The forest held its breath.
General Abbot stood tall, eyes burning with something unhinge, something primal. His machete gleamed in one hand, a sidearm holstered in the other. His coat whipped in the wind. Blood smeared his jaw.
"I built this world out of blood and steel," he growled. "You think a bunch of broken amateurs can just tear that down?"
Gus stood in front of the others, breathing hard, ears twitching. "We already did."
Abbot charged.
Hope met him first, the strongest among them, her gorilla blood surging. She hurled a boulder at him. He ducked low, rolled, came up fast, and slashed her across the side. She gasped, stumbled.
She wasn't fast enough.
He grabbed her arm, twisted, and threw her into a tree. Hope went down, unmoving.
"Hope!" screamed Jess as he raised his rifle.
Bang.
Abbot dodged left, not enough. The bullet grazed his shoulder, but he didn't slow. He charged at Jess and shoulder slammed him to the ground
Then came Bear, leaping from the trees with a roar, claws ready.
Abbot spun, blocked her swipe with his forearm, then headbutted her not once but twice. She staggered, vision blurring. He kicked her in the gut, and she crumpled beside Jess.
Aimee screamed, firing straight at Abbot.
Abbot ran straight at her.
She emptied the mag. He took two shots, one in the thigh, one in the chest, and still didn't stop. He crashed into her, grabbed her by the jacket, and slammed her to the ground with brutal force.
Jepp came in last, shouting as he swung a pipe.
Their weapons clashed, pipe against blade. Sparks flew.
"You're not walking out of this," Jepp spat, bleeding from his lip.
"I don't need to," Abbot said, grabbing Jepp's wrist and snapping it with a sickening crack.
"GAAAAAH "Jepp screamed and fell.
In seconds… everyone was down.
Breathing.
Barely.
But not moving.
Abbot stood alone in the center of the battlefield, chest heaving, blood streaming from a dozen wounds.
And then he turned.
To Gus.
The only one left standing.
Antlers gleaming in the mist. Eyes widen with fear. But something deeper replaced it.
Courage.
"You," Abbot growled. "You started all this."
Gus stepped forward, fists clenched. "You hurt my family."
Abbot smiled darkly. "And now I'll finish them."
Gus didn't run.
He didn't back down.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his slingshot the same one his pubba gifted him.
The boy and the monster stared each other down.
David and Goliath.
Silence.
Then...
"Let's finish this," Gus said.
[----------------------------------------------------]
Abbot lunged.
Gus fired.
Thwip!
The sharpened rock nicked Abbot's face, but he kept coming, machete raised high like death itself.
Gus dove aside, rolled, fired again, a second rock smashes into Abbots knee, making him stagger, but it wasn't enough.
"You're not stopping me, freak!" Abbot bellowed and threw the blade.
It grazed Gus's side, a flasb of pain. Gus gasped, scrambling backward.
Abbot loomed, bloody, and wild-eyed.
Around them, the others lay still
Hope unconscious against a tree, Bear face-down in the dirt, Jepp barely breathing. Jess's rifle lay out of reach, his hand twitching.
Gus was alone.
And then
TheEarth trembled.
At first, it was subtle, a distant thudding, like footsteps.
Abbot paused, confused. "What…?"
Then, the sound grew louder.
Thunder.
No… Hooves.
From beyond the trees came a low, powerful bellow, the kind that shook your bones.
And then.
They burst from the tree lines.
A massive herd of Yellowstone bison.
Dozens of them, hooves pounding like war drums. Their eyes were wild, their muscles rippling. At their lead, a monstrous bull, scars across its flank, steam flaring from its nostrils.
Gus stood frozen, eyes wide.
Abbot turned just in time to see the wall of muscle and fury barreling toward him.
"No...no, what the hell!?"
The first bison hit him like a freight train.
Abbot was launched backward, and machete flung into the air.
The herd thundered past Gus, but not a single one touched him.
They trampled over Abbot's men, over the LastMen vehicles, crushing, breaking, and clearing the battlefield in seconds.
And when it was over…
Abbot lay crushed and still, buried in the dirt, dust rising in the wake of the great beasts. His body twisted, lifeless.
One massive bull stopped in front of Gus.
Massive. Ancient. It's breath heavy and calm.
They locked eyes.
And then it turned and led the herd away, vanishing into the wild.
As quickly as they'd come.
The clearing fell still.
Hope coughed.
Bear groaned, pushing herself up with shaking arms.
Jepp sat up slowly, wincing. "What… the hell was that?"
Jess blinked through a swollen eye. "Was that a damn stampede?" And added. "You okay, Hope?" Receiving a nod.
Gus stood tall, his side bleeding, but his eyes shining.
"They came," he whispered.
Hope crawled over, throwing an arm around him. "Guess nature picked a side."
Gus looked toward the forest. Toward the world that had protected him.
"No," he said. "It's our home. It always has."
Aimee limped forward, looking at the crushed battlefield. "Abbot's gone."
Jepp nodded. "For good this time."
Bear rested a hand on Gus's shoulder. "You called the whole damn park on him."
Gus gave a tired smile. "Guess they heard me."
They stood together in the morning light, battered, broken but breathing.
Alive.
And behind them, the sun rose over Yellowstone, bathing them in its warm light.
[---------------------------------------------]
It took three days to clean up the battlefield.
The LastMen's bodies were burned in silence, no one said a word, no one sang. Just smoke, ashes, and the distant crackle of fire. Even Bear, always quick with a sharp tongue, had gone quiet.
Aimee coordinated the efforts with Jepp, both of them limping through pain to salvage weapons and supplies from the wreckage. The hybrids in the patched what could be fixed.
Jess sat beside Hope and Tiger every morning, redressing their wounds, muttering bad jokes to make Hope roll her eyes. Tiger still hadn't woken up. But her pulse was steady.
"She's stubborn," Bear had said. "She'll wake up when she's ready."
Gus helped wherever he could, gathering berries, hauling water, and building a little wooden marker near a tree for those who had lost. He carved names into the bark with his pocketknife, even if he didn't know them all.
He just wanted them remembered.
On the fourth morning, the silence was broken.
A soft coo. Wings fluttering.
Jess looked up from where he was inspecting his sniper rifle, carefully running a cloth down its barrel, checking for damage.
A pigeon sat on the cabin's windowsill. A small scroll tied to its leg. It tilted its head at him, puffing its chest proudly.
Jess blinked in surprise, then frowning slightly. "Well, I'll be damned... Twigs?"
Hope perked up immediately. "Twigs!?"
The bird cooed again.
Jess stood, crossing the room and carefully untying the scroll from the bird's leg. "I thought she was done flying after the last incident."
" You can't stop a menace just from that 'incident'. " Hope said with a small smile.
"I told you, I didn't intentionally do it." Jess sighed.
Jess reached into his pouch and scattered a few seeds onto the windowsill, followed by a bottle cap of water. Twigs hopped down, pecking pridefully at the offering.
He unrolled the scroll. The handwriting was rushed.
[ ]
Jess
It's back.
We thought it was over, but I guess we were wrong.
The upside down opened. And it's spreading rapidly.
It took Judy.
I'm sorry.
We need you. Hope as well if she's there.
Come back. Now. Please.
Max
[ ]
He folded the letter slowly, the weight of its contents pressing down on him.
"Jess?" Hope stepped out from the cabin, her eyes catching the expression on his face. She froze. "You ok?"
Jess muttered, staring at the distant horizon. "It's Max."
Hope came over, her voice low. "What happened?"
Jess handed her the letter. She unfolded it and read it quickly, her face paling. But her eyes didn't falter.
"So something bad is happening." she murmured.
Jess nodded once. "We need to go."
Hope didn't hesitate. "Then, I'll call the others."
Before she could go, Jess stopped her
"Don't, this is none of their business. This is our fight, not theirs."
"Bu- Fine."
From behind them, Bear stepped onto the porch. Her arms crossed, her gaze sharp. "You two heading back to Indiana?"
Jess nodded. "There's an emergency. We have to go. Tell the others we're going."
Jess turned to face the trees, the weight of the decision pressing against his ribs like armor he couldn't take off. He said nothing, just walked toward the school bus and beside it, hidden under a tarp and coated in dirt, sat a sick heavenly ride of a bike.
A HD Road King.
Jess turned the key and gave it a kick. The engine roared to life like it had just woken from a long sleep.
Hope's eyes lit up. "Oh, how I've missed this."
Jess tossed her a slightly cracked helmet. "Come on."
"Let's go then."she said, climbing on behind him.
The old pigeon fluttered down from the porch railing, landing lightly on the makeshift perch that Jess had rigged up for him from way back. It wasn't just instinct. It was history.
Jess frowning softly. "Still remember your spot, huh?"
Twigs cooed and settled as she ruffled her feathers.
Jess revved the engine, the wind biting at their faces as the road unraveled before them. Twigs sat comfortably nestled in the spot Jess had fashioned for him. The engine hummed beneath them as they sped toward their destination.
Jess stole a glance at Hope, who had been quiet for a while, her gaze lost in the passing scenery. He broke the silence, his voice soft against the rush of the wind. "So… how was it at the preserve? Tell me stories."
Hope shifted slightly, looking out over the road. Her voice was calm, but there was a certain warmth in it. "It was peaceful," she said. "I got three meals a day. I helped Aimee and Wendy plant vegetables and fruits and taught me how to take care of them. It was nice. Felt… like home, I guess."
Jess nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Sounds like you got into a routine."
"Yeah," Hope replied, her lips curling into a small smile. "But sometimes, Earl insisted I had to play with the other hybrids. They don't really understand real games, you know? Like what we used to play. I mean, they try, but it's… kind of a mess. He kept pushing it, saying it was important."
Jess's lips twitched with a half-smile. "Sounds like Earl really cares about you."
Hope shrugged, but there was a slight blush on her cheeks, not that Jess could see it. "Yeah, I guess. He's always looking out for everyone." She paused before adding, "He also taught me how to make scarves and bonnets. Didn't think I'd care about that stuff, but it was kinda fun. Relaxing, actually."
Jess chuckled softly. "Guess you're going to be the most fashionable hybrid around."
"Hey, don't joke around." Hope teased, tightening her hug around Jess's waist. "I made some good ones."
Jess laughed in pain, "Uh, yeah... can you lighten the hug now?"
Hope playfully smirked. "Hmmmm, I'll think about it."
The world is chaotic, but in this moment, they had peace.
"I'm sorry for everything," Jess said after a beat, his voice quieter now. "For dragging you into this. You didn't deserve it."
Hope's gaze softened, but she kept her eyes on the road ahead. "I'm okay. I've been through worse. And I've got you. We've got each other."
Jess looked at her through the side mirror for a moment, his expression unreadable. Hope's words brought him a strange kind of comfort, even though he's the one that separated them in the first place. Whatever happened, they would face it together.
[------------------------------------------------------]
They have arrived in Hawkins, Indiana, and the place is... usually quiet and dark. Dark vines crawled over everything, buildings, cars, and even streetlamps. They pulsed slightly, like they were alive.
The sky was a dull gray, and tiny bits of ash or dust floated through the air, swirling around them. It felt like the whole place was holding its breath, waiting for something.
Twigs, was nowhere to be found, probably somewhere but this dark and depressing place.
Hope looked around, her eyes wide. "This doesn't look like the Hawkins I remember," she whispered.
Jess nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon. "Yeah, keep your ears out in case something pops out."
They moved cautiously, the only sounds their footsteps and the occasional creak of a building settling. Every shadow seemed deeper, every corner a potential hiding place for something terrible.
They reached the cabin just as the last light faded. It stood alone, half-swallowed by vines, And a faint light is present inside. The windows were cracked, others boarded up. The door hung slightly ajar, creaking as the wind pushed against it.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of old wood. Furniture lay overturned, and the floor was littered with debris, papers, broken glass. Dark vines had found their way in, snaking along the walls and across the ceiling, their tendrils pulsing faintly.
Hope stepped in first, her eyes scanning the room. "Look at it... Our home is destroyed..." she solemly whispered.
Jess followed, his footsteps cautious. He reached out, touching a vine-covered picture frame on the wall. The image inside was faded, but the outline of his family along with a stapled picture of Hope is visible.
Suddenly, a soft rustling sound came from the kitchen of the cabin. They turned their heads and saw it.
The gate.
It pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat. A jagged tear in the world, split right through the wooden wall. Black-red light leaked from its edges, flickering and alive. Veins of dark vines spread out from it like cracks in glass, crawling across the floor, the walls, the ceiling.
It wasn't big, maybe the size of a door. But it felt wrong. Bigger than it looked. Like it was staring back.
Hope stepped closer, staring into the shifting black. "This is..."
"The Upside Down..." Jess muttered darkly. Tightening his hold on his gun.