Story Between Worlds

[Imperator_tenebrae]

This is a series I’ve been working on for a while and the time has come to make it public. This is a dark fantasy setting with many mature themes so I’ll advise some reader’s discretion if you have issues reading violence of a gratuitous nature and suggestive scenes that are not for the squeamish. You have been warned.

--Chapter 1--​

No human alive remembers what brought about the shroud that separated the world from the other side. Not even the dwarves with their ancient archives and long memories can detail how exactly the shroud came to be. It is an endless wall of dark clouds that no vessel or person has been able to go through and return. For generations both races have decreed it was divine intervention to protect the world from evil during a time when creatures of myth and legend terrorized the world with their might and magic. Humanity, dwarves, and the Halfling species lived in relative peace and harmony over the centuries despite some horrific wars that occurred over the period of two centuries when the kingdoms squabbled over lands and a religious schism over the divinity of the great shroud. Over time their petty differences were recognized as strengths for humanity acted as innovators, their curiosity fueling new ways of thinking while the dwarves dug out riches from the mountains, expert miners, metallurgists and engineers that bridged new lands and made human wonders possible. The Halflings shared a little bit of both worlds but were more pious in their beliefs and capable farmers, anglers and explorers. For over 50 years a long era of peace and plenty was declared and allowed a slow and steady progress towards technological wonders and to reach the heavens in the attempt to see what is on the other side. The world waited in eager anticipation of the first rocket to be launched into space to see what was on the other side to begin a new chapter in history.

If anyone did not read it in the newspapers for the past few weeks, then you would have been a hermit not to hear it on the radio or the TV. Everyone was in awe and drawn to the coverage like flies to a fire on the day the world will launch its first rocket into space. Gern was on his normal route through the city of Barnock in his patrol car. He coasted to a stop to let his partner Lenny in with two cups of coffee, one in each hand.

“It’s getting packed in there and anywhere there’s a TV,” Lenny said as he handed Gern his coffee.

“If we’re not too busy.” He replied dryly knowing these crowds were an invitation for hoodlums. Stereotypical of a dwarf, he took his job seriously, although Gern was more phlegmatic about it after being in the force for 16 years. After sampling his coffee he put the car in gear and yielded back into the main street.

Meanwhile the city of Shiloh Valley where the world was watching the 84 foot tall rocket carrying the “Eye in the Sky” satellite, was undergoing final preparations for launch. Twelve miles away from the launch site a myriad of cameras were poised to watch the launch from afar as reporters from various news stations continued to galvanize the crowds of every detail that was happening while sharing some random facts about the rocket and what the objectives the mission was to accomplish. Engineers and scientists from all countries were gathered at mission control to oversee final preparations both nervous and excited to see years of work pay off. Outside mission control, the day was clear albeit cool –the winds were calm, and the overall conditions were favorable for a flawless launch. The people outside were enjoying the weather while waiting in earnest for the world changing spectacle.

Kyre and her father Nikolai were passing the time at a nearby pond where they watch mud puppies and hobobs play and search for food.

“You promise I’ll see it? Everyone else is taller than us.” Kyre said concerned about being Halflings since most humans and dwarves would block their view. Her father chuckled as he fiddled around with the bulky camera around his neck.

“I have you sit on my shoulders and let you take a picture.” Nikolai assured her.

His daughter’s eyes lit up then she frowned. “What about you?” She asked, worried her father would miss it on account of her.

“I’ll see it too and if not I’ll see it on the pictures you take.” Nikolai smiled.

Kyre had played around with her father’s older cameras long enough he was confident in her ability to take pictures rivaling his own.

“And if we’re lucky we have your pictures put into the newspapers.” Nikolai patted her the head and wandered off to take a few practice photos of the animals nearby.

Somewhere near a cozy mountain village called Cold Springs, two boys and their father were returning from a hunting trip with the elk they shot in the back of the truck. With winter coming early, they stocked up on meats, preserves and anything else they grew during the warm season; they couldn’t rely on regular trips to the country stores in the valleys as heavy snow made travel next to impossible.

Edmund went towards the house to get his cutting tools, tasking his two sons to get the elk in the shed for harvesting. Its fur to be sold off to the tannery and the bones to shapers who’ll make jewelry and tool handles out of them. Nothing was wasted.

“Are we going to salt or smoke this one, hun?” Amelia asked, kissing Edmund as he reached the porch.

“Up to you, I’m not picky.” Edmund replied. It was all meat to him; he didn’t care.

Amelia scoffed; she hated having the decision dumped on her like that, but she should have expected it. She shook her head in amusement when Edmund fumbled about and cursed when realizing he tracked mud on the carpeted floor.

In the meantime Garth argued with his older brother Koch on the matter that he supposedly trapped more rabbits than his brother did last week and taking an elk does not count.

Koch rolled his eyes. “You’re jealous because you can’t shoot.” He sighed.

“I can too you don’t give me a chance.” Garth protested.

Edmund heard it all as he came out with freshly sharpened knives and razors rolled up in a leather satchel.

“Boys we need to get this done before supper time, I go back to the mines tomorrow.” He spoke sternly. While not an actual miner himself, he did operate the machines that feed coal onto the networks of conveyors while the dwarves did the grunt work.

Koch was not fond of going into the mines like his father and entertained the idea of going into the guard numerous times which gave his mother an ulcer. Garth was younger, whimsical, and wasn’t sure what he wanted, but knew if he did not make a move by the time he finished school, he may end up working in the mines like everyone else.

Edmund cleared his throat to change its tune. “If we finish early, we’ll watch the rocket launch on the tube.” He said to occupy their minds.

Koch could care less, but that was all the incentive Garth needed to work quickly.

The world was anticipating an exciting future, though nothing would prepare them for the calamities to come.

Back in Barnock, Gern finished writing a ticket to a speedster on a motorbike before trotting back to his car to see Lenny fussing about the radio.

“At this rate, county council might get their yearly revenue.” He grumbled at he shut the door.

Lenny had a perplexed look on his face and asked the dispatcher to repeat what he just heard. “Someone called 3 minutes ago reporting a strange light coming from the ground at 6th Ginhue Street. They also said they saw a flo-“ Abruptly the dispatcher was cut off in a wash of static.

Lenny tried to get the signal back, and that was when Gern noticed the sky had immediately darkened with lightning popping wildly but no sound of thunder.

“What the hell?” He said just as lost as his deputy beside him; the radio still hissing with static.

“Where did they say that strange light was coming from?” He asked putting the car in gear.

“Uh…6th Ginhue Street.” Lenny replied.

Gern promptly stomped on the accelerator and turned on the car’s flashers and siren to clear the traffic ahead. The closer they got, the more strange things got as the lightning intensified, but no thunder, rain, or even wind surfaced.

The two dwarf policemen were halfway down the street when a retina burning bolt of lightning flashed before them and struck a power pole, causing the wooden pylon to explode and crash down onto the hood of the squad car bursting the windshield. Out of reflex Gern swerved and went careening into a sidewalk partition. Gern and Lenny were rattled at first then shook off the shock when adrenaline and training kicked in and checked themselves of major injuries other than a few scrapes –another testament to dwarf durability. They awkwardly exited their ruined vehicle, brushing broken glass of their uniforms. The two dwarf officers watched people; humans, Halflings and fellow dwarves alike, fleeing in panic in the opposite direction they came from. Lenny looked around and saw a payphone.

“We need to call for backup!” Lenny said, as Gern noticed him frantically pointing at the payphone. With their car a wreck and the radios garbled by the electrical storm, they had to improvise.

Gern gave a nod then noticed the flickering blue and red flashers of other squad cars cautiously weaving through the fleeing crowds behind them.

“Nevermind that. Come on let’s see what the hell is happening here.” Gern said, gesturing to the electrified sky above. He reached into their ruined car to toss Lenny his shotgun then checked his revolver.

“As humans say, lock and load.” Gern said to Lenny. His deputy simply pumped the shotgun in response.

The lightning seemed to strike more fiercely towards the cross street a few blocks down. Gern and Lenny were joined by a few fellow patrolmen as they slowly advanced down the street while avoiding being struck by lightning.

Eventually Gern caught a glimpse of a large floating crystal in the middle of the intersection. They hesitantly had to bunker down around anything, including conductive mail boxes and lamp posts, to shield themselves from the lightning that began to strike out in all directions when drawing closer to this crystal. The crystal glowed a bright brilliant red; angry sparks and lightning arcs flashed wildly from and around where it levitated. Gern could have sworn the pavement below it was turning into a reddish liquid as the lightning intensified.

“What in the flying fuck circus is that?” Lenny asked his partner. Gern just shrugged.

The dwarf took a step forward and realized right then the pavement around them had begun to glow with uncanny symbols and lines stretching out around the crystal in angry tendrils beyond the length and breadth of the intersection. This spooked Gern and his fellow deputies to hastily double back from the torrent of tendrils. The pavement began to heave upwards as if some invisible hand was pushing up beneath it wherever the symbol and lines were etched in.

“Get back! Get back!” A burly human sergeant yelled, motioning his hands hastily and blowing his whistle while the pavement around them continued to buckle and crack. The ground trembled as it split down to the sediment, uprooting trees, severing lines below, and sent street lamps toppling over. The sergeant realized to get clear of the danger, they’d have to leave the street altogether until this phenomenon abated.

The crystal was no longer there, but instead a glowing dome of brooding energies emanated from the intersection like a portal like from old myths.

“Get everyone back! Get to your vehicles qui-” The sergeant’s words were cut off midstream as an arrow went through the back of his neck and out the front of his throat. There was no dramatic reflex or a stagger, the sergeant dropped where he stood before more arrows shot out impacting heavily against objects between them claiming two more officers in the fusillade.

“Man down! Get behind something!” A deputy waved his fellow officers down and attempted to save his fallen comrade before he was promptly shot through the shoulder with several arrows more finishing him off in vital areas in quick succession before he knew what hit him as if these arrows were more deliberate than before. Many officers began to fire blindly into the dome with their firearms. Pistol rounds and spray of shotgun pellets sparked and bounced harmlessly on the energy barrier that made up the dome. They stopped firing once they realized their weapons had no effect which seemed to have prompted the outlines of tall figures that began to appear like a cloudy haze. One be one these figures stepped out of the barrier; monstrous beings with various shades of green, gray and brown flesh, clad in ancient looking armor and tattered furs from the ages of sword and iron. They carried shields of various shapes and sizes whilst brandishing primitive weapons such as spears, axes, hammers, clubs and maces. In awe the deputies stop firing for a moment to grasp the surrealism of these creatures.

As sudden as everything else transpired, these monsters let out a feral war cry then charged with the primal ferocity and frightening alacrity of enraged beasts towards the deputies. The officers that stood their ground managed to fell several of the foul creatures with their guns before being cut down.

The sight of this carnage made those who were timid drop cartridges and shells in their hasty panic induced reloads, while some simply fumbled with their firearms until they were slaughtered like the rest. The crude weapons chopped deep into the bone, tore limbs, and rent flesh in a gory maelstrom of unbridled violence. Gern fired twice into a creature coming at him with an axe. The creature shrieked when struck by the first, but fell with a gargle when the second shot struck it in where the heart should be. Whatever these creatures were, their armor afforded little protection and was offset by their natural toughness. Lenny pumped several quick shots into the creatures lunging at fellow deputies.

“Oh gods…wait! Wait! Mercy!” A deputy cried out when his arm was lopped off by another axe wielding creature and fell to his knees. Despite the deputy’s plea, the creature cared not and brought the axe down on the officer’s head splitting it in a gory fashion as bone and brain gave way to wrought iron. More deputies fled for their lives.

At this point Gern deemed now was a good time to get the hell out of here until the army or guard arrived.

He grabbed Lenny by the collar to get him on his feet to run, but he noticed his friend stumbled. Originally thinking it was shock induced clumsiness, Gern was about to jerk him forwards then noticed the javelin had pierced him from behind where a crude metal point jutted out of his chest cavity.

“No! No, no, no!” Gern could not believe this was happening. Attempting to save his friend despite the fact that he was already dead, another sergeant from another precinct grabbed Gern by the arm and dragged him away. They were all running for their lives; these creatures pursued them in a bloodied frenzy in an unending tide of savagery.

Everything became a blur to Gern now. He was thrown in the back of a panel wagon with other wounded, dying or out of their minds from the sheer horror of this new reality. He could not hear nor feel anything as the shock over took him leaving him paralyzed in the realization that he’d lost his partner and the city he vowed to protect and serve. Like his city, he was being torn apart inside by something he did not understand.

 

[Elephantom]

What's with the walls of text? Break it down, will ya?

 

[Imperator_tenebrae]

It's a story that I'm writing? This is not a RP.

 

[Hall Kervean]

Few thingies.
1. Paragraphs pleeeease.
2. Forum category would be prose, not other.
3. Nice concept.

 

[Imperator_tenebrae]

Few thingies.
1. Paragraphs pleeeease.
2. Forum category would be prose, not other.
3. Nice concept.

Thank you.

 

[Hall Kervean]

Np.
Also
That was gory.
Like, I don't write that much gore into mine.

 

[Imperator_tenebrae]

Np.
Also
That was gory.
Like, I don't write that much gore into mine.

I did warn at the top of the OP that this will get graphic. The first few chapters will be extremely violent to set the tone but nothing over the top I assure you. Keep the critiques coming!

 

[Elephantom]

It's a story that I'm writing? This is not a RP.

I ain't asking about whether this is some kinda RP or not. I said, break down the walls of text. It hurts my eyes, y'know.

 

[Imperator_tenebrae]

I ain't asking about whether this is some kinda RP or not. I said, break down the walls of text. It hurts my eyes, y'know.

I've done some editing for everyone's expediency. Hope this will be easier on the eyes.

 

[Imperator_tenebrae]

---Chapter 2---​

Unbeknownst to the gawking crowd in Shiloh Valley, the world was in chaos as cities across the world came under the same attack as Barnock. Preliminary reports of the attacks were dismissed as rowdy crowds until the information became increasingly calamitous by the minute. Something was wrong and no one knew what was happening.

“We have more breaking news, the city. We-uh, we got now –uh, the reports in say that the-uh, the province of Arnmire is under a state of emergency.” The young journalist fumbled with a microphone and the deluge of reports being shoved into his hands.

The people listening into the feeds at the launch site were confused at the mentioning of an entire province along with dozens of cities falling under attack by an unknown enemy. Some began to panic and rush to the phone booths to call their families.

Nikolai stood there with firm hands on Kyre’s shoulders so she would not run off to see the fracas at the phone booths when dread started to permeate among on-lookers. The interest in the rocket and the launch took a back seat.

“Daddy, what’s going on? Why are they fighting at the telephones?” She asked.

Nikolai did not answer right away. He focused on finding a safe exit so they wouldn’t be crushed under foot when hysteria set in. He’d worked in photography long enough to know that frenzied tabloid fans get carried away, and being a Halfling, it was an occupational hazard. He had already deduced rampant gaiety and sheer terror both worked the same way once momentum was built.

“Straight ahead, walk. Walk.” He said in a calm voice, leading his daughter by arm’s length towards a security gate leading into mission control.

Nikolai took advantage of the distracted human guard near the security stand harried by constant calls on his walkie-talkie. Waiting a moment for the guard to walk away to see the commotion at the phone booths, Nikolai hurried over to the stand to open the gate partially enough for him and Kyre to slip through.

“Are we supposed to do this?” Kyre protested, finding her father’s behavior highly irregular.

“We don’t have time, go before he sees us.” Nikolai lightly shoved Kyre forward to the gate where she slinked through without a problem.

With Kyre safely through and hiding around a shrub in the corner, he followed after her, but the camera’s strap around his neck snagged on the locking mechanism on the gate. He shuffled and finagled with the strap to free himself before he was caught, or choked on the confounded thing.

“Hey you! Hey, stop right there!” The guard shouted towards a tangled Nikolai. He rushed towards him with the radio squawking in a staccato of static in hand.

“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t go in there, you need to stay in the designated area.” The guard lectured in a stern tone as if he was a father scolding his child and helped Nikolai out of the bind.

“I’m sorry sir, it’s getting rowdy out there, and we Halflings are easily stepped on.” Nikolai explained apologetically. He made no mention of his daughter being on the other side of the gate to settle with the fact that she was safer there than where he was.

The guard huffed and fussed with the radio again and motioned Nikolai to step away from the gate. All the while, dark clouds began to form in the sky in a bizarre fashion as lightning bolts seemed to shoot out of the ground and into the sky. The bolts appeared to be coming from the other side of the parking lot behind the spectating area, and like moths to a flame, some people wandered towards the gates to investigate. Nikolai felt it in his gut that something awful was about to happen, and he glanced over to see Kyre huddled around the shrubs.

“Sir, my daughter is in there!” Nikolai yelled at the guard. He figured it was now or never to pull a fast one to get his daughter to safety as being outside now wasn’t an option either.

“You need to let me in, this isn’t looking good.” He pointed up at the electrified sky. The guard was bewildered at the Halfling for a second, then as if on cue, the lightning crackled loudly above them to help him put their situation into perspective.

Without further lectures, the guard saw reason to open the gate to let Nikolai through. Kyre ran into her father’s arms and clung to him tightly.

The lightning continued to strike all around them with such intensity that the very air smelled of ozone and made the skin tingle. Even with no thunder, wind, or rain like a normal thunderstorm, the warping sounds of this hellish electrical storm began to stir the spectators into seeking shelter.

“Daddy what’s going on?” Kyre was on the verge of tears and began to shiver in fright.

Nikolai didn’t answer. He heaved her up on his shoulder while the feeling of dread grew more severe by the second before his skipped a beat when he heard harrowing screams.

“Gods!” Nikolai exclaimed, barely catching his breath. He held onto Kyre tightly out of terror. Petrified with fear, a twisted sense of curiosity left the Halfling standing there waiting for nightmare to come. Sure enough, through the wire links of the gate, he saw people from afar running from a tall monstrosity as it came into view cutting down anyone within reach.

Nikolai’s heart could have leapt out of his chest, and he started running for the rear entrance of mission control with Kyre over his shoulder. Security personnel, ignoring the two Halflings, ran in the opposite direction with their pistols drawn. Kyre didn’t make a sound, nor was she able as she clung to her father for dear life with her eyes closed tightly.

Nikolai barreled down a long corridor with wide stairs at the end. He stopped mere inches from the first step to look behind him when he noticed the building shaking. The ceiling lights flickered, and the sounds of screams, unearthly bellows, resonated within and without the building. His knees nearly buckled underneath the sheer weight of dread he felt. The thought of him falling out now was unacceptable, and that made him run up those stairs with purpose.

The carnage outside was unrestrained and merciless. The hordes of brutish creatures emerged from the portals were relentless in their pursuit for slaughter. Almost all the on-lookers at the spectator site were either dead or dying in lake of gore, and what little security guards there were dispatched quickly only killing a mere several of the brutes in return.

A black dragon with a peculiar rider mounted on its back perched up on the side of the mission control building. The rider glared at the rocket out in the distance through the eye slits of his full face helmet. The rider shouted in a foreign language to the brutes around him to continue with the massacre and leave none alive. The creatures roared and rattled their weapons in cruel delight to satiate their bloodlust without restraint.

A formation of tall and slender individuals in menacingly spiked black and purple armor marched forwards in perfect inhuman-like unison and uncanny fluidness. They were armed with long serrated pikes and tall shields sharing similar daunting design as the armor they wore. The dragon rider bellowed again for the spiked warriors to march quickly and waved a long lance flickering with energy towards the rocket as a gesture to attack it.

Meanwhile, back in mission control, Nikolai was running out of breath. He had to find a hiding place soon as the sounds of murder followed close behind him. He noticed a pair of double doors ahead of him was ajar that led into a dimly lit room. Cautiously, he approached the doors to peek inside. It looked like office space filled with a maze of cubicles and papers littering the floor. The staff must have left in a panicked scuttle as everything was left in disarray. He entered the room and let Kyre down off his shoulder with hesitation. She was shaking violently from fright, her eyes glassy from being on the verge of tears.

“W-whe-arar-aerwee?” She mumbled incoherently. A gasped escaped her lips when a small explosion of sorts rocked the building.

“Somewhere safe.” Nikolai replied with a tone of uncertainty. He held onto his daughter’s hand firmly as he wondered about to see a suitable hiding spot.

Hiding underneath the tables and desks was not an option; the creatures were likely too smart for that. Refuge in a storage closet wasn’t an alternative either as they’d simply kick down the doors of every likely place their prey would hide. Nikolai was getting antsy by the second until he noticed the wall with large printer machines against it had a vent cover between two of the contraptions. For once, he saw the advantage of Halflings being naturally small in size.

Without saying a word he yanked Kyre over towards the vent cover and just by eyeballing the size of it she could fit through if she crawled on her belly. He stooped down to work the cover’s lock nuts until it slid free and pulled the filter off to reveal the sheet metal vent shaft behind it.

“Kiki, I know you won’t like it, but I need you to hide down there.” Nikolai knelt down to her. She already hated the idea the moment she saw cover come off to show a dark cramped space with cobwebs in the corners.

“Listen to me, there’s nowhere else to hide from the monsters.” He held her from walking back.

“B-b-but what about you?” Kyre cried, rubbing her eyes.

“There’s plenty of places here I can hide.” Nikolai assured her although he was not so sure if there was.

He really did not want to squander what little time they had left arguing over the hiding places he kissed her firmly on the forehead.

“I love you.” Nikolai said then pushed her down on the floor so she’ll crawl into the vent.

Kyre crawled through, and she was small enough to squirm around to see the vent cover being closed behind her. The last thing she saw was her father’s feet before he darted off to find refuge of his own. All Kyre could hear now were distant bellows, and her heart thumping in her chest.

 

[Imperator_tenebrae]

--Chapter 3--​

Garth and Koch barely let their supper settle in their stomachs before the two were fussing about the TV. Normally there would be some static due to being in the mountains, but there was absolutely no signal no matter how much they contorted and pointed the antenna.

“Is it broke?” Garth sat there with the mangled antenna in hand.

“Maybe we need to step outside with it.” Koch scratched his head.

The two boys scampered about to find some wire to rig up a super antenna to see if they could get any signal from the rooftop. In the meantime, Edmund was mixing up a marinade for the elk meat in the kitchen oblivious to what the boys were up to outside.

Amelia was out in the chicken coops spreading feed for them when she spotted frenzied lightning in the distance, but no thunder. Granted it was cloudy all day, but it was so strange seeing clouds lit up like that and no thunder or rain or even a breeze.

“Well that’s strange.” She said out loud, pulling a string of hair from her eyes.

Garth and Koch gave up trying to get the TV to work when their rigged up antenna couldn’t even change the pitch in static.

“This is stupid.” Garth huffed when his knit cap snagged on the wire wrung around the antenna.

“I think it’s broke, or maybe that light...” Koch’s voice trailed off when he caught a glimpse of lightning off in the distance towards the town down in the valley.

“That is so cool.” Garth said, his attention drawn to the lightning too.

Amelia went back into the house for some cords to fasten a few things down around their porch in case the storm decided to hit closer to home. She and her family and many others living on the mountain side were unaware of the terror about to be unleashed down in the valley.

“Boys, its getting dark, come inside and wash up.” She yelled through the kitchen window and glanced back at the lightning down in the valley.

So far, their evening was quite calm with Edmund preparing his clothes for work, Amelia canning food from the garden, and the boys playing a board game before bed. The only noise in the cabin was the pop and hiss of wood burning in the furnace in their living room and a creaking fan circulating warm air until the familiar sound of a rifle shot in the distance.

Edmund didn’t think much of it and neither did anyone else as it was a normal noise, but for someone to hunt at this hour was a little strange. What made it stranger still was that there were multiple shots followed by more subtle pops from handguns.

“What in the hell?” Edmund whispered to himself wondering what all the gunfire was about. He walked cautiously towards the front door with a side glance out of the living room window.

“Eddy, what is going on?” Amelia asked as she slid away from the windows in the kitchen towards the partition between the two rooms. She glanced over and noticed her sons were keeping their distance down the hall listening in on the gunfire.

“I have no idea.” Edmund replied in a tone that was completely dumbfounded. He gradually went over to the kitchen window that had a view of the valley and noticed at first glance there was fire and faint outlines of smoke against the night sky. The gunfire intensified with every passing minute until their phone rang which scared everyone to death. Edmund and Amelia exchanged bewildered looks for a solid second before Edmund eventually went over to grab the receiver off the wall mount.

“Hello?” He said.

There was no answer. Instead there was the sound of scuffling in the background then something metal on metal clanging, it sounded like a fight and a very desperate one. He put his ear closer to the speaker until a blood curdling scream cracked through, loud enough that even Amelia and the boys heard it. Edmund jumped at the sound, startling him so much he let the receiver drop from his hand and he took a step back.

“Good god…” He exclaimed.

“Eddy, what happened? What’s happening?” Amelia said with panic in her voice. She had a deep gut feeling that something was definitely wrong, and after hearing that scream through the receiver, she noticed the gunfire was getting closer.

“Boys, go to your room, lock the doors and shutter the windows and hide.” Edmund said.

Garth and Koch did not protest the decision as they hurried back into their room to do exactly as their father instructed. Edmund took Amelia and went into their bedroom. He got out several cases of guns and handed her a revolver and two lever action repeaters.

“Take this and give these to the boys. I want you all to hide in the basement and barricade the doors.” Edmund instructed her as he loaded a double barreled shotgun and his own revolver.

“Wait, what do you think you’re doing?” Amelia was taken aback at the idea Edmund plays the hero while she and the boys huddle up somewhere hoping and praying he’d come back alive.

“I want to find out what is going on.” He explained as he holstered his revolver at his side and shut the breach of the double barreled shotgun.

“You idiot, stay with us until this blows over!” Amelia hissed at him, halfway brandishing the revolver in her hand at him.

“I’ll only be gone for a minute. I promise.” Edmund protested.

Amelia let out a stifled grunt of defeat knowing it was a futile effort to convince this stubborn man to stay with his family. Edmund suddenly lurched over to kiss her deeply on the lips then darted out of the room before she could do or say anything. With a muttered curse and calling him everything under the sun in murmured litanies and frustration, she took the guns and gathered her sons to bunker down into the basement. She lit a small kerosene lamp in the cold dusty basement and sat down on a rolled up rucksack while Garth and Koch stared into the lamp in silent consternation. She let out a sigh after a moment, and by then, wished she brought her book of prayers with her.

Meanwhile Edmund went from the porch to his truck and crouched around it to keep himself out of sight as much as possible. He peeked around and can see fires all about the town below and could see muzzle flashes dance about in the dark periphery outside the town.

He was about to make it down his driveway until he heard gunfire very close to his location. Edmund ducked down then took a knee beside the wheel well and pulled back on both hammers of his double barrel shotgun. He was shaking a little in fright, but it was also adrenaline induced as his knuckles began to white when the grip on his weapon got tighter by the moment.

Edmund could hear rustling in the clump of trees in his front yard. He tensed.

“Hey! Anyone there?!” A voice called out.

“Frank?!” Edmund replied, recognizing the voice.

“Ed? That you?” Frank spoke with a noticeable tone of confusion.

Edmund cautiously rose to his feet with his gun pointed at the burly man in overalls, a large graying beard coving his face and a rifle in hand and arms halfway up in a gesture he meant no harm.

“You dumb sumbitch, I could’ve shot you.” Edmund growled then let his gun down slowly.

“Brother, if you knew half the shit that is happening here, we need every man with a gun.” Frank replied as he walked closer.

The man was breathing heavy and hassling from running for his life. Edmund went up to shake his friend’s hand.

“What the hell is going on, what’s with all the shootin’?” Edmund asked his friend.

“It all started when that lightning came around. It was poppin’ every which of way and suddenly we saw this light come from the ground then these things…these critters started coming out of this light and killing everyone and everything.” Frank explained in gasps as he was still catching his breath.

“That doesn’t make sense.” Edmund replied with a look as if Frank was growing horns out of his ears.

“You damned skippy it don’t. But it’s the gods’ honest truth!” Frank was adamant about what he saw.

Edmund just stood there dumbfounded at the whole situation and wondering if this was some strange nightmare, but before he can test that theory, he heard an unearthly howl. The two men were thoroughly startled as both him and Frank raised their weapons in unison in the howl’s direction.

“What in hellfire?” Edmund halfway whispered.

There was an eerie silence aside from the random gunshot here and there in the far distance and the buzzing night lamp above them near the driveway. Frank slowly aimed his rifle around to check their sides then back towards the tree line as before.

After a long minute Edmund let out a sigh then a loud rustle was heard like heavy footsteps, and as it got closer and closer, the footsteps sounded more like a stampede of cattle. His finger was steadily squeezing the trigger of the shotgun, and in his horror, he saw a beast emerge from the cluster of trees with frightening speed. It was a tall creature with green skin of various pigments bristling with muscle and wore merely a fur shirt and a loincloth. It brandished a haphazard wood shield and a crude cleaver drenched in fresh blood. The thing stopped long enough to register Edmund and Frank as fresh targets with its baleful orange eyes then let out another bellow and charged them with alarming alacrity before he got both barrels of solid slug to the chest and a rifle shot through the neck. The creature was stalled dead in its tracks from the impacts and fell dead where it stopped.

“Mother of Myr; what the hell was that?!” Edmund yelped. He started to walked over to it to see if it was surely dead.

“Not done yet!” Frank shouted when two more beasts burst from the trees letting out the same monstrous bellows as its fallen kin from before.

Edmund dropped the empty shotgun and drew his revolver to put three quick rounds into the closest one before Frank put several into the other. The monsters staggered from the bullets impacting their thick flesh before they eventually plowed into the ground just mere feet from them with their weapons flying out of their loosened grip as they died falling. They were tough whatever they were as the shots didn’t seem to faze them at all until their mortal tether was severed through the sheer magnitude of wounds that would kill a man three times over.

Edmund stepped back from the fresh corpses and snatched up his shotgun from the ground, not knowing if these things would get back up to take a swing or grab at him. The two men hastily reloaded their weapons knowing now more will come after them.

“How many did you kill before?” Edmund shoved two fresh shells into the breach and clacked it closed.

“Several, dunno I was too busy saving my ass.” Frank answered dryly while shucking cartridges into the lever action rifle.

They barely had enough time to take in their surroundings before hearing another rustle in the tree line this time is was lighter and far quicker than the last ones. The men took aim, waiting for whatever it is to burst out of the trees and the rustling got more intense but not necessarily closer. After a while it sounded like whatever it was just running around about.

“Whatever it is, it’s toying with us.” Edmund said, remembering hunting techniques with elusive shadow foxes and coyotes.

Frank thought the same thing and swung his rifle around the other way only to have a big creature pounce on him with such speed and ferocity Edmund did not know what was happening until it was too late. Frank screamed bloody murder as the monster gnawed at his throat, the sound of flesh tearing and blood squelching as the creature’s teeth tore through the jugular.

Edmund emptied both barrels into the creature’s side, right where the heart and lungs should be. The creature rolled over heavily as it was dead before it hit the ground. Edmund stooped over and dragged Frank, who was gasping for breath from choking on his own blood, away from the slain creature, not sure it would swipe at them in a death throe.

“Frank! Frank!” Edmund called out to his friend who was dying before him.

Frank’s eyes were wide, his breathing was raspy and wet from the blood with literally his throat torn open, and his hands were shaking as he grasped Edmund’s sleeve. After a few gasps and a gurgle, Frank was dead. Edmund sat there for a moment. Realizing his friend was dead and there was nothing he could do about it, he slowly took his hand and swiped Frank’s dead eyes closed.

Edmund sat there for a while in consternation. He was shivering from shock and wished this was all a bad nightmare. His hand reached for the shotgun, and with shaky hands, he reloaded two fresh shells into the breach. It was all quiet with only the lamp buzzing and the casual gunshot from far off and wailing of creatures. His head slowly turned then his eyes looked upon the corpse of the creature that killed Frank. From what he saw it looked like a giant shadow cat except it was white with blue stripes and it had horns behind its ears. It wore some type of mesh-like armor around its head, neck, and lower abdomen which did not offer protection from the shells Edmund put into it.

A few minutes past, and it was time for Edmund to stand up and make his way back to the house to check on his family. Slowly he stood up to a crouch, staying behind the concealment of his truck then peaked above the bed to see if anything had crept up the yard all this time. His eyes done a quick scan and saw no one out there then started to walk slowly and quietly towards the front porch.

The sound of a twig snapped made Edmund stop in mid-step and swung his shotgun around to aim at the shrubs to the side of the house where he heard the noise. He side stepped, keeping his weapon aimed and stopped to see if anything would lunge out. He side stepped again and nothing happened. Edmund snapped his head from side to side so he would not be caught by surprise like his friend did who he left dead beside the truck. He promised himself he would see his friend’s body returned to his family once all this blew over.

A few moments later, when he was satisfied that nothing was out there, he let his weapon down slightly and took a step back towards the house once more while keeping his sight on the tree line. Edmund felt a very sharp pain go into his back and his vision blurred. The pain was so intense and so sudden he staggered forward then noticed something wet running down his stomach. He looked down, and he noticed a long and narrow serrated arrowhead protruding through his chest, glistening in his blood.

“Oh hell...” Edmund coughed when he realized he’d been shot in the back.

He fell to his knees and looked behind to notice a dark figure in armor with a longbow in its hands. With his vision fading, Edmund couldn’t make out details except the figure was tall, slender, and clad in armor and was drawing the bow for a finishing shot.

“Amelia…” Edmund said before his world went dark.

 

[Imperator_tenebrae]

--Chapter 4--​

The silence down in the basement was deafening. After hearing the gunshots from outside and a few incoherent shouts followed by a few more gunshots then sudden quiet, it made Amelia worry to the point she felt sick to her stomach. She could feel something was wrong, and she couldn’t stand it much longer.

“Koe.” She whispered to Koch who jumped a little, startled by the sudden break in stillness.

“Mom?” He replied.

“Stay here with your brother. I’m going to peak outside to see where your father went to.” She said.

“But he said we should stay here.” Koch protested.

“I know what he said, humor me and just stay here.” Amelia snapped. The boy’s stubbornness on top of her anxiety made her patience short with him.

Koch just nodded and looked at Garth who was sitting there just staring at the wall, his eyes filled with fright and confusion. He was being brave for his little brother because he was just as scared and hoped whatever was happening outside was nothing. After he took a deep breath and sighed, he sat down next to his brother and waited in the dark basement for his mother and father to return.

Meanwhile, Amelia walked down the hallway with a revolver in hand. Edmund taught her how to shoot, but it had been a few years since she fired the gun at anything. Her free hand pressed against the wall as she cautiously looked around the corner into the living room and saw no one there. She then went to the other side and peered around into the kitchen and again saw no one. All the windows were shuttered so she couldn’t see outside from where she stood which left her having to go up to one of the windows to open a shutter far enough to peek through, or go through the door, which she preferred because she really wanted to go outside to see if her husband was alright.

No more than a moment went by after the thought crossed her mind to go out the door; it was blown off from its hinges. Amelia let out a scream and darted back down the hallway towards the basement. The revolver fell from her hands as she broke into a run, her heart went into her throat she was so frightened. She didn’t know who or what took the door down but she did not stick around long enough to find out. Koch heard his mother scream and he ran up to the door and opened just in time for her to sweep him up off his feet and carry him back down the stairs in the momentum she had fleeing from whatever broke in.

Amelia went over to grab Garth up by the arm then went towards the other door that led outside. Everything was a blur as panic filled adrenaline shunted all her strength and focus on getting her sons and herself out of danger, and she put her sons down and reached for the door and turned the knob. When the door opened, a tall dark figure stood before them and her heart stopped. The figure was clad in purple armor, perfect for blending in the night, and its face was covered in a helmet with menacing features. In its hands were short, serrated swords.

Amelia took a step back in horror at the sight of the man and when it took a step forward to pursue and drew up a pair of swords for an attack then a gunshot and a puff of smoke. The man staggered back, stunned for a moment, his swords clattering on the floor then fell backwards with a heavy crash from the armor. Amelia and Garth looked astonished at Koch, who was on the brink of weeping in fright and the fact he just killed someone even though it was in defense. He dropped the repeater and that was when Amelia remembered more are coming into the house and darted out of the door with both her sons in tow.

The three ran around towards the front of the house where Edmund had gone with the thought they’ll join up with him, hop in the truck, and get away from these things. What Amelia saw when she came up to the front yard made her knees buckle beneath her and scream in anguish. She saw half a dozen of armored clad men, same as the one Koch shot back in the basement with one dragging Edmund’s body towards another body in the driveway and their attention was already on her and the sons. Realizing her husband was dead, and that she’d inadvertently doomed herself and her sons to their fate, three of the dark men came up behind to seize them as if waiting for them all this time.

All Amelia could do in despair as the other figures approached her and her sons with weapons drawn was pull her sons around her in a futile act to protect them.

“Please! Please!” Amelia pleaded with these dark armored marauders.

They acted as if they did not care as her pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears with one approaching them with a long curved blade in hand. Another swordsman with a cape and sash took him aside and exchanged a few words in a language not understood then stepped aside as the swordsman continued forwards. Two more swordsmen advanced at Amelia to snatch her sons away from her and without a word or warning during the stream of pleas. Amelia attempted to back away from swordsman then in a swift motion and there was one last scream for mercy before the abrupt silence and a thud. Koch and Garth watched as their mother’s head was severed clean off her shoulders in one swift stroke. With tears streaming down his face, Koch screamed for his mother and Garth began to shout incoherently as they were dragged away.

The boys, with both their parents dead now and their home destroyed, looked on when the man in robes wave his hand up and out of thin air cast a stream of fire to torch the house. He was tall like the others but did not wear armor or a helmet. The man approached the boys and they saw he had dark ashy skin, red eyes, long pointed ears and long black hair. He looked at the boys then looked to his subordinates and muttered something in an unknown tongue then both boys were knocked out to be taken as prisoners.

 

[Imperator_tenebrae]

--Chapter 5--​

From every country across the known world, all radio and TV news stations reported in on the developing situation on the ground non-stop as events grew ever dire by the day. Refugees from communities near these portals were pouring into nearby cities where local guard and armies could to set up a perimeter to hold off the encroaching invaders.

The stories that came from the refugees and survivors from the initial onslaught spoke of ghastly creatures that were similar to humans, but had features that made them alien such as pointed ears, strange colored eyes and some possessed powers only told in comic books and myths. The beasts and other monstrosities that aided them were also from legend, and many could not grasp this new reality as the horrors they witnessed had not quite sunk in.

About 20 miles outside of Barnock, a young reporter stood in front of her camera crew fussing about the cord for her microphone while waiting to go live. She was distracted by the large convoy of armored vehicles as they roared down the freeway with tracks clattering on the abused pavement and their engines whirring in a deafening cacophony of mechanization.

“We go live in two minutes, what’s the problem?” A halfling with a headset on over a cap that bore his news organization’s emblem yelled over to the camera crew.

The technicians and camera crew looked pretty disorganized to the gawking soldiers sitting in the trucks as they rolled by only to be distracted from a formation of gunship helicopters flying overhead and the deafening boom of artillery nearby.

The reporter and her crew solved their technical issue just in time for the countdown to go live and she pulled a strand of her hair from her mouth when the camera started to roll.

“We coming to you live 20 miles outside of Barnock, a city once home of 19,000 is now a warzone.” The reporter spoke in the most professional manner she can muster.

“Witness account from the city is one of horror and disbelief until a few hours ago we have actual footage of the creatures attacking the city look like. What we are about to show you is very graphic, viewer discretion is advised.” She added.

The technicians back at the news headquarters switched from live to earlier footage of ground crews filming the carnage inside the city. Anyone watching television at the time would be shown a distant shot of dwarven and human infantrymen taking cover behind makeshift barricades and firing their weapons at an unseen enemy off camera.

“The army showed up two hours ago and has begun to retake the city from these invaders that we know very little about.” The reporter’s voice spoke over the footage.

“Many eyewitness accounts simply describe them as monsters and beings not of this world but some experts now are beginning to speculate that these creatures may indeed be from the other side of the barrier.” She paused at the insanity of it all but looked into the camera with all the seriousness she can muster.

“The question remains, why do they attack us? And what do they want?”

The city of Barnock was a warzone. Many buildings have been shelled out, burned down or rendered vacant with accessories and things strewn about the street from people grabbing what they could before evacuating their homes. Surprisingly enough there was little time for looting since the panic was so severe the main thing on people’s minds were getting themselves and their loved ones out of there. This proved to be a welcomed endeavor as soldiers mopping up the streets would occasionally go into these vacant stores to grab something to eat and refill their canteens after a long day of fighting. A squad of Gavalan guardsmen was doing a sweep through a small alleyway occasionally firing a few shots at creatures bobbing about the debris.

“They went left!” Barris, the squad sergeant shouted and gestured the stocky dwarf named Jord with the machine gun to set up a firing position behind an overturned phone booth, hoping the thin metal construction would stop arrows.

“Two more, second floor!” Erwin the squad’s medic gestured when he saw two more shapes rushing past the gapping windows.

An arrow whooshed past Barri’s helmet, missing him by mere inches when he ran past an abandoned delivery van and Jord was already firing his weapon into the windows.

“Godsdamnit!” Xarnen, the radioman cursed when he dropped his magazine when an arrow thudded heavily up against a tree he stood behind.

“How the hell are they shooting this far with those primitive fucking weapons?!” He shouted as he hastily picked up the magazine and rammed into his rifle and pulling the charge bolt back to load it.

“I don’t know, but watch your flanks!” Barris replied and fired a few shots into the window to cover for Otto, another dwarf and the squad’s heavy weapons expert to limp over towards the parks’ wall partition.

“Sorry for the delay, my ankle is still killing me for falling out of the helicopter.” Otto grunted as he nudged his way around the wall to get a glance at the windows where the creatures were firing from.

“As long as you got one round left for that recoilless we can laugh about it later.” Barris said and ducked behind the wall to hear another arrow hiss dangerously close above him.

“Here I was thinking you actually cared.” Otto replied with all the snark he could muster while loading the last high explosive rocket into the recoilless rifle.

Erwin and Xarnen were shooting rapid semi-automatic fire into the window to cover for Jord while he was fixing a jam in the machine gun.

A shriek was heard when one of the creatures was shot and the other shot a nicely timed bolt into Xarnen hitting him in the collar bone.

“Man down!” Erwin went over to Xarnen who started to scream profanities when the shock was over from being hit.

Jord cursed and pounded his fist onto the machinegun to get the feed cover back on then pulled back the charge bolt and fired wildly into the windows to cover his squad mates. Another shriek was heard when the second creature was shot by the torrent of fire.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!” Barris shouted and the area was suddenly quiet when all gunfire was silenced with the only sounds was Xarnen stifling his urge to scream in pain as Erwin pried the bolt out and administered aid to him.

The two took cover behind an abandoned pickup truck with the metal sides marred up by some kind of warbeast’s horns. Barris took a moment to assess the situation to make sure the two hostiles were dead and didn’t have friends nearby lurking around to wait until the squad went into a false sense of security. According to the radio chatter these creatures were devious as they were deadly as many squads were ambushed and were cut down in hand to hand combat. The squad leader slowly doubled back towards the pickup truck where Erwin was still patching up Xarnen who was trying to light up a cigarette but his hands were shaking so bad he gave up on the habit for a moment.

“How’s he doing?” Barris asked and flicked his zippo lighter to light up Xarnen’s cigarette.

“I don’t think the bolt had any poisons like the others, so he should be okay. I gave him some morphine.” Erwin replied while taking inventory of his medical supplies which were hastily put into his satchel when they herded into the helicopters.

Barris nodded and took Xarnen’s radio pack and dialed to a channel to battalion headquarters.

“This Lambda three-one-one to Echo-six, all hostiles has been eliminated in sector four and we have injured and low on ammo, we need med evac and resupply, over.” Barris spoke into the phone.

It was a long moment before there was a response and Barris repeated the transmission and a reply came in mid-sentence.

“Echo-six to Lambda three-one-one, that’s a negative on the resupply, we need all Lambda and Rho company callsigns to report to op-point Baker. We’re renewing our assault on the city, how copy?”

Barris didn’t like the sound of that which meant there was more casualties than headquarters predicted or either that the situation was grimmer than he thought.

“Understood, Echo-six, will we be getting evac?” Barris responded. Again a long moment before the phone crackled with an answer.

“We have a…we have a mechanized platoon nearby about one click north east from your position. We cannot risk anymore helicopters at this time, transferring you now.” The voice replied with some hesitation as they’re trying to coordinate everyone’s position in the city. If Barris knew half the cluster fuck the situation was on the ground all across the city and inside the many headquarters not only of Gavalan but other nations as well since they were dealing with the same enemy he may as well try to go a-wall.

“This is Rho-six-four, we’re taking the injured out with our APCs and everyone else will have to walk on foot. It’s a ten click hike back to op-point Baker and we can’t stay here for long before we roll out without you, how copy?” The gruff voice spoke into Barris’s ear.

“Roger that, Rho-six-four.” Barris acknowledged then immediately grabbed Xarnen up to his feet.

“We got to hump it one click….that way to get the hell out of here. Move! They’re not waiting on us forever!” Barris said in a hasty manner as he pointed in the general direction they needed to go.

The squad began to jog down the street which wasn’t the smartest move but it was the quickest because being left behind was going to be far worse according to the horror stories they heard when some squads surrendered to these creatures. It was baffling how such a primitive enemy that fought with bows and arrows could be so fearsome until intelligence came in about the magicks these creatures used that made it into an even playing field. The initial stories were written off as shock from being engaged in combat until more details came down the lines and it made the entire condition sound even more vexing than many wanted to admit. Fortunately for Barris and his squad they have not encountered these “magic users” as of yet but the squads that did were massacred or suffered heavy losses.

Suddenly a hiss was heard and Otto fell forwards with a heavy thud as the bolt went straight through his thin steel helmet.

“Fuck! Get down!” Jord said as he fired wildly up into the apartments as he got behind a car.

Barris and Erwin jerked Xarnen by the flak vest and threw him up against the side of a mail van to get him to cover as he was still acting loopy due to the morphine.

Jord attempted to go over to save his fellow dwarf but several bolts smacked against the pavement and into the body of Otto to make sure he was dead deterred him.

“Fucking fuck, fuck you!” Jord snarled in anguish and fired into the apartment windows in long bursts.

“Save your ammo, Jord!” Barris yelled at the beleaguered dwarf who wanted to avenge his fallen friend.

The sergeant took a peak around the mail van to get an idea where the archers were firing from then pulled his head back just in time to feel a bolt graze against the front of his helmet as he dodged another death stroke.

Barris muttered something between a thankful prayer that the bolt did not get him and a curse towards the archer that tried to kill him. He reached over to Xarnen to pull the phone out of the radio pack.

“Rho-six-four, this is Lambda three-one-one we cannot make it to your position we are pinned down, over?!” He said and fired a few shots randomly into the apartments down the street not taking in consideration there still maybe civilians around but at this point they were either all evacuated, dead or worse captured by these foul beings from the other side.

“What’s your position?” Rho-six-four asked.

“Six-four…we’re somewhere on.” Barris paused a moment to look out for a street sign. “We’re on Lumbertack Drive…we can see a clock tower to our north…” He added trying to get a point of reference since their map was lost when his flares in his pack were set off by a stray fire bolt in an earlier firefight this morning.

“Okay, I know where that is, stay there we’ll come to you.” Rho-six-four replied and Barris could hear the engines rev up in the background.

All the squad could do now was sit tight and wait for the personnel carrier to arrive to give them passage since their armored hulls were virtually immune to bolts, even the magic kinds that akin to fireballs or lightning bolts. Despite distant firefights happening around the cities in the sporadic cacophony of rifle fire and machinegun bursts there was an eerie quiet and Barris could hear Jord weeping and cursing at the same time in his way of swearing vengeance on the ones who killed his friend and possibly his family left behind in the chaos of the invasion. He felt bad for the dwarf for losing everything and Barris wondered how long would it be before he started to lose people he cared about.

Gradually the distant growl of a vehicle and clattering of tracks ripping up pavement was echoed around the cityscape which could be none other than an armored fighting vehicle coming to the rescue. Barris took a quick glance around the van to see a tank rolling towards them.

“Wait…is that a tank?” Erwin said as he took a glance too.

“Yep…and how the hell are we all going to ride in that?” Barris grumbled wondering if the platoon leader of Rho-six-four really thought this through.

“Uh…six-four we see you coming down but there’s a problem.” Barris spoke into the radio.

“Three-one-one, what is it?” The voice replied.

“How do you expect to fit five people into that?” Barris said in a mildly irritated tone.

“Would you rather walk? Our APCs are full of dead and wounded, we could always turn around plus room won’t be an issue. Trust me.” The voice replied with an equally irritated tone.

“Nevermind six-four, we’ll make do.” Barris sighed as he glanced around again to see the tank get closer.

A moment after the last transmission the chorus of heavy machinegun fire reverberated across the area as the tankers began to spray the buildings with covering fire as it rolled closer and closer until it ground to a halt just mere feet from the mail van.

“Closer! A little closer!” Barris shouted. The tank’s diesel engine whirred in earnest as the driver rolled the metal beast forwards.

There was the sound of metal on metal from around the tank and out popped a rather diminutive man on the ground waving them over. He was a Halfling!

“Y’know these got hatches down ‘ere, right?” The Halfling tanker said with a toothy grin.

“Do we look like tankers to you?” Erwin retorted.

“Enough! Get Xarnen in there and I’ll go get Jord and Otto.” Barris assured the medic as he bobbed and weaved towards Jord’s position.

Jord was smoking a cigarette while he stared at Otto from across the street where he fell.

“Hey, our ride is here let’s go.” Barris tapped the dwarf on his shoulder which snapped him out of his grief stricken trance.

Jord flicked the cigarette away and collected himself off the pavement to help his sergeant to take Otto’s body away, also picking up his recoilless rifle.

“Come on! We can’t stay here forever!” The tank commander bellowed from the copula hatch as everyone crawled underneath the tank to get in through the hatch beneath. Despite being cramped inside the Halfling tank crew made accommodations because to them the tank was rather roomy as it was initially designed around human-sized operators.

The tank commander ordered his gunner to traverse the turret around to fire a random shot into the apartment windows above them when he caught a glimpse of creatures running around through the periscope built into the hatch. The vehicle bucked when the main gun discharged and an empty shell clanged down into a basket below missing Xarnen’s head by mere inches and the loader promptly loaded another one into the breach. “Up!” The loader shouted.

The moment Barris was inside he closed the hatch behind him and tried to make himself comfortable the tank jerked as the driver floored it. After a while the Halfling tank commander reached down to shake Barris’s hand and introduced himself. His name was Patrick and he was an older Halfling with a small red beard and stunk with oil, sweat and possibly a recently eaten MRE that had tuna in it.

“Tanks for saving our asses.” Xarnen said drunkenly with a dopey smile as the morphine was now in full effect. Erwin couldn’t help but role his eyes at his comrade’s inebriated state.

“Yeah. Thanks for coming to bail us out of the fire.” Barris agreed.

“And into the frying pan.” The Halfling gunner spoke up when saw the fire and smoke up ahead through his gunner scope.

“Keller, are you there?” Patrick spoke into his radio set as he saw the same thing through his periscope.

“Was this were we said we met up when we got back?” The driver asked, concerned.

“Oh my gods…” Patrick said in horror then popped his head up through the hatch.

What Patrick saw was something out of nightmare when he saw the five armored personnel carriers from his platoon burning with all the injured and dead burning inside with some corpses burning outside along with the few crewmen that bailed out of their vehicles cut to bloody pieces with their severed limbs and disemboweled remnants strewn about the pavement in a macabre canvas of gore. The tank commander sat there in stunned silence and his hands were drawn behind his helmet in distress then immediately ripped his helmet off down into his cupola and ringed his fingers through his short hair in a nervous tick that he left his friends behind and the strong sense of failure overcame him in a storm of sorrow then after a few moments of hyperventilating and struggling to keep it together he broke down.

Things got from bad to worse.