The imperfect group hurries as they put the different people inside the trucks. Elias screaming and pointing at each truck.
All the imperfects help organize the insides of the trucks. They put the people with normal eyes in two of the trucks, barely fitting in. The red-eyed people separated on the other two trucks.
The camp was in an uproar, people moving their supplies, trying to fit everything into each truck.
As Erley picks Ava up to put her inside the back of the truck, she grabs his shirt.
"Why are there no crates inside our truck?"
Erley looks away, hiding the sorrow covering his face.
"We are stopping at another camp, Ava... Don't worry about it."
He quickly puts the girl away inside the truck. Elias's voice cuts through the noise.
"We are going. Get ready."
Elias gets close to Myora, grabbing his shoulder.
"You remember the plan, right?"
Sorrow fills Myora's face, a big frown covering it.
"Yes, I know. We are ready."
Nodding his head, Elias shouts.
"Alright, let's go."
The trucks start moving while the imperfect group hurriedly takes positions on top of the trucks. Two trucks at the back quickly separate from the group. Heading to the opposite side. Erley standing on top of them.
Quickly passing the ruined streets surrounding the camp. They enter the main road. A far-away sign becomes visible.
-North. Stoke-On-Trent.-
An hour passed. The sound of the sword clashing against the meat of the imp. An ugly mix between a squid and a human with piles of meat that it uses as legs.
"GO HAO!"
Going past Annie. Hao easily passes through the imp's body, the greatsword easily cutting it in half. Elias yells from the inside of the first truck. Hurry written on his voice.
"Keep going. No time to waste"
Elias thinks.
'The longer we take, the greater the probability of a strong imp attacking us... Or even worse, the military finding us.'
The trucks start up once again. Elias ponders as he looks forward.
The darkness covering the light of the sun strengthens. The lights of the truck instantly come to life.
'Shit... This is going to slow us down by a lot.'
The convoy is already halfway down the same street that the imperfect group passed towards their mission inside Birmingham. This time, however, they not only reached it in barely an hour, thanks to the street being mostly open. They are also trying to avoid Birmingham at all costs.
'Due to Argen, the imps, and the potential presence of the military. Is too dangerous to get even close to that city. A shame. But I guess we will have to do with our current supplies.'
The trucks approach a bifurcation above one of the multiple exits. A big sign barely stands.
-South-west, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Worcester...-
Taking the exit. They head directly towards Wolverhampton.
'Way too close to Birmingham. I'll have to send every imperfect to protect the trucks...'
Suddenly, a yell comes from the last truck following the convoy.
"ELIAS! WE GOT A RED EYED HERE!"
The trucks instantly come to a halt. The people inside tumbling from the sudden stop. Elias quickly gets out of the truck. Running towards the last truck. He is interrupted.
From the darkness nearby. Multiple gargled yells are heard.
'Shit!'
Hao, Annie, and Selth jump down from their trucks, taking positions around the convoy.
Elias speeds up. Reaching the truck in a few seconds. Before he goes inside the back, he yells.
"PROTECT ME WHILE I DEAL WITH THIS."
Looking back Hao responds, his voice carefree. A wide smile creeping onto his face.
"Don't worry, we already dealt with these back in Birmingham."
Quickly going inside. Elias looks around. His eyes lock onto Moen. Rage filled his face.
"MOEN! WHY DID YOU LET THEM INSIDE!"
He points towards a family bunched up in the corner of the truck. Fear written on their faces. Moen glances at them. Saddened.
"Sorry, Elias... I forgot that you told us about the people with red eyes, and the little boy just wanted to be with his parents..."
Elias puts a hand on his face. Going outside, he walks side to side with haste, thinking.
"FUCK MOEN! YOU JUST HAD TO FUCK IT UP. SHIT HOW DID ERLEY LET THEM ESCAPE HIS TRUCK. FUCK."
Elias thinks as the imperfects hold back the Imps.
Hao swings his sword wide, splitting multiple people in half. Annie lashes out with her massive spear, put together by bits of wood. The spear wasn't perfect, but good enough to deal with the small Imps.
She perfectly avoids getting surrounded by the human beasts. The spear easily cuts through every single imp. Whether she can see it or not.
Selth weaves between the army of imps, his presence, as always, unnoticed. Even from the imps.
Hao charges forward with his greatsword, cutting through multiple imps in one swing. He mutters under his breath.
"What the hell is Elias doing?"
Outside the truck, Elias sits, both hands on his head. Thinking about the best way to deal with this situation.
Going back inside the filled truck. He shouts pointing
"You three. With me."
Elias is truly disappointed. Whether it was his fault when assigning them, or Erley's fault. It didn't matter; all he can do now is think about the consequences of this error and adapt.
'We'll have to take a longer route.'
***
The trucks continue north, not stopping for a second. While Myora drives the lead truck. Erley scouts and clears the path ahead.
Myora locks her eyes on the road. Her face saddened. Multiple memories of last week coming to her head.
***
Myora rests on her usual spot. In between the cars. She sits there resting as the fire of the campfire crackles.
Suddenly, kids yell from behind the bus. Myora looks back confused.
'Kids? Why are they so far from the camp?'
Limping towards the yelling, she sees a couple of kids playing catch.
"Hey! You kids shouldn't be all the way out here, it's dangerous."
The kids look at Myora. Their faces brightened with a smile.
"Myora! Let's play!"
"Yeah!"
Out of the five kids. She could see that two had the mark on their irises. The red eye. She glances at them for a second. It was Ava and a boy named Matias. She responds, her voice cold.
"Not right now... I'm resting from my training. Also, I'm injured."
All the kids pout, disappointed.
"Come on! Just for a bit!"
"No"
"Come oooon!"
"No"
"Come ooooooooooooon!"
With a sigh. Myora finally gives up, a faint smile on her face.
"Alright, alright... Just for a bit."
The kids and Myora play until the sun sets.
...
More and more memories come to her mind. Every single one of them, sweet.
All of the memories included somebody with a red eye. Over that whole week, she had spent much time with them. Caring and even protecting them from dangers at times.
However, the last memory comes flying into her head. As if forcing its way in.
...
A man waves at Myora, a bright smile on his face.
"Myora! Hope you're doing well! You need some food? We got some extra rations here."
Myora waves back with a faint smile.
"I'm doing well, thanks for asking! I've got to go to a meeting right now, but thanks for the offer."
She hurries towards the library. There, Elias was waiting.
The doors open. Elias is seen looking at a bunch of notes lying on the table. His eyes widened. His face filled with sorrow. All Myora could hear was a whisper.
"These motherfuckers... That's too far..."
Myora glances at the notes resting on the table. Not being able to see them properly, she greets Elias, her voice cold.
"I'm here."
Looking back, Elias rushes towards Myora. Grabbing her shoulders.
"Myora... Listen to me. What I'm about to ask of you is not something easy. But you have to hear me, ok? Be calm."
Myora is taken aback, surprise on her face. With a voice tinted by curiosity, she asks.
"I'm ready for whatever. What is it?"
***
The trucks suddenly stop in the middle of the road. Broken cars and dead trees surround them.
From the top of the second truck, Erley looks in front. His face tinted by sadness.
'She is ready'
Inside the driving cabin of the first truck. Myora takes a deep breath, a tear running down her face. She quickly wipes it away.
Taking the beautiful, slender long sword with the gold pommel, she leaves the crude sword on the passenger's seat.
Erley looks directly at Myora as the driver's door opens. Jumping down from the truck, she lands graciously. Her world slows down. She could feel, hear, and see everything around her. Every step feels as if it would take years to complete.
Her concentration is unfathomable. Reaching the back doors of the truck. She hears the metal doors roar. As they open, she sees all the familiar faces of what once was.
She wasn't bothered. She had just accepted what she has to do, no more memories came into her mind.
Stepping inside, she locks the doors of the truck from the inside. Then takes one step.
Then two.
Then three.
Until there was nowhere else to walk. She stood there, looking into the metal wall of the truck.
Inside. Myora is broken, confused.
Why? Why is this world so cruel?
The only questions she could ask.
Her vision was blurry. A ringing noise assaults her ears. Getting louder and louder as each second passes.
Behind her, a man could be seen talking to her, a small girl hiding behind him. All the man is doing is repeating the sentence.
"Myora? Myora? Are you okay? What is going on?"
The other people in the truck stand there. Confused, waiting for a response. The ringing getting louder and louder.
Until it was unbearable.
The man's head is cleanly cut off. Falling onto the floor of the truck. Blood splatters all over. All around, the people widen their eyes. Shock written all over.
A second goes by full of silence.
Suddenly, the silence is broken by multiple yells. The people inside the truck are scrambling all over.
Ava tries to back off, falling as she does so. In front of her, the corpse of the man who was once her father stood. In shock, not a word escapes her mouth.
Myora goes past Ava, continuing her restless slaughter.
***
Elias covers his mouth. Hiding a wicked smile behind it.
"Sorry for waiting so long... We had to get rid of all the humanoids. Let's go before more of them come."
On top of the second truck, the imperfects stood. Battered from the battle against the humans, hundreds of corpses surrounded the trucks. Hao glances down at Elias, hurrying in his voice.
"Elias, more imps coming from the left and right side... We need to go. Now!"
Elias looks at him, His eyes widening as if realizing something.
"You guys get the left, I'm going to start up the truck, you three follow me."
As the imps approach from the darkness. Elias heads towards the first truck, which is parked not far away from the second truck.
'I was going to use them as bait, but it's too risky, I'll just have to get rid of them here.'
Stopping mid-way. He changes the direction of his walk. He heads directly towards the right side of the trucks. The family hesitates. The father speaks out, scared.
"Sir Elias... We can't go there, the imps are coming."
Elias looks back, His cold eyes piercing through the man's gaze.
"I said, follow me."
Scared, the family follows.
Stopping a bit far away. Elias points towards the darkness in front.
"Walk."
The father looks back, shock in his face.
"But sir-"
"I SAID WALK."
Looking back towards the darkness, the family hesitates. The father speaks out first.
"Don't worry, father is here to protect us..."
They take one step, but stop. Turning around, the father tries to punch Elias, he easily dodges it.
Pulling out a retractable dagger from his pocket. Elias cuts the man's throat. The body of the man falls as he chokes on his blood. Matias's eyes widen as he yells. Her mother covers his eyes quickly.
"FATHEEEEER!"
Elias pierces them both with a cold look as he points towards the darkness.
'That's it... A perfect scream.'
His voice cold and commanding.
"I said walk."
With tears and fear on her face. The mother turns. Holding back Matias as he tries to lash out at Elias.
"Don't worry, son. We'll be okay."
Without looking back, she runs towards the forest in front of them. The loud cries and yelling of the mother and son disappear as they go deeper into the forest.
Elias looks back, a small smile appearing on his face.
"That should do it."
He calmly walks back to the trucks. Leaving the body of the dead father on the ground. Suddenly, the body starts moving, multiple tentacles dragging him inside the forest.
Nothing but blood splattered on the ground is left.
Nothing but the darkness of the forest.