Black Market Merchant

Nathan and twenty other ERM militia were armed with an assortment of rifles and pistols as they headed south through town in search of Vice Commander Orin. They were carrying very little in terms of ammo because they were more concerned with figuring out the situation and evacuating people than confronting the Twisted directly. They may not have yet witnessed the terrors of the Twisted firsthand, but the stories they had been told alone were enough to spur their haste.

“I see the Orin and the others ahead!” Nathan called over his shoulder to the others as they were jogging single file through town. “They look like they are in trouble, lets hurry.”

Nathan could see the bright yellow hair of Orin as he stood a full head higher than the rest of the men with him. It looked like they were split into three groups with each group keeping watch over the streets that merged into the intersection they were guarding. All of them had their guns raised up to their shoulders and were uneasily keeping watch for danger.

“Orin!” Nathan called to the tall blond man. “I came with back up. What is the situation?”

The tall man coiled only his torso around to look at Nathan and the others coming from behind them. “Thank goodness, it’s about time. I was worried about the man we sent back to the warehouse because the Twisted have already reached this point.”

By now Nathan and the others joined up and started filtering into the ranks of Orin’s group. They were now double the number to be around fifty ERM militia members.

“So, where are those Twisted then?” Nathan asked looking down the three roadways.

“Right up there is the closest one. It’s a real nasty looking bugger.” Orin said pointing above them.

“How did it get on the roof?” Nathan said with surprise upon seeing a Night Hound, dead, drooping half over the edge. “This is my first time seeing one and I hadn’t heard of them climbing on buildings.”

“I have no idea either. This is my first encounter too.” Orin replied. “However, it was not alone. There were five of those monsters that came over the roof tops. We opened fire briefly and killed that one, but the rest fled as soon as we fired. It has only been a few minutes since then and it’s been too quiet. Got any plans?”

Nathan warily looked above him at the rooves as he replied, “I was hoping you had one. I think we should keep going deeper into town and look for anyone that might not have heard the news or is already being chased. We need to get them to the cliff north of here. It will be safer if we have the high ground and not them.”

“Sounds reasonable.” Orin said with a nod. “Is Commander Gillian already over there?”

“Yes, he and the rest of the Mech team should be finishing up the path there and Mr. Flanagan is directing the townspeople to go to the cliff as well from the warehouse.” Nathan replied.

Nathan and Orin started to relay the plan to the others, and they pressed deeper down the main street in one big group. Things were silent for half a block before a sudden stir ahead drew their gaze. The noise was coming from a half rotted away building and it sounded as if a bag of flower was being pounded on a wall.

The militia group surrounded the front of the building while taking up positions to watch their backs and flanks. It was Nathan and Orin that approached the smashed in front door first. They had their guns raised as the sound didn’t stop, though now less frequent. Peering into the dark interior they were mortified to see a terrifying sight.

Being barely illuminated by dusty sunbeams was wet red blood smeared all over the wood floor and splattered on the back wall. In the center of this pool was another Night Hound with its head half buried into the torso of a dead man! Then, before the two shocked men could move, the Night Hound picked up the half-eaten man in its huge, tooth filled maw and slapped the body against the wall, flipping the body over in the process.

“You nasty monster!” Nathan shouted raising his gun to shoot.

Startled by the shout the Night Hound leapt straight up in the air and spun about to face Nathan. The Night Hound let out a heavy screeching scream and spread its arm wide menacingly. Nathan was shaking from both fear and anger as he pulled the trigger. His aim was rattled, and the bullet struck the Night Hounds left thigh spewing foul blackened blood.

Unperturbed by the nonlethal wound the Night Hound lunged at Nathan with both of its large, clawed arms, aiming to slash Nathans middle. Nathan reacted in fear and took a step backwards, however, his heel caught on a loose floorboard, and he fell backwards. The Night Hounds claws missed their mark, yet the creature reached farther than expected and a single claw grazed Nathan right across his grey sweater, tearing it cleanly across his chest.

Orin had a clear shot now and from this distance he could not miss. Orin’s rifle struck true, striking the back of the Night Hounds head to blow it apart like a black blood-filled water balloon. They had no time to process what to do next for from the back of the building came three other distinct screeches. There were still more Night Hounds!

“Get up!” Orin shouted pulling Nathan by the back of his shredded sweater.

Nathan didn’t argue. He got up and made for the exit as Orin started shooting blindly into the rotting buildings blackness. Three of the militia’s forces outside were about to enter as Nathan came barreling into them. They all collapsed into the street but quickly scrambled up as Orin ran past them into the road.

“Three more following me!” Orin shouted.

Then from everyone’s right came a humans scream. Immediately following it came another Night Hound’s screech at ground level. At the same time from the rooves above on the ERM’s left, six Night Hounds jumped down into the confused humans below. Guns fired, men and monsters wailed, all the while the situation only grew worse.

Nathan turned to go help only to hear Orin’s gun open fire. The three Night Hounds from the building busted down the rotten door frame and pounced onto Nathan and the three militia men with him. The four of them were flattened by the impact and driven to the ground.

One man screamed as a Night Hounds claws buried deeply into his middle. Another man had caught a Night Hounds mouth with the barrel of his gun and was struggling to hold the oversized, skinny creature back. Nathan and the last man were both knocked flat and pinned by the Night Hounds long claws digging into their shoulders. However, before either of them could react the Night Hounds gapping mouth closed around the man’s face right next to Nathan!

Blood splashed onto Nathans head as the mans muffled cries filled his ears. Enraged, Nathan kicked as hard as he could into the Night Hounds chest. The beast was lighter than expected and the blow successfully knock the Night Hound off from them. Unfortunately, not without tearing off the mans skin from his face!

With no time to spare, Orin emptied his rifles ammo into the closest of the Night Hounds. He then brandished a kitchen knife and ran at the Night Hound that was fighting with the militia man’s gun barrel. The Night Hound that he shot at was not yet dead and it lashed out one last time at Orin’s legs, tripping him.

Nathan fumbled with his rifle as the kicked Twisted stopped moving only long enough to swallow the militia man’s face skin. The mutilated militia man writhed in pain as his hand shook violently above his ruined face. The Night Hound pounced at the hapless man and drove its long claws into the man’s neck, ending the blood chilling screams. That was its last mistake.

Nathan regained his composer, and from his back, shot the vicious Night Hound right in the chest. It was a clean heart and lung shot, and the beast toppled to the ground immediately dead. Rolling over, Nathan turned and shot twice more at the last Night Hound. This Twisted was stuck in the arm and gut but it didn’t die. However, the shots were enough, and the pinned man tossed the wounded beast off him. The militia man then shot his own gun, finishing off the last of the three Night Hounds.

As Nathan, Orin, and the other militia man got up from the ground they were bewildered to see the man stabbed in the middle by the Night Hound was twitching in death throes as he bled out. The rest of the Night Hounds screeches and gun fire drew their attention away from the sad sight of their dying comrade and back onto the task at hand.

Already seven ERM militia were dead or badly wounded while, of the seven other Twisted, only three were killed. The last four Twisted were holed up in between two buildings and using the debris in this space as cover to harass the militia that tried to shoot them. Orin saw this and called for everyone to fall back and regroup. These Twisted were turning out to be more cunning and dangerous than anticipated.

“Carry the wounded and dead away from here!” Orin ordered. “We can’t let them become food for these monsters.”

“We need to fall back to the intersection and plan our next move.” Nathan added as he picked up the rifle of the stabbed to death militia man next to him.

Nathan then looked at the pale lifeless body of the same man and the dead man was looking right back at him with terror stamped into his lifeless eyes. Instantly Nathans body could take the stress and threw up. The foul taste in his mouth was nothing compared to what he finally comprehended. A man was killed right next to him only mere seconds ago.

Nathan wiped at the stringy saliva hanging from his lip and took a deep breath, “So this is what fighting for ones life is really like?”

“Come on Nathan, grab an arm and let’s go!” Orin shouted while grabbing the faceless dead man. Though he was acting strong, Nathan could also see Orin was struggling to remain composed while handling the gruesome body.

“Look out! There are more coming!” Someone shouted.

Nathan looked back and his heart dropped as he saw numerous new Twisted coming down the main street towards them. There had to be thirty Logos Cutters bounding their way with impossibly long jumps and intermixed with them were ten more Night Hounds. It would only be moments before the humans were going to be run down.

“Forget the bodies of the dead, we need to run now!” Nathan shouted dropping the dead mans arm. He then picked up both rifles and hip fired one of them at the charging monsters. “Go now!”