The Legendary Junkmaster

"Fuck! They're catching up!" Harry yelled in a panic as he raced after Jason.

"Well, run in a different direction then! Maybe then that beast will chase you instead!" Jason roared over his shoulder as he sped up.

"Got it!" Harry replied before frowning. "Wait! You little arsehole! Don't you dare treat me as bait!"

Harry was furious because he almost fell for Jason's trick. To be fair, Jason was confident that Harry would find a way to survive, so what's the harm in having him lead the beast away from himself? Jason huffed as he tried to put more distance between himself and his grandfather while Dani slowly gained on them.

'We might not make it at this rate. How far will it chase us?' Most beasts were territorial and would not chase anything too far from their home. They had to hope that they could escape the Trion's area of activity before it caught up to them. Jason's ears were filled with popping noises that signalled that Dani was getting a little too close for comfort now.

Harry yelped as Dani suddenly appeared ahead of him, which could only mean one thing! A quick glance over his shoulder revealed a furious looking Trion bounding through the forest after them. Harry's life flashed in front of his eyes as he yelped in alarm. He was not keen on the idea of being served up to the hungry beast as an appetiser.

At that moment, Dani finally reached Jason, making him curse out loud. After all, this meant that he was sure to become the beast's second course!

"Please! Tell me you have a plan!" Dani yelled as she seemed to struggle to keep up.

Taking a closer look at her, Jason realised that she appeared exhausted. Apparently, the constant running, teleporting, and stress of sneaking into the Zoo had piled up on her. By the look of it, Dani might even collapse before the Trion managed to catch Harry. Jason cursed at how badly the situation had gone the moment that Dani had picked those flowers.

How could they have guessed that would be the catalyst to the events that followed? Jason's hand went to the Riot at his waist. 'There's only one thing we can try. We have to injure it enough to make it wary of continuing the chase!'

"Can you still teleport?" Jason asked with a grim expression.

"Only a few more times. I've never teleported so much before. I never knew the headache it would cause!" Dani exclaimed as she realised that there might still be some hope for them yet.

"Take this!" Jason gasped as he passed the Riot to her outstretched hand. She already knew how to use it thanks to the short time she spent playing with the Primal, but she noticed a few differences. "Stab it in its central eye! Flick that switch all the way over to its maximum setting first!"

Dani nodded as she wondered what the switch would do, but this was not the time for questions. She slid to a stop and turned to face the lumbering beast as she flicked her wrist to extend the weapon into its spear form. Harry had a grateful expression on his face as he raced past her with tears streaming from his eyes.

Dani shivered as she watched the beast quickly approach her position. It was nerve-wracking to stare directly at such a powerful creature intent on having her for a snack! She took two deep breaths and waited for the right moment! The Trion pounced through the air, aiming to snap Dani up its powerful jaws.

Just as it was about to bite down on her, Dani teleported to straddle its snout! With a cry of desperation, she flicked the Riot's switch, and a hum of electricity filled the air. The Trion's eyes went wide in shock as it was helpless to stop the sharp object that quickly descended on its middle eye!

A smell of burning entered Dani's nostrils as the eye she aimed for popped like a balloon! Blood gushed over her as they Trion trembled from the powerful electric shock. As it writhed in pain, Dani withdrew the weapon and quickly teleported away. Howls of pain filled the still dark forest as the Trion thrashed around, completely forgetting about its prey.

Dani's success made the two men heave a sigh of relief as they continued to run for their lives. They wanted to put as much distance between themselves and the beast on the off chance it decided to continue its pursuit. A few minutes later and an exhausted Dani finally caught back up to them.

"This thing is amazing!" Dani squealed as she tenderly gripped the Riot in her hands. "What did you do it?"

Jason only smiled in response and held out his hand to take back what was his. Dani put on a reluctant expression before giving in. She felt as if someone had just stolen her lover from her.

"I won't tell you what I did, but I think you can definitely use it for the competition!" Jason finally replied with a warm smile.

Dani's eyes lit up at the thought of that. The Riot was so easy to use, and its newest feature would be impressive in a fight. She could not stop herself from daydreaming about winning the entire competition!

Jason saw the hopeful look in her eyes and shook his head. Shows too easy to read, but he decided to let her be. After all, right now, they were still running for their lives. There was still a good chance that they could run into other predators in the darkness. Jason decided to slow his pace a bit so that Harry could catch up.

"Gramps, what should we do now?" Jason asked with a worried expression. It was not ideal for them to continue like this.

"Hmph, run for a bit longer." Harry wheezed with a flushed face. "Then, we'll find somewhere to hole up until morning."

Jason nodded in agreement. He was feeling pains in his muscles from the physical exertion, so rest was definitely needed. After running for another fifteen minutes, the trio finally slowed to a halt. Each of them was breathing heavily as they felt their legs shaking beneath them. The edge of the forest had just come into view, and beyond it were the shadows of abandoned buildings.

"Let's rest in one of those. Then we'll continue on to Highrise as soon as morning comes!" Harry groaned as he placed one shaky foot in front of the other.

The trio made slow progress, with only the promise of some sleep driving them onwards. They felt reassured now that they had reached somewhere that had once been populated by humans. It was a false sense of safety since nowhere was truly safe in this world. But it was enough for now. Dust was kicked up into the air, causing them to cough as Harry pushed open a heavy door.

Soon, they all had ushered themselves inside, and Harry heaved the door closed behind them. They did not even take their time to properly look around before collapsing on the nearest thing they could find that looked comfortable. Exhaustion soon swept over them as they quickly fell victim to the urge to sleep.

Jason's eyes flickered as sunlight streamed across his face. With a loud curse, he quickly covered his eyes before glancing around. It seemed that they had chosen someone's home to sleep in as the figures of Harry and Dani sprawling on old couches came into his view. The sun's brightness told him that it was already late in the day, which meant that they had overslept.

"Get up! We need to move!" Jason groaned as he moved his aching muscles to wake the others. 'It's a miracle nothing tracked us here!'

Jason sighed in relief as he realised that they had managed to entirely escape the danger. The only thing left for them to do now was triumphantly return to his store to begin his work! Jason could not help but laugh at the thought that they had succeeded. Harry frowned at Jason's reaction before realising their situation. Instantly joining Jason in his revelry when it sunk in.

Dani rolled her eyes at the pair before sliding off her couch with a pained expression. Right now, she had no desire to ever agree to help them again. This single trip was enough to put her off ever leaving Highrise again.

Not long after, the trio resumed their journey back to town. Luckily, nothing more exciting than a slight breeze occurred. Making it a pleasant walk that almost made the previous night's events seem like a passing nightmare. Dani even found herself briefly wondering when she might get an opportunity to go out again before shaking her head to deny the idle thought.

"Harry! You better come quick!" A familiar voice called out as they finally crossed the threshold into the safety of Highrise.

"Raymond? What's up?" Harry exclaimed in shock.

"Just hurry! It's about your store!" Raymond had a grave expression on his face as he beckoned them to follow him.