Seeds - Nine

Part 9

The creature had heard a noise, it's shambling stopped, it turned around; there were only the shadows of the Needle-trees, the carpet of needles and a needle bush, half visible behind a tree. It squinted at the bush, which then seemed to bang out a single ringing note of metal on metal. The walker released a sharp echoing click through the trees and off the ancient stone. The human leading the group ran back to the creature, rubbing the neckless head and clicking a question. It raised a stubby finger, pointing to the bend in the mountain. The human slipped a long-bladed axe from a bearskin jerkin and called to the other four walkers. They stopped, turned and retraced their path to investigate the alarm. When the group closed on the source of the first noise, another metallic Bang sounded from behind the bend; the human called out again, the walkers hurriedly adjusted course, each shambling at their own pace, coalescing towards the source. The neckless walker registered the memory of the impression of the bush having been the original source of the noise. It would have looked as it passed by Luri; perhaps seen the spear she could not hide, perhaps it would have seen the whites of her eyes looking back, but it could not turn its head. It passed the bush without alarm or incident.

Conway jogged easily with the weight of her supplies tightly bound around her waist. The air was cool enough for her body to find a comfortable temperature inside the grey coat despite the extra weight she carried. Below her, Balt disappeared around a bend in the road. In another mile the mountain would pull away from the path and then they would be out on the forested slopes and turn east.

She had no plan for finding Bannon, she gathered together the information she had in her mind and would have to rely on assumptions; that he'd stay near the foot of the mountain unless there was reason to divert, that he'd be low on supplies, that he'd be tired, and that he would be Bannon, and thus, easy to find.

Unless he was dead.

Bannon blinked sweat from his eyes. The sun sank behind him and so he snuck a peak. A tall and bent thing with one arm shambled beside a stout ball of flesh with a face where its neck should be. He would have moments before the rest would arrive and overwhelm him. He tossed the saucepot so it clanged off the stone and fell into the ditch. He had hidden the backpack in the downslope of the dip right behind him, beneath an obscuring layer of needles. His rifle leaned, muzzle up, against the stone beside him.

Dried needles cracked as he heard their quickening approach. The big ranger adjusted his belt beneath his overhanging gut then pushed himself from the stone. He took a sideways stance and rolled the long spear into a comfortable grip. Using the rear grip, he easily twirled and swung the thick twelve-inch blade using the middle grip as a lever. Bannon waited, counting the distance by sound. The blade hovered inches above the ground behind him; he took a deep breath and calmly swung it in an upward arc. The tall thing ran into the blade. Its body fell and slid in the needles as its head flew along a different trajectory, bouncing and rolling away. Bannon pulled on the haft, bringing the blade round in a circle, it cut and crushed several inches into the neck-face. The second creature collapsed towards the ranger, dragging the embedded blade down with it. Bannon relaxed his grip, letting the thick thing fall before he brusquely yanked the rear of the spear sideways and upwards to dislodge it.

'Don't let me die out here, you bitch.', he grumbled, then stepped out into the open to confront the rest.

Conway's pace ate the miles easily. The carpet of needles had been thoroughly disturbed; everywhere were huge footprints, or furrows from deformed limbs being dragged about. Tracking anything had never been so easy; she cursed when the thought struck her that she'd never had to track an entire army, had not thought an army of thousands was possible even. For all she knew Bannon and Luri were hold up on one of the long ledges above them, nursing an injured Reince. She ran on with the sun at her back.

Minutes later she found Balt sailing down the rope from a long low ledge. His feet hit the needles and he whipped the rope out, the hook came sailing down. He caught the hook and slung the length of the rope loosely over his shoulders. He saw her approaching and waited. 'Empty.', he reported.

'The tracks are getting fresh.', she said, breathing easily, 'Forget the ledges. Keep your eyes open for a rearguard.'

'Rearguard?', he asked.

'Scouts that follow the larger group.', she told him.

'Ok.', he said and ran off again with her following steadily behind.

The axe wielding man sprinted past her. Luri counted him, two others were spread out, closing in on the big ranger from a distance, and then there was one missing. Bannon had put two down. That totaled five. The sixth had not passed her yet. She wiped nervous palms on her pants then sought the five-foot spear as she waited, impatient to rush to Bannon's aid.

She huddled in her cloak until she could not wait any longer, she stood and peered around the tree. Five feet from her, shuffled an awkward human shape; it's back and shoulders bulged with confused and misguided muscle while its chest and front seemed like a starving skeleton. She ran at the hollow-eyed thing from the side, angling the slender blade through the clearly visible ribs. It grabbed the spear sticking from its side and lifted her off her feet. But the thing was unmindful of the metal tearing its organs apart. It collapsed to its side, tearing the spear from her grasp, and sticking straight up in the air. She tugged and pulled at the haft until the metal squealed against the bone and came loose. Turning, she spotted the axe wielder's back. He had slowed, shouting instructions to the creatures closing in from Bannon's right.

Luri leveled the spear at his kidney and charged forward.

Bannon cursed when he realized that the three figures were coordinating against him; the first stalked like a prowling wolf just outside of his attack range, the short legs pushed and the thick arms guided its body. He thrust the blade at it, but it sprang back and kept its distance easily, barking and clicking at him menacingly as the other, mostly human shape, ran up from behind the first and began to drift to his other side. He retreated to where his backpack lay beneath the needles and the stone would force them to come at him straight on.

'C'mon! C'mon, you bastards!', he challenged, eyeing his loaded rifle.

There came a guttural grunt from around the bend, distracting the creatures a moment, then they focused on him again and rushed forward. Bannon jumped back over his hidden backpack and readied himself.

Luri heard Bannon scream at the enemy from around the bend and her pace increased. The axe man heard her feet cracking on the dry needles behind him and swung his axe, backhanded, at her head. Luri dipped down to avoid it. The spear slid deep into his upper thigh. She had to abandon it to fall below the arcing axeblade. She came up behind him, retreating from his reach.

'C'mon, you bastard.', she spat him.

Likewise, he shouted angry clicks at her as he tore the spear blade from his leg. He lunged at her, stumbling over his damaged leg. Luri made a choice then, she ignored him and sprinted towards the bend as a thick armed creature charged towards the ranger.

The human thing stepped onto the hidden backpack, its foot sank and it lost its footing. Bannon's blade split its cheeks and it bit into the brain beyond. It fell, dragging the point down with it. Bannon was about to twist the weapon free when the last creature crashed into him like a boulder, throwing him back against the stone and knocking the wind from his lungs. The thing reared up, swinging a heavy fist at his head. He twisted away and was knocked to the ground.

Stunned, he tried to grapple as the apelike thing crawled over him, but it was too strong and easily pushed his arms aside. Its pitchy eyes shone curiously black with murderous intent as it fingers wrapped around his throat. It wouldn't strangle him, he realized as the pressure increased around his throat, it would crush his windpipe. He grasped at the monstrous thumbs, pulling uselessly as his vision darkened around the horror on top of him.

He saw the butt of his rifle smash into the side of its head repeatedly. The thumbs gave way for an instant, then continued squeezing.

Luri hammered the thing's skull three more times with the rifle but it only flinched and absorbed her blows. From her left the axe man appeared around the bend, limping at her and shouting. For a brief moment, she considered the situation, and found no good outcomes. She did her best and chose the least bad option. She swung the rifle around and pulled its firing handle. It exploded into the creature's chest. She was thrown from her feet by the blast as a gushing, spraying hole opened in its side and it sagged, lifeless, on top of Bannon. A viscous blood red mist rained down.

Luri scrabbled back from the axe man's swinging blade. She ducked another blow then found her back pressed to the stone, there was no more retreating. His hard, pale eyes shone with triumph as he readied the killing blow. She clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the end.

Bannon's rifle exploded again and Luri was showered in blood, bone and brain matter. Her ears rang and the flash raised white ghosts on the back of her eyelids. Shaking violently, she eventually forced open her eyes. Bannon had dropped the rifle beside him and lay on his back, insensible and unmindful of the dead hands still on his neck. He sighed loudly between ragged gasps for air.

A sobbing moan crept slowly from Luri's throat as shock drained her strength and she collapsed to her knees.

Bannon's head rolled on the needles, his eyes scanning the carnage, 'This isn't working.', he croaked from his damaged throat.

Conway went cold as the second boom echoed from the stone walls and needles fell around her. Then she heard the army that Bannon had stirred up, 'Madman!', she hissed and leaned into her run. As she went, she dug out a compression cannister for her rifle and opened the bolt pouch at her side. Conway removed the caps from the scope and pocketed them.

Balt waited in a crouch a short distance ahead. Conway joined him, swinging the rifle up from her coat she scoped the length of the stone wall beside them. The mountain curved slightly to the left and the trees were empty until the moist air became too thick for her to see through.

'If they spot me, do I come back to you or outrun them?', Balt asked lowly.

Conway had considered this, 'You can't outrun all of them.', she pointed up at the ledge, 'You go up.'

'But you said.', he began.

'Never mind what I said, this is different. You climb, you understand? You use the slingshot and do what I told you.'

'Yes, ma'am.', she handed him a sack which he tied to his harness.

'Buddy?', she said.

'Yes, ma'am?'

She grabbed him and pulled him close, 'Don't die again.'

Ahead of them, the clicking voices began singly, one called and two answered. Two called and eight answered. In moments the trees were alive as an ocean of voices seemed to drift towards them.

'There's no fucking way forward here.', Bannon said urgently, crawling up from the ditch and dragging his pack from the needles. 'We got to go back.'. He swung it over his shoulder and stood there, dripping red.

'No.', Luri began weakly, 'Reince.'

'Sure, sure, little lady. Hey, go fetch the spear.'

Still dazed, she stood and ran to comply. In the meantime, Bannon picked up his sauce pot and stuffed it into the pack behind his neck. He found his gun and loaded another shot into the chamber, he had six or seven left. He waited, ready and calm, holding the blunderbuss at his side by the barrel.

Luri appeared a few moments later with the spear held to her chest. Bannon stepped closer, grabbed the haft with his right hand as his left swung the butt of the blunderbuss at her head, it connected, wood on bone. Her eyes went large, staring straight into the large ranger's ruddy face. Her body stiffened, then she toppled forward.

'No way forward.', he repeated.