The bodies lay sprawled inside the cave, clustered around the remains of the campfire that was now nothing but cold charcoal. Three small children and five teenagers were scattered among the adult corpses.
They had all died violently, in various ways. Some bodies were burned to a crisp, charred and blackened. Others lay with their heads nearly severed, dangling grotesquely.
Raline let out a sharp gasp, then bolted out of the cave. Devon remained for a moment, his gaze sweeping the interior.
The Revenants hadn't spared the children, not even the smallest ones, and the reality of that made him feel a cold twist in his stomach. He swallowed down the nausea, forcing it back, and walked out.
He had no desire to take any useful items they might have left behind—though he doubted there would be any. All that was in his mind was the image of the gods he had seen rolling dice.
Was this what they were playing with? A game where human lives were the chips?
Feeling strangely weak, he walked toward Raline, who was vomiting outside the cave mouth. Once she was finished, Devon scooped her up, lifting her back onto Bony, who waited patiently for them.
Without wasting a moment, they turned and started moving in the opposite direction from which they had arrived.
*******
The journey over the mountain took only a few hours, thanks to Devon's unnatural speed and Bony's equally unnatural efficiency.
It was already past noon when they reached the summit. The view from the top, looking down onto the flat land before them, was at least something they recognized.
Tall skyscrapers and various modern buildings stretched out below. It looked like a city, similar to their own—Newark.
The city below looked like it had been violently lifted and moved, like a plant yanked from one pot and slammed into another. This one, however, looked clean and orderly, with everything lined up neatly.
In contrast, Newark was a haphazard mix of wealthy districts and surrounding slums. But this new city was clearly man-made.
Raline looked at the city through the binoculars they carried, and she saw it was empty. Devon used his Death Sight, and he detected countless auras down there.
It wasn't just living auras, but also the dark, black auras of the undead. He tilted his head. The undead auras moved slowly, slower than the movement of the Skeletons he was used to.
What kind of monsters are down there...
"Dev. I don't think there are any people there. You sure we'll be safe?" Raline asked, lowering the binoculars.
Devon stayed quiet for a while, his eyes fixed on the city. Then he finally said, "There's no safe place right now. But at least it's gotta be safer than these mountains."
Raline raised an eyebrow, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, fine..."
"Let's go," Devon said, and jumped down the slope. Bony followed him at nearly the same speed, causing Raline to squeeze her eyes shut and clutch the skeletal horse's reins tight.
"Heeeyyyy!!! Can't you guys just walk normally for once??!!!!" she screamed as Bony sprinted after him. But neither her brother nor the bone horse paid her any attention. They simply ran.
In just a few minutes, they were at the foot of the mountain. Raline was now half-sprawled over Bony's neck, clinging to it tightly. Her face was paper white.
Devon laughed this time, genuinely amused by his sister's reaction. "What, you scared already? We're here now, chill."
Raline slowly opened her eyes, cautiously raising her head to look around. Once she was sure they weren't running anymore, she slowly sat up, muttering curses.
"You seriously think I'm like you two half monster freaks! You're both insane!!" she cursed as they walked toward the edge of the city.
Devon kept chuckling, relieved to hear his sister's familiar angry voice. He was starting to feel a sense of relief, glad they were leaving the territory of the Revenants.
Even though one of those creatures had told them they could stay, it was possible they would change their mind sooner or later. And then he and his sister would become the next Revenants.
The thought made him shiver. No, he was not going to die a stupid, pointless death. He would rather die fighting to survive than waiting around for false hope from those monsters.
And he was grateful the creatures seemed to only rise at night. Perhaps not every night, either, or the survivors in the cave would have died last night instead of tonight.
Shaking off those dark thoughts, he looked toward the city they were heading for. He caught sight of a few dark undead auras on the city's edge ahead, but they were too far away to see clearly yet.
Raline, who was peeking at the city again, saw what her brother saw. Her mouth dropped open, and her hands began to tremble.
"Dev..."
Devon didn't reply, focusing his attention, trying to identify the undead with his naked eye.
"Bro," she called him again, her voice shaking.
"...Yeah?"
Raline handed him the binoculars she had been using, her hand still trembling. Seeing her fear, Devon guessed she must have already seen the undead.
He raised the binoculars to his eyes and adjusted the focus. At first, he saw some human-like figures moving, but their movements were strange, jerky.
Once the view focused, he realized the figures had the tell-tale signs he often saw in zombie movies. He lowered the binoculars, checking again with his Death Sight.
It was true.The locations he saw through the lens matched the auras of the undead. He looked through the binoculars again to be absolutely sure.
Finally, he let out a sigh. "Looks like your brother just got a job to be a zombie exterminator..."
Raline turned to look at her brother, realizing he was now carrying the longsword he had taken from Bony's former master. She finally understood what he meant. He intended to take out the zombies.
And Bony, too, seemed eager to join the slaughter. Its snorted and stomping its hooves like it was hyped.