Creatures of Embyria

Creatures of Embyria

Kaylyn lay awake, staring out the window of the makeshift hospital room, overlooking the peaceful sleeping city of Embyra. The moon was full tonight, it illuminated far into the distance. She could make out the Watchmen walking the ramparts and the faint glow of fire from the war waging just beyond the city walls. Running her hand across the bandages around her head feeling for the wound underneath, she thought of her friends and comrades still out there fighting and longed to join them again. She prayed for their safety and that they would survive the night. She sat in a room with three other wounded soldiers. They were survivors of the most recent battle against the Shathi Tribesmen. In the bed opposite her slept Joven, a small wiry man from the South lands. He sustained major slash wounds across his chest and arms. Kaylyn remembered being awoken by his pleading with medics that he could still fight as they were being carted away from the battlefield to the relative safety Embyra. There was also Kade, a man Kaylyn didn't know beyond that he'd worked logistics and somehow suffered a leg injury. Finally, there was Bando, who was large thickly muscled and stood a head taller than any other man she'd ever seen. He was renowned as one of the fiercest warriors in the Embyrian army, a veteran of dozens of battles. Naturally she was surprised to find him among the injured.

The three men shot up in their beds as the sound of the city bell echoed through the ruined building.

“Son of a bitch!”

Joven winced in pain as he felt several of his stitches rip apart.

“What in the Hell’s is going on! What's happening out there woman?” shouted Bando already hurrying to put his clothes on.

Kaylyn turned to the window and looked out in horror as she saw what seemed like a wave of bodies pouring over the walls and onto the streets below. Civilians screamed as their homes were raided, she looked again to the ramparts and saw the Watchmen fighting for their lives, one ringing the bell as hard as he could before being overwhelmed. Kaylyn found it hard to believe what she was seeing.

“The city... it's been breached...” she stammered.

From outside the room they heard chaos. The sounds of people running down the hall, metal clanging off stone and the muffled sounds of men and women likely asking each other the same questions they were.

The door to their room swung open and in front of them stood an armoured guard carrying several sheathed swords wrapped in belts. He promptly counted them and threw four of the weapons into the centre of the room, turned and continued down the hall.

“That's enough beauty sleep soldiers! Get your arses' up!” he bellowed moving from room to room. Kade limped from his bed and scooped up one of the blades.

“So, what do we do? Who...? Who's in charge here?”

“If the walls are breached and the city is falling then no one is.” said Bando walking towards the window.

As soldiers from the hospital ran out of the gates below, shields locked together, a group of civilians met them, throwing themselves violently at the armoured men and women. One of the soldiers appeared to lose their footing as several more of the townsfolk descended on them. The soldiers began hacking and slashing, trying desperately to hold against the growing mob. Bando looked out into the city and could see more and more running towards them. A blood curdling scream brought his attention back to the melee. Several of the civilians lay atop one of the fallen soldiers. Ripping at him with hands and teeth. The line had been broken, and the mob began to run through the gaps and into the building.

“By the Gods, they're already here.”

Kaylyn moved quickly across the room to help Joven from his bed, blood was already seeping through his bandages. She felt a sharp pain behind her eye and a spell of dizziness and nausea overtook her as if to remind her of her own injury. Mayhem could be heard from the main floor of the building, war cries and screams, metal on bone, armour against stone. Bando turned and slammed the door shut.

“We need a plan, one that doesn't involve throwing ourselves out the front door to the wolves.”

“We could just wait here.” whimpered Kade “Surely we'll be reinforced! The Watchmen will regain order... and they'll come and get us... right? Right!”

“We can't just wait here you bloody coward, if our comrades are out there laying down their lives it is our duty to help them!” shouted Joven. Bando stepped to the two other men and began to argue.

Kaylyn walked past the bickering men and put an ear to the door. Bando turned to her. “What are you doing?”

“Listening.” she whispered

“Listening to what?”

Kaylyn slowly opened the door and peered into the dimly lit hallway. She could not see nor hear anything or anyone. It was as if the battle had just suddenly ended. Kade moved to the window. What he saw dumbfounded him, friend and foe many of whom he thought to be dead, now together shambling away.

“I think... I think they're leaving.”

“Then there's our chance.” said Kaylyn her head turning back to look in the hallway. Her heart dropped as she was ripped into the hall by someone she recognized. It was indeed the same man who gave them weapons just minutes before. Her body smashed hard against the opposite wall and she slumped to the ground, the world spinning around her. The man turned to her. His wounds were plenty, scratches covered his skin and armour, giant holes with flesh torn from his body, blood still gushing from them. Wounds no man could have survived. It was the guard, or at least it had been... His eyes now bloodshot and yellow stared down at her hungrily as she fumbled to unsheathe her sword. The Creature let out a guttural roar and began to pounce on her as she thrust her blade deep into his chest. Blood sprayed across her, she closed her eyes and mouth tight. The creature’s body fell limply to the floor. She opened her eyes to see it lying headless beside her. Joven sheathed his sword and outstretched his other hand to help her up. As he did, he winced in pain from wound at his side.

“You okay?”

Kaylyn spit on the floor and wiped some of the gore from her face. “Yea, I'm fine... what was that thing?”

“I don't know but I don't think we should stick around to find out.” Kade limped warily into the hall.

“Is... is it dead?” Joven let out a chuckle.

“Why don't you ask him.” he said poking the remains with his foot. Kade rolled his eyes. They heard movement growing from the main floor below them.

“I'm not sure what's going on or what these things are but I'm sure as Hell not going that way.” Kaylyn chided.

“I think I know another way out.” responded Kade. “We can get down to the basement through the mess hall, there's an old tunnel there that we've been using to bring supplies in and out.” Kaylyn nodded in agreement.

“It sounds like those things are mostly centralized in the main hall, I'm up for any plan where we avoid that.”

Joven smiled.

“Bando... Bando what do you think?” he whispered.

What Kaylyn saw on the large man's face was not what she expected to see at all, she did not see a fierce warrior ready to take charge, what she saw in him was genuine fear. They were all afraid, how could they not be.

“Alright, that's the plan. Let's pair up, back to back and make our way out. Hopefully we can avoid any more of these things. Got it?”

Joven nodded. Kade did so less convinced.

“Bando! Do you understand?” she said raising her voice slightly. The man nodded as well.

“Ye...yea I get it.”

“Good, You're with Kade, Joven and I will take point. Watch each other’s backs!” Kaylyn began making her way down the hall. Joven stepped over the corpse and hurried to catch up to her. The other men followed.

“You did well back there you know. What do you make of the two of them?” Joven whispered motioning his head towards Kade and Bando.

“I think they're both afraid, but I'd rather have a legendary warrior at my back than not.”

Joven nodded. “I suppose you're right, and with that leg of his I don't expect Kade to be running off anywhere.”

Kaylyn smiled. “How are you making out?” “I'm a hard man to kill.”

The group crept slowly down an old winding staircase that led down to the mess hall, being careful not to make any noise. They could hear the metal dragging and the sounds of shambled footsteps in the darkness. The stink of death was heavy in the air. Kaylyn constantly scanned the area as they made their way through the stone archway and into the long dining room.

But seeing this man, this legend, in a state of utter fear appeared to unsettle the rest of the group even further.

The room was relatively well lit by several sconces that lined the walls were burnt out. There was a long table with benches that ran the length of the room. At the end was a raised dais where Officers would eat and address the Soldiers.

“It’s just right there through the kitchen, and down the stairs to the basement.” Kade pointed to a wooden door to the right of the dais. He began to move more quickly towards it.

“Kade wait!” Kaylyn said careful not to be too loud.

The man did not listen and limped clumsily forward. Bando seeing this brushed past the group and knocked one of the benches onto its side. The group froze. The sound echoed throughout the large stone room, the screams and cries of the dead men began to grow around them. Kaylyn and Joven readied their weapons and turned towards the archway. Bando cried out behind them. Kaylyn turned to Bando, witnessing one of the creatures attacking his leg from under the table. Its teeth plunging deep into his ankle. The warrior stomped down hard on the dead man’s head. Crushing its skull in an explosion of bone and brain.

“Kaylyn!” Joven yelled out to her.

She turned her attention back to the archway ahead of them. A dozen or so of their former comrades poured in and around them. Kaylyn and Joven let out a war cry and charged ahead. Several of the creatures ignored them entirely and began running straight towards Bando and Kade. Bando unsheathed his blade and began to run towards the safety of the kitchen. He pushed past Kade who fell hard against the table.

“Wait. Wait for me.” Kade whimpered reaching out desperately he managed to grab hold of Bando’s shirt.

“Let go of me!” the large warrior yelled. Turning he saw the creatures about to descend upon them and swung his weapon down hard just below Kade’s shoulder. The soldier fell back into the waiting jaws of the dead men, who began to devour the Kade alive. Kade felt the pressure of the men upon him, although he was not bothered by it. Instead he lay back confused as to why Bando was leaving him and why he couldn't seem to grab his sword.

Bando felt a sharp pain cross his stomach as he turned towards the kitchen. In front of him stood a small woman with a butter knife in hand now covered in blood. She looked at the blade curiously with her glowing yellow eyes, before being swiftly decapitated by the angry warrior. He clutched at his gut as he felt his intestines ready to spill out on the cold stone floor. He violently kicked the corpse aside and took a few more painful steps towards the doorway. This time he heard one of them running across the table toward him. Apparently, it had no interest in the other warriors fighting near the front of the room. The creature leapt onto Bando’s back clawing at him. Bando threw it to the floor and agonizingly reached to pull open the door. The dead man got up swiftly, Bando felt something penetrate his side. He pushed the creature away before slamming the door shut behind him.

Kaylyn and Joven were fighting side by side against the odds. Trying their best to move towards the back of the room but the beasts were fast and surprisingly powerful. The creatures were coming at them from all angles. Kaylyn felt herself beginning to slow as her nausea and dizziness returned. SLAM! Joven turned suddenly at the sound behind them. This created an opening, permitting one of the creatures to tackle Joven to the floor. Kaylyn killed one of the creatures ahead of her and cleaved her blade through another blood a viscera flew through the air. She quickly and precisely thrust her blade into the dead man on top of her friend. She saw several more of them enter through the archway. She grabbed Joven by the shoulders and began to drag him back toward the safety of the kitchen. She stopped only to dispatch whatever creature dare cross her path. The floor was slick with blood which made it easier to pull the grown man across the floor. Her vision began to blur. She felt the rise and fall of her blade against flesh and bone, she was fighting purely on instinct. She felt the gore of her enemies across her. More creatures screeched somewhere around her, and she let out a primal roar as she dragged her friend back towards the door. Her back hit something hard, she turned to see the kitchen door. She knelt down and with great effort lifted Joven to his feet. The man let out a soft groan, and Kaylyn realized she hadn't known whether he was alive. Relieved, she opened the door and fell through to the ground. She quickly reached up and set the deadbolt as the creatures began throwing themselves at the door.

They sat quietly for a moment trying hopelessly to catch their breath. Their clothes and faces stained with red. Kaylyn broke the silence with a smile.

“I thought you were dead.” she said.

“I thought myself dead there a moment.” He replied lifting himself up slightly and clutching his wounds. “Were it not for you I would have been... you’re...”

Kaylyn cut in.

“A hard woman to kill?”

“Aye, a hard woman to kill.” They broke out into a laugh.

“Can you walk?” she asked.

“Not far.”

Kaylyn got up and leaned over to help her friend up. As the pounding at the door behind her grew.

“What do you say we get out of here.”

They followed a trail of blood through the kitchen to the back of the room and down a dark flight of stairs to the storage room. What they saw brought them great sadness and pity. Against the far wall, mere feet from the exit was Bando. The once great warrior lay dead curled up in a pool of blood, his hands appeared to have been trying to hold himself together in the end. To no avail, Kaylyn thought of the many battles he had survived and whether or not he'd always been a coward. Had there been others like Kade? And if he had just listened to them would they all have survived.

She sat Joven down to rest beside the door and began trying to push the door open. It was stuck. She began to throw her body against it as hard as she could. Bang! Bang! It moved little by little letting out loud screeches. Kaylyn stopped for a moment, resting her head against the iron bars.

“Gods be damned.”

Behind her she heard a loud gasp and growl and the sounds of wet meat hitting the floor. She turned slowly dreading what she already knew she would see. The mangled corpse of Bando was now standing twitching violently. Intestines slowly unravelling onto the floor below. Its breathing quickened like an animal about to make a kill and its dead yellow eyes fixed on her.