Kingdom Gone

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT

The jacket. Jason's jacket, it must be in there.

* * *

40 yards and closing.

At least, based off my mental map. All this damn corn is making it hard to see, surprisingly.

I hear growling on my left and look over my shoulder just in time to see the werewolf lash out at my ride, claws taking off the back half of the thin metal roofed-cage of the cart. I swerve to the left, the high speed nearly tipping the vehicle over. Eventually I get it under control and swerve back towards the right, powering back on course.

Or so I thought, until suddenly the stalks disappeared and the bright lights of the AFV hit me right in the face.

"Oh, shit!"

I dive out of the way at the last second, landing hard on my stomach as the Automated Farming Vehicle powered past, munching up my cart in a thrash of creaking metal and glass.

Groaning as I get to my feet, I brush off dirt and climb aboard the end of the machine, making my way up to the catwalk.

As I traverse over to the console, I see the monster prowl out of the corn, circling around below.

"God, I need some coffee." I mutter, pressing a button and pulling a lever on the console. The AFV shudders slightly with it's new direction, wheels stuck in a right turn, making tight, slow, circles until changed.

I vault the railing and land on the ground, 20 feet from the monster, it's teeth bared and eyes glowing yellow and savage.

I hold up my fists and sigh.

"Let's dance."

* * *

Corridor after corridor.

It was like a maze in the temple, with seemingly a hundred doors to a hundred rooms. Circe could see from the patchy red carpets and rusty, dust-covered statues and ornaments that this temple use to be a thing of beauty and royalty, but the death of the Elder must've caused it to be let go.

The militia force at the entrance was the only one she encountered so far, which didn't sit right in her mind. Where were they?

Circe reached a large iron door at the end of a hall devoid of paintings or furniture, just concrete. She gripped the stiff handle and turned it, the door creaking open, a sliver of light sweeping across the room.

Rifles. Ammunition boxes. Bows and arrows.

And a leather jacket.

Circe pushed the door open and quickly went over to it. She picked it up, which much effort, and felt all the weapons inside.

She sighed in relief, before she was hit on the back of the head.

* * *

"Heel boy!"

The monster's gigantic furry arm swings just above my head, nearly decapitating me. I dive to the side, pressing the barrel of the rifle right against the beast's jaw.

"Gotcha."

Click.

"You've got to be-"

It's monstrous yellow eye focuses on me, then it swings its entire head in my direction, it's jaws prying apart, displaying rows of three inch teeth covered in webs of saliva.

I drop to a squat, the beast's mouth snapping shut above me, then I push up with my legs, doing a backflip and landing 6 feet away.

"I didn't even know I could do that." I say to myself, doing a 180 and sprinting across the field.

It's fighting pattern is abnormal. I mean, abnormal for a feral beast. Animals typically spar in erratic ways, but this beast's attacks are planned out, thoughtful, and predictable. Almost like a human.

In the corner of my eye I see the AFV grumbling along, about to pass just ahead.

Time to end this.

I spin the rifle in my hand, holding it like a club and come to a stop in the AFV's path. The monster bounds over, arm recoiled for a swipe as usual. I side step and grab a fistfull of its fur as I climb onto its back. It growls and nips at its unexpected passenger, rearing in place, trying to get at me.

"Just a little longer..." The AFV's lights fall over us, the ground shaking as it's rotating blades come ever closer. Just as the machine reaches us, I lift the rifle up high then smash it down against the monster's skull, the cracking sound audible even over the whirring metal. I jump high, using the beast's back as a springboard, and launch myself onto the front Automated Farming Vehicle.

"Shit shit shit." I say under my breath as I feel myself sliding down towards the blades, until my fingers wrap around a small metal bar, stopping me foot above my death.

The entire machine shudders, then stops. A loud beeping sound comes from the console up above. I look down and see the monster stuck in its metal jaws, blades digging deep into its fur. Based on the straining muscles on its neck, it's using its strength to keep the blades from spinning.

"Give up, Fido!" I say, pulling myself up the face of the AFV. I crouch under the railing and waltz over to the console, gripping the level I pulled before. "Gnight, Old Yeller!" I say, about to put the AFV into overdrive, when something happens.

"M. . .Master. . ."

My hand froze, still gripping the lever.

What was that?

I stare across the empty field, not a soul in sight. Impossible.

Swallowing hard, I walk over to the rail and look down into the jaws of metal.

It's staring right at me. Yellow eyes glowing, piercing my soul.

I can't look away. "D. . .did you-"

"Reven. . .ge. . ." It's lips move, clearly struggling to form words, but clearly knows what it's saying it. The blades shift, digging inches deeper into the monster's back. I gasp, spinning around back to the console. I turn off the ignition, the entire machine powering down. I jump down to the ground, sprinting back around to the front of the AFV.

Gone.

"What. . ."

Far in the distance, I see a large figure sprint back into the corn, disappearing in a flash. A loud howl pierces the night.

I turn in a slow circle, staring at the puddle of blood in the dark, mixing with rainwater.

Things just got interesting in Arcadia.

Lightning flashes across the sky, a brilliant display of fire, manufactured by the Utopia's climate controlled systems. But it reminds me of something else.

Circe.