The Duns

Day Two

Chapter thirty-five

Peter

Day two

Tip: Listen to Shawn Mendes' 'Fallin' All In You' while reading this

A powerful wind blows against us, thrashing against our bodies, making even walking ahead an almost unbeatable task. Last nights smog has cleared, making way for the large, heavy clouds a shade of burdened grey.

At this time yesterday, the sky had cleared and the fight was flourishing, but today, our enemy is no where to be seen- which is a good thing looking at our forlorn state, as moody as the weather.

And as if it can't get any worst, a pathetic splattering of water sprays over all of us and the ground before us. Within seconds, its intensity increases and we're soaked head to toe, with no vision of anything more than 100 yards ahead of, no accurate description of the sound with the rain pattering away like bombs exploding out of nowhere- and yet everywhere- and a pissed enemy that can rise at literally any point in time.

I sigh and turn to Max, who stands at my side, "Do you think they'll show up?"

"Oh, for sure."

"What the hell are they waiting for?"

"You to get distracted."

Almost exactly then, lightening ripped through the sky, far away at the horizon, and in an extravagant entrance, in marched the Snakes, their numbers larger than before.

I yell out loud to my men, "Attention!" and silence spreads as we take in our opponent. Before we have a chance to get completely back into position, a horn is blown from their side of the field, and the soon enough, a thousand ravenous Snakes are sprinting towards us.

"Go!" I scream, "Go, go, go!" The team takes it in faster than I did and we clash into the yellow bodies just like the rain piercing into the ground. I pull my arm up and slice through the body of the man in front of me, watching as his out-stretched tongue falls to the ground; a dead dog. The knife stays stuck in his abdomen and I leave it there, walking over his body with my palm facing the sky, tiny balls of fire emitting from them, heat taking over my hands and my face and my eyes.

I throw my hands about, aiming perfectly without being able to see clearly, for the first three minutes, the battle is in our hands.

I take a second to look away from the body I just dropped to the ground and- "No! Soldiers, soldiers look out! Run! No-" A serine, lonely, unwanted strike of lightning runs above my head, runs and runs and runs, getting faster and faster, and it slithers down to our side of the field, behind me, as if it were drawing a spinal cord in the sky. The white streak glows blue at the edges, and cackles over my head, leaving me be, but running to my Men.

"No! Move! Move!" I yell, running back to base, pushing my soldiers away from the dragon racing home. My body sinks every now and then as the icky, slimy brown base covers my shoes; it feels as if it is covering my entire body, my vision, my mind. As I pass, I manage to glance over at the fights rolling out besides me: black-covered bodies sleep struggling in the mud, black bodies arm spread out trying to defend two lemon like structures, bright pink tongues sticking out. A series of unfortunate events unroll to my right, and my left, and up and down and everywhere-

"Peter!" Catherine pushes onto my chest, throwing off my balance and I disappear into the ground, her head thudding on top of my body. I struggle to get up, my hand capped in despair, my eyes only just making out a blurry figure above me- it's gone.

I can hear the thudding feet, the aching yells, dead bodies exclaiming in exasperation as they join me. Almost on que, the white lights split open in the sky. A deafening howl breaks through.

Then silence.

A hand pinches at my chest. Catherine.

"Peter," she says, her voice soft and her face covered in blood and muck, "we have to move, we have to move, come on, get up."

I roll around in the pool of insanity and shriek out loud as a protective arm shields my back and grabs my hand, pulling me up; failing to do so. My body sludges back into the mess, and I put my hand out to protect it from falling down completely.

Catherine's voice penetrates through the screeching field and almost instantly, another pair of arms- manly and hairy and sweaty- grabs my shoulders and yanks me back to life. I come face to face with Ester, who shakes my bodies and I feel like fruit being flushed in a mixer. He is yelling at me, I am sure, but a powerful silent beat stays stuck in my mind, enveloping everything else.

This man saved my life.

I raise my arms and guide them around Ester's body, dumping my head on his shoulder, "Thank you." I whisper into his ear, my heart pounding behind my ribcage, my mouth open, breathing loudly.

Two warm hands begin to press around my waist but thrust me away almost instantly, "Catherine!" Ester yells, his voice loud and filled with worry. I flip around, life thrown into me once more.

I wish with every last breath, I hadn't.