Chapter 6

The journey was a brutal lesson in the post-apocalyptic world. The air was thick with the smell of dust, rust, and something putrid, the decaying remnants of life beneath the ruins. Wild, mutated, alien vegetation crept over concrete and steel, attempting to reclaim the city abandoned by humans. Every step was a risk, every strange sound could mean danger.

Luna led with astonishing precision. She leaped over cracks in the roads, slid over debris, and navigated narrow passageways Kai hadn't even known existed. She recognized Stalker tracks in the dust, read wind patterns to detect the scent of Golems, and avoided areas that felt "wrong" with the intuition of a true tracker.

Rima, on the other hand, was a living shield. Whenever Luna detected a threat too close, Rima would move. A Stalker sneaking from behind ruins would be met with a deadly slash from her machete, or a precise energy shot. Her movements were calm, unemotional, like a war machine programmed for protection. Kai realized that Rima was not only strong but also efficient and merciless.

"Quiet," Luna suddenly signaled, stopping behind the remnants of a wall. "Something's there."

Kai and Rima immediately hid beside her. In the distance, above the ruins of what might have once been a city park, they saw it. Not a Golem, not a regular Stalker. This was something larger, stranger. A creature, seemingly a giant mutated dog, with a thick, rock-like hide and twisted horns protruding from its head. Its legs, thick as tree trunks, gripped the carcass of a smaller Stalker, which it brutally tore apart. Black blood and organs splattered on the ground.

"What is that?" Kai whispered, his breath caught in his throat.

"Juggernaut," Rima murmured, her face hardening. "A lone hunter. Strong, but slow. Avoid direct contact. He won't smell us if we don't move."

They waited, holding their breath, until the Juggernaut finished with its prey and lumbered away, disappearing behind the ruins. The tension had just begun to recede when Luna signaled again. "There's a detour. A bit longer, but safe from that Juggernaut."

They finally reached the supermarket. Its front gates had collapsed, but the rest of the building still stood tall. Inside, the atmosphere was even gloomier and colder. Empty shelves loomed like giant bones, and only a few cans or packages remained.

"We'll move fast," Kai said. "Grab anything edible or drinkable. Prioritize canned food, bottled water if any, and light medical supplies."

They spread out but remained within each other's sight. Luna nimbly checked the upper shelves, Rima inspected the back storage area, while Kai focused on the front of the store, rummaging among the debris.

Luck, in its rare form, was on their side. Beneath a pile of collapsed shelves, in the medical supplies section, Aris found a tightly sealed box of medications, containing several bottles of antibiotics, sterile bandages, and even some basic painkiller injections. It was an incredibly valuable discovery.

Luna, in the food section, found several dozens of cans of sardines, beans, and intact fruits. Though not much, it was a significant supply for them. Rima also found some basic tools like a crowbar, screwdrivers, and several rolls of barbed wire that could be very useful for barricades.

As they prepared to leave, a sudden sound broke the silence. A loud CRACK!, like a gunshot. Everyone immediately ducked.

"Sniper?" Rima whispered, her eyes narrowed, searching for the source of the sound.

"No," Luna shook her head, her eyes looking upwards. "That sound... from the wall. The roof."

They looked up. On one of the still-standing walls, on the upper floor, there was a large, new crack. And from within it, something emerged. Not a Stalker. It was a smaller creature, like a giant mutated bat with membranous wings and sharp claws. It had glowing red eyes and emitted a high-pitched shriek.

"Sky-Screamer," Rima whispered, her face tense. "They hunt in groups. And they don't like light."

Just as she spoke, the creature let out a deafening shriek. The scream was not only painful to the ears but also seemed to attract attention. Suddenly, from cracks in the roof and high windows, dozens more of the creatures appeared, circling above their heads, ready to pounce.

"Get out!" Kai yelled. "We can't fight here! Too many hiding places for them!"

They ran as fast as they could, bags full of loot on their backs, out of the supermarket onto the open street. The Sky-Screamers followed them, their shrieks tearing through the air, like an invisible death alarm.

On the open street, another danger awaited. Several Stalkers, attracted by the noise, began to emerge from their hiding places among the ruins. They were caught between two threats.

"Kai, over there!" Luna pointed to an overturned city bus, its hulk half-submerged in debris. "We can take cover under it!"

They crawled under the bus carcass, cramped and dusty. The Sky-Screamers couldn't get in, their wings too large. However, they continued to circle above, occasionally diving low, trying to scratch at them from the damaged sides of the bus. Meanwhile, the ground Stalkers began sniffing around the bus, their claws scraping against the metal, trying to find an opening.

"Damn it," Rima grumbled, reloading her energy pistol. "Can't stay like this."

Kai looked at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, painting the horizon in bruised purples and dark oranges. Sky-Screamers hated bright light, but they were far more dangerous in the encroaching darkness. This was a perilous situation.

"We have to get out of here before it's completely dark," Kai said. "Rima, Luna, how much ammo do you have left?"

"Enough for a few minutes," Rima replied. "But this will only attract more."

Kai looked around, his mind working furiously, searching for a solution. His eyes fell on a collapsed utility pole in the distance, with wires still dangling. A crazy idea flashed in his mind.

"Rima, Luna, I need you to hold them off. Create a distraction. I'm going to try something."

Rima looked at him with a skeptical gaze. "What's your plan, Architect? Building an aerial bridge?"

"Almost," Kai retorted with a thin smile. "Trust me."

Reluctantly, Rima nodded. "Don't die. I don't like the idea of protecting corpses."

As Rima and Luna fired at and slashed the approaching Stalkers, creating enough of a distraction to divert the Sky-Screamers' attention, Kai crawled out from under the bus. He ran as fast as he could towards the collapsed utility pole, dodging claws and bites from the Stalkers. He knew it was a huge risk, but they didn't have many options.

Reaching the pole, he quickly tied one of the dangling wires tightly to a protruding concrete rebar. The wire was connected to the remnants of a transformer at the top of the pole. With all his might, and using what little knowledge he had of circuits, Kai tried to connect two stripped ends of the wire, looking for a spark, for any power that might still remain. It was a faint hope, as most electricity had been dead for years.

Above, the Sky-Screamers grew more furious. One of them dived low, its claws just inches from Kai's hair. Rima fired a warning shot that made it retreat momentarily.

And then, with sweat pouring down his face and his brain working under extreme pressure, Kai succeeded. A huge spark. A loud ZAP! sound, followed by a bright blue flash of light emanating from the wire.

The light wasn't permanent, but it was bright enough and startling enough for the Sky-Screamers. The creatures shrieked in pain, their wings trembling, and they flew away, disappearing into the newly descended darkness. The ground Stalkers also seemed disoriented by the flash and began to retreat into the shadows.

"Good job, Architect!" Rima exclaimed, though her face looked surprised.

Kai gasped, his hands slightly burned from the spark. "That was just temporary. We have to go now!"

They ran back to the warehouse with their remaining energy, their scavenged goods tightly secured. Night had fully enveloped the city, turning the ruins into terrifying silhouettes under a dark sky. But they had returned. With valuable supplies and, more importantly, with renewed faith in their team's capabilities.

Inside the warehouse, Elias and Aris greeted them with relief. Aris immediately grabbed the bag of medicines, her eyes gleaming. "Antibiotics! Amazing, Kai! This could save lives!"

They shared canned food, eating in comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the night outside. Rima, usually quiet, sat beside Kai.

"That flash plan... was stupid," she said, but there was a faint note of appreciation in her voice. "But it worked. You have a strange way of thinking, Architect."

Kai smiled, exhausted but satisfied. "Sometimes, in a broken world, we have to create our own surprises. And sometimes, all it takes is a little light to drive away the darkness."

That night, as they took turns on guard, Kai looked at his team members. Luna, sound asleep, her hand still clutching her small knife. Elias, sleeping soundly, the wound on his shoulder neatly bandaged. Aris, meticulously studying her samples under the faint glow of a flashlight, her spirit unyielding. And Rima, sitting upright near the door, her eyes vigilant, a tireless guardian.

They had survived a perilous day. They had found resources. They had fought and won. Most importantly, they had relied on each other. The foundation of a team, a family, and perhaps, a future, was slowly forming amidst the ruins. But Kai knew, this was just the beginning. The city waiting to be rebuilt was far larger and more dangerous than anything they could imagine.

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