The beast that dragged me under, tore off my ring and pinky fingers, smashed me through a wall, and now pursues me looks like a werewolf. Eveline, trailing behind, lets out a small scream at its grotesque form.
"What is that monster!?"
"I don't know! It's terrifying! My ugly friends were cuter!"
"They're about the same!"
"It's coming, Ethan!"
Dodging its lunge, I draw on three years of fighting similar horrors and fire at its head without hesitation. The skull, impervious to my knife, chips slightly but doesn't falter. What a creature.
"A human's head would explode with one shot. This thing's not human!" Eveline yells.
"No kidding! Got better advice than that!?"
It pounces, pinning me down. I thrash my head to avoid its snapping jaws. Eveline, clutching her sides, laughs hysterically.
"Hahaha! What's with that wiggling? Hilarious!"
"Seriously, you!"
"Remember that movie? You flipped the guy from that position!"
"Right, JUDO!"
I hook my foot under its belly, using its momentum to hurl it into a junk pile. It staggers, dazed. I empty my handgun's magazine into its head, and it collapses, silent. I splash healing potion on my left hand and wrap it with bandages from the old man's house. The bleeding stops, but my fingers are gone for good.
"Damn it, my hand's wrecked…"
"Maybe dig your fingers out of its stomach and slap some potion on? Could work."
"Keep the jokes to your face."
"Hey!"
Ignoring Eveline's whining, I rummage through the old man's house. I find handgun ammo, herbs, and a chemical fluid. I reload the handgun and craft another healing potion—old habits from three years ago.
"Didn't expect to be doing this again…"
"You were crafting like a pro at the Baker house. Who are you, Papa?"
"Just a systems engineer."
"No way! That's lame!"
I sigh as Eveline flails midair. It's just what I do.
"Let's find survivors."
"You think there are any?"
"Monsters, you'll see—humans are tougher than you think."
"Calling me a monster? So mean! Sniff… But seriously, normal people surviving these things? Doubt it."
"What?"
Eveline, fake-crying then dropping truth bombs, freezes, staring at something. I turn.
"Oh."
"Grrr…"
Two more werewolf-like beasts stand side by side. We freeze. They roar and charge. I dive aside as they crash headfirst into each other, collapsing. I sprint into a nearby house.
"Damn it, what's going on…?"
"Wait… no way…"
Barricading the door, I catch my breath. Eveline, tilting her head, suddenly rockets upward like she's riding an elevator. She returns, pale and panicked.
"What's wrong?"
"Ethan… those werewolves… they're everywhere in the village."
"What?"
"I saw from above—at least ten roaming around…"
"Seriously?"
"And way back, a huge, hairy giant dragging a massive hammer with a pack of werewolves is heading this way. That barricade's useless."
She stretches her arms to show the giant's size, mimicking a roar. Despair hits me. A knife, a handgun with a dozen bullets, and some healing potion—against that?
"We need to move. Eveline, the old man had a shotgun, so there's gotta be more weapons in this village. Find them."
"No way, too scary! What about you? You okay without me?"
"You're invisible—deal with the fear. Help me out, please."
"Ugh, fine…"
She's reluctant. Yelling won't work; I need her cooperation to survive this unknown village. Something to motivate her…
"Rose is probably in this village. Help me save her, Eveline. You're her big sister, right?"
"Fine! Leave it to big sis!"
Smirking, she zooms off. I sneak outside, praying the two beasts and others don't spot me, crouching and hiding as I move. In a shed, I find a box of what looks like shotgun shells.
"A shotgun's here somewhere… If Eveline finds it, we're in business."
Three years ago, I learned handguns barely dent monsters like these. A shotgun made things easier—critical gear. One blast to the face, and even these things should drop. As I step out of the shed—
"Oh."
A beast on the roof howls, a chilling call like a wolf summoning its pack. More pour into the street. They can call reinforcements!? At the edge of my vision, Eveline pops up from the roof, hands cupped like a megaphone.
"Ethan, over here! There's a gun like the one that blew my friends' heads off!"
"Shotgun? I'm coming!"
"Ethan, in front! They're coming!"
Three beasts charge, weapons in hand. I shoot the leader's leg, tripping it and toppling the others, then race to Eveline. Fire arrows whiz past, setting parts of the village ablaze as I sprint, sweating.
"That way! This way! No, that way! Wait, which!?" Eveline yells.
"Don't you get confused!"
She points frantically, spinning in panic. I dive into the house, spotting a shotgun on a table.
"Hurry, hurry! The big one's coming!" she urges.
"No need to tell me!"
As Eveline descends from the ceiling, I barricade the entrance, grabbing scraps as I move deeper. A huge hole gapes in the back room's floor. A crash—my barricade's smashed. I leap into the hole, crawling under the floor.
"Damn, they're flanking!?"
"Stop popping up in my face! Bad for my heart—oh, I don't have one!"
At the exit, a beast waits. Before I can aim the shotgun, it grabs my collar, hurling me into the street. Eveline follows as I soar. An arrow pierces my left leg, pinning me down. Countless beasts gather—a horseback one with a skewered human, and Eveline's hairy giant, hammer in hand, leaps from a roof, roaring.
"We're done. Game over," Eveline moans.
"No time for that… My leg…"
"No! There's so much fun stuff I wanna see! If you die, I can't! Get away from Ethan, you jerks!"
Her teary begging hits hard. Is this it—failing Rose? A bell rings somewhere. The giant and beasts turn toward it. What? Eveline and I freeze as the giant leaps onto a roof with impossible agility, vanishing. The beasts follow, leaving none behind.
"What? Scared of my awesomeness?" Eveline boasts, striking a pose.
"Not a chance."
I yank the arrow from my leg and stand. Somehow, we survived.
"Now what…?"
"Weren't you looking for survivors? Doubt there are any. Forget already? So forgetful, Ethan."
"Want this shotgun in your face?"
"No, please! Sorry!"
Her quick apology at the sight of the shotgun makes me chuckle. Some things never change.
Eveline, the ultimate pushover heroine. Still a jerk who laughs at others' peril. Not exactly reformed.
Hope you look forward to the next part! Feedback, ratings, or typo reports are welcome—comments boost my writing speed!