Chapter 14: The Brave, the Scared, and the Stubborn

Hurried footsteps echoed through the corpse of the city, boots slamming against cracked asphalt, scattering pebbles and shards of broken glass. Every impact stirred up clouds of ash and dust that hung in the thick, smoke-laden air. Distant fires burned like dying embers, painting the ruins in a dull orange haze. The once-bustling neon streets were now littered with mangled cars, shattered signs, and bloodstained walls. The scent of smoke, decay, and rust mingled with the heavy humidity, it was a stench that crawled into the lungs and stayed there.

“THIS WAY, I THINK!” Jane’s voice cut through the air, rough and sharp, echoing off the hollow shells of collapsed buildings.

“Wah lau, I don’t understand why we doing this sia!” Lynis barked back, his tone strained between fear and frustration. Sweat soaked his dark hoodie, clinging to his spine. His breath came in short, ragged bursts, misting in the night air. “That person maybe already dead, Jane. By the time we reach, confirm too late one! And… I don’t wanna meet any more goblins leh…”

The words trembled with exhaustion, his voice cracking near the end. His fingers clenched the hilt of his longsword until his knuckles blanched. The battered round shield on his back rattled with every stride, the faint metallic rattle underscoring his nerves.

Behind him, a younger, breathless voice chimed in, steady despite the tremor of exhaustion.

“You know, Lynis might be right, yeah?” Porpo panted, her Australian accent slipping through between gasps. “We’ve been runnin’ for, like, ten bloody minutes already. Can’t keep puttin’ our lives on the line just for someone who might already be toast, mate.”

Jane glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowing. Porpo, barely fourteen, looked like she’d run through hell itself. Her crimson tracksuit was torn and caked with grime, her sneakers slick with filth and blood. Brown hair clung to her cheeks, matted with sweat, and her face was pale beneath the layer of dirt.

“Don’t you start too, Porpo,” Jane growled, her voice hoarse but unyielding.

Lynis exhaled sharply, running a gloved hand over his face as he pushed ahead. His copper-toned skin glistened with sweat, streaked by soot and blood. His dark ponytail clung damply to his neck. His eyes darted through the ruins, sharp and restless. He wasn’t scared of the dark. He was scared of what lived in it.

“We can’t just abandon someone,” Jane said, her breath coming hard. Her black tank top was ripped and scorched near the bottom, along with the exposed bruises and cuts along her shoulders and arms. Her hazel eyes gleamed in the dim firelight, tired, but defiant. “I’d hope someone would do the same for us.”

Before anyone could answer, a sound rolled through the street ahead, a laugh. Low, muffled, distorted. Not human. It slithered through the air like smoke, wrong in pitch and tone.

All three froze.

Jane’s pulse spiked. Her hand went instinctively to her dagger. The sound had come from the ruins of a nearby grocery store, its windows shattered, metal frames twisted, the inside drowning in shadow.

“Someone’s in there,” Jane whispered, eyes narrowing.

Porpo’s expression hardened. She raised a trembling hand, and a faint shimmer pulsed in the air before her. A grimoire materialized with a soft flash, a leather-bound tome blackened and cracked at the corners, its cover etched with faded glyphs. A single rune, silver-blue and circular, floated above it, glowing like moonlight in the dark.

“Sooo… we going in or not ah?” Lynis scratched the back of his neck, his voice cracking despite his attempt at bravado.

The girls turned their heads toward him, their unimpressed stares saying more than words could. He sighed, muttering under his breath.

“What? You never hear that laugh meh? Sound damn demonic sia!”

“Oi, shut up and take the front, Lynis!” Porpo snapped.

He groaned, rolling his eyes as he stomped his way forward. “I cannot believe you both, sia. Just because I’m a guy doesn’t mean I not scared, okay? My asshole clenching since we turn left just now!”

Porpo scoffed. “Stop bein’ such a bloody pussy and move it, mate!”

Lynis’s mouth fell open, disbelief plastered on his face. He pointed his kukri at her. “Eh Jane, you hear that or not? Wah, she damn disrespectful sia!”

“Porpo, focus.” Jane’s tone snapped like a whip, halting their bickering instantly.

“You damn lucky you,” Lynis muttered, jabbing a finger at Porpo before adjusting his grip on his weapon.

Porpo rolled her eyes but gave a small grin, sticking her tongue out. “Sorry lah.” She tightened her stance, the blue glow of her rune intensifying.

Jane placed a hand on both their backs. Her palms pulsed with faint white energy that flowed into them like soft mist, curling around their limbs, seeping warmth through their aching muscles. “Inspiring Resolution. Focus Aura. Battle Hymn.”

–

[Inspiring Resolution: Increases nearby allies’ ATK and SPD by 10% for 30 mins.]

[Focus Aura: Increases allies’ ability to focus by 8%]

[Battle Hymn: Allies within range are inspired by your presence, gaining a +2% boost to all stats and restoring 10% of their stamina through invigorating morale.]

–

The air hummed as the magic settled. A faint shimmer enveloped their bodies, translucent but steady, like light seen through rain. Lynis felt the fatigue melt from his limbs, his heartbeat steadying, his vision sharpening.

“Now this one, I like.” He cracked his neck, the tension easing.

Porpo smiled faintly, the exhaustion slipping from her tone. “Every time, that’s so nice.”

Jane drew her dagger, blade catching the dim light. “Let’s move. Stay close.”

Lynis adjusted his shield and took point. “Yeah, yeah. If I die first, you both owe me supper, okay?”

“That’s wasting food bro. No deal. Sorry not sorry,” Porpo shot back.

“You damn cheap-ass, wah!”

They stepped inside.

The first sound was the crunch, glass and gravel grinding beneath their boots, echoing through the dead store. The air was heavier inside, thick with dust and something else… rot. A coppery tang lingered beneath it, sharp and nauseating.

The flickering lights buzzed overhead, occasionally popping, casting erratic shadows that danced across the ruined aisles. Shelves lay toppled, merchandise long looted. Cans and bottles were scattered across the floor, coated in grime.

“What the fuck sia,” Lynis muttered, gagging as the smell thickened. “Smell like rotten eggs leh!”

That was when they saw bodies of a family, huddled together. Jane walked over kneeling by them, as she checked the pulse on the father, mother and boy.

“Cold to the touch,” She looked back up at the other two, shaking her head. “They’ve been dead for a while.”

Lynis frowned. “Tch!”

“Hey, we can’t save them all,” Porpo said.

Jane stared at the corpses, a distant look in her eyes.

Then somewhere deeper within the store came the faint groan of bending metal, followed by a wet, dull thud like flesh hitting tile.

“Quiet.” Jane’s voice was low but commanding. “Listen.”

Lynis raised his shield, lowering his stance. His pulse hammered in his ears. The air pressed in around them, each breath shallow.

Jane’s whisper barely carried over the silence. “Be ready for anything.”

He nodded, his hand tightening around his weapon. He counted down silently, breath held.

Three… two… one.

“GO!”

They moved.

Lynis surged forward, shield raised, the others close behind, Jane’s dagger glinting in her hand, Porpo’s glowing rune flaring as the grimoire flipped its pages as she muttered under her breath.

The grocery store swallowed them whole.

And somewhere in the dark ahead, something moved.

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