†
There was a time when Esau's arms shook whenever he held a weapon. Without moving an inch he would already visualize his opponent's screams. Even with nothing to attack, he would see red. He would see blood dripping off his blade and splashing on his skin.
He never could handle the thought of fighting. When he was younger the thought made his stomach churn to the point where he got physically sick. It was the main reason why he stayed indoors with his mother and played around with herbs and remedies while she worked.
But Ma still had her daggers.
Usually, he would watch as she trained Edythe, glancing out the window of the kitchen. Lacau was a hunting town after all, and their father didn't hunt, he was a researcher.
One day his Pa had presented him with two options as a choice of weapon, the pistol or the bow. Esau could use neither but already the thought of ending a life with just a pull of the trigger made limbs weak and eyelids heavy.
No one could just pick up a bow and maim a target. The arrow would fall short, or it would miss completely. Everything about it was hard, not like a sword or gun where a stumble could ruin everything.
Back then the choice had been simple, the bow distanced him from the result of his actions.
Or at least it did.
Esau released one arrow, already nocking the second as he squinted through the fog and watched it soar towards Edythe.
He watched his sister stumble out of the way of the projectile and his stomach dropped. Now the arrow would hit the house.
Did she really want him to burn it down? Was that the only way to lure out the beast from wherever it was hiding?
The second arrow flew and once again Edythe failed to catch it. That was the signal, Esau squared his shoulders and released a volley of arrows at his childhood home as Edythe sprinted to the trees for cover.
A bitter smile sat on his lips as he watched her approach him and a part of him wondered if ash could still catch fire.
"Esau!" Edythe hissed as her brother slowly made his way down the tree. "Stop hesitating, there's nothing left in that house to save."
The nine year old girl was covered in soot and scratches, and her skin was flushed. Even though her clothes were torn in places, her azure eyes brimmed with grim anticipation, flickering occasionally to a steady yellow as her emotions fluctuated between determination and concern.
"Ma and Pa aren't in there." She reminded her brother softly, just as the arrows scattered around the perimeter of the house sparked and ignited the grass around it.
Esau gulped, knowing that there was no going back now. The workshop had been burnt down too, so if they failed there was no where for them to hide. "You're right." He gripped his bow tightly then flashed her a weak smile. "This is the beginning-"
". . . of the end." Edythe replicated his smile, a complicated look on her face as she watched the flames spiral out of control.
Footsteps hurried in their direction and the twins looked back to see Issac and Philip rushing towards them, their hostage hanging limp between the two soldiers.
"Sorry that we're late," Philip sucked in a deep breath, exhaustion written clearly on his face, "setting those things wasn't as easy as I expected."
Issac only scowled, his eyes now fixed on the burning house. "What is with you kids and fire?"
Before Esau could answer him, a pained roared erupted from the house. It seemed to vibrate through the earth, sending the trees trembling and the beasts in the forest howling.
Out of nowhere the dog-like monster appeared in the clearing, its eyes viciously yellow in the glow of the moon. It seemed rabid, foaming at the mouth as it growled in the direction of Esau and the others.
The group watched, aghast, as the beast quenched all the flames with a single wave of it's massive left paw. It was like an hurricane swept through the house's remains, sending ash and charred wood flying into the air.
The creaking of the remaining support beams filled the air before at last everything collapsed. This only seemed to make the monster angrier, its eyes now steady on their location as low growl rubbled out of its chest and shot at them like an attack from a sonic canon.
Esau's eyes widened and he could almost imagine seeing the air simultaneously expand and collapse as it rushed towards them. "Take cover!"
They all moved deeper into the trees, pressing their bodies hard against the forest floor and covering their heads with their arms.
Esau felt it before he heard it. All at once everything was silent, then the sound of snapping as the trees in front of them were ripped clean off their roots and sent flying.
The boy felt something snag his collar and suddenly he was being taken along for the ride. His body was pulled off the ground by the stray branch of a tumbling tree, dragging him under and pinning him against another one.
Esau's eyes snapped open. He couldn't breath.
Panic made him search the space around him for Edythe, but she wasn't there, none of them were. All that surrounded him were stumps that were once trees, thrown up dirt and uprooted bushes.
Slowly suffocating, he tried to push the broken tree off him but before he could even get started, his chest and shoulder exploded with pain.
For a moment, Esau's vision darkened, the lack of oxygen draining him of energy as the little air he had was forced out of his lungs.
"Ed-yth-" before he lost consciousness he caught sight of a burst of light in front of him and unconsciously smiled. Edythe was going to be just fine without him.
†
"Damn,"
After the massive canine beast had attacked them it returned to the house, pawing the spot in front of it before settling down, its gaze still on the treeline.
"That thing is much bigger than the average FCM." Issac clenched his jaw, his grip on his rifle tightening as he stood up, not bothering to brush the dirt on him. Already his uniform had been torn in several places. He could feel the fog creep in on his wounds, icy fingers that wrapped around his limbs.
Philip wasn't much better, in fact he was worse. He was breathing heavily, his face contorted in pain as he clutched his left thigh with both hands. His rifle was nowhere in sight. "I think we underestimated that thing."
Issac paled slightly at the sight of blood seeping through the messenger's fingers. "Phil. . ." the words were caught in his throat as the enormity of their situation once again hit him with full force. They were trapped in this town with barely any food and almost no medical supplies. If they didn't get out now, then-
"Or maybe we overestimated ourselves." Philip sucked in a sharp breath as Issac knelt down next to him. "I think it's broken."
Issac swallowed hard and peeled his goggles from his face. "We'll fix this."
Philip laughed though nothing was funny about the situation they were in. "Not this time, Iza. Not this time. . ." He sobered up and looked around. "Where are the kids?"
Issac turned around at the question, only spotting the white sleeve of their unconscious hostage as he rested in the midst of the carnage, unharmed but for a few scrapes and scratches.
"I'm here." A cough sounded from behind both of them as Edythe dug herself out from under a pile of dirt and broken branches. Her eyes glowed a harsh gold as she took in the two soldiers, a bloody gash running down her right cheek.
"Where is Esau?" She asked, apparently not feeling any pain as she frantically searched through the dirt around her, hoping to unearth him. "He was right next to me!"
Issac and Philip couldn't answer her, their eyes downcast as they avoided her angry gaze.
"Where is he?!" She screamed, demanding an answer.
"He. . ." Philip mumbled. "He was dragged away by a tree as it broke off the ground."
"And you didn't think to get him? Not even to hold his hand?"
"Edythe," Issac finally spoke, his expression showing discomfort. "I saw him too. . . It happened too fast. We couldn't-"
In a flash Edythe was in front of him, her eyes burning with fury. "Light the flares. Distract that beast till I get back."
Despite her furious appearance, the girl's words sounded cold and emotionless, jarring to the ears. Issac wanted to say that that wasn't part of the plan, but shame shoved the words back down his throat and he nodded.
In streak of red and black, Edythe disappeared from their view, already dashing into the forest. Philip pulled off his goggles and blinked.
"What the hell was that?" His gaze stayed fixed on the spot where Edythe had just stood before she vanished from his sight in a matter of seconds. "That speed. . . It isn't human."
Issac shrugged halfheartedly, no longer having it in him to play the cool and collected captain. "I hope he's alive."
Philip gulped and wished the same, because they both knew that without those children they had no chance of leaving Lacau.
"Alright then," Issac stepped forward and raised his rifle, "time to distract the beast. Philip, light the flares. We either go all out or we die here tonight."
†