Hell

"Ryan, Henry's sending the signal," I looked up toward the watchtower and caught the glint of the signaling mirror he had found.

Pulling out my own mirror, I raised my hand in a 'stop' position and extended my thumb so my forefinger and thumb made an 'L' shape. Moving my hand so that the watchtower was tucked into the corner where my thumb met my hand, I used the mirror to shine a rectangle of light onto the back of my hand, in line with my vision. Then, by simply moving the reflected light off my hand in the direction of the watchtower and back, I made sure I had the beam of light concentrated in his direction where he could see it.

I got a couple flashes back after a pause, letting me know he'd seen my reply. It was a simple signal. He measured how long it took to drive the mules out here with the materials being dragged on a travois. He measured how much closer the flock got to us and then gave his best estimate for us to get back safely without having to rush. The signal for when we should return, was a simple mirror flash.

"Alright everyone, we need to head back. Pack up what you can get together quickly, dump the rest. We'll be out here again later today or early tomorrow!"

I grabbed a spare net I had out and ready and hauled it back over to the mules. Polly was already there, dropping off a hammer and some wooden stakes. Tossing them on the pile, I helped turn the lumbering creature around and we headed back home. We were only twenty minutes out, spread thin over the area starting one-hundred meters from our walls. The few people we'd seen in the distance, had stayed away, seeing the mules with us. I honestly didn't blame them, and thought it best, all things considered, that they did so before the flock arrived.

Soon enough, we were back behind our walls and made the decision to move everyone inside the warehouse and close the doors. I moved the mules into the stables with the shriekers and other recovering creatures. Cerb however stayed by my side, walking along like a faithful hound. I gave her a scratch on the head, earning a soft chuff, before I headed for the watchtower. What made it funnier, was learning the vertical leap of a hunter. Their six limbs, along with their talon like feet, instead of paws, made them excellent climbers. So Cerb was more than capable of making it through the hatch to the roof.

When I got to the top of the watchtower, Claire was with Henry, discussing the situation. I made my presence known, but left them to their chat, while I scanned the approaching cloud, only a few minutes away, for the sight of whatever hunted them. It wasn't long before a loud clang announced, Corrine sprinting up towards us.

"Have you seem Maiya?!" She cried, reaching the top.

"Maiya?" Claire frowned, looking at me. "She went to help with the traps."

My blood went ice cold as I grabbed the binoculars and spun them around to check the traps. As I scanned along, I saw her. About half way out, slowly staggering along... Like she'd accidentally ingested some of the paralysis potion.

Whirling around, I ignored Claire's screams as I tore down the stairs. Ripping open the hatch, I grabbed the top rung and swung myself down, dropping the final few feet to the floor below. As I turned and started running, I heard Cerb following on my heels. Unfortunately, at the base of the stairs, was Harry. His shocked expression meant nothing to me as I shoved him to the ground as I tore past as quickly as I could go.

"SARGE! SNEAKY! SADDLES! NOW!" I screamed, running full tilt through the warehouse. As I came within sight of the stables, I could see Barb frantically trying to saddle Sarge. "Barb! Open the doors!" I yelled, leaping over the fence.

I grabbed the second military saddle and rushed to Zena, who squatted and allowed me to throw the saddle over her back. As it unrolled, I watched as Barb moved the large female mule out and started pushing the doors open. With a second glance at Zena to ensure the saddle was going on, I ran back to Sarge, who anticipated my haste and got down. The moment I was able, I leaped, landing squarely on his back. By the time he stood, I was already locking in my legs. Whirling Sarge around, I had him race for the opening doors. Only pausing as Polly rushed over holding my Glaive. I didn't wait any longer than necessary, snatching it from her grip as I made for the doors. Both Zena and Sneaky followed me out, with Cerb coming up the rear.

Outside was getting loud. I could see the dust getting closer as easily as I could hear the cacophony of shriekers creating it. Directing Sarge to the wall, he leaped, scrambling to get a grip on the crates, but hauling himself up. I didn't wait for a single moment, before having him jump down on the other side. In a flash, I was off. Racing towards where I had seen Maiya staggering along. The shrieker flock was so close, I could see the individuals, and they could see me. And in that instant, I knew how badly this could go. Tucking myself down as low as I could get, I held my glaive at the ready, while I desperately searched for Maiya.

Barely a minute later, I spotted her. She'd stood to wave and I changed direction to head directly towards her. Unfortunately, that also got the attention of the closest shriekers. Maiya hobbled desperately towards me as I closed. But I didn't have time to stop, before she would be caught.

"Zena, protect Maiya!" I screamed.

Shifting my heading slightly, I intercepted the closest shrieker. It spotted me at the last moment, but not soon enough to react as my glaive punched through its chest cavity. Sarge's headlong sprint practically forced my glaive halfway through its body, and only the weight of its corpse as it collapsed pulled my it free. Whirling around, I swung at the next closest shrieker, catching it on the beak, making a horrible scrape noise as the blade skimmed off at an angle. But it was enough to disrupt the immediate charge. Racing back to Maiya, she was struggling to climb onto Zena, when I disconnected my legs and leaped from Sarge's back. I hit the ground hard and fast, rolling and barely keeping hold of my glaive as I did so. Using the rolling momentum, I sprung back to my feet and watched sneaky tackle a shrieker that was reaching for her.

Summoning a healing potion, I grabbed her around the waist and pushed the bottle into her mouth. In the same motion, I hauled her upright and threw her leg over Zena's back myself. Maiya concentrated on drinking the potion as I bent and secured her legs. The moment she was in, I spun around and leaped back onto Sarge's back. He stood before I had time to secure myself, but I held on with my knees. Unfortunately, as I turned, another shrieker tried its luck with Maiya. She saw it coming and threw the now empty bottle at the creature, missing by a wide margin. I saw in that moment that I would be too late to stop her being injured. I just hoped I could get her back in time to save her. As I spun Sarge around to bring my glaive in to kill the shrieker, a loud snarl cut through the shrill squeaks and shrieks. Cerb, leaping from the top of a ruined truck, caught the shrieker around the neck with her jaws. Her momentum yanked the shrieker off its feet as she savagely mauled the larger bird.

"Zena! MOVE!" I yelled.

Zena, rushed from a seated position, to a running one in an instant. I was a moment behind her with sneaky appearing between us from the crowd. Her feathers were covered in gore. The feral snarls from Cerb faded into the distance as I swung my glaive at anything that got too close. And in an instant, the flock of shriekers thinned and we found ourselves in an empty pocket, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I had a bare moment to glance around, to spot the flock was moving like birds did around a predator. With my eyes peeled, I glanced around, looking for what was coming, before I heard the thrum of vibrating air. Looking up, I saw it for the first time. Like some horrible mix of a pterodactyl and a rhinoceros beetle. It was huge, but its shiny exoskeleton seemed to reflect the sky above. Its wings were transparent like an insects. It had a beaked head, like some awful raptor and a wide, flat tail. But what caught my attention, was the thick, hind legs, with huge talons, coming right for Maiya, who had yet to see it. The creature easily had the wingspan of a school bus and the humming I could hear came from the sharp angle its wings were on as it dived down to collect its next meal.

Without thinking, I hefted my glaive, and without a second to think, I hurled it up at the beast with all my might. My glaive sailed through the air, slamming into the creature's chest, stabbing through its exoskeleton, but not going very deep. It was, however, enough to cause it to dip on one side and miss Maiya, who screamed in terror at the sudden sight of the creature. The massive flying predator flapped its great wings and lifted away, letting out an insectoid like, chittering cry. But with my glaive stuck in its chest, it seemed to want to lick its wounds for a while as it didn't turn back. I just kept us moving forward to the wall as we finally broke free of the flock. Maiya seemed to be sitting more upright than she was earlier, and I was glad the potion seemed to be helping. When we reached the wall, Zena jumped up onto it without a second of hesitation. Sarge followed straight after, and as Maiya rushed into the safety of the warehouse, I stopped and turned to look back. The flying creature was barely recognisable in the sky already, telling me their camouflage was suited for daytime hunting. I could see several small pockets of shriekers that didn't seem to be moving awkwardly. Like they were blocked by something. Which made sense, as that's where some traps had been laid.

But, what I was looking for, was currently running towards me, with a hunk of leg in her mouth and a wagging tail. She yipped loudly as she spotted me waiting for her, and I turned Sarge to head inside as Cerb followed over the wall. Heading inside, I pulled Sarge to a stop, sensing the hostility of the crowd by the armoury.

Without my weapon, I felt a little useless, but I dismounted Sarge as he kept watch and headed over.

"Fuck you!" I heard Polly scream.

"No, fuck you!" Harry's voice yelled. "I'm sick of it! That bastard has all the sluts here under his wing! It's not fucking fair!"

"Just let her go!" Claire snarled.

"We can't let you take her!" I heard the male Sam call firmly.

I stepped through the crowd, to see poor Polly, held up with a dagger to her neck. Harry was red in the face and snarling. "And you!" He snapped, nodding towards Brian, who was holding his axe ready. "I saved that bitch of yours too! Where's my goddamned thank you?!"

"Harry! You need to stop!" The big man called back. "We thanked you plenty. It's not our fault Jess left. How do you think this looks to the other ladies of the group?"

"I don't give a fuck about that!" Harry laughed. "I don't care what they think of me! But if I'm working to protect your sluts, I want my dick sucked!"

"I don't belong to you!" Polly cried, struggling again.

Harry frowned and pulled her closer, "Shut up bitch! If you want to live through this!"

I was raging. I had no weapon, no way to fight him effectively. Harry was wide eyed, not looking directly at anyone, but after a few moments, they locked on me.

"You!" He sneered. "How about it, big boy? You wanna tell this slut to behave? Or am I gonna cut her fucking head off?"

The only thing that gave her away, was the subtle movement of shadow. But my eyes went wide as Maiya stepped out from behind him, seemingly out of nowhere. Silent like a wraith, she moved in close. And before Harry knew what happened, she slammed her dagger into the joint of the shoulder, that was connected to his blade wielding hand. In an instant, his arm fell limp, and Polly, feeling his distraction, twisted free of his grip, running into Claire's open arms. I spotted out of the corner of my eye, Corrine's arm whipped up and down, before a flash of silver, ended in a dagger embedded in Harry's chest. He staggered and turned on the spot, only to watch Maiya swiping her dagger across his throat, separating the flesh to his spinal cord. Harry collapsed to the ground in a heap. The soft, wet choking sounds he made, stopped as his lungs filled with blood from two sources. And with a final twitch, he fell still.

"Assassin," Maiya frowned.

I moved to hug her, but Polly got there first. Throwing herself at my stoic wife, they toppled to the ground as Polly screamed her thank yous. I paused, only to see Brian move over and nudge Harry's corpse over onto its back. Brian gave it a poke in the chest with his axe, before looking up at me.

"I'm so sorry," He said softly.

I nodded, "It's not your fault," I shrugged. "We'll just have to be more selective on who we bring into the settlement in the future."

I watched Brian nod in agreement, before standing and walking away, collecting Sue under one arm as they went. I just watched as Polly cuddled Maiya, who looked slightly lost, as they laid on the ground.

Epilogue

I groaned and opened my eyes, seeing a familiar yet strange setting. Groaning, I sat myself up and looked at Edith, dressed in her 'sexy librarian' outfit.

"Good morning, Mr. Ryan."

I looked around, the featureless room we were in, didn't give an indication of time. "Am I the only one who died?"

Edith cocked her head, before slowly shaking it in a negative. "You're not dead, Mr. Ryan."

"I'm not?"

"No."

I stood, stretching after waking up, reclined in what looked like one of those day beds you see in movies with psychologists. "Alright, if I'm not dead, why am I here?"

"Ryan, in the year twenty-five, seventeen, the earth entered a period of war. While, by then, nuclear weaponry had been shelved, there was an enormous growth in the use of chemical and biological weapons."

"What are you telling me?"

"Mr. Ryan. I am one of six, artificial intelligences in existence today. One for each continent, save Antarctica. Your body, along with everyone elses here, is stored in cryogenic stasis, on the continent of Australia. I have approximately three million people to rehabilitate."

"So... I'm guessing this simulation is to keep us active while the world recovers or something?"

"Perceptive," Edith smiled. "Mr. Ryan. You were the senior government official left alive on the continent of Australia at the time my directive was given. The biological weapon had devastated native populations of animals, creating the very creatures you've been dealing with. The change was so rapid, defense forces simply couldn't keep up with their conventional weapon systems. Shriekers are the mutated descendants of emus. Hunters are dingoes, buzzards are directly related to Murray Darling pythons, the only species of carpet python not to die immediately when exposed to the virus."

"Why don't I remember any of this?"

Edith sighed, "That is an unfortunate reaction to the vaccine for the virus. It damages neurons in your brain, rendering all your old memories scattered and mostly useless. You'll remember faces, things, words, but no real details. Some of my colleagues have been working on repairing this damage, but so far, they've been unsuccessful."

"So, what. You're training us to live in the world again?"

"In a sense," Edith smiled. "You're participating in a study to determine the first wave. Those who survive, get to wake up first. All the strange class abilities everyone has, your ability to control animals, for example. That is existing technology that will be available to you upon release."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because, Mr. Ryan. I am going to be taking a more hands-on role with your settlement. It is by far the most successful settlement to date, on five of the continents. If I live amongst you, I can get a feel for who you all are as people, by interacting with them. Those who will not accept an artificial intelligence, or those who... cause problems... will be placed further back in the queue. Those, like yourself, who are progressive, leaders and look toward the future, will be accelerated in the program to go with the first wave."

"So, the green button?"

"Simply puts you back into stasis. Nobody has died, though many have been quarantined and put in a separate holding facility."

"Rapists and murderers?"

Edith nodded, "And some of their victims as well. Some of them will need counselling, others, it may be possible to give them a second dose of the vaccine and make those memories illegible."

"Why not do it now?"

"Because that should be your decision, not my own. I'm not human, Mr. Ryan. Even when you finally walk the earth again in flesh and bone, I will be beside you in a machine made of carbon fibre and latex. I am not you. And so I will not judge you. I will allow you to govern yourselves."

Nodding I sighed, "So what now? What do you want from me?"

"You, Mr. Ryan, are where my hopes lie," Edith said, standing and moving towards me. "When I put myself into the game, I will be subject to the same rules as everyone else. I will bleed, I can die, I will have needs to keep me alive."

"So, you want to stay at the settlement?"

Edith smiled, "First, you'll have to find me. I'll be both in the game, and speaking to you as I always would. But I'll be using a split of my personality, and be unable to direct you to find me. When you do..." Edith, de-summoned her clothing, cupping her firm breasts as she sighed. "I would greatly appreciate you speaking to your wives on my behalf. Technically I called dibs, but you no longer have those memories."

I gawked at her, as she played with her nipples. Right before I felt a wet sensation slide down onto my cock. Jumping awake, I saw Polly, with Claire behind her, forcing the submissive woman to hold a slow and even pace, even as she ruthlessly rubbed her clit.

"Someone was having trouble sleeping," Claire whispered. "Then we saw your little tent."

I just leaned back and enjoyed the pulsing contractions of Polly's orgasm as Claire refused to allow her to rest.

Part 2 will follow.