Seeker: Demon Killers [Fantasy/Action | Complete]

Chapter 46: A Plain Crazy Genius

The city was worse than Carlos had thought. The thick fog reminded him of a game he'd played, Tyrant Mill, where the protagonist returns to his childhood village only to find the entire place had been abandoned due to an underground coal fire. Ashes hung heavy in the air and clung to all the buildings and roads. Everything was reduced to snow sculptures. Trees resembled cotton candy, lining the smooth untouched streets. The sun hid behind several layers of grey clouds.

The strangest thing was the fact that no snow actually fell. The city was covered to the eyeballs with it and yet all that hovered in the air was the slight mist and clouds from their breaths. In fact, the sloping path leading to the front gates that opened to the top of the main street was devoid of snow. Frost glistened on the concrete beneath the main doors.

Those ice giants ambled about, their movements sluggish and lacking purpose. They appeared to just be patrolling the streets, their backs hunched and eyes unseeing. The tops of their heads poked over the tops of buildings in the far distance. Even to the hills at the outskirts of town where the hospital was Carlos could see lumps moving.

"Ross... I don't think there are any humans left."

He expected some sort of sarcastic, cutting remark, possibly relating to him stating the obvious, but there was nothing.

She sat with her legs swinging through the cannon hole in the wall, her head rested in her arms on the beam above. After they'd scavenged some left overs in the café kitchen and rummaged for something warm and dry in the souvenir shop, they'd spent the best of an hour looking out at the desolation.

Her lips were downturned. Her eyes couldn't be seen, covered by a low set thick woolly tartan hat. Her fingers were tucked into the overlarge sleeves. In the subtle winter light, she looked unusually fragile. Even though he was a good few inches taller than her, she'd never seem so small before.

"Ross..."

"If everyone is dead, what's the point of staying here?"

She stared ahead, barely acknowledging Carlos's presence. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but no sound came out.

"Our lives were to protect humans." Her voice was little above a whisper now. "Now we have no humans, no Seekers. Why do we stay alive?"

"Because we are alive."

"What's the point?"

"Why are you saying all this?"

She was quiet for so long he wondered if she'd even heard him.

"Death is an unavoidable outcome."

"Well, yeah, for everyone."

She didn't even crack a smile.

"We fight to survive another day, and then what? They're everywhere. We've nobody to protect. We're just delaying the inevitable."

"We'll find our way."

"We won't!" she burst out, whipping around and glaring at him. Tears threatened to spill. She rubbed her eyes with a fist. "This isn't one of your stupid dramas, Carlos. The good guys don't get to go home. There is no fabled land or shelter or light at the end of the tunnel. There's no deux ex machina to safe our ass. There isn't some miracle stone to bring back the dead. There is no-one to lead us and no-one to save us. This is it: the end. Finito."

She sniffed and turned back to face the scenes again.

"I can tell the difference between TV and reality," Carlos said, indignant. He rested his chin in his left hand and drummed his right fingers on the post. "I know there's no next plot point. I know there are no directors telling us what to do or 'in the next episode' screening, but that's why we have to carve our own paths! We're still alive, we can make decisions, and we can make something out of this!"