Gale sat on the bench, watching the infirmary entrance. The tarp moved a bit in the light breeze. He saw Rachel sleeping inside through the gaps. His fingers tapped on his knee.
No way he wouldn't feel something seeing her fall down. She was the only one here that he had even a slight history with. Who else is he going to talk to if not her?
Ollie slumped down next to him, less chatty than usual. "She hasn't slept in days, you know. Always running around, patching us up, keeping watch. Rachel's been the glue holding this mess together."
What was the point of all of that, Gale thought. She sacrificed herself to… to these people. That leeched off of her kindness. She even told him to come along, see it for himself. Maybe her goal was to keep him here so that he could help them.
"In the beginning," Ollie said, "she was this fireball of energy. And I mean that literally, by the way. She just kept us moving, kept us fighting. But now..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
"A lot of you are deadweight," Gale said.
"I mean I'm not… not yet, anyway. Maybe once I run out of ammo," Ollie said. "Everyone knows they are. She's getting weaker, and it's because of us. Because we need her so goddamn much."
Gale remembered her figure collapsing mid sentence. He felt something in his chest as he saw her fall. He hadn't expected the sheltered, spoiled kid to actually be the good person that sacrificed herself to keep these deadweights alive.
"You showing up back then against a group of beasts," Ollie nudged Gale's shoulder, "it's the first real break she's had. First chance to actually rest."
Annett came over. She crouched in front of Gale, looking at his face. "You being here, it's giving everyone a boost. They heard how strong you are, everyone's been talkin' about it. It's... comforting in a sense."
Gale turned away. He felt something stuck in his throat. He wanted to say something. A part of him didn't like it.
Expectations. Not something he was used to. It made him feel trapped. He'd been alone for so long, only worried about staying alive. Now he had these people around him... these fragile, weak humans. He felt exposed, but part of him wanted to protect them.
He looked at the camp's defences, noting all the weak spots. The barriers wouldn't stop what lived in the forest. It would stop the small ones. The medium sized ones would have a problem. The bigger forest beasts and the predators, those ones would swat away those walls they had made. On top of that, most people here wouldn't last a day alone. Pretty amazing they'd made it this far with such a bad setup.
He cursed to himself. These people were either too relaxed or just lucky they had someone like Rachel who took care of everything. Without her, the beasts would have destroyed this place already.
"If a forest predator found this place..." he said out loud without meaning to.
"A what?" Annett asked.
"A forest predator. Bigger than those beasts you met. The size of three garbage trucks."
Ollie's face got serious. "I guess we've been lucky so far."
"Luck runs out," Gale said.
"I know what you mean because I agree with you, but I also can't imagine myself living alone in this goddamn hell alone forever." Annett stood up, her face blank.
Annett continued, "It would be great if you could stay. We need you, and I'd say Rachel is right that you need us too. Being alone in this world is not a happy thought. But hey, I'm not one to judge and hold people back."
Again, the image of Rachel collapsing replayed in his head. She pushed herself too hard. Even he didn't push himself as hard as he hadn't collapsed from exhaustion yet. Staying vital and aware was the key to survival.
Even though he'd just met Rachel, Gale knew she was a good person. Better than him at least. She cared about others, while he just wanted to get rid of anything that slowed him down.
Gale stood up fast. He turned to Ollie and Annett, speaking short and quick.
"Setting up camp nearby. Outside the camp. On a tree."
"You sure? We've got space-"
"I'm sure," Gale cut off Ollie, already walking away.
He checked the trees, looking for a good spot. He found a huge trunk with a thick low branch. Low enough to avoid the Blue Moon, but close enough to watch the camp.
Without another word, Gale walked to his chosen tree. He felt Ollie and Annett watching him, but didn't turn around. Their hope, their need pushed down on him. He wanted to run.
The rough bark scratched his hands as Gale pulled himself up. His hands knew where to grip the bark. In just seconds, he reached the branch he aimed for.
Gale sat on his new spot, legs hanging over the edge. From here, he could see all the camp's defences. They might as well have put up a sign saying "eat us" to every beast and predator in the forest.
He pulled the cord from his sack and started setting up on the branch. The tent was first. He laid the tent in the middle of the branch, hammering the 4 bone nails into the ground. The long bones came next for support as he pulled them up to make the tent. He tied the vines down on the bones and covered the up the grid with leaves. Then he was done.
He got inside. No blue moonlight got through the patched leaves. It even stayed still against the soft breeze of the wind. Much sturdier than anything in the camp.
He smiled.
Gale climbed back down. He wanted to see what was up with the encampment. He walked along the perimeter of the wall. The walls were made of half-cut brittle logs, most likely picked up from the forest floor. A single foot on the wall made the wall slightly bow against him.
This wouldn't do. He needed to set up traps. This whole place was too exposed for his liking.
Gale climbed back up the tree to his branch. He picked up the sack and took out the bone shovel and bone knife. It was time to set up some traps again.
His hands moved almost on their own, setting up snares and pit traps. Each one placed to push threats away from the camp's weakest areas. He worked quietly, not caring about the stares that he got from the members of the encampment.
Near the camp's entrance, Gale stopped. He needed to leave a path for people to come and go. Annoyed, he changed his layout, making a small safe zone that people could walk through.
"What are you doing?"
Gale looked up fast. Annett stood a few feet away, arms crossed.
"Traps," he said, going back to work.
Annett put a hand on her chin, "All the way out here?"
Gale didn't answer. He finished tying a tripwire, then stood up.
"You should mark these," Annett said. "So no one accidentally—"
"I know," Gale cut her off. He pulled a small bone hatchet from his belt and started cutting a nearby trunk. The thought of people needing directions didn't even occur to him.
Annett watched silently as Gale carved the wood. He sliced through the bark "TRAP".
"That should do it," Gale said. Probably.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked.
"Patrol. Everyone's gotta do it at some point in the camp, no matter who," Annett replied. "By the way, thank you for staying."
Gale stiffened. He wanted to disappear, to go back to his quiet spot. The word had kept him there. He hadn't heard those words before. Not even from mom and dad.
"I don't," he said roughly. "Care, I mean. I'm-… I'm not inside your camp… I'm outside."
He stopped, not finding the right words. "It doesn't matter."
"You do care," Annett said. "Even if you don't want to admit it."
Without looking back or saying more, he walked to his tree. He felt Annett watching him as he climbed.
From his spot, Gale watched Annett go back to camp. She stopped at the entrance, looked back at him, then went inside.
Gale sat back against the trunk, his body tight. He told himself he was just being practical. The camp staying alive helped his chances too. Traps helped him survive, and they could be a distraction if something even bigger than 3 garbage trucks came along. That was all.
But as night came, Gale kept looking at the thin wall of the infirmary. At the spot where Rachel lay, still and quiet.
A sound in the bushes grabbed Gale's attention. He looked into the darkness, all senses on edge.
Something moved between the trees.
Gale gripped his spear. He knew this would happen sooner or later. Knew the camp would attract predators.
The beast came out from the trees, too big for the traps Gale had set. It smelled the air, showing yellow fangs.
He could stay hidden. Let the creature test his traps. But if it got past them...
He looked at the camp. At the infirmary where Rachel lay helpless.
You stupid. You don't got to help them. Gale cursed inwardly and dropped from his spot. His feet hit the ground without sound, years of practice beating his urge to run.
Gale got ready as the forest beast came toward him. It was big, but not big enough. He didn't back down. He'd faced worse. This one was just average sized.
"Let's dance, fugly," he said, spinning his spear.
The beast charged, claws out. Gale stepped aside, moving smoothly. He used Distort, refracting the light around him. Again, it tried to claw him but hit nothing. Just an image from bent light.
Taking his chance, Gale struck. His spear hit flesh right at the lungs, making the creature groan in pain. But Gale wasn't done. He used Alter, and the spear got smaller, letting him pull it out easily. Then, in a flash, he aimed and let go of the skill. The spear shot back into the beast.
The fight ended quickly. Gale stood over the dead beast, barely breathing hard. He'd gotten stronger, faster. The forest had changed him into a weapon.
As he dragged the dead beast away from camp, Gale thought about Annett's words.
You do care, even if you don't admit it.
He shook his head, trying to forget what she said. Caring was dangerous. Caring got you killed. And most of all, caring made you feel bad.
Gale went back to his spot. He settled into his tent, watching the darkness beyond the camp's wall. No more threats showed up, but he stayed ready.
As the night went on, he got tired. Gale's eyes started closing. He fought it at first, but finally gave in. His last thought before sleep took him was Rachel's face, pale with dark circles.
A scream woke Gale up fast. His hand grabbed his spear before his eyes even opened.
The scream came again. Definitely Annett's voice.
Gale moved before thinking. He dropped from his spot, landing in a crouch. He spread Breath of the Void, looking for where the noise came from.
Then, he heard it. A low growl. It was a sound he knew, one that was only good to hear when it came from something dying.
He ran toward Annett's scream. The camp broke into chaos as people ran everywhere. A man tripped over a bench. A child cried in the centre of it all, wanting her mommy. He moved through the crowd. Threat elimination came first.
Then smell hit him, the stink of a forest beast bigger than others. Gale gripped his spear harder as he came around a corner of shelters.
Ollie and Annett stood their ground against a monster. Its thick, leathery skin blocked the basic spears Annett jabbed at it. Its muscles moved as it swiped huge claws through the air.
This beast was way bigger than the one he'd first met in the forest.
Ollie fired his pistol, the flash lighting up the night. Blue streaks curved through the trees and hit their mark. The beast roared, more angry than hurt.
Annett's hands glowed, and the beast slowed down for a second. She took this chance to stab it again, but her wooden spear broke in half.
Gale waited at the edge of the clearing. He thought about options. He wanted to help, but that was just feelings talking. The smart part of him said to let them handle it and wait to take what was left. They could probably take it down by themselves.
But something else pulled at him, a new feeling. He watched Annett dodge a swipe that would have cut off her head. Ollie's gun clicked empty.
"Dammit," Gale muttered, lifting his spear.
He charged forward, using Distort as he ran. The beast's eyes moved around, confused by the light around him. It gave him the opening he needed.
Gale's spear hit its mark, going deep into the creature's side. The beast howled, turning to face this new threat. Gale barely pulled his weapon free before huge jaws snapped shut where he'd been standing.
"I knew you'd show up!" Ollie called, reloading his pistol.
Gale grunted, moving away from another swipe of those deadly claws. He'd forgotten how much faster these beasts were compared to smaller ones. The bigger ones were somehow faster than the smaller ones, contrary to the usual rules of the jungle.
Annett tried casting again, but her spell failed, the strain clear on her face. The beast jumped forward, swiping at Annett.
Gale's heart jumped when he saw Annett stumble back.
Without thinking, he threw himself between them. His spear came up, braced against the ground. The beast's momentum spread onto the weapon, its own speed pushing the sharp claws deeper.
The block wasn't enough to stop it.
The hit sent Gale flying. He hit the ground hard, the air knocked out of him. His eyes became blurry from the knockdown. Breath of the Void told him that the beast was charging at him and the spear he had used was stuck in its chest.
He tried to move, to get up, but his body hurt too much. The beast stood over him, jaws wide open. Gale could smell its disgusting breath that smelled like piss and decaying corpse.
Gunfire burst out. Ollie emptied his gun into the creature's face, forcing it back. Annett helped him up.
"You okay?" she asked, eyes wide.
Gale nodded, unable to talk. His ribs hurt as he stood up. The beast shook off Ollie's attack, turning back to them.
"Any bright ideas?" Ollie called, backing up as he reloaded again.
They couldn't keep this up forever. The camp was in danger, and Rachel... His chest hurt thinking about her, still passed out and defenceless.
"Yeah, round 2." Gale stood back up and focused on the beast. "You two stay back."
He felt for his essence, pushing it through his body. He took another spear from his back and used Phase Touch. Its tip shined dark, eating up the light around it.