the cold air inside the forest is brushing against me, the sound of branches cracking under my feet ringing in the silent woods
'oh shit why do my ribs start hurting like this just now? this pain is so hard' i think to myself while holding my hand against the left side of my torso
if i still had the painkillers maybe the pain wouldn't be so bad, but i just have to push through it. maybe when i reach Lune's place i can take something against the pain. i hope she has something
i make my way through the forest. it is quiet; i don't hear anything besides my footsteps and the wind rushing through the trees. it seems like the beasts are not that deep in the forest yet, or they just haven't made their way in here. i hope i get out before they do
a weird feeling runs up my back. i swiftly turn around but see nothing but trees. i look around again — still nothing but more trees
'my mind must be playing tricks on me. i'm sure it's nothing'
i grab the hammer in my pocket tightly and start moving a bit faster through the forest
around 15 minutes pass without anything happening, but the strange feeling is still lingering. it feels like i'm being watched. every time i look around i see nothing, and i don't hear any footsteps either. maybe i'm just hallucinating, or someone is following me and knows how to hide their steps
i keep moving forward. i can already see the light of the city at the end of the forest. the warm light pierces through the dark line of trees
i move a bit faster and can make out a mutter somewhere in the distance where the light begins
i approach the edge of the forest. only about 15 meters left. then suddenly i hear something — not in front of me, but from behind
not rustling trees. not the wind.
steps. fast ones. not in the same rhythm as mine
i run forward, pulling the hammer out of my pocket and gripping it with all my strength
the end of the tree line is not far, not even 10 meters, but the steps behind me get louder. faster than mine. branches crack under heavy movement
'is it a hound? i barely beat the last one, shit my ribs hurt, but i need to survive'
i turn around quickly, the hammer already in a wide swing — but i'm too slow
a hand grabs my wrist and stops the strike mid-air
the grip is painfully strong.
i can make out a silhouette. humanoid. standing in front of me, holding my wrist so tightly i can't move it at all
it's too dark to see clearly, but the figure is slightly taller than me
suddenly the second hand grabs above my elbow and pulls me forward while turning its back into me and placing a leg in front of mine
then suddenly
THUD
i crash hard onto the ground
"ahg"
i try to pull the second hammer from my pocket, but before i can reach it a foot presses down on my arm, pinning it to the ground
i struggle, trying to break free, but it's useless. either i'm too weak or he's too strong — probably both
now that he is closer i can see more details. two eyes under a hood, a dirty jacket, rough face. a human. maybe late twenties or early thirties
he keeps his foot on my arm and slowly pulls out a knife, pointing it directly at my face
"if i let you up, are you going to attack me?" he asks in a cold voice
"are you going to kill me?" i ask, breathing heavily
"depends on if you let go of those little hammers of yours," he says while slightly pressing the knife closer to my face
i slowly let go of both hammers and allow the one in my hand to drop to the ground
he watches me carefully for a few seconds, still holding the knife ready
i slowly get up, keeping my hands visible and away from the weapons on the ground
"so why did you follow and attack me? you could have just said something," i say while brushing dirt and leaves off my clothes
he keeps his distance, knife in hand, eyes scanning me carefully
"i wanted to be sure you weren't a beast. and when i realized you were human, you started running. i thought i'd stop you before you ran into military patrols," he answers cautiously
"what does the military have to do with that? i got a message earlier saying i should be careful around them, but i don't know why. aren't they supposed to help people?" i ask
he lets out a quiet breath but doesn't lower the knife
"you'd think so. they are helping — in a way. they kill the beasts they see. but they also kill humans. they shoot at almost everything that moves," he says quietly, keeping a careful distance
"what do you mean they shoot at everything that moves? they can't do that. there are laws. they would be held accountable. killing is still a crime," i respond
he shakes his head slowly
"that was true a few hours ago. not anymore. these beasts started appearing around five hours ago worldwide. they didn't announce it at first. then about an hour ago this system appeared everywhere. after that they declared an emergency state. now they are allowed to eliminate any potential threat," he explains
he takes a step back, still watching me carefully, knife raised
"and if they decide you are dangerous, they just say you tried to attack them or that you had powers. then you're dead and no one asks questions"
i stay silent for a moment
"so i should avoid them by any means necessary?" i ask
"yes," he answers immediately. "especially if your stats aren't high. they recruit strong people, but the weak ones... they don't care. if you're unlucky, they won't even hesitate before putting a bullet in your head"
he pauses and looks at me more closely, still cautious
"so where are you going?" he asks
"i need to reach someone. her name is Lune. she lives right outside the forest, not even five minutes from here. i need to make sure she's safe," i answer
he studies me in silence for a few seconds, knife still in hand
"and after that?" he asks
"after that i find a safe place and hide until things calm down," i reply
he nods slowly but keeps his distance, still cautious
"i'll help you reach her," he says carefully, "but only that. after we reach her, we go separate ways unless i see a reason to trust you fully"
i nod
"fair enough"
he slowly lowers the knife but doesn't put it away completely, keeping an eye on me
"my name is Liam," he says cautiously
"Lucius," i answer
he glances toward the edge of the forest where the city lights shine through the trees
"we move quietly and stay low. if there are military patrols near the city, we go around them," he says
"alright," i reply
"and one more thing," Liam adds, keeping the knife ready just in case, "if you try anything stupid, i won't hesitate"
"same goes for you," i answer calmly
he nods slightly, still cautious but easing a little
"good. then let's move"
i pick up the hammers from the ground and start walking cautiously toward the edge of the forest with Liam following me, keeping a bit of distance between us, shadows of the trees hiding us as we move