Eli, Rachel, Victor, and Ana all gazed on in disbelief upon the heap of soot on the ground that had been a Sentinel just moments before. A deep, menacing voice resonated in the air with laughter.
“Curses!” Ana hissed. “We should have seen this coming; I guess we had just all assumed we’d never see the likes of them again.”
“No use regretting our actions now,” Victor reminded her. He drew a broadsword from within the front of his overcoat. “This is a matter of life and death – prepare to run, young ones.”
In the illumination remaining from the orange flare, Eli could see an imposing assailant before them. He bore thick, black armor from shoulder to toe; dark clouds of smoke billowed from the seams in the shoulder and knee joints. His eyes burned like embers in an unquenchable inferno, and his white beard was riddled with ash. Most concerningly, he clutched a massive halberd with a red-hot blade, and he continued to laugh wickedly.
“Wh- What is it?” Eli stammered in terror, continuing to back away from the apparent foe.
“An escapee from Gehenna,” Ana answered gravely. “I’ve only met one once in my time as a Sentinel, but there’s no mistaking them after you experience just a single encounter.
They’re called Outlaws.”
The smoldering soldier began advancing toward the group of Sentinels.
“Tell me where I can find the Saint,” he boomed. “If you do, I might let you go.”
Ana extended her hand towards Victor, and he gave her a chained kunai that he had retrieved from underneath his pant leg.
“Eli, Rachel,” she whispered. “Go find Jack and get the girl as far away from here as possible. We’ll hold this monster off.”
Eli felt as if his feet were frozen into the ground.
“But…” He had no time to speak as Victor rushed the Outlaw with a fierce battle cry.
With Ana just a sprint behind, Victor hefted his blade and swung it down toward the Outlaw’s skull, but the fiery warrior intercepted the strike with the shaft of his halberd, causing Eli’s ears to ring with the sound of clashing metal. While he was preoccupied with Victor, Ana hurled her kunai in an attempt to lacerate the Outlaw’s throat. With impressive agility, given his heavy armor, the Outlaw evaded the potentially lethal blow by leaping high into the air. He then
swung his halberd across his body, projecting an arc of blazing light toward the ground below.
Victor and Ana darted backward to avoid the attack, leaving it to strike the ground in an eruption of flames and hissing fumes.
“What did I tell you?” Ana screamed, jolting Eli from his stupor. “Go! It’s not safe here.”
As Victor and the Outlaw prepared to clash again, Eli noticed that Rachel had already taken flight and was looking back at him expectantly.
“You heard her. Come on!”
The screech of metal stung his ears from behind as Eli ascended toward Rachel and began leading her back to Johnson. He felt as if fear and panic were gripping him so fiercely that he could barely fly straight; his flight speed was hindered, and he could vaguely hear Rachel urging him to make haste from behind. All of his senses seemed to have diminished, and he felt numb. What’s wrong with me? Not too long ago, I was subjected to the terrors of the Maw. If I could function then, why can’t I function now?
Even as he thought these things, Eli knew that his current situation was different than the Maw. The intense eyes of the Outlaw had become burned into Eli’s visual system, so that he saw them everywhere he looked. He shook his head violently. This is no time to allow myself to be overcome with fear. We have a mission to complete. Wind buffeted his face as he managed to regain his bearings and increase his flight speed.
With the return of his senses, Rachel’s voice managed to drive its way back into his consciousness. “Eli! Are we almost there?”
Observing the area ahead, Eli identified the quickly approaching outskirts of Johnson.
“We’ve nearly reached the town!” he shouted. “It won’t be much longer till we arrive at their house.” A flicker of red light from behind penetrated the surrounding shadows, and the sound of a heavy thud permeated the air. The battle with the Outlaw was escalating. “I just hope Ana and Victor can hold him off long enough.”
Flying above the first buildings of Johnson, Eli scanned the interior of the town, recalling exactly where Sheila had led him. In the dim light generated by a few scattered lampposts, he could barely spot the street he was seeking ahead and to his left.
“This way!” he directed Rachel as he propelled himself toward the street.
Apartment buildings and houses blurred past them below, and Eli tried to identify the gray house amongst the rapidly approaching strip he had visited earlier.
“One of these houses should be-“ Eli was interrupted by a blow dealt directly to his throat. A dexterous hand had grasped hold of his neck; even in the shadows, he could quickly identify the entity before him as Jack.
He soon released Eli with a snort.
“What are you doing back here? I thought you were an enemy!”
“It’s urgent!” Rachel cried, tugging Jack’s arm. “Victor and Ana are fighting off an Outlaw! He’s coming for the little girl!”
Jack’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“An Outlaw?” he shouted. “Do you even know what you speak of?”
“Yes!” Eli insisted. “Ana said it was an Outlaw – an escapee from Gehenna. It wants to know where it can find Sarah; we need to get her away from here! If he somehow finds out where she lives, she’ll be doomed unless we get her to evacuate the town in time.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” prompted Jack, descending downward to a house cloaked in shadows. “We must be on our way with Sarah now!”
Eli and Rachel followed him, and Eli could identify the house below as Sarah’s. The three reached the ground in front of the home and plunged through the door. The interior of the house was now completely dark, with no light source present; no one was awake.
“Rachel, stand by the door,” Jack instructed. “Make sure no one gets in.”
“Got it!” Rachel replied, as Jack and Eli headed into the room located behind the kitchen.
A bed lay on the floor of this chamber, and it was occupied by Michael and Sheila.
“I’ll wake the parents,” Jack whispered. “You fetch Sarah.” He pointed to a door at the other end of the room on their right. “Her bedroom must be beyond that door. Be swift!”
Eli scurried past the door and entered upon a miniscule room with a low-lying bed and a wooden dresser next to it. Sarah lay curled on her side beneath the sheets, breathing lightly. Eli reached down and gently shook her.
“Sarah, wake up!”
Sarah’s eyelids fluttered and slowly opened, while distressed voices sounded from her parents’ room.
“Is it time to go already?” Sarah asked drowsily.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Eli replied gravely. “We haven’t got much time. It’s time to leave now.”
Sarah clumsily crawled from her bed, her eyes only half-open. Eli led her out of the room to find Jack attempting to console a pair of seemingly confused and anxious parents.
“We’ve encountered an unexpected issue,” Jack explained calmly. “Sarah must leave with us right now; there are no other options.”
Sheila rubbed her eye.
“What is the issue? You told us not too long ago that we could wait till morning.”
“Plans have changed since then,” Jack told her. “An old enemy of the Sentinels has resurfaced. Their forces wish to foil our mission, so we must act quickly to avoid them.”
“What’s going on?” piped Sarah, who came to stand beside her parents.
“I don’t know,” said her mother, with sorrow in her voice.
“I’ll make it clear,” Jack intervened. “I only woke you to briefly explain what we are doing, so that you would not unexpectedly find that your daughter had vanished by morning. I won’t be taking no for an answer. In fact, we’ll be leaving this instant. You are all in danger.”
Michael embraced Sarah in his arms, and Sheila followed suit.
“Goodbye, Sarah,” her father began. “Stay safe and come back soon. I know that Jack and the others will take good care of you.”
“Be strong,” her mother added. “We’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”
Jack took hold of Sarah’s hand.
“It’s time to be off, young one. If our mission succeeds, you’ll be back here in no time.”
With a wail of regret from Sheila, Jack cradled Sarah in his arms as he dashed toward the front door, with Eli racing after him.
“Time to go!” Jack signaled Rachel, as she opened the door so that Jack could exit with Sarah. The three took to the sky, while Michael and Sheila voiced their last farewells from behind.
Jack led the others south, with Sarah clinging to him desperately.
“Wait!” she cried. “I never got to change out of my pajamas.”
“That will be alright,” Jack assured her. “Nobody will think poorly of you. Besides, not many will even see you where we’re headed.”
“Speaking of which,” Rachel piped in. “Where are we headed?”
“Past the southern end of town,” he answered. “I hope to find an area where we can hide, preferably a place where there are few other people around. Perhaps some type of hollow or abandoned building – somewhere we can wait until we move out again. After all, we want to give Victor and Ana a chance to catch up… if they survive, that is.”
Eli gulped at the thought of the Outlaw having slain two of his fellow Sentinels and heading after them at this very instant. Why even stop? Ana said to get as far away as possible.
Sarah’s nervous moans penetrated his thoughts. He gazed at the young girl and noticed that her eyes were tinged with red and wet with tears; she also seemed distressed by the altitude and speed they were travelling at. Eli felt a pang of sympathy for the tiny Saint. Right. We cannot travel incessantly with her. She’ll need to eat along the way, in addition to receiving other accommodations.
The housing below became less and less cluttered as they drew on - they were nearing the end of the town. Eli tried to make out what lay beyond, but his vision could not penetrate the shadows that had gathered about them.
“I surveyed some of the town’s surrounding area,” Jack announced, seemingly reading Eli’s thoughts. “There are sparse patches of woodland beyond the southern boundary – we may be able to take shelter there. At the very least, it would make it difficult for the Outlaws to spot us, though it would render us vulnerable to their weapon of choice…”
“What’s that?” Eli asked.
Before Jack could respond, something came upon Eli and brushed up his right side.
“You know,” sneered an icy, metallic voice.
Eli snapped his head around toward the voice and found himself looking upon a full-armored humanoid figure.
“It’s fire!” screeched the newcomer, as it drove its palm into the center of Eli’s back with terrifying force. Burning pain seared through Eli’s body, and he was sent plummeting down to a road below. He was stunned by the impact of the fall, but he desperately tried to regain his footing to face his adversary. Another Outlaw? How did it find us?
Eli winced as he managed to struggle to his knees. Gazing upward, he saw Rachel and Jack exchanging fixed stares with the armored figure.
“Hand over that kid,” sneered the newcomer, his face hidden behind a steel helmet and his eyes emanating a fiery glow through his visor.
With his eyes still fixed upon his enemy, Jack placed a quivering Sarah into Rachel’s arms. The sudden transfer of weight caused the young sentinel to descend toward the ground, but she managed to stabilize with a grunt of effort.
“Continue onward,” Jack ordered her. “This abomination shall not pass me.”
The Outlaw laughed maniacally.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Surely you don’t believe you can fight me all by yourself?”
As Rachel flew off into the distance, Jack and his opponent tensed their bodies, preparing for the initial strike. Eli tried to stand and assist Jack, but searing pain racked his body yet again.
Dropping back to his knees in agony, he reached for the area on his back that had been struck by the Outlaw. His clothing had been burned away to leave the affected skin exposed, and the raw wound he felt was sensitive to the touch. I got burned? I didn’t think Sentinels could be wounded like this. These Outlaws are indeed dangerous.
Overhead, the air rang with the repeated collision of weapon and armor. Jack, wielding a long scimitar, was slashing vigorously at his enemy. The Outlaw continually deflected the blows using the gauntlets on its forearms, although it was clearly struggling; Jack was forcing him backward, and many of his strikes pierced the Outlaw’s armor. The Sentinel raised his scimitar high over his head and drove it downward in a finishing blow. The Outlaw managed to intercept it with its gauntlets, giving Jack an opportunity to kick it in the midsection and send it rocketing backward. Jack is amazing! He’s even more powerful than this terrifying foe.
“Eli!” hollered Jack from above. “Go after Rachel! She may encounter more trouble on her way.”
With a renewed sense of urgency, Eli managed to overcome his injury and stand on his feet. Briefly looking back to see Jack engage with the Outlaw again, he ascended and followed the path Rachel had taken. She had traveled too far for him to see her at this point, so he had to allow his intuition to guide him along.
The town must end somewhere close… His hunch was accurate, as buildings began to disappear below and gave way to barren plains. In the distance, beyond the refuse of the town, Eli thought he could see trees looming through the shadows. Did Rachel decide to seek refuge in the forest? Or did she find it wise to travel farther? How will I find her with such little lighting available? The din from the battle behind continued to bombard Eli even as he glided past the
first trees; he wondered how Victor and Ana had been faring against their adversary. This isn’t good. Our three most experienced team members are currently occupied. If another Outlaw strikes, Rachel and I will be defenseless. We don’t even have any weapons… or at least I don’t.
Eli’s injury was also concerning him. The pain had temporarily subsided while he was desperately trying to escape, but now that he had to slow his pace to navigate the throngs of trees he was searching, he became aware of it once again. The agony induced by the injury was worse than anything Eli could remember enduring in the Maw. If a living individual was subjected to such a burn, they would likely need urgent medical treatment. Eli bit his tongue in frustration, hoping to distract himself from the injury. I’ve got to stay focused.
As he peered through the surrounding trees, searching for the slightest sign of movement, Eli began to feel that his efforts were futile. He could barely see a couple meters before his face, let alone scour this dense woodland for two individuals who did not want to be seen.
Fortunately, the density of the surrounding trees seemed to be lessening: He was approaching the end of the miniature forest. Within a few moments, he burst back into the open air and halted.
Though the trees had encroached upon his vision, he was not able to see very well beyond them either. He scanned the dry ground below and gazed ahead into the shadows. They must have continued onward.
Before he could resume his search, a hand prodded Eli’s shoulder from behind. He whipped his head around to see Rachel before him; Sarah was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is the child?” Eli demanded.
“Shhhh!” Rachel hushed. “She’s in a secluded cabin I found; it’s abandoned, and it’s difficult to spot from above. Follow me.”
Rachel descended into the darkness, gliding along the edge of the tree clusters. Eli followed cautiously, anxious that another Outlaw would unexpectedly burst from the trees or sky. After traveling about twenty meters, Rachel veered left into the trees and descended into a large hollow, which was invisible from outside the wood. At the center of the hollow stood a tiny brick building; part of the roof had collapsed, and masses of vines had engulfed the walls in a tangled shroud. Rachel slipped through a gap in the roof, with Eli following doubtfully. This place isn’t very far from where we encountered the Outlaw. Hopefully, it is hidden well enough, and Jack will be able to ward off our enemy.
Eli landed upon a flat, stone floor within the building. His vision was completely inhibited by the stifling shadows within; all he was able to perceive was Sarah’s quick breathing in one corner of the room and Rachel scurrying about. She seemed to be carrying some form of tarp, which she raised through the opening, unfurled, and slid over the roof. With a sigh of relief, Eli collapsed down onto the floor, but the impact reminded him yet again of his injury. He grunted in pain, which alerted Rachel.
“What happened? Are you hurt?”
“Yes,” Eli grumbled. “That Outlaw struck my back and burned me. It hurts, but it should be alright.”
“In that case…” Rachel began. “I’ll be the one to stay on the lookout in case any of the others come searching for us. You and Sarah should stay here.”
With that, she moved the covering on the roof aside and exited the building.
“Is… is Jack going to be alright?” Sarah peeped from the corner of the room, invisible to Eli.
Eli nodded, though he doubted Sarah would see his gesture.
“He’ll be alright. Jack is very, very strong, and he knows what he’s doing.”
Sarah let out a sigh.
“You’ve gotten to know Jack fairly well already, haven’t you?” Eli observed.
“I met him after school,” Sarah replied. “And he walked me home. He told me all about himself… told me that I was about to do something special.”
A pang of guilt erupted in Eli. This mission was supposed to be simple, yet it had quickly evolved into a dire and complex situation. I feel so dishonest… We assured them that everything would be fine. So much for that theory.
“I am sorry that we’ve arrived at these circumstances,” Eli lamented. “Don’t be too discouraged, though. All we have to do is get back in touch with the Judge; she’ll know what to do. Then, you’ll be able to fulfill your destiny. Just be patient.”
Eli wished he could believe his words as much as Sarah was probably believing them, but he simply could not bear to speak grimly to her at this time.
“By the way,” Eli continued. “We still have two other strong Sentinels on our team whom you haven’t met yet. They could be joining up with us soon – they just have to defeat a single Outlaw, if they haven’t done so already.”
I’m not sure if that’s true either.
In fact, Eli was deeply concerned for the safety of Victor and Ana. Their opponent seemed skilled and powerful, and Eli did not know if even their combined efforts would be sufficient.
“So where are we trying to go?” Sarah inquired.
“Well,” Eli explained. “I guess we’re headed for the Chamber of the Judge. She is the one who organized this mission, so she’ll know what to do next.”
“The Chamber of the Judge?” echoed Sarah. “How do we get there?”
“That’s our problem,” Eli responded. “We need to contact the Judge in order to access her dwelling, but for some reason unbeknownst to us, we have been unable to do so. After we figure out what the problem is and notify her, she’ll be able to open up a soul-gate, which is a sort of portal that will transport us to where we need to go.”
A faint noise sounded from above. Eli looked up and heard the noise several more times.
Something was repeatedly striking the roof, which Eli soon identified as rain.
“That’s weird,” he observed skeptically. “I wouldn’t have guessed this area would be receiving rain tonight. This could help us… It may quench the fire that the Outlaws use.”
“Maybe you should go outside and let the rain wash over your burn,” suggested Sarah.
“Water helps me feel better when I get burned.”
The pain from his burn was so potent that Eli almost felt tempted to accept her proposal; however, he decided not to.
“It’s not worth risking our cover. We should really have as few of us outside as necessary – I probably wouldn’t be able to defend myself if I encountered an Outlaw anyway.”
Eli could hardly believe his own words. What’s wrong with me? I am perhaps one of the most impressive Sentinels in existence. I managed to escape the Maw in just three years! Why am I suddenly so terrified of these Outlaws?
The rain intensified, striking the roof with more force and frequency.
“I hope they can get back soon,” Sarah moaned drowsily.
“Why don’t you rest for a bit?” Eli prompted. “You should take advantage of the time we have here. I’ll wake you when they arrive.”
A light thud sounded from across the room, followed by the sound of fabric sliding across stone: Sarah had curled herself into a fetal position and drifted into sleep. That didn’t take long.
It’s easy to forget how young she is. Having been reminded of the child’s need for rest, Eli became aware of an additional issue. What are we going to do for food? She’ll need to eat, but there’s nothing out here.
As their time in the cabin drew on agonizingly, Eli began to desperately wish that Jack and the others would return so they could contrive a plan together; the uncertainty surrounding their current course of action had begun to make him anxious. The pain from his burn had not subsided either. While the sound of Sarah’s shallow breathing and the patter of rain on the roof soothed his nerves slightly, he was not sure how much longer he would be able to maintain his composure. Shouldn’t the Judge have contacted us by now? Dawn will be upon us soon…
Perhaps it is already here.
Suddenly, something large landed upon the roof, causing Eli to leap to his feet in surprise. Sarah was startled awake as well and sat up in anticipation.
“Jack?” she called out.
“Hush!” Eli insisted, though he knew whatever had landed would have already heard her anyway. Their place of hiding was safe no longer. The covering over the roof was slowly drawn back, allowing the faintest shades of light to trickle in from the dawn above. Eli tensed himself, ready to fight till the bitter end. My cowardice perishes here. A figure dropped down onto the floor, and Eli breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized it to be Rachel.
Before Eli could ask any questions, Rachel looked to the gap in the roof and beckoned with her hand. “Come in! It's safe!”
With that, two more figures descended into the building. They were unrecognizable to Eli, but they certainly did not appear to be Outlaws. Both were male. One was tall and thin with blonde hair, although it looked black with the filth that coated it. The other was shorter and bald, had black stubble on his face, and bore glasses. They were covered in soot and dirt; it seemed as if they had just concluded a day of work in a coal mine.
The taller one collapsed to the floor in exhaustion, while the other began to speak.
“Thank you, Rachel. This should be a perfect place for us to regroup.”
In the light that had entered the building, Sarah was now completely visible from across the room. She was on her feet, staring warily at the two newcomers.
“This must be the child,” continued the visitor, returning Sarah’s gaze. He then fixed his eyes on Eli. “And this is one of the other Sentinels. Where’s the rest of your team?”
“They were fighting off Outlaws that had attacked us unexpectedly,” Rachel replied grimly. “Eli and I managed to escape with Sarah, but the others haven’t returned yet. I’m starting to grow concerned about them.”
“Well, I doubt they’re still fighting now,” the newcomer reasoned. “At this point, they’re probably either dead or searching for you.”
“You’re right,” Rachel admitted. “We should go search for them. I’ll go with one of you; the other should stay here with Eli.”
“No,” Eli objected. “I’ll go search. Someone else will stay here.” Time to prove to myself that I’m not a coward – injury or no.
The newcomers looked upon Eli with uncertainty. “You look like you’re hurt,” observed the blonde-haired one.
“Doesn’t matter,” Eli argued. “I’ve suffered worse. Besides, they’re my teammates; it’s my responsibility to help ensure their safety.” Why am I even conversing with these two? I don’t even know who they are.
“Your courage is commendable,” admitted the bald visitor, whom Eli had determined to be an obvious Sentinel. “but we are confronted with a troubling task. We don’t know exactly where the Outlaws could be lurking, and we’ve lost the Judge.”
Eli gulped. “What do you mean when you say ‘lost the Judge’?”
Both of the unfamiliar Sentinels stared at Eli in surprise.
“You mean you didn’t know?” gasped the shorter one. “The Judge is deceased; she is no longer with us.”