Pain burned through every inch of Oliver's body.
It felt like his muscles were cracked open, leaking molten lava. His abdomen was a reservoir of agony. Even breathing was a struggle, but slowly, his eyes began to open.
His vision was still blurry, but he could see the rays of sunset shining on his face. Roots and leaves tangled around him, and it didn't take long to realize he was at the bottom of the hill. Right where the forest full of snakes began.
"Shit… I'm alive?" even thinking hurt.
As his vision adjusted, he finally saw what was hanging right above him. His whole body tensed, and he felt his heart slam against his chest. The damn snake was there, jaws wide open, frozen mid-strike.
"Fuck. This is it…", but the attack didn't come.
Looking more carefully, he understood. The damn thing was tangled in the branches above him.
Beneath its jaw, a broken wooden spear was buried deep in its flesh and in its left eye, another spear. That must've been the final blow.
Its mouth was still open, ivory fangs bared. Like even in death, it wanted to kill him. It was the embodiment of pure hatred.
"I need to get out of here."
He started crawling through roots, dirt, and blood already beginning to dry.
Oliver had no idea how long he'd been unconscious, but the sun was close to setting.
"Right… the timer."
Remembering the bracelet on his forearm, he lifted it up to his face.
[156:50:37]
I was out for hours and thrown all the way down the hill.
"How the hell am I still alive? Okay, maybe the dead leaves and roots softened the fall, but any normal human would be dead… or stuck in a hospital bed for life."
As he dragged himself back up the hill, he used the climb to explore the bracelet and figure out what that notification had been. With a flick of his arm, a holographic screen lit up on his forearm.
[Oliver Enallume]
[Realm: Mortal]
[Combat: 12]
[Affinity: Nature, Fire, Wind]
[Aptitude: C]
Some details were still hidden, like sex, age, height, but these were the stats that really mattered.
Now it's showing a combat "value"…
"Did I have to kill something first? Or was the bracelet gathering data, monitoring us, and then assigning a value based on what it saw?" his thoughts were cut off by a brutal pain in his ribs.
They were definitely broken. And climbing a damn hill wasn't doing them any favors.
"Probably not the best idea to block a snake that weighs a few hundred kilos with my chest. Hehehe…"
The humor didn't last. Another stab of pain shut him up, but he kept going, eyes locked on the angel's stone.
It didn't take long to see the scene. Up here, the sunset was brighter, lighting up the large stone clearly.
Lucas was slumped against the rock, and his spear was nowhere in sight, Just blood and bruises everywhere. But he wasn't alone. Lying next to him was Gael. Unconscious.
Blood had pooled beneath him, and his skin was far too pale. But what really made Oliver gag… was what was missing. From the bicep down, his left arm was gone. Only a makeshift tourniquet was keeping him alive.
As he approached, Lucas's vacant eyes locked onto his. He forced a smile, but there was no joy behind it.
Just pain.
"Glad you're alive, man."
Soaked in blood, with his best friend dying beside him, Lucas still tried to smile. In that moment, he earned Oliver's respect. Because Oliver didn't know if he'd be able to do the same.
"Yeah… thanks."
"The others left the bodies of the dead near Nicolas. I think you should go talk to them."
Lucas's lifeless voice sent chills down Oliver's spine. He didn't wait around.
He started descending the hill toward the south. Going down was always easier than climbing, but it still hurt like hell, and the exhaustion never left him.
"Fuck. Why didn't I just do CrossFit like the angel?"
Then he saw it.
David had picked a good spot, a small tree that still caught the last bits of light reaching the clearing.
It hadn't grown much, but its leaves were blue and purple, and its trunk a pale gray-white.
Beneath it, a soft patch of grass with barely any roots. Bathed in sunset, it might've looked magical… If not for the bodies at its base.
Nicolas was in the center, eyes closed, already gray and stiff. Now with two companions. The two catatonic girls sat on either side of him, also with eyes shut. As if they were just sleeping, watching the sun go down.
Aline knelt beside them, eyes red, sobbing softly. David stood next to her, one hand on her shoulder.
They were all in rags. Covered in blood. Wrapped in makeshift bandages,probably torn from their own clothes. Bleeding to death was one of the easiest ways to die in a place like this and clearly, David knew that.
"Good thing most of my injuries are internal. Blood's where it should be."
Oliver's footsteps were easy to hear, and both of them turned. David flashed his usual wide smile. Somehow, his eyes shone even brighter in that moment.
But Aline… When she saw Oliver, she broke down. She ran to him and wrapped him in a hug.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I failed, Oliver. I couldn't protect the girls. It was my fault!"
Her hug crushed his already broken ribs, but he gritted his teeth and let her fall apart.
"Listen, Aline… it wasn't your fault. You did your best. The moment they let their minds be taken over, they were doomed. This new world is cruel, and we have to learn how to deal with it."
"The world beyond that hypocritical city… beyond the concrete walls society built, It's cruel, son. Learn that. Only by accepting it will you become a man."
Another memory of his father hit him the moment he finished speaking.
"Yeah, Dad… Maybe the world isn't changing, maybe it's just going back to what it's always been."
"It's getting dark. We need to head back.", David's timing was perfect, as always, especially since Aline's hug was getting real uncomfortable.
"Yeah. We need to gather dry branches, anything we can use for fire. Nights here might get way too cold." Oliver agreed fast, gently pulling away from her, eager to ditch the awkward moment.
"Sure thing… Capitán." her tone was flat, but every time she called him that… Something burned inside him.
"Why the hell do you keep calling me that? That name… It's impossible. It's just some damn Spanish guy!"
As they climbed back up toward the angel's stone, the sunlight was fading. Cold wind swept across their exposed skin. Together, they tried to start a fire with what little they knew.
No one talks about how hard it is to make a fire. It took all of them working together just to catch a single spark. But once it lit, the flames spread through the dry branches, even the greener ones caught fire easily.
A large bonfire blazed in front of the angel's stone, lighting up the almost-night around them. A beacon for whoever else might've survived.
None of them were naïve enough to think the others had it easier. Even with bronze weapons.
"Gael's burning up.", David's voice cut through everything. The blond was still unconscious, skin pale. Oliver's hand went to his waist and felt the herbs he'd gathered.
"Essential oils and flavonoids..."
He had to try. His mind dug up everything old man Antônio had taught them And the dream he'd had about him.
Grabbing the root that looked like ginger and a half-hollow stone lying nearby, probably someone's failed attempt at crafting a hammer.
"This'll have to do."
Looking around, Oliver spotted what passed for a water source, just a big hole filled with rainwater. There were still a few liters in there, more than enough.
"Oliver, what are you doing?" Aline's weak voice echoed in his ears, but he ignored it.
He crushed the root in the hollowed stone, adding water little by little. Soon, the mixture started turning white. Almost instinctively, Oliver activated the Scanner.
[Ointment Rank – 0]
[Weak anti-inflammatory properties]
"Holy shit, it worked!"
"Here. The Scanner says it's an anti-inflammatory."
All three of them stared, shocked, even Oliver. It had been a total shot in the dark… but it worked.
They quickly applied the ointment to Gael, and within minutes, his color started to come back.
"Thank god. I need to find more herbs. I could run tests, maybe even make a healing potion…"
Toc-toc-toc
Footsteps. Coming from the base of the hill.
Everyone snapped to attention.
Slowly, familiar faces began to emerge, lit by the fire's glow.
Nikki, Samuel, Luísa, and the others.
Like they'd all agreed to return at the same time, but completely wrecked.
Their school uniforms were in tatters, just scraps. Blood was everywhere, so were wounds.
And one thing stood out.
"Three… six… twelve… fourteen!"
"So in fourteen hours… seven are dead."
[153:59:59]