Asia found it hard to keep running, her legs have never felt so tired. They moved as fast as they could all day, and by whatever god was watching over them they survived the first night without any issue. The moons were bright and no monsters could be seen.
The lack of action caused them to relax and slow down, rest when they could, and taking care of those who couldn't move as fast.
Now it was the second night of the three it would take to make it to their new home and she never felt so stupid. Every second they wasted resting should have been spent running for their lives.
She couldn't lift her legs very high anymore and kept tripping over anything in her way, falling and rolling to the ground. In the darkness of the night she couldn't see the blood running down her legs but she felt its warmth.
Unlike last night it was almost pitch black, the moons completely gone. Unlike back on earth, it wasn't the waning phase that followed a full moon, they just completely vanished.
"Come on Aisa, get up. We have to keep going."
His hands were gentle as he tried to lift her up, but she could feel the urgency in his tug. Her legs were shaky from the running and falling, and she needed the help whether she wanted to admit it or not.
"Go on without me Ryan."
She snapped, pushing away his hand after using it to get up.
"I'll catch up."
She started to push her body forward in the dark, screams erupting all from around her. Every time she flinched at the sound, the voices she recognised. Several more echoed from the long line of people running for their lives, spread out along the distance.
Aisa turned back and wanted to run towards them, stopped abruptly by Ryan's hand now grabbing her wrist.
"Forget it."
His voice trailed off. She couldn't see the details of his face yet she knew exactly what it looked like. Throughout all the time it was the only comfort she could find. As they scrapped the meat and flesh of bodies of monsters to create new monsters it was there for her.
It held her close in the cold nights as they all huddled together for warmth. She could draw it from memory and with a brain injury if asked.
"There isn't anything you can do.. There isn't anything any of us can do right now but run. We have to be there for those who survive until the morning."
His own emotions of helplessness came across clear as day. He wasn't just telling her this, he was saying it so he didn't charge in and die for nothing. Sure he could save a few…
The sound of his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword vibrated from his belt.
She pulled her hand away with a sharp jerk, rubbing her wrist dramatically even though she knew he couldn't see her. She wanted him to know that it hurt her to be grabbed like that either way.
"I have to try Ryan, these people are all here because of us, I can't let them die. After everything we've done to keep everyone alive, what would it even mean?"
A voice far too stern came from her mouth and even she was taken back by her tone. She didn't mean to make it all sound like it was his fault, it was no one's fault, no one but that damn devil they formed a party with.
The weight of the people that they spent the last month taking care of, tending their wounds and holding, were being picked off one by one in this dark forest weighted on her vocal cords.
To die alone under the fangs of some unknown flat headed beast, their screams only attracting more to join the hunt in the darkness of the night. This was no way to go.
"Aisa. Look at me."
He grabbed her again and pulled her close, face to face, details finally made more clear. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and his eyes red with pressure. They washed away the dirt and built roads of regret to his chin.
His eyes were a deep green during the day but now all she could see was the wildness of the whites around them.
His dirty blond hair was a mess and his handsome face torn with frustration.
"If you go and die for them right now, I'll go too. Leave it all to the kid and his damn birds. I don't care. I'm begging you to live so I can live another day with you. Please Aisa. I need you to stay alive. I need you."
Her chin shrivelled and shook, holding back her own tears. What was the point of crying when it wouldn't help anyone? Who would see it? What would it change?
All she could do was shake her head and pull away from him, and then started to run away from the screams.
Ryan stood there for a moment longer, holding his sword hilt tight. His arms felt heavy and hard to lift with any true intent. He had spent the last several hours slashing at any creature that would get near him while trying to follow those damn people in the shadows.
They promised them safety, and all they got was death in the darkness. Sure they left earlier than planned but there was no way they could have stayed. People were disappearing and they finally found out why.
The monster of their group realised that he could create more powerful Minions from the skeletons of humans than monsters. It was only a matter of days before they were all turned into puppets.
"I'm sorry… I let you all down."
He whispered to the screams ringing out from the darkness and to the people he could hear running past them in a frenzy.
"I promise. I'll kill him. I'll fucking kill him."
His teeth felt like they were going to shatter in his mouth as he clenched his jaw. Then he did the only thing he could do. He turned around and started running.
—
The morning came and the people started to find each other again, grouping for safety and then falling into piles of bodies on the ground. They were covered in mud and dirt, blood and torn clothes.
They didn't leave their fort, if you could call it that, in the best condition but now they looked like they just survived a war zone. In some ways, they survived something worse.
Ryan did his best to get the people grouped back together, running around and yelling for anyone he could find. Aisa didn't want to but she found her eyes moving over one by one, counting who survived.
They left their fort with around 400 people. Many had died from hunger and sickness over the last few weeks, and in one night she estimated they lost another 100-150 or so. Familiar faces that had been by her side as they were forced to strip bodies and harvest slivers were nowhere to be seen. Young and old, it didn't matter, the forest didn't care.
How were they going to survive another night like this, and what choice did they even have? Running back to the arms of their death obsessed overlord wasn't an option, and scattering to the wind means they would be picked off one by one. They had no hope to give to the people.
Their faces were hollow and ragged, the circles under their eyes were dark and skin sickly due to poor hygiene and nutrition.
A soft voice called out as Ryan returned with another group of survivors.
"Hey, Ryan…"
It came from a young man, just turned 17 and was considered small for his age. Ryan was in his 30s and felt protective over him. Throughout all the suffering they went through at their fort he never stopped asking Ryan questions about his life and even had the balls to talk about dreams.
"What's up, Jacob?"
Ryan tried to be as nonchalant as he could with his tone, conveying that everything was going according to plan with just a few words. He put his hands on his hips and bent over slightly to be more eye level with him.
Jacob looked down at his hands, scrapped and covered in blood much like everyone else who had to feel their way thought the dark forest.
"We're not going to make it, are we?"
"Not with that attitude we're not."
Jacob came up to just about his chest, so he pulled him in for a hug with a laugh, patting him on the back.
"We're already almost there buddy. I know it feels hard but we have to keep going. The people around you need to be your sunshine and butterflies self to keep their hopes up, okay?"
The young man buried his head into Ryan's chest. He never had any siblings, and felt like he was in the arms of a big brother for the first time of his life. He reached around with both arms and hugged Ryan tight.
"Woah now bird man, not so rough, I can't have you breaking my back."
He let out a laugh and messed up Jacobs hair, leading him to the group of those who survived the night.
He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear him without sounding like he was barking orders. His voice was smooth and conveyed confidence. If Jacob felt like this he could only imagine how everyone else felt.
"We're right around the corner. And we're all going to make it there. A place where they have enough food for all of us, and a place to sleep that's more than a hole in the ground. Where we'll all be appreciated for our work and we can build something for ourselves."
He turned to everyone so they knew he was talking to them now, looking each person in the eye in turn, leaving no doubt.
"We just have to keep moving. We can rest for a moment, but we must travel as fast as we can during the day."
Aisa walked over to him and joined hands so they could see that they were united, a light admitting from her, giving off a holy aura.
"I know we're all tired, and I know we're all scared. But we can't give up now. We survived for a reason and we must keep living for one."
The people had a great deal of respect for them, as it was for them that they even survived for so long.
With Aisa's ability which revolved around light they were able to purify water, and Ryan's power which rewound the state of things, the meat never spoiled. Sure they were eating it raw, but at least it wasn't raw and rotten.
At her words they pulled themselves up to their feet and started to move in a mass of broken bodies. Some needed help to walk but everyone chipped in to carry that burden.
A Shadow appeared from behind a tree and locked eyes with Ryan, shook her head, and pointed in the opposite direction Ryan was about to start walking.
"Follow me everyone, I'll lead the way."
Turning the group more to the left and confidently walking. He gave the Shadow a snarl and thought to himself.
Where the hell were you last night while we were getting slaughtered. Hiding while we fed the beasts.
The Shadow sensed his intentions but didn't react. Of course he didn't know what they were doing behind the scenes and the battles they faced last night. There would never be a loud round of applause for them. No one will tell their stories of their sacrifice, they'll just hate you for not doing enough that they could see.
The Shadow just sighed and limped back into the shadow of the tree. She wanted to yell at him, scold him at being so immature and thoughtless. But she didn't and she wouldn't.
She knew what she was getting into when she joined the Legion and received the strength she now possessed.
You don't get abilities that include hiding well in the darkness and not figuring out what the job will entail. It didn't take a rocket scientist. She just looked back to her other Shadows.
"How many did we lose?"
"three dead and two more out of commission. We've stashed them in the designated spots and will return once we're done."
They're whole night revolved around getting the attention of monsters and leading them away from the group, the fact that they only three died was a blessing. Without them not a single soul would have survived the night. Knowing this was going to be all the reward they would be receiving.
"Carry on. Remember their names. It was their turn to join the night."
The other Shadows bowed their heads and vanished. There was still work to be done.