckles turned white around his bowstring. His grin was tight—too tight—like a mask barely holding back something darker. He stepped forward, shielding Sophie as if daring the creatures to try.

They wouldn't let them.

Crouching from shadow to shadow, noticing how everyone's gazes slid over him, as he roamed the battlefield watching the brothers clean the blades and the first injured creature make its way before Joseph

It had snuck past the raging massacre of its brethren and come before Joseph, its small ugly frame stood next below, its tongue hanging on the edge of its mouth as it starred back definitely at the drawn bow inches from its forehead.

"Aahh—ahh—!" A breath scream shatters the bloodthirsty atmosphere as a red ball of flames hits Joseph's back, sending him crumbling to his ground as the crusty smell of burned flesh fills the air.

He screamed in a fiery pain as the brothers rushed towards him patting down the spreading flames across his body.

Michael's breath caught as something shifted in the tree line. Slow, deliberate footsteps. A shadow unfurled from the darkness, hunched and draped in a tunic far too large for its wiry frame. Gnarled fingers clutched a crooked wooden staff, each step dragging the heavy cloth through the dirt. Its skin sagged, its beady eyes gleamed with malice, and its jagged teeth curled into a knowing grin.

It walked slowly and carefully, clutching the staff like a lifeline it walked toward them.

Magic

"N-no—!" Sophie pleadingly screamed next to Michael, his body stiffened in horror as he looked to see the goblin slicing one of the small children across the face as they attempted to be brave and stand before the wicked creature. And protect Sophie.

Michael crouches down faintly looking over the child, before sighing in sadness. This little girl is going to be scared for life…

Grasping his hand tightly around his weapon, Michael looks quickly towards the goblin mage, seeing it was busy looking cautiously towards the growing group protecting Joseph and attacking him.

They could deal with the Mage themselves.

Couldn't they?

Punching the thoughts out of his mind he runs towards Sophie as the goblin reaches towards her, its face lustful and terrible. 

His legs felt sluggish. Each step sent fire lancing up his ribs, but he pushed forward, teeth gritted. Just a little farther—

The world lurched sideways.

His stomach twisted as vertigo swallowed him whole. His knee buckled, and the ground slammed into him before he even realized he was falling. His eyes widening in fear shit am I going to die? What about Sophie?

It's been like 30 seconds? Is it because I'm injured or something else?

Michael's shirt was soaked in blood, torn open from the slash he took in the last battle. He clutched at the fabric, pressing hard against the wound. His other hand dug into the dirt, fingers curling into the grass as he shakily released his skill.

His pupil dilated constantly adjusting as he felt the blood rush thumping through his head, the sound of his heartbeat reverberating as he bites tightly onto his tongue forcing his body awake, ignoring the blissful call of sleep.

But nothing prepared Michael for the horrid sight of the goblin ripping and tearing through Sophie's dirty white garments as it grinned lecherously, eagerly aligning itself, "Ghrrrrk-heh-heh-HEHHK!" laughing maniacally with a throat filled with mucus at Sophie's screams desperately.

He bit down hard on his tongue, the sharp sting grounding him in the moment. Blood pooled in his mouth, mixing with the rising tide of rage.

Damn you fucking Goblin!

Growling more feral then any beast Michael pushes forward in a mad sprint, his knees low with each step barely above the ground, racing forward towards the fowl beasts.

Michael's fingers twitched open, his weapon slipping from his grasp. The rage burned hotter—too much to hold back. He dropped low, sprinting on all fours like a beast, eyes locked onto the goblin.

A sharp ringing filled his skull, drowning out everything but the goblin. His world had narrowed to just three things—the sound, his heartbeat, and His Rage.

Snarling, he lunged forward, fist swinging like a hammer. The goblin's head snapped forward with a sickening crack.

No one would hurt his family, he would make sure of that. As his vision goes red, Michael heaves in rage ignoring the feeble slashes of the Goblins disgusting black claws, as he rained down punches, ignoring the pain as his knuckles bled and broke.

"Crack" pulling back for another punch, his index and thumb hanging limply to the side with long scratches down each side, Michael lands as blow as he carved in the goblins skull killing it completely.

Drip. Drip. Cold against his cheek.

Raining?

No… tears.

Michael barely had time to process the thought before the exhaustion swallowed him whole. His body gave out, and the darkness took him.