It was chaos. One minute they were in the sky the next they were upon us in a flurry of feathers and beaks. Their razor-sharp talons raked our skins; their beaks drilled into our bodies; their feathers like knives slicing our skins.
I threw up my hands to shield my face. They got the brunt of the birds' attacks. I tried my best to run into the woods but they followed impeding my progress.
Looking at the campfire, I grabbed one of the logs and swiped it around me. A dull thud told me I had succeeded in hitting one. Using the log to keep an area of safety, I scanned the environment in search of Chelsea.
She was huddled in a ball as she was ravaged by the birds. "Aargh!" I charged towards them, chasing them away momentarily. I looked at my friend as her body was covered in deep grooves and blood.
I tried to get her up but between waving the log around and her being in a daze it wasn't easy. She finally came to her senses, clutching her arm where a deep gash was.
"Grab one of those logs!" I barked. She took a few seconds to comprehend what I said then she dashed and grabbed one. Together we were barely able to fend off the murderous birds of prey.
Some of our classmates had dashed into the tents but realized they had made a fatal mistake as the material of the tents was easily parted by the birds' metal talons.
Others scattered into the woods and a few unfortunate ones were either dead or were at death's door. It was a massacre.
"To the woods!" Chelsea screamed. Together we made our way into the woods but not before seeing the birds take on a strange formation and like arrows their feathers shot out of their bodies, impaling those who were still at the campsite.
CJ made his way back to camp. After being ditched by Kim and having to relieve himself in a bush using his phone he was in a bad mood. Kicking stones as he walked, he cursed the dumb girl.
"And what did she mean by what they said about me is true?" He pondered, his anger rising. Swoosh! He narrowly avoided being collided with by a shadow who darted past him.
"Whoa! Watch where you're going," he said. He saw others coming from the forest in front of him, with terrified expressions on their faces. He grabbed one of them, asking, "Why's everyone running?"
"T-the campsite. Everyone, d-dead!" The boy stammered. Shaking off CJ's hands he continued to flee.
"What…" CJ was confused. What did he mean by everyone dead? His mind trailed to his friends. Oh no! Chelsea and Javier. He started running towards the camp but stopped. He was running towards the danger, wasn't that stupid?
He felt he was wasting time, but his legs still refused to move. While he was deciding what to do he heard someone cry out his name.
"CJ!" Chelsea threw herself onto him, sobbing. CJ was lost for words, then he noticed the wounds on her body. His face turned dark. He turned to me and asked, "What happened?"
"Some…birds…attacked the camp," I replied, out of breath. "Birds… Wait those birds that everyone keeps talking about?" CJ asked his face turning white. He thought of how he was surrounded earlier by them, thanking the stars that they didn't do anything.
"Yeah. Come on! We gotta get out of here!" I said. Too late! The birds had found us, furious that their dinners were escaping. Together, CJ, Chelsea, and I tried to outrun them but they were too fast.
"Ow!" Chelsea exclaimed. She had fallen, one of the birds' feathers having impaled her leg. It was unable to support her weight.
No! I watched as the birds descended on her. My horror got even worse as I saw CJ shielded her with his body, trying to carry her and running but it was of no use. He didn't get far and soon collapsed under the continuous assault.
Tears flowed down my face as I watched in terror. But in the midst of their assault, the birds paused… and then turned their attention to me. They gazed at me with the same avarice that the bird from my first encounter with them did.
I don't know what they saw in me but they left CJ and Chelsea, who were paralysed and shaking, and charged at me. I stood frozen before darting away towards the forest hoping to lose them among the trees.
Hot on my heels, the birds were relentless as I weaved between the trees, jumping over roots. Left, I thought, my body moving faster than my mind.
By some coincidence, I had returned to the clearing where we had made camp a few hours ago. Those hours felt so far away. I saw the school bus parked a few metres away. That was my last hope.
I continued sprinting and 2 made my way towards it. What if it's locked, the thought nearly threw me off my balance. No, it couldn't be cause if it was I was doomed.
As I got closer so did the birds, I could hear their wings beating furiously behind me. My hands flew towards the door of the bus, praying it wasn't locked.
Yes! It wasn't. I flung them open and made my way in, slamming the doors behind me. The bird closest to my back crashed headfirst into the door, causing cracks to appear on the window.
They surrounded the bus, banging into it, trying to get in through any means. I pulled out my phone calling 9-1-1. "No!" I screamed as I saw there was no service. I crouched down at the back of the bus, my head on my knees as I cried, waiting for death.
Simon parked the caravan somewhere in the woods. Finding a parking space had been a challenge, but his Concord Centurion motorhome served as the perfect base for the team. It also had the added advantage of being able to carry a car that they could use to explore the city. Considering the cost, it was definitely worth it.
"Are we there yet?" Rico asked for the hundredth time. The journey had been long, and Rico had always disliked being confined to small spaces. He was sprawled out on the luxurious couch, flipping through various channels on the TV with a bored expression.
Ethan sat in one of the chairs, holding a book and occasionally turning its pages.
"Yes, Rico," Simon sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. The journey hadn't been easy on him either. He and Ethan had taken turns driving the caravan since Rico didn't have a driver's license.
They all stepped out of the large vehicle to stretch, taking in the lushness of the forest surrounding them. They unloaded the small black convertible car.
"So, where do we start?" Rico asked, his red eyes eagerly fixed on Simon. He was an energetic youth, often too much so, and he usually wore a grin as if he knew something the others didn't.
"I don't know. First, we should observe the city for anything strange," Simon replied. As the team leader, it was his responsibility to come up with plans.
"The article mentioned that strange birds have been appearing all over the city as well. We should start by tracing their sightings," Ethan suggested. He was a burly teenager with red hair that matched his freckles. He rarely spoke, but when he did, it was always to the point.
Their mission in New York City was to find the next divine vessel, and they had no time to waste before the monsters could reach them.