Chapter 18.

Lane wasn't nervous, he was confident that he could handle this job but his mind kept going back to Moth. He let out a small sigh as the cart rattled along the trail, he tapped the handle of his axe anxiously as he glanced around at the people sitting with him. There was something wrong, every time he looked around he'd find the eyes of the people around him on him only for them to disappear as he glanced over at them. However they seemed to need him given that they had give him food and a water bottle not that either tasted very good to him. 

The cart screeched to a stop as they got to a thicker part of the forest that the cart couldn't fit through. Lane took a final swig of the water bottle he was given before jumping down off the cart and continuing his journey on foot. Lane followed the group deep into the forest, moving quietly so that they could hear their surroundings as well as possible. They could only hear the faint rustling of leaves, wind blowing through the trees and the occasional rabbit running by. Everything seemed serene and peaceful which was seen in the loose way the men held their weapons and their relaxed posture. The only one who noticed something was off was Lane, who felt the presence of an eyeless face stalking them from a distance. High class walkers are more intelligent than the others and prefer to stalk their prey from a distance to check how strong they are. Their limbs also often mimic weapons that are relevant to their original human appearance making them even more deadly. From the reports I've gotten this one seems to use a large club or blunt instrument that crushes its opponents. Given that people found crushed and broken trees. The group stopped and listened for a moment as they heard a distant sound. Lane perked up his ears to listen as a whistling sound, like a ball being thrown, filled the area. 

Lane's eyes widened, "Move! Now!" The group spread apart, barely moving out of the way in time as a large boulder landed in the middle of where they were standing. It throws boulders? Lane thought to himself, a slight chill running up his spine. "Let's split up and move towards it, fast. We'll be harder targets if we move." He yelled, trying to get the groups attention. "No, stay close together!" The grey haired man demands, glaring at Lane. "It'll pick us off one by one if we move separately." Lane rolled his eyes and split off from the group anyways, heading through a densely packed area of trees. "Where are you going?!" The man yelled to him while the group followed him in a different direction. "I don't follow your orders anymore!" Lane yelled back as he ran towards the area where the boulder came from just as another boulder whizzed by his head and crashed towards the group. He moved swiftly through the forest, the group somewhere behind him a fair distance away, he stopped as he heard the loud cracking of pine trees. "Move!" He yelled, pushing back the few members who caught up to him. A boulder comes towards him, ripping through the trees. Lane planted his feet firmly in the ground before swinging his axe at the boulder, cutting it straight in half and effectively stunning the people around him. He breathed heavily as he ran forward again going straight towards the area where the boulder had come from. Suddenly, his feet didn't touch the ground as he tumbled down a snowy slope, the remaining people of the group following closely behind. 

He hit the ground at the bottom, immediately pulling himself to his feet as he looked up at the walker that was growling in his ear. It towered over him, is bulky build blocking the sun and drooling a black saliva out of its mouth as it stared at him. Lane stared back at it for a moment as he caught his breath. Neither him or the walker moved seemingly waiting for the other to make the first move. After a few moments of tensely staring at each other, the walker moved first lifting up a boulder to drop on top of Lane.

Lane sharply inhaled before jumping up in the air and spinning to swing his axe around and cutting into the walker's face near where it's eyes should be placed. It screeched and withdrew slightly as black blood spewed from its head. Is that enough to obscure it's vision? 

A meaty hand flung towards him, hitting him in the chest, it would have sent him flying but he dug his axe into its hand and clung onto it. He used his axe to pull himself onto the walker's hand, grunting as he pulled the axe up through it's arm, creating a large slash. The creature shrieked in pain while Lane climbed onto its shoulder, "Anytime now!" He yelled as he dug his axe into its neck cutting into it like he was cutting down a tree. It was planned beforehand that Lane would distract the creature long enough for the group to set up their weapons. The group had set themselves up around it with large hooks that they threw onto the walker, digging into its arms and legs. They pulled against it, the machine creaking as it tugged at the giant walker. It stumbled and tripped slightly before being brought to the ground with a loud thud. Lane leaped off it at the last moment landing on the ground nearby, completely out of breath and stumbling slightly. Why do I feel so drowsy… He shakes off the feeling thinking that he will take a long nap with Moth after he's finished, It's not over yet. He walked over to the walker's head, planting his feet firmly in the ground and readying his axe. He leaped up, swinging his axe around and made a large slash in his neck, taking a moment to breath before repeating the movement another fourteen times before the head finally rolled off, spewing out a ton of blood. 

Some of the men around him cheered as the walker was finally brought down, running over to Lane and patting him on the back. Lane caught his breath, chuckling slightly as the older, grey haired man walked towards him. He wordlessly put a hand on Lane's shoulder and nodded in approval, Lane felt a slight warmness in his chest, he felt acknowledged for the first time. But he was quickly dragged out of his thoughts when he was pulled forward and a dagger was pushed into his stomach. He looked down in surprise, coughing up blood as he dropped to his knees. Through the spurting blood he managed to struggle out a single word. "Why?"

The grey man looked down at him coldly and with a shrug he stated. "Money. Sure getting you to help us take down the walker was a plus but the real money lies in that humanoid you were travelling with." He pulls out a scroll from his bag, Rin's bounty. "So, we decided to use you to kill the walker then kill you and turn your companion in for money." Lane clutched at his wound as he fell down, his blood seeping into the snow. "You were strong Lane, hell you cut a boulder in half but you are far too naive. I even managed to poison you through your food and water you should've been more careful." The man turned away leaving him bleeding in the snow again but this time Lane felt no anger, he just felt scared and concerned for Rin who he had loved so much. I never even told him that. He let out a shaky breath as he balled up a fist in the snow and got up, grabbing his axe a black fluid running down his hands.