Chapter 176: CH 176: Obtaining a Fire Affinity (part 1) Edited
A slow dread crept over Dave as he crouched beside one of the bodies, scanning their burnt body, their height, anything to indicate whether one of them could be Eric. But it was impossible to tell. The fire had stripped them of identity. Still, deep inside, Dave was praying and pleading, that Eric’s body wasn’t among them.
His jaw tightened.
Whatever happened here was no random wildfire, nor a meteor strike or beast stampede. This was targeted. Cold-blooded. The kind of thing someone does when they want to make sure nothing—no one—survives. But who could have committed something so cruel? And why?
A noise snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts.
A soft shuffle, like a foot pressing into loose debris, sounded behind him.
He didn’t turn right away, thinking it might be one of the girls returning. His mouth opened slightly as he called out. "Ella? Sun?"
But there was no answer.
A second later, just as he began to glance over his shoulder—
A thick, heavy log swung from the shadows like a battering ram, its velocity was sharp, fueled by murderous intent. It crashed against the side of Dave’s skull with a deafening CRACK! A sound loud enough to make birds scatter from nearby rooftops.
But it wasn’t Dave who buckled.
Instead, the log had shattered upon impact, splintering into two jagged pieces that clattered to the ground. The attacker stumbled back, eyes wide beneath his mask, disbelief etched in every inch of his posture.