Anna and Zane stood there, panting heavily before finally letting out a long sigh of relief. They had survived.
Zane's eyes drifted to the blood running down Anna's forehead.
"Let me take a look at that," he said, concern evident in his voice.
"Worry about yourself," Anna replied, gesturing towards his injured arm.
"Oh."
Only then did Zane seem to notice the severity of the injury.
He removed his outer sweatshirt, revealing a plain singlet underneath. Taking that off as well, he gripped the fabric with his good hand and tore it apart with the help of his teeth.
Clothes were hardly scarce anymore.
He handed half of the torn singlet to Anna.
She frowned at being given his sweaty undershirt but accepted it anyway.
After wiping the blood from her forehead with her sleeve, she wrapped the cloth around her head.
As she finished, she noticed Zane awkwardly trying to bandage his own arm with only one usable hand.
"Let me help you."
She took hold of his arm before he could object and began wrapping the cloth around it.
As she worked, her eyes couldn't help wandering.
His body was lean but packed with dense muscle. Countless scars covered his arms and shoulders, and his skin felt rough beneath her fingers.
She couldn't help but wonder
What happened to him...?
These were not the type of scars on could gain in 6 months
Zane winced.
The pain briefly broke his usually unreadable expression.
Remembering how he had pulled her up twice and shielded her during the fall, Anna felt an unfamiliar sense of gratitude.
She opened her mouth.
"Hey, Zane... th—"
"Anna!! Is that you guys over there?!"
Quin's voice echoed across the clearing.
He came rushing toward them in a panic.
"I was worried you wouldn't make it. I wasn't even sure you'd come here. I heard the commotion and had to check."
Anna smiled faintly.
"Looks like we do think alike."
She noticed Drew jogging behind him.
"Did you guys run into any trouble getting here?"
"No."
Quin shook his head.
"The way was clear."
Only then did he properly notice the blood staining Anna's sleeve and the cloth wrapped around her head.
His expression immediately changed.
"What happened?"
He hurried over, gently taking hold of her hand before searching for a wound.
"And where did all this blood come from?"
"It's nothing serious."
Anna pointed at the bandage around her forehead.
Then her eyes shifted toward Zane.
Quin followed her gaze.
He froze upon seeing Zane standing shirtless, clutching his injured arm while blood had already soaked through the makeshift bandage.
"What happened?"
Zane looked toward the motionless Ravager.
"Let's just say..."
"We got lucky," Anna finished for him.
Drew finally caught sight of the creature.
"Wha... how did that happen?"
Anna and Zane gave the two of them a quick summary of everything that had happened since they separated.
"So what do we do with it now?" Drew asked, still staring at the Ravager. "Just leave it?"
"No!"
Anna and Quin answered at the same time.
Quin's voice was calmer.
"We have to kill it," Anna finished.
"Kill it?" Drew frowned.
"And how exactly do you suppose we do that?"
Anna looked around before spotting a length of metal pipe lying nearby.
"There."
She walked over and picked it up.
"With this, of course."
She swung it down onto the Ravager's head with all her strength.
CLANG!
The reverberations rattled her bones and the metal pole bent.
But the Ravager didn't move.
"Huh..."
"It's hard."
She looked back at the others.
"I can't do this alone. Stop standing around and help!"
Drew and Quin each found their own metal poles.
Together they repeatedly hammered the Ravager.
Metal rang against armour.
One pole bent.
Another snapped.
Minutes passed.
Eventually they stopped, breathing heavily.
Nothing.
The Ravager remained exactly as it had been.
"I thought you said you killed one of these before," Drew said, tossing his ruined pole aside in annoyance.
"We did."
Anna folded her arms.
"Just not this type."
"Yeah, right."
He scoffed.
"You just wanted attention."
"You idiot."
Anna pointed at the unmoving creature.
"If I was lying, why isn't this thing moving?"
"Oh really?"
Drew folded his arms.
"Then where's the corpse?"
Anna frowned.
"What?"
"You said this is where you killed it before."
He looked around.
"So where is it?"
Anna did the same.
To her surprise...
There really wasn't a body.
"Could someone have taken it...?"
she muttered quietly.
"Excuses."
Drew smirked.
"I knew you'd start lying again."
Anna's fists tightened.
She looked ready to punch him.
Before either of them could move, Quin stepped between them.
"Enough."
He looked at Drew.
"I was there too."
His voice remained calm.
"Are you calling me a liar as well?"
Then he glanced toward the unconscious Ravager.
"Maybe this one's just built differently."
While the others argued, Zane had already begun examining the creature.
Up close, he noticed details he hadn't paid attention to before.
Its chest was surprisingly smooth, almost completely free of scales.
Its claws had sunk deep into the asphalt despite lying completely motionless, a testament to it's weight.
Its skin was ice cold.
In its current state, nobody would believe this thing had ever moved.
Or that it had ever been alive.
If it could even be called alive.
Running his hand across its face, he found two shallow hollows where eyes would normally be.
The material there felt noticeably less dense.
He looked back.
"Anna."
"Hm?"
"Why don't you try stabbing it here?"
She blinked.
"What?"
"Right here."
He pointed at one of the hollows.
"Use the pole. It should be much softer than the rest of its body."
"I never thought to look for weak spots..."
Anna muttered to herself before picking up another pole.
She readied herself to strike.
Just before she did—
Drew snatched the pole from her hands.
"Give me that."
"I'm stronger."
"I'll hit harder."
"Bastard."
Anna clicked her tongue.
"Those muscles are all you're good for."
"What was that, bitch? I ought to use this on you"
"Focus."
Zane cut him off.
Drew stepped forward.
With all his strength, he thrust the pole into the hollow.
THUNK.
It pierced.
"...Wow," Quin whispered.
"Do you think that did it?" Drew asked.
Zane stared closely.
"No."
"It's too shallow. You'll have to—"
Before he could finish—
Anna sprinted forward.
With a powerful kick, she drove the pole even deeper into the Ravager's head.
A sharp POP echoed through the clearing.
"Pff."
Anna folded her arms.
"Stronger."
Blue liquid immediately began oozing from inside the hollow metal pipe.
"Back away!"
Zane shouted, jumping backwards.
The others instinctively followed.
Anna covered her nose.
"What is that...?"
"Is it blood?"
"Eww," Drew muttered.
Zane watched the shimmering blue liquid spread across the ground.
Its surface reflected light with an almost metallic sheen.
"I don't know."
"But it's definitely dangerous."
"Is it dead now?" Drew asked.
"I would be if that happened to me," Quin replied.
Anna rolled her eyes.
"Haha. Very funny."
She notices that the ringing has stopped
She looked back at Zane.
"So what now? I think it's really dead"
"Do we just leave it?"
"I suppose."
He slowly stood up.
"That probably did kill it."
"And it's not like we can carry the body with us."
"What if it disappears like the last one?"
Anna asked.
"Even if it does," Zane replied, pulling his sweatshirt back on, now missing one sleeve, "we don't have time to wait and find out."
"We need to leave before night falls."
"Leave?"
Quin looked at his injured arm.
"In your condition?"
"Are you sure you can keep going?"
"I can."
Zane answered without hesitation.
"We've already come this far."
"If we turn back now..."
He looked toward the bags they had recovered.
"...the base doesn't even have enough food to last two days."
"Going back now is a death sentence."
Quin still looked uncertain.
Before he could answer—
"The man said he can keep going."
Drew shrugged.
"So let him."
"...Alright."
Quin finally nodded.
"I'll take the lead from here."
Zane handed him the map.
"It's about an hour from here."
"Let's move."
"I found a rope."
Anna walked over carrying a dusty length of rope she had recovered from the construction site.
Once again, they tied themselves together.
Quin at the front.
Anna behind him.
Drew next.
Zane bringing up the rear.
Without another word, they continued their journey toward the mall.
Behind them...
The blue liquid finally stopped flowing from the Ravager's head.
For several silent moments, nothing happened.
Then—
One of its fingers twitched.