Visitors

Mollie woke Malik up for second watch with a hard push to his shoulder. She did not exchange greetings with him; she grabbed her own roll and went straight to sleep. Malik figured she was still mad at him over Khris. 

Egg sat down beside Mollie’s back, staring at Malik as he watched the camp. 

“Stop judging me, your mother eats people,” Malik said. 

Egg blinked and turned his head away. 

“That is what I thought, monster.” Malik felt silly arguing with Egg, but something told him Egg understood everything they said. 

Malik stood, stretching the sleep from his body. Watching the camp bored him, and the hardest part was fighting sleep. So, he paced around the two sleeping bodies of his companions. Then he stopped to stare at the stars and dream of what it would be like far away from where he was. 

Then he imagined Abrie and could almost hear him talking inside his head. Malik stopped pacing. The voices were not inside his head. He could hear voices somewhere in the darkness. He held his breath to hear better. There was one man out in the shadows of the night, but more than likely there were at least two. 

Malik tiptoed over to Mollie and shook her awake. Mollie’s eyes shot open and Egg jumped up, claws, and teeth poised. Malik could see the killer in him in that moment but did not comment on it. 

“There is someone nearby. I don’t know if they are hostile or friendly, but I can’t imagine we have too many friends around here,” Malik whispered. 

Mollie wiped the sleep from her eyes, looking into the dark. Malik knew she could see nothing more than he had seen. Just a blank wall staring back, hiding what was beyond. 

“We need to wake up Khris,” Mollie mumbled. 

Her eyes did not flicker. Malik moved over, on his knees, and pushed Khris awake. He jerked to a seated position, fear prevalent in his eyes. 

“Stay quiet,” Malik said, offering him nothing else. He moved back to Mollie, who still watched. 

“See anything?” 

Mollie shook her head. “I see nothing, but Egg can sense them.” 

Malik wondered if Mollie thought that was a normal thing to say. He looked down at Egg, who still barred its teeth and held up its oversized claws. 

“How do you know that?” Malik asked, curious to how Mollie would answer. 

“I don’t know, Egg just told me somehow,” she answered. 

Malik hoped Mollie was not taking this moment to crack under the pressure. 

“What do you mean he told you? Like he talked with you?” 

Mollie shook her head. “No, at least not with words, I don’t know, Malik. I just know Egg can sense them. There are four of them. Three men and one woman.” 

Malik tried to figure out how Mollie had gleaned this information from a non-talking monster, but before he could further assess it, he heard the voice of a man. 

“Are you sure it was them?” 

Malik thought the replying voice sounded familiar. He could almost hear it saying, try the pulled pork. Malik swallowed down a dose of fear. 

“It was them. It took me a few minutes to realize it, but it was them alright. Two boys and a girl, just like the posters.” 

Malik looked back to Mollie, who shook her head in disbelief. “We should have known better. He did us a favor and now he is coming to kill us,” she sighed. 

Malik figured that was how things had been going for some time now. Saved by Timbre, just to have Simbre turn on them hours later. Now the man, who had helped them fill their bellies with food, would now fill them with steel. 

“How far could they have gotten then?” the first man asked. 

Malik figured he did not expect an answer. What the question told Malik was that they still did not know they were so close to their target. Maybe they would just pass them by without knowledge. 

Callie let out a bray that would have woken a deaf man in Opallum, miles away. Malik figured it was the end of his hope. Now the men and woman had them pegged. They would fall on them like vultures on the dead. 

Mollie stood, pulling her sword from the ground beside her. Khris cowered back toward the mules. Malik wanted to scoff at his fear, but he felt it ripe as ever too. 

“Get your bow,” Mollie said. 

Malik shook too bad to shoot a bow. His fingers would not listen to his directions at this point. Still he got up, moving toward Callie. He grabbed the case from the mule’s back, flicking open the clasps. He had to stop, close his eyes, and take a deep breath before continuing the process. 

“Come out and we won’t hurt you,” a man’s voice said. 

Malik was not stupid enough to believe that. Mollie and Khris did not move to take up the offer either.

Mollie held her sword out in front of her. Would she to attack this time? Malik grabbed the wooden bow in his hand and pulled the bundle of arrows up to his shoulder. He could not see a thing in the dark, but the bow at least provided comfort. 

“You do not have to make this any harder than it already will be. We have direct orders not to kill you. However, if you do not cooperate, then I am sure you will be worth just as much dead.” 

Malik would only go with that man if he were already dead. He felt fire in his belly. He would fight for his life this time. He would not freeze. 

The four bounty hunters came into view. All of them carried curved, sharp short swords. Malik’s resolve faded. He came to a new conclusion; they were all going to die. Mollie’s blade began to glow, first a light blue and then pulsing to red. Malik had meant to ask her about it the last time he had seen it, but it had never been the opportune time to ask; he figured now would not be that time either. 

He tried again to control his building fear. He wanted to help Mollie if she fought this time. He wanted to poke all four of them with the sharp parts of the arrows. 

When they came within range, Malik froze. It felt like roots wrapped around his feet, tying him to the ground. He screamed at his arms to draw the bow up, but they were not listening. Told his legs to charge forward to be by Mollie’s side, but they did not budge. He fought with himself when the first man leveled his sword at Mollie. 

“Big sword for a little girl,” he said. 

Mollie did not deem a response necessary. She jumped into the air, drawing the man’s sword up in response. In the air, she twirled to her right, extending her leg, and connecting it to the man’s lower jaw. Malik could hear the snap from where he stood. The man barely grunted before collapsing to the ground. 

“A fighter?” another man said, stepping forward. 

The third man joined him to his left. The woman circled to the right. They surrounded Mollie, and Malik’s body still did not listen to him. Luckily for Mollie, she had another friend out there. Egg scooted in close to Mollie’s legs and gave pause to the three circling vultures. 

“What is that thing?” one of the two men asked. 

No one had an answer. 

“Just get the girl,” the woman finally chimed in. 

The two men nodded. They came in closer with their swords out before them. Mollie would have to do more than catch them off guard this time. She drove her front foot forward and slapped at the closest blade with her long sword. The sword grazed off the curved blade and sent the man a few steps back. Egg leaped, attaching itself to the man’s face. 

“No killing, Egg,” Mollie yelled. 

Egg clawed the man’s face twice and then slid down, shoving his claws into the man’s calf muscle. This man yelled as he stumbled to the ground. He would not die, but he would not stand for some time to come. 

Egg sauntered back to Mollie, who fended off blows from both the remaining man and woman. Mollie blocked two consecutive blows by tilting her much longer sword to the side. What once had been a dull glow was now vibrant and easily discernable. Mollie ducked a blow and brought the flat side of the sword into the man’s forearm. The man yelped but stayed on his feet. The woman took her chance to lunge forward but did not account for Egg. Egg stepped in front of her, extending its leg, and causing her to fall face first onto the ground. Egg jumped on her back, barred fangs, but then looked to Mollie for confirmation. 

“No killing,” Mollie repeated. 

Egg looked disappointed but did not kill the woman. Instead, Egg scurried down her legs, severing her tendons. Malik flinched at the thought of the severe pain. 

The last man looked at his companions, then to Mollie’s glowing sword, and finally to Egg. 

“You win,” he said, backing away. 

The last man dropped his sword and stumbled over something unseen behind him. 

“Come on, I will not kill you,” he pleaded. 

Mollie stepped forward and shoved the pommel of her sword into the bridge of the man’s nose. With a sick crunch, the man’s head lolled back, and his eyes rolled into his head. 

Mollie turned around to Malik and Khris. She did not comment on being the only one who had fought. 

“I think we should probably check their pockets and then keep going,” she said.

Malik felt the sensation in his legs return and his arm responded to his commands. He felt the overwhelming sense of shame drop on him like a ton of bricks, but he just moved to comply with Mollie’s orders. The first man had a few coins in his pocket and a note. The second man had nothing but a handkerchief and pipe tobacco. The woman had jewelry, coin, and rolled smokes. Mollie checked the other two and came back with much the same as the others. 

“At least we can go in and out of a town, buying a meal on the way through,” Mollie said. 

Malik was not so certain of that. The last few times they had gone near a town or village, it had turned out poorly for them. Now was not the time to voice the concern, however. 

Khris had finally stood and came over next to them. He did not mention his own fear, or Malik freezing in battle. 

“That one is the man who stopped me in the crowd earlier today,” Khris said, staring down at the man with the broken nose. 

Malik only recognized the man at the food bowls. So much for kindness, he thought. Mollie did not comment on any of them. 

“Why are we keeping them alive?” Malik asked when Mollie walked away. 

“I will never kill again.” 

Malik thought it reckless leaving people behind that wanted them dead. 

“Why not let Egg do it?” 

Mollie stopped walking, “I will not become the Tempre Warriors. We are not killing anyone,” she said with finality. 

Malik did not press. He may have furthered the topic if given the chance, but an all too familiar roar echoed throughout the dark. 

Malik looked down to Egg, hoping maybe the little creature had grown a massive set of lungs. Egg was still the same tiny, misshapen creature. Although now, Egg looked just as panicked as Malik felt. Egg scurried up Mollie’s legs and attached to her shoulder. 

“Guess we aren’t going that way,” Malik said. 

Khris and Mollie looked just as frightened as Malik and Egg. There was no bravery when it came to a giant, man-eating monster. They all started off in the opposite direction of the roar. They picked up the pace as the second roar came closer. 

Malik watched Egg grip Mollie’s arm tightly. Did it know what the mother would do to them if she caught them? Malik tried not to think about it. 

Callie and Sally became excited and Malik hoped they would not become unmanageable. He remembered how they had reacted the first time they came across the beast. Even Abrie had trouble wrangling them, and Malik was nowhere near as patient as Abrie. 

“Where are we going to hide from that thing.” Malik jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing into the night. 

“I don’t know,” Mollie answered. “Is there something we can use here to fend her off? Khris, what else does the book say about them?” 

Khris did not answer. Malik stopped and turned around to face him. 

Khris threw up his shoulders. “I don’t know. If I knew, then I would have already told you guys. I told you all it said about them already.” Khris was scared, and that was evident in his voice. 

“It is okay,” Mollie reassured him. 

Khris let some tension drop from his shoulders. “I want to help but I can’t. I am not good at anything.” 

“We agree on something,” Malik said in reply. 

Mollie rounded on him. “Says the boy who froze in the same fight. You even had a weapon. Khris already said he could not fight and refused to do so. You claimed to want to help and then you stood there nearly pissing yourself.” 

Malik would have argued, but he knew she was right. 

Mollie let out an almost animal noise. “Let us just stop bickering for a minute. We must find a place to hide from that thing. If not, we will end up dead.” 

There were many things in life Malik wanted, but being dead was not one of them. He looked around their surroundings, trying to find anything they could use for shelter or protection. There were no trees to climb into or hide behind. There were no rocks, caves, or ravines to slip into. 

“Egg you have any more tricks?” Malik laughed. 

No one laughed with him. Mollie grabbed Egg and held him out from her body. “Anywhere to hide?” she asked the creature as if he would give a legitimate answer. 

Egg wiggled in her grip until she placed him on the ground beside her feet. Egg lifted his claw and pointed. 

“He thinks we are still playing that silly game of which way do we go,” Malik scoffed. 

“Shut up,” Mollie said, not looking at Malik. 

Egg continued to point and when no one reacted, he jumped up and down pointing off in the same direction. 

“We should follow him,” Mollie said. 

“Oh boy.” Malik was not in the mood to die. 

Khris did not voice an opinion; he just started after Mollie. 

“Great then,” Malik said, he wanted to scream, but he did not want the creature finding them any faster than it already was. 

They walked for some time, following Egg and its little legs. Malik urged Mollie to pick it up, but she refused, saying Egg led them somewhere. Each time the roar sounded behind them; it was closer than it had been. At this rate, they would be dead long before the morning sun greeted them. Maybe not seeing death coming was easier somehow. Maybe the death would be quick and painless. Malik did not believe that though. Being eaten alive would hurt no matter how it happened. 

“There is a light just ahead,” Mollie said after what seemed like half the night. 

Malik looked up from his feet and sure enough, about a quarter mile down the path was a small yellow light, glowing softly in the distance. 

“Great, we found someone else to die with us,” Malik said. 

Mollie ignored him again. They did not pause long for the light, but Egg kept them moving directly toward it. Egg even sped up a little as they approached a small, wooden cabin. Malik wondered who would live out in the middle of nowhere, so far from the town. He had seen no fields for plowing, animals for tending, or gardens. He doubted the individual would have walked back and forth every single day to gather food. He would have guessed the cabin empty, except there was the pervasive light. The closer they got the brighter it became, until he could see the gas lamp sitting on a table in the small, glass window. 

Egg ran up to the cabin door and stopped, turning to those following. Malik wondered what kind of person would greet them? This far out, he figured it was a brigade of bandits or mercenaries. There would be no wholesome individuals hiding out around these parts. Still Egg waited on them to follow. Without question, Mollie did. Then Khris followed Mollie, and Malik was the only one with any sense yet again. He would have argued about knocking, he would have suggested they turn and run the other way, but no one would have listened to him anyhow. So instead, he just watched as Mollie lifted her hand up and lightly rapped on the wooden frame. 

No one came to answer. Egg urged her to knock again and so she did. The second time, Mollie’s knuckles bounced off the wood a little harder. Malik hoped the monster was not close enough to hear them, but he knew it had been gaining on them for some time now. 

This time, there was a sound from the inside of the cabin. Someone was in there rummaging around. Malik figured they got protection or weapons and they would barge out skewering all three of them. 

The old man who opened the door did not carry a weapon, however. He hunched at the back, had wrinkled skin, and appeared like any other over aged man. Malik figured he could have been anyone’s grandpa. The old man let a smile spread across his face when he saw Mollie and Khris on his doorstep. His smile did not fade when he saw Malik in the distance. Surprisingly, it did not fade even when he saw Egg standing at his feet. 

“I expected you all,” he said. 

Malik thought that was quite creepy. How long had the old man been watching them? 

“What do you mean?” Khris asked. 

The old man let out a soft chuckle. “I had a group of unpleasant people stop by here about two nights ago. They were looking for their children. You see, their children had run away. They were anxious about them. They could not sleep or eat until they found their children safe and sound. The odd thing, they were neither one crying, upset, or worried when I saw them. I thought to myself, how hysteric would it have me if I lost my child. I knew they were not looking for a small child, and when I asked, they described much older children. Three of them to be exact and I am guessing those children just so happen to be you.” 

Malik knew who those individuals were. Well, not personally, but he knew they were working with Sweet Tongue and the other mercenaries. He wondered if they were the men, and woman that they had just left behind them. He opted not to mention the bout to the old man. He thought it better to leave that detail between the three of them. 

“I had not heard you were companions with one of these little guys,” the old man bent, quiet easily, and patted Egg on its head. “Had I known, I would have better,” the old man laughed. 

Malik wondered if this man was crazy. He was out miles and miles away from town, with no food, no water, and he talked crazy to three strangers and a little monster. He was not one bit worried they had shown up, unannounced, panting on his doorstep. Not to mention, they carried a beast with claws bigger than a man’s forearm. Malik thought the man was either crazy, or he knew something they did not know. 

“Please do come in. I would hate for you to get caught out in the night.” The old man stepped back. 

Another roar sounded, closer than Malik had expected. He turned to see if the monster breathed down his neck. He did not see it and the others did not see it by their reactions. 

“Ahh, come on in. It won’t bother you in here,” the old man said. 

Malik doubted four wooden walls would stop the beast. He remembered how it had torn apart Twin Rocks and their guards. Still, it was better than sitting out in the open and waiting for it to pick them off. 

Mollie and Khris had the same thought, as all three of them let the old man usher them into the small, cozy cabin in the middle of nowhere.