The three stood there, their clothes wet, drenched and cold, the rain showed no signs of stopping.
Moore was getting very cold now.
"We should get going." He told the others.
But he had some thoughts.
"So many weird things are going on today.
First the statue, now this"
He looked at Leo.
Then turned to Marcus.
Then looked up to the moon, which was now on the verge of being covered by clouds.
"Now even those two..."
He was lost in thought.
"Moore!...Moore!!...Moore!!"
When he came to Leo was shouting his name, whilst jerking him back and forth.
"Come on! We've gotta go.
You'll get left behind!" Leo told him.
He and Marcus had started jogging slowly, Moore caught up to them quickly.
Then they gradually paced up.
The ground was getting wet, this made it slippery.
Marcus nearly fell but quickly recovered.
The town was getting closer with every step.
"Huh?"
Moore shook his head, he was behind the others.
"Could've sworn...
No way, i might just be tired"
He shook his head, rejecting what he thought he saw.
They finally got to the town.
Everything looked normal at a glance.
"(Where are the night watch?)" Moore asked.
***
The night watch of Mjiormire – Barely armoured or armed, they served as the vigilantes of the night in the town. They usually had shifts that started from the 21st hour and ended at the 6th hour of the day.
They numbered 16, four kept watch at the entrance, while the others patrolled the town. The buildings at the entrance served as their place of residence.
***
"(Something is amiss, you guys stay close)" Marcus whispered to them.
They nodded in response and closed in.
As they walked further into the town, the rain gradually became a drizzle.
[Tack] "ouch"
Leo tripped on something and fell.
"What the hell, what was that? It felt weird?"
In an act of curiosity, he felt the object up to discern what it was;
It was long.
With an irregular but familiar feel and shape.
"It can't be..." He felt it more rigorously to confirm his fears.
He had now formed a mental image, It was dark outside, but the object was clear as day to him.
Chills went down his spine.
"(What's keeping you Leo?
Get up let's go, I'm getting scared)" Moore said.
Leo's breathing got heavy.
The other two could now hear it.
It got faster and faster.
"Le!-(Leo what's wrong with you?)" Marcus's impatience made him nearly let out a scream as he called out to Leo.
He placed his hand on the shoulder of Leo who now knelt there.
"(He's trembling)" Marcus told Moore.
"(Is it the cold from the rain?)" Moore questioned.
"Perhaps." Marcus replied.
[bluergh!] Leo started vomiting.
"(What's it, are you sick?)" Marcus desperately asked Leo, but got no reply.
At that same time the clouds that had covered the ever luminescent moon cleared up.
The moon now illuminated the town, they could now see more clearly.
They had been moving blind with barely any light to see.
[bluergh!!] Marcus was the next to throw up.
Now looking at the object, Moore understood why;
It was a dismembered arm of a human.
The sight was gruesome.
His stomach felt tight, but he held it.
He had gained some tolerance to sights like this while helping out his uncle, but even that had its limits.
He soon looked around.
The streets to the right, the alleyways to left, the path ahead, the town they onced knew was gone.
Remains were spread out on the floor, the pavement was crimsoned.
Buildings were destroyed, some with broken walls, while others were torn to the ground.
Moore gagged, a weak reaction as compared to the others who threw up once more.
It wasn't going to be easy for them to regain composure, they had been struck with confusion.
"What the fuck is this?... Is everyone dead?
Even...Mom, Dad...
Hermes?!" Leo muttered to himself.
This realisation made him tear up, his throat tightened up.
The tears flowed.
He wasn't the only one that thought so, the other two were in as much dread as he was, they all had people who were dear to them in the town.
The crippling fear of their death had weakened them.
"Guys, our families are probably safe." Moore assured.
He just wanted to alleviate their shock and grief so they could regain composure, but his act of goodwill wasn't taken well.
Marcus held him to the collar of his clothes and slammed him to the wall.
"Of course you'd say this.
Your family isn't here.
Only your uncle is!" Marcus said, with teary eyes.
He wasn't thinking straight.
Moore broke down in tears, Marcus couldn't get why.
Before he could even question this he was already on the floor.
Something hard had hit his face.
[Ring!!!] His ears rang with a high pitched frequency.
He turned over, it was Leo;
He had punched him.
"Is that what you say to someone who tries to comfort you?!
A boy who has lost way mo-"
Leo looked over at the now trembling Moore, he didn't complete his statement but Marcus's heart shrank.
He seemed to have understood what he had done.
"Get up, this isn't the right place nor time for this." He told Marcus.
He walked over to Moore, helped him up then put his hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about it too much." He comforted Moore.
Marcus on the other hand was getting up by himself, his injured hand made it hard.
It bled out once more.
The drizzle finally came to a halt.
"Hey Moore…" He tried to speak but halted.
His ears twitched.
Eyes widened.
"What are those noises..."
Sounds could be heard, they were obscure, inhuman wailing along with growls.
The pain in his arm was numbed by fear, the other two could hear this too.
Heavy footsteps along with the sound of water splashing as they hit the ground.
Moore joined in with the other two who were now on alert, they all backed each other.
Marcus was facing towards the entrance.
"(What was that sound?)" Moore asked.
His voice noticeably shook.
"(How are we supposed to know?
Just stay close and report whatever you see)" Leo answered him.
The footsteps were clearer now, it seemed to be coming from Marcus's direction.
So naturally the first to see this was Marcus.
He saw the majestic figure, standing over 3 metres tall, it was an atrocious being.
It was four legged, with a slender face;
It had no fur, eyes nor ears, but a nose and 8 canines coming out from its long sharp snout.
Claws even longer than daggers, and eyes on the front of its fore legs joints.
It had spikes that extended from the end of the neck to its tail.
'Not of this world' was the only accurate descriptor.
"There is no record of such a being.
It has no eyes, can it even see us… no, that isn't important right now, we need to get out of here" Marcus pondered.
"(G-Guys?)" Marcus said with a quivered voice.
"(What's it, why do you sound like that)" Moore asked concerningly.
Marcus gulped as he looked at the figure, his body was trembling.
"(Leo, Moore do exactly what I say.
On the count of three, sprint as fast as you can, don't look back.
I'll be right behind you)" He instructed.
…
He got no response.
The beast was now prowling towards them, the footsteps weren't audible.
But Marcus could still see it.
"(Did you guys hear me?)" Marcus reiterated.
"(Why?)" Moore asked.
"(Just do it!)" He said.
"(Sure)" Leo answered.
Now Marcus was finally assured, he began the count down.
"(One…)"
"What did he see that made him sound so nervous?
He sounded so shaken" Moore thought.
"(Two)"
Moore took a slight peak, he froze but soon recovered.
"Is that real?" He had conflicted thoughts.
Leo had gotten into position, he held Moore's trembling hands with his not so stable ones.
The reason was to keep a sync between them due to the difference in their reaction times.
A drop of water from the rain ran across his face.
It dropped to the wet ground.
[Plop!] (Three!)
Leo and Moore sprinted through the street at incredible speeds.
Marcus was right behind them, he turned behind to check the location of the beast;
It wasn't there.
What caused them now was its shadow on the floor, he looked above.
There it was, gliding through the air with its limbs bent inwards overlapping each other, like that of a cheetah.
"One leap was all it took for it to catch up?
We can't outrun it this way." Moore thought.
"To the left!" Marcus screamed.
It was obvious he didn't care about staying silent any longer.
They were already prey.