Monsters and Maidens

Mark grunted as he climbed his way onto the fallen branch. It was only really a branch in the sense that it was connected to a tree-trunk, but the piece of wood was large enough it could’ve easily fit a small bus within it. Barry and Veronica took a slight detour instead. With a little exertion, he managed to reach the top. And from there, he took the chance to look around with his new vantage point.

There was only forest and gloom in every direction, but he didn’t expect to discover much more than when he’d been at ground level. After all, his primary purpose had been to make himself more visible to the group that was catching up. His eyes met Daniel’s firmly, the smirk meant precisely to irk the older, greasy man. Little sense to waste the effort if he wasn’t at least going to get some enjoyment out of it.

It was especially worth it to see the sour look on Daniel’s round face- particularly when two of the others following him had similar expressions of annoyance. Mark let out a quiet little chuckle as he hopped off at the other side of the branch, grunting but regaining his balance fast. “They’re almost here.”

“Took them long enough,” Veronica said with a smirk. “Shame we couldn’t keep the pace.”

The jab found its spot at Barry with few obstacles to be found. The young redhead flinched and turned the other way. His hand rubbed his right leg for a moment as he limped, his expression soured considerably.

“Well, we should-”

AWOOOOOOOOOOO

“Fuck me,” Mark growled, looking back over his shoulder fast. “That was definitely not over at the bus.”

“They… this is weird.” Veronica scowled. “They shouldn’t be moving around at this hour.”

“What?”

“It’s broad daylight. They were hunting until late last night.” She made a gesture in the direction the sound had come from. “If they’re hunting again so soon, they must have slept… what? Four hours? Animals don’t do that right after a kill.”

“These are monsters, remember?” Mark rolled his eyes. He was starting to feel anxious now. That howl was closer than it’d been last night.

The young woman scowled, turning and looking at Daniel as he’d made his way around the tree. The older man’s irritation had moved towards concern and fear, only the barest hint of disgust as he glanced at Barry. “We need to move and fast.”

“Yeah, we’re fucked if we don’t.” Mark had to nod in agreement. “Help me with Barry-”

“We can’t.”

Two words. Everyone became quiet, slowing down as they glanced from Daniel to Mark, and back again. The younger of the two furrowed his brows. Next to him, his younger sibling flinched and lowered his head, hands tightening as the fear rose inside his chest. “He’s right, if you’re going to run away from-”

“Shut the fuck up.” The older brother took a stride forward, meeting Daniel’s gaze without hesitation. Both men squared their shoulders. The younger one met the gaze, but his focus flickered to Daniel’s hands. Last thing he needed was getting sucker-punched. “You leave him behind and I’ll hunt you down myself.”

“You can stick with him. I’m not going to stop you,” he snorted, shaking his head and taking a step back.

Mark’s jaw tensed, hands balling into fists. Briefly, he considered whether it would be worth the time and effort to punch Daniel. The older man wasn’t too out of shape and had the weight advantage. But of the two, Mark was the less winded one. He was sure he’d get in the first two punches in at least.

Before the plan could be made real, Veronica stepped forward. “They’re not here yet. We don’t know how fast they’re moving. For all we know, they’re targeting something else.”

Her words brought hesitation. Daniel’s scowl faltered, though not Mark’s. “We can start moving, but we have to press hard, if he can’t keep up…” Once more, his gaze flickered to Barry.

“If you so much as-”

“I can do it.” Barry’s words broke the tension, the younger man shoving his way between the two and stepping past them. “Let’s not waste time arguing.” His hands tightened on the straps of his backpack as he limped forward.

Mark shot a glare at Daniel but kept quiet, following alongside his brother, offering a shoulder to lean on as he helped him keep the pace. Taking a look at Barry, it was clear there was little to be said. The younger brother was pushing himself and was definitely intent on keeping focused.

The others followed suit, quietly marching and keeping their gazes into the forest, especially behind them. Everyone continued looking in that direction every other minute, as if expecting a horde to emerge out of the shadows any second. They all appeared to have come to a quiet agreement to remain silent, ears sharp and attentive of any unexpected noises. If they were being pursued, they heard nothing for a good hour- only their own grunts and crunching steps.

And then…

AWOOOOOOOOOOO

It was closer, definitely closer- still far away, but far less than the previous time. Louder and clearer. Threatening. Was that a couple of kilometers away? More? The forest seemed to distort and change the sound. It was impossible to tell with certainty. And they didn’t plan to stick around to find out. They shared gazes with one another. Mark glared at Daniel, but the man did not look back. He started walking faster. The others followed at the new pace.

Mark knew Barry wasn’t going to be able to catch up.

“Hey!” the older Dodson called out, a loud shout. “Bald-ass, I’m talking to you!”

Daniel slowed, stopping for only a moment. His expression was cold, and his eyes lowered, looking not at Mark’s face but his chest. There was hesitation there, almost shame. “If you want to survive, you know what you have to do.”

Without another word, he turned around. The others followed.

“You forgot something!” Veronica ran towards Daniel, the older man pausing in confusion as she shoved her backpack into his hands. “Since you’re leaving us to die, you might as well take the loot.”

The man’s face hardened, this time truly looking at them with remorse. But it meant nothing. He tightened his expression into a scowl and nodded. Without another word, he turned around and began to walk.

Veronica hurried back to Mark and Barry. Her expression was unreadable. “We need to move, now.”

“Agreed,” Mark commented grimly, shifting his weight and turning in a new direction. If the primary group was heading West, they were moving North-West. As good a bet as any, so long as it got them away from the howls.

Veronica nodded. She caught up and offered a shoulder to help Barry move faster through the complicated terrain.

“Let’s hope the wolves don’t choose to go after us,” Barry spoke under his breath. He grimaced with every other step, but he was going harder than before. There was a rhythm, accompanied by heavy, quick breaths.

The oppressive forest weighed down on them.

And the quiet feeling that they wouldn’t be able to keep helping Barry move forever.

“Don’t worry,” Veronica replied, a smirk blossoming from her lips. “That part’s taken care of.”

“What do you mean?”

As Barry asked, his brother could not help but find the amusement that appeared on the young woman’s face concerning. She didn’t answer, keeping a stern face as she walked faster.

“It’s not a guarantee.” Her words came in a hushed tone, yet the smile didn’t leave her lips. “So we better move fast anyway, just to be sure.”

“Sure of what?”

Veronica shook her head.

“Sure of what?” Barry’s voice lowered as he repeated the question.

“That the wolves will follow the others and not us.”