Scorched Twilight

Chapter 26: Delusional

Mostima carefully peeked out the dusty windows, the sound of crunching rocks and muffled breathing becoming the loudest thing they could hear as the shadows of moving figures shone on the wall across the windows.

Y/n: Are they gone?

Mostima: Think so, but it's best we lay low for a bit.

Y/n: Shit...

Phoenix: You two. Come here.

Phoenix came out from behind a box, beckoning something to come out from behind her. Out came three people, two men in their early twenties, one of them had their leg heavily bandaged, the last one was an infected child, black lesions growing from all over his neck to his cheek.

Phoenix: What do we do with them?

"Don't hurt us, please! We have a child with us!"

"Zaya, don't be scared!"

Mostima: Shhhhh! If you make another sound, they're guaranteed to hear us!

Hearing this, the three strangers stayed compliant. Everyone in the room was quiet and didn't move a muscle, as unnecessary as it was but it was a by-product of tense situation.

A few long minutes pass, Mostima peeked out the window once again and signaled to the others that it was okay. There was a collective breath of relief from everyone, before their brains went into alert as they can know deal with each other.

Phoenix: Now answer. Who are you?

"We should be the ones asking you that! You're the ones breaking into our space!"

Mostima: Woah there, buster! We didn't see a sign outside saying it was yours.

"Why you!"

"Just stop..."

Phoenix noticed the kid speak, but his quiet, raspy voice was nothing compared to the volume the others spoke in.

Phoenix: Enough! We're here to find a place to hide from the Ursus army. We'll be out of your fur after an hour.

"Wait. Ursus army? What did they look like?"

Y/n: Uh... Tall, covered from head to toe, I think they had some pipes connected to their masks?

"Nikolai... You don't think...?"

"Shit. Shit, shit shit. We're all so screwed..."

Fear. Pure, unfiltered fear was being displayed through their expression and behavior. It was the faces of someone having their worst subconscious fears come true.

Y/n: Hey, what are you two breaking down for...?

"No, no, no. You don't understand! There are monsters in Ursus' military, made from monsters to make an even more terrifying monster that's being used by the higher-ranking officials including the Tsar."

"Some say they are only a myth, created as a scare tactic to keep Ursus citizens in line. But some think otherwise of their existence, knowing that Ursus is too proud do their military to do so."

Y/n: Hold on, that sounds kind of familiar.

Their menacing and towering appearance, added with how the two men described them. It stirred some memories Y/n had of fighting a group with similar descriptions.

It was a battle that took place in the Tundra. After leaving Eno and Sasha at the hands of Reunion, he worked with them for a while, after sensing some traces of Pride's power in the infected group's leader.

They were attacked by a group of them, commencing a bitter struggle that would lead to Y/n almost losing his life if it weren't for a last minute save from someone in Reunion.