Chapter 95: Tomorrow
The creatures lingered just beyond the door. Their white fur blended with the white of the ground and the white of the falling snow, making them just that much harder to track.
Every time one stepped too close, Brandon waved his flaming stick threateningly, pushing them back. But it was far from enough to make them retreat entirely.
They kept just beyond the range of the sticks, hungrily eyeing for an opening.
"Brandon."
Chloe started stripping, pulling off the sweater she’d been wearing since the start, leaving just her plain white T-shirt.
Brandon gave her a side glance but said nothing, as his attention remained entirely monopolized by the coyotes he was fending off.
She threw it out the door. The cloth landed softly on the snow, spooking the hounds into backing off for a moment.
Suddenly, Miles realized her plan.
"Burn it."
Already growing tired from standing guard, Brandon wasted no time following her suggestion. The fabric lit instantly, creating a small barrier of flames between them and the monsters.
Unlike the ghouls that had blindly run into it back in the illusions, these creatures kept their distance from the flames, growling in anger as they stood behind it.
One sought to bypass the barrier through a gap in the side, when Ryan threw his own jacket there, and Brandon set it alight the moment it landed.
The coyotes snarled even more, then began probing for a new opening. Yet between the burning clothes and Brandon waving his burning sticks threateningly, they were effectively blocked.
Unfortunately, it was only a temporary measure; the clothes would burn up eventually. The sticks in Brandon’s hands were already blackened and slowly crumbling in his hands.
They only had to wait, and they seemed intent on doing exactly that, keeping up the pressure on Brandon all the while.
Staring at the dying flames, Miles was halfway through unzipping his sweater when a long howl interrupted him.
Deep and mournful.
His gaze naturally turned to the silhouette behind the fence. The coyotes beyond the door froze in response.
The silhouette watched them silently for a few more moments, then howled once more before slowly retreating.
’What?’
The coyotes broke from their stillness, seemingly just as confused. Hesitantly, they glanced at one another before slowly backing off. They left one after the other, until only one was left behind.
It barked harshly at them, then scurried away as well, leaping over the fence to join its fellows wherever they had run off.
"Are they... gone?"
Brandon didn’t sound sure of himself. They waited a few more seconds to see if this was just some cruel trick, a strategy to make them lower their guard.
But there really was nothing. It was starting to seem more and more like they’d actually retreated.
’Why, though?’
"I think they are,"
Ryan said, taking one step back.
"Let’s back away slowly."
His right hand still clasped firmly as he began retreating too. Miles joined him, taking a step as well. The others soon followed.
They kept their eyes locked on the fence outside, just in case the creatures decided to come for round two. Nothing happened in the end, and they reached the storeroom without issues. They all dived in the moment they did, with Brandon slamming and locking the door behind them.
He slid down against the door the moment he did, curling up in exhaustion. The sticks in his hands partially crumbled into ash the moment they touched the ground.
They all collapsed similarly, be it from relief or exhaustion. Miles landed on his thermal blanket, dropping his spear a distance away to avoid staining it.
Ryan slowly knelt, blood trickling down between the gaps in his fingers where he clutched his arm. He was injured.
Mia was already reaching for her first aid kit.
Sarah hovered around Chloe as the girl lifted her T-shirt, sliding a card desperately across her skin to peel off a thin, pale object attached to it.
She crushed it the moment it hit the ground.
Miles checked himself too upon seeing that. Luckily, he found no drift worms crawling up his skin. The others joined him, checking themselves as well.
Only Ryan found one on himself; Mia helped him scrape it, then crushed it afterwards.
"What the hell was that?"
Mia said, giving the bandage wrapped around Ryan’s wound one final tug. His face tightened as she did so.
"Baleful hounds, if the system is anything to go by,"
Chloe answered, tenderly touching the spot where the worm had attached to her.
’Hmm...’
Miles brought up all the notifications he’d been dismissing. He hadn’t had time to check them in the heat of battle.
A flood of screens poured before him.
[You have contributed in slaying an anomaly.]
[Soma-class Larva slain: Ghoul]
[Based on your contributions as well as landing the final blow, you have been awarded 7 points.]
.
.
[You have contributed in slaying an anomaly.]
[Soma-class Pupa slain: Ghoul.]
[Based on your contributions as well as landing the final blow, you have been awarded 15 points.]
.
.
[You have slain an anomaly.]
[Soma-class Pupa slain: Baleful hound.]
[Based on your contributions as well as landing the final blow, you have been awarded 20 points.]
He had gained about 89 points in total. He had killed about four ghouls, assisted Chloe and Sarah in killing two, finished off one pupa ghoul, and finally dealt with a hound himself.
It had only given him about 3 points for helping Chloe and Sarah.
’Just shy of a 100.’
He sighed internally.
"It’s probably still out there, right?"
Ryan said, carefully adjusting his bandaged arm to his side.
"Definitely. I don’t know why it left, whatever it is, but those hounds wouldn’t have stopped without it."
Chloe dropped down her shirt, then pulled a fidgeting Sarah down, making her sit next to her before she could even think of retreating to her own corner.
"Think it might’ve pitied us?"
Brandon snorted at Mia’s question.
"They hate us. Gaia said as much."
"Geez, so much for trying to lighten the mood."
The girl deflated and looked down on the blood-stained tissue she’d just wiped her hands with. The room fell silent for a few moments, before Ryan broke it with a sigh.
"We’re still heading out tomorrow, yeah?"
No one replied.