I guess I shouldn't have been eager to ask, because now I found myself leading the entire group through the densely packed crowd of cars all leading out of the city.
Of course, I had the protection of my combat craft, which had been parked right outside Jebadiah's bookstore like some wannabe vehicle, and while I had wanted to bring up the back of the group so that I could have full-range of our surroundings, Jeb had stubbornly refused to listen to the opinion of a 'kid'.
He's delusional, I thought bitterly, I'm a full-fledged adult!
"Just calm down. Not everything will go your way, and he will soon understand that for himself as well."
I glanced at my mom sideways, "You were sulking just a few seconds ago."
It was silent for moment before she tutted at me, "Well he was rude! Obviously my son is a grown man already and is a Hero. He's probably envious that you're so young and successful."
She proceeded to bad-mouth Jebadiah for the next couple of minutes, and I inwardly snickered the entire time, a bit delighted that she was being so defensive. My mom didn't praise me too often; she claimed that it would get to my head, or provoke misfortune to come after me— I guess she was partly right, because right now I was feeling pretty good about myself.
Before, I did some pretty stupid shit for money, even if the latter was for a good purpose. What bothered my mom was that I'd constantly put myself in danger. The money didn't matter to her; she didn't care if we'd have to live in a shitty apartment in a shady neighborhood— as long as I quit my 'jobs', she would be fine. But I didn't want that life for her. She'd lose her business if she were to be seen in the slums.
Mom loved being a hair stylist. It was her dream job, after all. She had a hard time after dad's death— we both did —but for her it hit the hardest, because they'd been together for nearly twenty years. Going to work became the drive that made her get up in the morning, and I didn't want her to lose that too.
Sure, I could've done what any other normal person would've done and gotten a degree for work. Become a doctor or something. Obviously, I wasn't too bright in my adolescence. Back then, it was no secret that mom was a bit envious over Wren's success as a Hero while I...was the way that I was. Every mother wanted their child to be successful.
I stole a glance at the now-silent woman hunched at my side and sent a silent apology her way, sorry I was stupid as a kid.
Her jaw dropped a bit and a worried expression took on her features. I almost thought that she heard my thoughts when something captured my attention from within my peripheral vision. Neil and Jebadiah had rounded my craft, currently running toward a storefront a few meters away. We finally reached the gun shop.
Before we had left his apartment, Jebadiah said that we needed to arm ourselves before we left the city. His friend owned a gun shop along the outskirts of sector five, and sure enough, the key card that he'd said his friend usually left underneath the mat was right there. Before everyone else rushed into the store, I shifted my craft in Teejay's way and made him promise to bring back good weapons for my mom and I.
He rolled his eyes so dramatically that they almost disappeared behind his head. A week and a half spent together, practically joint at the hip, was enough time for him to grow on me. Aliyah came pretty close, but I was far closer to Teejay than anyone else in the group since we were the same age.
"Try to find something big enough for this thing too!"
My craft's sword was all that I had and there was no access to more. I also couldn't rely too heavily on my capabilities as an Infini, since the special instructors who were meant to take over my training didn't even have a chance to so much as introduce themselves to me. So far, the only things I noticed with my status, was the increased stamina and strength. I didn't know whether it was safe to train myself to go over the threshold in these conditions— nobody in the team was medically adept in case I injured myself.
Hell, no one even knew I was an Infini.
According to Dr. Alexi, I could apparently spawn electricity from my body. Whether or not that was true, I'd rather the strange ability surface now than later. This disease, or whatever the hell happened that managed to decimated the Curator, picked the wrong time to do what it did. I was basically a sitting lab rat at this point.
I inwardly groaned in angst.
"Are you dizzy too?"
I shook my head at my mom's question, "No, why?"
"Because you look pale," she looked at me, then looked away, "you're driving is making us both dizzy."
I groaned, "Ma, stop saying that already!"
.
.
.
"We're closing in on the next block. Gonna have to turn this corner coming up."
Teejay relayed my words and we walked another ten steps before I shifted my craft around the corner. The alleyway was dark and narrow, but according to Jebadiah, it was a shortcut that would get us closest to the Curator.I pointed out the zed sitting against the brick wall, his legs completely torn from his body, and heard a sick crunch of bone when I passed the ankle-biter. Someone took care of him, either Teejay or Jess.
"Fuck me. I got some on my leather jacket."
Yep, that was Jess.
"Just wipe it off, it's leather anyways."
Teejay's remark definitely must've earned him a glare. Jess hissed, "Doesn't mean I want my clothes smelling like rotting shit!"
"Won't make much of a difference."
There was a sound of struggle from behind, followed by Teejay's defeated muttering.
"Play nice, you two," I growled, not bothering to shoot them a glare. We came across an open park, where the grassy terrain split off into two paths, "right or left, Jebadiah?"
"Go left," was his quick reply from the back of the group.
I cringed. That would take us into the forest, where the terrain would not only slow us down and put us at a disadvantage, but also serve as a perfect hunting ground for the zeds and the smaller Horrors. I wanted nothing to do with the forest, but above the tree line, the large metal walls of the Curator was unmistakable. We were close.
I lead the group into the forest and we trekked over large roots as the underbrush became more and more dense. I kept my eyes peeled, listening in on each and every little sound. We had to be nearing the end of the forest, because the thicket became to lessen considerably.
Something cracked underneath my combat craft's foot and I paused, looking down to check what broke underneath my weight. Glass? I blinked, later realizing that the yellowish-white object was in fact a bone...a bone that belonged to a skull. I stepped around the sickening sight and nearly stepped into another, more longer bone.
"What in Christ almighty..." Jess trailed off, taking in the trail of bones littered in our pathway and realizing what it entailed the same time I did.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I lifted my gaze to the branches, searching amidst my increasing apprehension.
"What?" Neil's voice shattered the silence, "Why'd we stop?"
I turned around the same time an earsplitting snarl ripped through the tense atmosphere. It was as if time seemed to stop at that exact moment. The horrifying creature leaped from its spot within the branches, its target set on Neil, who looked up at it with wide eyes, like a deer caught in headlights.
My body jolted into consciousness the moment gunshots exploded and it took a moment before I realized that Aliyah was the one firing rounds at the Horror. But it was too late. A split second was all the thing needed to tackle Neil to the ground, where it ravaged his body violently without mercy, tearing chucks of bloody flesh and sending it flying. Neil didn't even have time to scream.
Everyone snapped into action all around me, scattering like ants in a frenzied manner until my craft was the only thing standing a yard away from the feasting beast.
A Crawler.
"Try to avoid them at all costs, but if you do happen to encounter one of these things, it is best to take them on by teaming up. If somehow you are alone with one, I suggest running away because your life depends on it."
I recalled the instructor's lesson. Crawlers were dangerous, but blind, and only responded to sound. I didn't need the enhanced hearing to hear everyone's chaotic departure. Emily's and Aliyah's screams were easy to distinguish— I could practically pinpoint them from it. Everyone was too loud and not fast enough to outrun this thing.
The Crawler finished devouring Neil all in under a minute. It spun around and I got a clear view of Neil's remains still lodged in its exposed teeth. The thing had no face, there was only a giant mouth that showcased rows of sharp teeth.
If I wasn't scared before, I was shitting my pants now.
The Crawler was ten times more terrifying in person compared to the photos I saw of it in class. The pictures were spot on, but there was one thing they failed to capture, and that was its size. It was easily about as big as a silverback gorilla and exposed tissue, striated and pink, covered the entirety of its deformed body. The monster stuck close to the ground, curved talons curling into the forest floor.
I had my sword pointed at it, but I didn't know how to take on this thing. I couldn't think. I couldn't breath. My chest began to ache as my heartbeat increased and my skin started to heat up. My mom wasn't doing very well either— she'd practically gone mute beside me. I debated actually standing like a statue until the thing crawled off, but that plan soon went down the drain when the shrill sound of my wrist watch beeped into the silence.
Both my mom and I screamed bloody murder when the Crawler lunged for us— but I instinctively toggled the controls just in time, and the blunt end of the sword sent the Crawler stumbling backwards, doubling over itself.
I didn't wait to see if I killed it. My mom's cries of fear bounced off the walls of the cockpit as I hauled ass in the direction everyone else ran in. I was actually surprised that my weak act of offense managed to slow down the Crawler, but the surprise didn't last for long, however, because I picked up on the sound of something gaining from behind. A snarl issued not that far back, confirming that the monster was alive and very much pissed off.
One second we were rushing through the forest, and the next, our combat craft was flung into the fray of sharp leaves and branches. The fall was harsh, and we were thrown about the cockpit like a pair of dice until we finally skidded to a stop right underneath a low hanging tree. I didn't dare move a muscle, not even when my right eye blurred from the warm wetness that trailed past my eyelashes. I merely watched as the Crawler hit the ground too close from where the craft was overturned, spittle flying from its mouth as it released a growl that quaked my bones.
It breathed heavily, hunched over and swiveling its head from side to side, trying to locate us. I squeezed my eyes shut and grasped my mom's hand, urging for her to remain immobile. Lord up above, I hope this thing couldn't smell us.
"Fang!"
I felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice cold water over me. My name bounced off the trees and with an enraged snarl, the Crawler crawled away in the direction of Teejay's voice.
I whispered for my mom through clenched teeth, releasing her hand only to shake her gently a few times. She was unconscious. Her hair was strewn about her face, but I could see that her eyes were closed— chest seized in trepidation, I checked for her pulse by her neck and was relieved to feel the beats, steady and strong. Now that she was accounted for, I maneuvered the combat craft back into a standing position and navigated it to follow the Crawler's path as fast as possible. I could hear the rest of my group not that far ahead.
"Fang! Where are you?!"
Shut the fuck up, Teejay!
The lights in the cockpit had gone out and I could feel a breeze from the outside, indicating that there was a break in the glass somewhere around me. Screams suddenly erupted from along the tree line before me, and with a curse, I tried to pick up the pace.
The sound of bullets ricochetted off the metal portion of the craft and soon, the trees cleared to a small opening where the rest of the group had gathered. Those who carried firearms were firing at the Crawler that was swiping at every direction, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect other than eliciting aggravation. Before the thing could pounce, however, my craft sprinted forward and intercepted the Crawler's pathway. It reared up and I flinched when its massive claws scraped against the glass right in front of my face. Darkness obstructed us once again and its teeth this time pierced right through, creating a web of cracks to multiply all across my field of view.
The combat craft was going to break!
Panicked, I toggled the controls in one last attempt of offense, and the Crawler screeched when the sword skewered its body, lashing out to deliver a final blow that managed to breach the cockpit completely, blasting shards of glass to and fro. I squeezed my eyes shut on instinct and merely held onto my mom for dear life as the combat craft careened backwards.
My heartbeat pulsed in my ears for a few moments as I tried to build up the courage to open my eyes, and when I did, the Crawler's gruesome face was plastered against a portion of the glass wall that was still intact before me, unmoving.
I grasped for my mom and maneuvered her unconscious body out of the combat craft carefully, different hands joining in to help a moment later once the others caught up. Somebody clapped me on my back and Jess guffawed, "That was—"
Teejay came bounding over, and finished Jess' exclamation, "—badass!"
Aliyah slowly approached, her face pale, "Ms. Hua..."
We all turned our attention to my mom, still unconscious in my arms. My gasp caught halfway up my throat— I nearly choked. A blood stain was steadily growing underneath the front of her beige blouse and a quick peak revealed four lacerations across her abdomen, deep and severe.