Chapter 772: Madness of the fire king.
Moon and the few people she had that had survived the journey to the west were resting in the shadow of a jagged building, their breath coming in ragged gasps. They had just barely survived an attack from a pack of razor hounds, and the adrenaline was finally wearing off, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion.
Moon, however, didn’t seem to have a ’rest’ setting. She stood over them, her boots caked in dried ash and hound blood, tapping her foot impatiently. "Up! Everyone up! We aren’t safe here. The scent of blood from the injured will bring other mutated animals to us. Move your legs or lose them!"
The men didn’t move. Pete who usually had an encouraging word for everyone in the hardest of situations, just groaned and buried his face in his dirt-stained hands. "I think I pulled a muscle; I cannot go any further right now. I think we are all just about done with this hellish journey."
"You’re not done until I say you’re done," Moon snapped, her eyes scanning the horizon. She had been pushing them for days, driving them like cattle toward the setting sun.
The men exchanged dark looks. They didn’t like her. To them, she wasn’t a hero; she was a relentless ghost who didn’t care if they dropped dead as long as she reached her destination. They blamed her for the empty spots in their ranks_ friends who had fallen behind or been torn apart because Moon led them to dangerous routes. Only thirty of them were now left.
How could thirty pyrokinetics rule the apocalypse? Where was the glory she had claimed they would enjoy? All they had tasted so far was death and pain. It was time to kick her to the curb and return to their old ways which had kept them safe and grown their army.
"We stay, even the fire king is resting. He is not well and you know this." Pete said firmly, looking toward a small, lopsided tent with caution in his eyes.
Garrison, once a man of iron and flame, was falling apart faster than they expected. In the past, such episodes of confusion happened once a month maybe. Now, it was daily, and it was worse.
He had started talking to rocks days ago. He would stare into space for hours; his eyes glazed over in a terrifying trance. The men were scared. They were leaderless and being forced to follow a woman they hated into an unfamiliar land.
Some of the remaining pyrokinetics were already discussing breaking away from the group when they got to the next livable town.
Moon put her hands on her waist, her patience snapping. "You guys are supposed to listen to me, that was the deal I made with Garrison. Fortress Four is right there, just twenty miles away! Are you going to die on the doorstep because your feet hurt?"
"What we need," a voice rang out, cold and steady, "is a safe place to spend the night. Not a death march into the mist at this time. That distance may seem short in your head, but it is a long distance considering all the obstacles in the path."
Moon turned, her lip curling. It was Vexi. The young man had become a constant thorn in her side. He was the only one brave or stupid enough to talk back to her.
"Vexi, right?" Moon sneered. " I do not care what you think. I’m sure the Fire King will love hearing about how you disobeyed my order. I’ll make sure to report your ’bravery’ to him personally."
Vexi didn’t flinch. "Report away. At least I’ll be alive to hear the verdict."
If looks could kill, Vexi would have been a pile of ash on the spot. Moon let out a frustrated growl. "I will get the fire king, prepare to leave." She stormed away toward the tent where Garrison was.
Inside, the air was stiflingly hot. Garrison was lying on a thin bedroll, his skin pale and slick with sweat. He was twitching, his fingers clawing at the dirt as if he were trying to dig his way out of a dream.
"Garrison! Wake up!" Moon shouted, kicking the side of his chest. "Get up, you useless idiot! Your men are starting a mutiny, and we have twenty miles to go."
She kicked him again, harder this time. "Wake up!"
Garrison’s eyes snapped open. But they weren’t his eyes. They were two glowing pits of orange embers, swirling with a madness that made the air in the tent hum. He didn’t see Moon. He saw the nightmare he had just escaped in his mind: a world of shadows and teeth.
"Get away!" Garrison shrieked, scrambling backward. He pointed a shaking finger at Moon. "The shadow! The terrifying shadow is here! It’s come to swallow us all!"
Moon stiffened. She was a woman who lived by her instincts, and right now, every alarm bell in her head was screaming. The smell of danger filled the entire place. Still, she laughed and tried to make him return to his senses. But her laugh was a dry, uncomfortable sound. "Garrison, stop it. It’s me. Moon. Snap out of it before I slap the fire out of you!"
Garrison was gone. To him, Moon was a towering monster of darkness. He let out a primal scream and thrust his hands forward. A massive bolt of white-hot fire slammed into Moon’s body, throwing her backward through the tent fabric and out into the dirt.
The men outside scrambled to their feet as Moon tumbled through the air, smoke rising from her clothes. The tent itself was going up in flames!
"Fire king?" Vexi yelled, moving toward the tent.
Garrison stumbled out, and the sight stopped everyone’s heart. He wasn’t just casting fire; he was fire. His skin was cracking like cooling lava, and huge, violent flames were erupting from his shoulders and hair.
"It’s everywhere!" Garrison wailed, his voice sounding like that of a mad conspiracy theorist on a random street. He looked at his men, but his mind saw monsters made of flame coming to get him. "I’ll burn you first! I’ll burn the shadows. You will never get me; I will never let you get me."
A cloud of fire rose from his hands, it poured from his mouth, out of every hole on his body.
"Sir, wait!" Pete screamed, holding up his hands. "It’s us! Your army."