Chapter 17: Fires of conflict

“That’s not right,” I mumbled.

The only reason the stumblers weren’t a very scary bunch was precisely because they stumbled around. These guys could see. They didn’t stumble. They could run. I found that out real quick as they set off in a sprint at me. 

“Shit!” I cursed and turned my heel to them. 

The footing was uncertain. The cobbled cracks had filled up over time to become deposits of soot. Dark clouds exploded out from underneath me as I stormed away.  

The stumblers—or rather runners—chased after me with wet snarls leaking from their mouths. Their joints cracked as they wildly flailed their arms. 

Around me, much was the same. Decaying walls, broken windows, barred up doors. Shards of glass sent rays of light reflecting like a light show. In the distance, the rhythmic march of the horde still thundered. 

My chest felt like it burst into flames. Each breath was laborious and agonizing. 

Setting off at a run without a warm-up did that to you. I took a mental note, Always warm up before going on patrol. 

The distance between me and the runners increased. Their snarls faded against the backdrop of the approaching hoard. Despite growing faster, and able to see, they weren’t as quick as me. I grabbed the wand with both hands, still holding my dagger. It pressed against the handguard awkwardly. 

I whipped around and let my magic flow into the wand. I didn’t know how to enhance the bullet yet, and it was not the right time to experiment. 

A steady stream established between me and the weapon, it constantly tugged at me for more, but it was nothing like conjuring the threads. My magic made the weapon lighter, more natural. Like it became an extension of me. 

“This is my rifle,” I muttered and aimed down the iron sights. They were simple, but effective. A small iron mound with a gap in the middle close to the buttstock, and a sharp spike down the length of the pipe. As I focused on the sight, my sight warped, like I was looking through a magnifying glass. 

The faces of the approaching runners came into a disgustingly close view. There were four of them. Swathes of their skin peeled off their faces and jiggled with their steps. Small islands of hair still clung to their scalps. One of them had parts of their face ripped off, putting the needle-like teeth on display. It made for a gruesome sigh. 

“There are many like it, but this one is mine.” 

The trigger pulled back with a click. Magic rushed to the rifle, gathering around the bullet. The buttstock pressed into my shoulder as the wand cracked. I felt the bullet propel through the barrel intuitively, as it was my magic that gave it wings. I prepared myself for recoil. But not like this. 

“Ugh!” I moaned. 

As if a fucking mule kicked me, my shoulder caved backward, throwing me back against the wall. The wand fell to the ground, still within arm’s reach. Shards of glass below cut into my hands as I watched the bullet gracefully pierce the air. 

The vial let out a muted shine, then burst in midair, turning into a small inferno. The fiery cloud swallowed the runner with a patchwork face. A high-pitched shriek rolled over the city as it faded from sight. 

“Holy shit,” I muttered. A shockwave of heat washed over me as I staggered to my feet. I grabbed the rifle and let the misericorde return to wherever the fuck bound accolades went when I wasn’t using them. 

With shaky fingers, and a mad smile pasted onto my face, I walked backward and fumbled my hand through the clothing and food to feel another bullet. I chambered the first one I found just as the remaining runners burst through the cloud of devastation. Behind them, the first runner was nothing more than a smouldering pair of legs. Bits and pieces of his smoking body littered the walls. 

The runners limped forward with smoke trailing behind them. The hair on their scalps had burned away. Large patches of red skin covered their bodies. 

Instead of firing instantly, I turned to run, putting some more distance between us. My body finally caught up, lungs working in overdrive. I could breathe without feeling like I was about to burst into flames. Running away from them was an option, but why would I want to when I could experiment with the wand? 

 Their pace had lessened significantly after the first bullet ate the first of them.

I laughed maniacally and rubbed the smooth wood. When their snarls faded, I turned, aiming down the sights. The remaining three runners menacingly flailed their arms in their desperate approach. My sight magnified, I aimed at the closest one, and fired. 

The recoil didn’t surprise me this time. I managed to not fall on my ass, but still staggered from the force. The wand was a lot more powerful than rifles back home. I assumed. 

The bullet burst when it came close to the runner’s face. A smaller, more contained explosion than before. But it did the trick. When the burst of light faded, the body of the Runner slumped to its knees, headless. The explosion tore its head clean off. Must have been one of Elana’s bullets.

I whistled. One could say this wand was a piece of art with the way it handled itself. I could see why the nameless soldier cherished it. Surely not just anyone could get their hands on a weapon of this calibre. At least the description hinted at that much.

With a sigh, I hung the rifle across my shoulders again and summoned Silent Scream. Although I liked the thing, ammo was a limited supply. And by the sound of it, no amount of ammo would ever be enough to stop the approaching horde. Still, I liked the feeling of going into something prepared. And although the pricks could run now, they were still dumb enough to flail their arms while doing so. 

I attached an invisible tripwire to the walls on either side of the alley after creating some distance to the remaining two. They ran with a limp. The two explosions may not have aimed at them, but they sure had an effect. 

When they got close enough that I could feel their spit spray against my face, I willed the string to take on physical form. They never saw it coming, like usual. They fell face first into the ground, sending soot and bloodied shards of glass flying. 

I burst forth using the enhancement. Before they could even understand what was happening, I plunged the misericorde deep into the back of one's head. The tip clanged against the street as it emerged on the other side of its skull. I stomped the other one to death. Drowning my boots in blood and gore once more. 

“That’s that then,” I said and looked around. 

The devastation of the first bullet had been unexpected. The few windows around that weren’t already shattered had exploded into thousands of pieces from the shockwave. 

The bits and pieces of runner littering the street made for a grisly sight, but it didn’t bother me. Instead, I felt satisfied. I grew stronger with each day. Just two days ago I quivered in my boots at the sight of the first stumbler. Now I took on their evolved brethren like they were chumps, without evolving or anything. All I needed was a proper weapon and a few head-screws to loosen. 

Yusuf’s smoke signal was still far away. I created enough distance to the horde that I didn’t need to fear for my life in the coming minutes. Their march kept going at the slow pace of inevitability. 

I jogged while loading the wand with another one of the mundane bullets. It was a bit of a shame that it couldn’t fit more than one bullet at a time, but seeing as its power resembled a cannon more than a rifle, it didn’t really make sense to complain. 

“We should name you,” I said and strapped the wand to my back. 

I glanced at the myriad shards of glass lying around. Hundreds of my reflections stared back. 

“Any ideas?” I asked. 

“Quit being childish,” Sera scoffed. 

“Beta blaster.” 

“No.” 

“Destroyer.” 

“No.”

“Qui’Se-rifle.”

She stared at me in disbelief before rebuking sharply, “No!” 

I clicked my tongue, “Cherished blasting wand, it is… or rifle.” 

She crossed her arms and looked at me with pursed lips. Hundreds of her did. I pulled at my collar and buried my mouth under the scarf; being stared at by a crowd was uncomfortable. 

I set off at a jog, escaping her stare. It didn’t take me long to catch sight of Yusuf’s blinding smile. A group of heavily armed people followed closely behind him as they rushed through the street. John spearheaded the entourage with his dashing breastplate and flowing gold locks. Like a knight from a fairytale.

Yusuf’s face was pale; his eyes darted back and forth, studying me as he approached. 

“Cal!” he exclaimed and got close, examining me for injuries. “You’re alright!” 

I smiled, “It’s good to see you too. I’m alright, though I ran into a pack of stumblers.”

“Where?” John asked coldly. 

“I dealt with them,” I said. He nodded once and then beckoned his troops with a flick of his chin. They gathered around us in a protective formation.

“Yusuf told me they mutated,” John said while looking at Yusuf, then turned to me. “Is this true?”

“Yes. And it’s not just the flesh golems. The stumblers can see.” 

Yusuf and the guards gasped collectively.

John stepped close, looking down at me. “Are you sure?” 

I clicked my tongue, “Of course.” 

He looked me up and down with a frown. The more I looked at him, the more my distaste for him grew. Pompous asshole. 

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath and combed his hair back with his fingers. A blonde curl bounced back and fell into his eyes. 

He stayed silent and walked in circles. Then clapped to get everyone's attention. 

“Right! This is what we’re going to do. Yusuf and the new guy-”

“Cal,” I interjected.

The corner of his mouth twitched, “Yusuf and ‘Cal’, you go report to command. The rest of us will split up into two groups. I’ll go with Isaak and Tess. Joel, you take Tommy and Ellie. We’ll divert them for as long as possible. Tell Samara we need to move quick. If they march on the library, we won’t have long. Got it?” 

“Yes, sir!” the group answered unanimously. Like trained dogs. 

“Let’s go,” Yusuf poked me in the side and nodded. 

“Gladly.”

When we created some distance between ourselves and the others, Yusuf turned to me, “What’s your problem with John?” 

I groaned, “It’s that obvious? 

“It’s that obvious.” 

Something about him just reminded me of home. Of grandma and her lackeys. “I just don’t like rich guys,” I said. 

Yusuf chuckled, “I’m rich.”

I sighed, “Well, you don’t act like it.”

“He’s not so bad when you get used to him. Seriously, give him a chance,” Yusuf said. Oddly serious. 

I raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled, “The commander is way worse. You’ll see. She makes John look like a hick in comparison.” 

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah? Can’t fucking wait.” 

He nodded at the wand strapped to my shoulder, “Did you get any chance to try that out?”  

I grinned, “Sure did.” 

“How was it?”

I flashed my toothiest smile, “Explosive.”