“Hello, victims.” The voice boomed through the clinic walls. It was throaty, confident, but playful. It commanded attention, but malevolence laced its presence.
Ericson drew his sidearm, eying his partner, Nathan, across the hall. Nathan copied the action with his one good hand, grimacing as he did so. They approached the doorway of their respective exam rooms with cautious steps. Ericson spoke with a hush. “Nate, our current company seems to believe these guys are bad news. According to them, there’s a lot of ‘em, and they’re armed. You’ve been at this longer than me. What do you propose we do?”
Nathan tried to stifle a groan as he leaned against his doorway for support. Guilt washed over Ericson. Today’s events had scarred both of them, but Nathan more so. Regardless, despite the horror show at the high school, it wasn’t over, and Ericson’s mind spiraled in chaotic confusion. He knew Nathan was struggling, but his own thoughts produced no results. Nathan had the experience he lacked.
The lobby door banged from three aggressive knocks. Everyone flinched as the voice called out once more. “You know it’s quite rude, when someone greets you, to not say hello. We know you’re in there. Our… scout reported at least eight of you. Says he never saw a single one of you leave.” Tense silence lingered until the voice continued. “We also know many of you are armed. You don’t need to be afraid. Come on out. I’m not sure how many of you are actual residents of this place, but I’m sure for those who are, you must have a lot of questions. Think of us as the welcoming committee to your brand new home.”
Ericson glanced over his shoulder at the odd group with him. He raised an eyebrow with a questioning expression. One of them, the woman with dark red hair and bright blue eyes - who couldn’t have been much older than her early twenties - shook her head slowly in response. Who these people were, he couldn’t fathom. They had guns, were adorned in winter clothes, spoke like they didn’t come from here, and they had a man shot, lying on the examination table. Mix that with everything else… with those things at the high school, and Ericson didn’t know what to believe. One thing was obvious, though. Whoever stood on the other side of the door had these strangers trembling.
“Come on,” the voice said. “We don’t have to make this violent. I know you have a kill funnel in there. One step through this door, and I imagine you’d drop the first body you saw. I can assure you, though, if you choose blood… you will lose. Let’s not let it come to that. Let’s… talk.”
To everyone’s horror - including Ericson - Nathan responded. “This is Officer Nathan Miller.” The red-headed woman glared at Nathan, slicing her hand across her neck to signal him to stop. Nathan ignored her and continued. “Who are you, and what are your intentions?”
“Your partner is going to get us all killed.” The seething hiss came from the dirty blonde-haired kid wearing a black beanie. Ericson’s patience with him continued to wear thin, but even he couldn’t fully understand Nathan’s logic here.
“Ah,” came the voice. “Officer Miller. So good of you to open communications. I like that. A very smart move on your part.”
“Answer the questions,” Nathan said.
“Don’t test me, officer. That I don’t like. I’ll oblige you, though. To answer your first question, we are The Order of Stygian. You’re new here, so I’ll forgive you for not knowing about us. Trust me, that won’t be a problem soon. To answer your second question, our intentions are your town. See, we own it now. It’s ours. Every ounce of its resources belongs to us.”
“What are you doing, Nate?” Ericson asked.
Nathan kept his voice low. “There’s an emergency exit at the very back of the clinic. I’ll keep this guy engaged while you get everyone out.”
“What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. Get them to safety. That’s our duty. When you get clear of here, you contact Mary and get her to redirect. I’m relying on you to make sure my kids stay safe.”
“Nate… I can’t let you…” Ericson gritted his teeth and took a deep inhale. “Alright… Alright, I’ll do it. You better be right behind us, though.”
“You just focus on them and my children.”
“Officer Miller?” The voice dragged the name out in a dramatic tone. “Did I lose you? You wouldn’t be… plotting anything, now would you? Surely, you’re smarter than that.”
“I’m still here. You say your intentions are to take possession of the town. Seems like a rather bold and dangerous claim to make.”
“Well, I am a bold and dangerous man.”
Ericson turned to the group in his room, ready to relay the plan, but his eyes caught the three figures outside the window.
“Everyone down!”
Both examination room windows exploded in shattered glass. Gunfire deafened the interior as bullets dug into the upper corners of the walls. The attack aimed to disorient the occupants, leaving them scrambling. The gunmen had their weapons trained on them before they could respond.
“Drop your weapons!”
“Oh, my,” the voice on the other side of the lobby door said. “Was I just stalling until my men could get into position? Man. I guess it was just me who was plotting. I really need to stop projecting myself on others.”
The gunmen ordered again with inflection. “Drop. Your. Weapons.”
“You better do as they say,” the voice said. “They won’t give you a third chance.”
All those in the clinic who carried firearms laid them on the ground, having no other choice. A gunman from each window gave the next command. “Hands behind your head!”
Everyone complied.
The lobby door opened and the owner of the voice stepped through. Behind a thick, braided beard, a smile brandished rows of yellowed teeth. The locks on his head were deep brown and styled in cornrows tied at the back. Upon his chest, a chain-link necklace dangled a human skull. Green eyes gleamed as he spoke with that same sinister cadence.
“Hello, hello… hello. It is so good to meet all of you fine folk. How ‘bout we all get acquainted, huh?”
—
A bitter wind howled a haunting tune. Snow showed no respect for Jake’s body as it piled atop him, attempting to hide the evidence of his presence. White transformed to red as blood absorbed into the wet flakes.
Jake gasped.
A torrent of pain stabbed, sliced, and burned through him as his consciousness returned. It consumed him. Weak sobs contorted his face. He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t catch his breath. Something was wrong with his lungs. A dawning realization swept over him.
He was dying.
“Hello there, Rat.”
Jake recognized the voice. The voice of the one who had shot him. The one who was responsible for… his death. A mixture of rage and helplessness churned inside him. Never in his life had he wished death on another soul, but this man… this man deserved it. Yet there was nothing he could do. He could only look up and glare at the monster who squatted before him, a satisfied grin plastered across the man's face.
“I know what’s going on in that head there. I’d feel the same if our roles were switched. But that’s the thing, Rat. You’re the one dying, and I’m going to watch it happen.”
Jake tried to speak. To say anything in defiance that he could, but his lips only sputtered and drooled. The man, dressed in clothing made of animal skins and fur - a member of The Order of Stygian - raised a finger to his mouth and made a shushing sound.
“Just let it happen. There’s nothing you can do. Let the inevitable take its course.”
Jake reached one of his hands out, attempting to drag himself forward. If he could just get close enough, maybe… maybe he could make one last stand. Anything to not go out with a whimper. The man raised his eyebrows.
“What are you doing, Rat? I applaud the balls you have, but you’re only going to make your end that much worse.”
He wasn’t wrong. Jake’s body revolted at the action. Revolted with such intensity that Jake could do nothing more but stop. He cried out in agony.
“Told ‘ya. Don’t worry, Rat. I imagine you haven’t much longer to go. Only so much blood in a body.”
Jake laid his head back down on the rock-covered ground. A layer of snow cooled his cheek as it melted to what remained of his body's heat. This was it. This was how it was going to end. Pointless, with no purpose. At least his plight of trying to survive in a foreign world would be over. There was some solace to be found in that. He rolled his eyes at something that caught his attention.
Behind and to the right of the man who had killed him, there sat what appeared to be a white-coated weasel. Strange lines of black fur contoured in hypnotizing patterns across its face and body, much like a tattoo. Great, Jake thought. Even the wildlife is waiting for me to die. Yet, that’s exactly what the weasel appeared to be doing. Odd, violet-colored eyes aimed at him. It didn’t move. It sat and watched. What weird behavior, Jake noted.
“I suppose… I should thank you,” the man said.
Jake kept staring at the weasel.
The man continued. “You’ll be my first. You see, you’re not recognized in my community as a true warrior until you take your first life. They sent me to scout the mountains because they didn’t believe I had earned the right to join the leading group. Lucky me, I guess. Do you know what we do to our first?”
Jake kept his eyes on the weasel.
“We take your skull - after we remove your brain, of course - and wear it around our necks as a symbol. A bit barbaric, sure, but talk about intimidating your enemy. I’m all for that.”
Jake kept watching the weasel.
The man leaned in closer, glee painting his tone as he spoke. “Thank you for your sacrifice.”
Jake’s eyes widened. The man smiled, but then he realized his victim was looking elsewhere. That’s when he heard it. A strange amalgamation of sounds stretching and cracking behind him. He turned…
“What the f…” The head devoured him, teeth piercing his upper body and splaying his blood in streams across the snow. With a flip, the cavernous mouth swallowed the rest of him. A guttural rumbling erupted from its towering throat as it pivoted its gaze on Jake.
Jake could not move, could not speak…
…could not look away from those violet eyes...
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