Ignavus : City of Blood

Act 29 : Left to Die

Shanice tried her best to concentrate upon the road home, but sudden emergence of the invisible kitten at the cave has triggered her emotion to be stirred up back and forth. The curly-haired woman sprints immediately towards the cave for aiding her unfortunate teammates which somewhat apprehended the beast in exchange of her apparent freedom. She waited for the appearance of the horde, back then, leering upon the two channel and presumed their assault in a minute or so.

It was strange for the woman to wait behind the dead tree but still unable to perceive one of them after a minute elapsed. Gads Gilmore was the one whose informed her of such abrupt arrival within the solace of their shelter. It could be caused by Aldo Meridic and unfathomable technology that were capable on transporting most invisible critters into the place he likes.

More or less, it is surprising as it is perturbing for the mind of the leader at the moment.

~tap-tap-tap~

She rushed aboard the greasy lane, struggling against the slippery surface and fallen at times on the ground. She travelled quite far-away from the cave and fought the horde near the middle area of the path for second cave across. It takes her almost an hour to reach the hotspot and meddling about the creature’s haven, sauntering beyond the safety zone that is the first cave they were once resided. The cloud has been in its glooming state from the start of her voyage. An evening haze were forming up at the ground of Ganabra Forest and gathering the most of eerie feelings within the mind.

~brak~

“Oww! Quit pestering me, you dumb tree!”

Shanice falls again, now by the lone tree stump under her feet. It was the remnants of smaller redwood tree whose growth goes stall due to the presence of its older ones nearby. The large composure of its trunk has created a bane for its smaller generations down under. They have a daily contest against each other to receive the most sunlight for nutrients of their development. Those who were able to grow taller will have the most leverage on sustaining themselves in the longer period of living, thus their gargantuan size that prolonged their existence hereafter.

~ratatatata~

A consecutive gunfire approached her ears. Perspirations persevered on both arms due to increase in adrenaline within the veins. For the curly-haired woman to pick up notions of storming barrage means that the fightings were running in the moment of her arrival,” Whose gun is that? I get AK-74, so that means John is alive. Thank God..” She braced her chest in relief whilst sprinting in haste forward.

It is merely a few hundred meters at the front for the curly-haired woman this time around. Her legs were spraining and spilling some blood onto the dirt as Shanice kept her pace ahead. Yet, her tears across the cheek were initiated by the burdensome sentiment within her heart. There were three members of their group who were lacking murder accolades on their records. She was rather doubtful about the background of Natasha Gastano, of course, but the other two in their group boasted no killing on the tally.

“Hopefully they would be alright...” She moaned, but then clapped her cheeks in advent of such negative thoughts thereof,” No! What am I thinking? They should be fine by now.”

Yet, her thoughts were all wrongful once perceiving the inner side of the cave.

John Straverman is the sole person to keep fighting against the invisible kitten and maintained their borders in-between. Gads Gilmore was heavily injured on his arms and legs, bitten hard by the fangs of the invisible kitten before them. They have deployed many large boulders in front of their emergency shelter to separate their footings against the waves of ferocious critters from the cave’s depth. Shanice speculated that it was projected by Gads Gilmore’s metal sphere, but it is real and never the results of augmented technology from his device at all.

Once looking up, those were the wreckage of stalactites that goes fallen down onto the ground for the natural barrier before their face.

“Oh lord...”

As for the remaining combatants on their side, Shanice could speak no resort for the cause. Elisa lost both legs and appeared dead across the face. Natasha Gastano’s condition is in no way to describe, as well, due to the loss of blood and scrappy bandages across her amputated left arm.

“Sis...”

Gads Gilmore squirmed when recognising her disembark. He wanted to stand up and helped John Straverman in the frontline, but fails to do so since of his damaged limbs that hinders the bearded man to move around. Shanice approaches her brother whilst faintly weeping tears at the corner of her eyes. She examined his body in closer look and tended some of them with her set of bandages inside the bag,” Sis... don’t be. You can do more by supporting John near the wall. I’m fine as it is now.” He assured. Yet, Shanice sees no room for his claim to be true in the slightest. His open wounds seemed in worsened state than being healed as the bearded man has appealed.

“You’re barely living, Gads. Shut the hell up!” Shrieked the curly-haired woman towards her brother. Her voice stuttered a bit under intense pressure that were deftly increased by means of grievance,”I’ll wrap up your injury first, then I’ll cover...”

“Raaagh!”

Shanice Gilmore looked up after such deafening roar went screamed out. At the edge of crumbling stalactites, John Straverman holds two assault rifles at once and rampaging upon the invisible kitten underneath. He wears an AK-74 on both arms and capable to withstand its raging-up recoil. After discharging all of the bullets within the gun, the black-haired man reloaded one of each with one hand whilst reaching for the pistol down his feet.

“That rats attacking Natasha and Elisa first before we can do anything to it, sister. I’m useless, leaving one of my comrades to die this way...”

Gads Gilmore whimpers under his palm, covering the reddened expression hidden within. The bearded man finally burst into tears after grappling himself to become brave across the face. Indeed, to see someone that was supposed to be protected died in front of him determines a lot of burden within. Shanice learned of Natasha’s fate by the spilled out information that were erupted away from his loaded up distress,”Okay, wait here and kept yourself safe, brother. I will do my best to help him...”

~drop~

Before the leader could mutter another words, John Straverman collapsed on the floor near them. He left the two rifles to tumble away from his reach and goes astray to the remains of the tiger. Shanice rushed immediately towards the black-haired man straight after. She took one of his arms and examined the pulse within. There is a faint figure of those throbbing veins, but slightly diminished by the tense muscles of the man that Shanice felt on her palms.

” He’s okay, but...”

All of sudden, John Straverman wriggled his head up to face his leader in closed-down eyes,“I’ve killed them all, Shanice. Take a look on my wife and tell me about it.” He whispered. Shanice knows that it is no use to approach Elisa Straverman at the moment. Her face tells everything of deceased state rather than merely fell unconscious in one glance. But, as for the auburn-haired woman, the leader could at least find out of her current condition and take on first-aid medical care to her severed arm on the left.

~tap-tap-tap~

Shanice tapped on her cheek and move them a little bit sideways for reaching the pulse under the neck. It is vague on her forefingers, really, that the leader finds them difficult to discern of its actual presence in overall,” Gads Gilmore has rescued her life, I think. Without those bandages to wrap her severed arm, Natasha would be dead by hemorrhage.” She pondered, then parting ways for another research to come up.

“Hup!”

She climbed onto the ledge and perceived down the pillars. Her eyes goes slightly bulged out by the outstanding scenery that she looked upon,” I can’t believe it. John, you’re truly a madman of our group, now.” She gasped out a heavy breath into her lungs. John Straverman has packed up miracles to decimate every single kittens under the rocks. No one were left twitching before his vision, with a good number of them being shot at three times or more. The black-haired man dropped Gads Gilmore’s goggles on the ground. Blood smeared all over its transparent glasses to show that it would be hard-bearing to see an entire beast gangs behind such obstruction at the most.

“Now, I’ll better fill the boots and deploys the medical tent for them. I hope I can do it the same way as my brother does.”

---

“cough-cough!”

John Straverman awakes on the bed he was familiar with. The comfortable wool-based contour will provide one better sleep for anyone reclining upon. Due to the prolific amount of crust that appeared within the eyelids, the black-haired man has to wash his face at the sink before working on anything else at the moment.

~bump~

‘I’m apologize, John. I would assist you to the nearest chamber you can assess to.’

Those static voice resembles another recognisable allies in their disposal. It is the flying drones that the bearded man commonly utilised for when they have difficulties in taking a good care of themselves on the battlefield. Of course, its presence brought him to be excited and smiles wide in jubilation straight after,”Please, guide me to the sink. I want to wash my face a bit.” He ordered towards the drone, which responded immediately by its flexible arm-like tubes that was offered into his palm.

~zuu-zuu-zuu~

It is a few seconds of divine experience for the geek-blooded warrior and his keen interest towards automated technology. John Straverman always dream of a day when he would no longer needed arms to maintain daily chores and washing down the clothes in everyday life. In these days, such cutting-edge machinery could only be reachable for those riches and industrious personality in Dewsbury, his hometown before the tragedy of survival game marched into his life. Wealthy figures in Darte would presumably have those kind of automated technology in their disposal, as well.

~swoosh~

For some reason, the tent now acquired fresh water for him to wash the face. Gads Gilmore has explained of how it was possible for the tent to locate water automatically under the ground. But, their landing point occassionally have no such resource to indulge upon. It would be difficult to bore down the rocky surface of the first cave. Adequately reasonable for the tent to produce no amount of water in that chapter, but their current situation would prove otherwise.

“Where are we, now, master drone?” John Straverman asked the bot after washing the gunks away from his eyes in complete fashion.

~beep-beep~

Before his query, the black-haired man could see the decision-making process is currently happening within the artificial brain of the drone. It will take a moment from the beeping sounds of its mechanical thoughts. Two minutes tops for the gruelling ones in its thoughts to manage onwards.

‘We’re now headed towards the second cave to the north, John. Shanice has carried you all the way in these two days of travel.’

Such revelation instilled reminisce moments into his mind. John gradually grasp the reality of the truth that was on the hold by the course of his blacked-out state. He kneels down in shame and remorse after hitting the bumps on the road of memory lane,” No, NO! Elisa.... My baby!” He screamed in utmost agony. Excruciating image of her death goes poured back into his mind and carried the black-haired man to become unable in walking straight straight away,” I let her die... why do I have to stay on living without my wife?” He griped on the guilt that was happened in the past.

John Straverman saw a pristine-looking knife at the top of the dining table. Someone has abandoned such versatile utensils at a good spot for the black-haired man to use,”Maybe that knife will do a good trick for this horrible nightmare. What if I reach them up for a slice?”

~slap~

“Not on my watch, John. I’ve saved your life for you to continue moving forward, not ended them up so soon like this.”

His tears rolled down as the man grovels on the floor of their tent. Shanice Gilmore has emaciated the sole chance to get away from the dreadful hallucination that is his current self in this period. He was eager to end the horror once and for all in the hands of the knife, yet missed the mark due to the presence of someone nearby.