Chapter 3

  Alexis was out ahead of the main group of rangers; his small group only consisted of five men and their accompanying horses. Alexis spoke up.

  “We can't see shit in this blizzard. Split up, fire a flare if you find shelter.” the men nodded “All you!” Alexis pointed at Luke. “you’re with me. You three are together.”

  It was white, pure blinding white as he manoeuvred through the dense forest they had gotten lost in. Luke yelled out. “You think the forest would have protected us!”

  Alexis looked around. “Keep thinking then. Without shelter we would lose too many supplies.”

  The wind picked up, the snow thickened and their already poor visibility became useless.

  They ventured out the blizzard unending gusts and howls, the cold sang in Alexis’s bones, each shallow breath burning his worn lungs. There was a light that peered through the snow. “Luke! There!”

  “Yeah, I see it alexis!”

  They approached the light. It was a case coffin like it had a hatch with a lever labeled ‘E-OPEN’ luke practically leaped from the saddle and approached it. “Should I open it?”

  “Go for it. I'm covering you.”

  Luke yanked the lever, “bolts releasing in five… four…three…two…one explosive bolts active.”

  “Explosi-” a violent bang erupted the hatch shot skyward hitting Luke’s head with a stomach turning crunch, Luke fell over blood pouring out of his shattered skull, quickly turning the snow into a scarlet slurry, Luke was dead in an instant.

  “Fuck!” Alexis yelled as he dropped out of his saddle and ran to Luke's body. He placed his fingers on his wrist. No pulse, nothing Alexis wasn’t expecting anything, more closure than anything else. “Shit, shit, shit!” Something touched Alexis on the shoulder. The thing gripped and picked him up by his coat. He slipped out of his coat and his body's shiveres worsened. Alexis was sprinting and he felt for his holster pulling his pistol out he stopped and turned. A demon, he raised his pistol, the beast was mid sprint only a meter or two away from him he squeezed the trigger. A hole appeared in the demon's skull; its body continued its journey, inertia being the cruel mistress she threw the lifeless body at Alexis forcing him over and pinning him under the body covering him entirely and the demon's elbow smashing into Alexis's head knocking him out.

  Alexis woke up, he struggled to breathe under the demon's immense weight. He heaved and pushed. The lifeless body was nearly impossible to move.

  By some miracle it moved, ever so slightly. Alexis gasped, it was becoming harder to breathe. He tried his best to take a few life saving deep breaths before he attempted to pull himself out from under the demon. His head was out from under the monster, the freezing air stung his nose. He attempted to draw breath… nothing. He panicked and fought against the weight, his vision faded. His panic spiked but just before he gave up and accepted his fate, he pulled his chest out from under the demon and his lungs stung in the blizzard air, at least he could breath now.

  The scene was pure chaos; bodies littered the ground, the humans were dismembered and chunks of flesh were missing from the corpses, these men deserved better, a proper burial at least. Alexis shivered in the frigid air, he shakley hobbled over to his jacket left lying on the ground. He slipped it on and the bite from the air eased on his back and arms.

  Alexis held back tears as he looked at the body of his fallen friends and comrades.

  “Help! Please help!” Alexis looked around, the voice was unfamiliar.

  “Hello!” he yelled out.

  “I'm stuck, please help!”

  Alexis looked around the yells getting louder. It was inside one of the same coffin-like boxes which killed luke. Alexis approached it. “Who are you!”

  “I’m not like the others. Please… I’m stuck.”

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  Alexis heard whatever was in that coffin squirm and punch at the hatch. It screamed and begged. “Why would you not kill me?”

  Alexis cocked his rifle and pointed in through the gaps of the jammed hatch he felt the demon pull it in he contemplated pulling the trigger and being safe, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “There’s nothing left of me.” It cried.

  Alexis paused. Listened to the sobbing and agonising cries of pain. “Can I trust you?” He was unsure if he should even be asking that.

  The thing screamed harder and cried out in pain. “Get it out of me please! It’s in my head please.” The thing screamed and yelled. “Please!”

  Alexis pulled his gun out of the coffin. “I’ll let you out.” Alexis placed his pack on the ground and pulled a pry bar out and forced the door open.

  The fox-like monster fell into the snow writhing in pain. “Pull it out please!” It cried on the side of its skull was a metal disk

  Alexis knelt and yanked it off the thing fell lifeless its heart still brand the monster still drew breath but all movement seized. If appeared dead and Alexis wondered if it was better off dead. At least in death you can’t be in pain.

  Alexis moved east continuing his venture, surely some had survived to report back what had happened but he, well, was most likely already labeled killed. Alexis was for all means dead to the system that trained him, to his family and friend he left behind. They already heard the bad news, he may as well make the most of his social afterlife.

  He found a rocky cut out in a small narrow valley. The cut out was just large enough for his bedroll and to keep him out of the howling wind but too small to fit his bag in with him. The structure he made was crude and simple but it was warmer than outside and that meant a lot for him. He cracked a pair of sticks which glowed a pale purple. They were warm enough to let him sleep fire free for six hours or seven if he was lucky.

  The wind whistled through the small valley he nestled himself in. It wasn’t exactly comfortable but he was asleep his brain replayed the events of the day. But now wasn’t the time to pack them and learn how to move past such events. Now was the time for him to try to save whatever was left of his home.

  Dawn broke and Alexis stretched. He had survived for now, the task for the day was easy, get below the mountain snow caps, get down where it’s warm and maybe finally make contact with the eastern republic. But he still felt sick and the feeling of nausea was overwhelming.

  Alexis ran a flint and steel trying to light a small fire to heat his rations, click. Nothing… click. Nothing he groaned. Click and finally the sparks held and an ember was burning dimly in his kindling he seized the chance he had been given blowing into the bundle of dried grasses and bark, the ember growing warmer and brighter, smoke started billowing from the fibers he fought the urges to yell out in celebration the bundle lit ablaze and Alexis started tending to the demanding fire.

  He placed a stone on the fire and gently balanced a can on top of it letting it heat. He heard a faint rustle. He looked around, nothing. He went back to focusing on his can and he heard it… again. He looked around again and made out a faint shape he reached for his rifle pulling the lever action forward and slamming it back suddenly. “Show yourself!” He yelled. It echoed in the mountains.

  The thing didn’t respond, it just stood shakely.

  Alexis yelled again. “Who are you!”

  “I, Don't know who I am.”

  “Bullshit you know who you are! Get out of the shadows or I will shoot.”

  The thing paused, whatever he was talking was shaking in fear. “I can’t remember that. My head is a mess.” It stepped out of the shadows and Alexis’s eyes grew wide with fear.

  Alexis recoiled, he didn’t know what to do. His instincts had him reach for his gun but… he was curious maybe it was worth talking to a demon. “Then why do you want to talk to me?”

  It was the same thing he had saved yesterday. It looked scared and like it was on the verge of breaking and crying.“I- I know some things, my brain is still a mess but it's getting better.”

  Alexis looked at the demon. “Did you have a name?”

  The monster stood, her face blank, she was lost in thought. “Fern, no.” She paused. “Fen, I was called Fen.”

  Alexis nodded and paused to think about what the best thing to say next was. “You’re a demon, why exactly are you attacking us?”

  “Macros.” Fen took a deep breath. “They are Macros, they are designed by a man…” Fen grabbed at her hair in frustration as she struggled to remember. “Vito, we are made by Vito.”

  “Who’s Vito?” Alexis grabbed his can off the fire and quickly ate a spoonful.

  Fen was shaking, she looked like she was on the verge of crying. “We need to kill him if we want to stop this. He engineered me and… he tried to sell me off to his friends.”

  “Right, it makes sense why you want him dead. Here, if you want. Come with me, we need to get in touch with the eastern republic. After that… we have a station to burn.”

  Fen nodded slowly. “Ok… ok. I’ll go with you.”

  Alexis stoked the fire. “Do you need to rest for a bit?”

  Fen looked weary as she shook her head. “No, we need to move.” She stood up. “We can sleep tonight, not now.”

  Alexis nodded. “This is your choice.”

  “No, this isn’t time for me, I have to stop this.”

  Alexis stood up and quickly packed. “Then we will. Let’s go, before we get found again.”