Murkfall: A Better Tomorrow

Chapter I: Survivor

Gale ripped himself from the ground and rose to his knees. His vision was blurred, his ears were wringing, and his entire body ached, but he was alive. As his vision cleared he dragged his gaze around him. The long expanse of the battlefield lay before him. The grey and bloodied soil stuck splattered to walls, trees, corpses, and everything else. Mule coughed violently and blood ejected from his mouth. He wiped his face and attempted to stand, but his knees refused to cooperate, and buckled beneath him.

Gale groaned and shut his eyes with the intent to sleep off his weariness. But they quickly shot open when he heard the sound of approaching engines. Gale sat up and looked all around. Several watchmen were approaching him rapidly. He needed to escape, and fast. If the watchmen somehow didn't immediately spot him, he'd get crushed under their huge legs. Gale attempted to stand again but fell once more, into the depths of the trench this time. Suddenly he realized the obvious; Honeypot.

Gale scrambled and ripped the vial from the string around his neck. He excitedly went to open the cap, but to his dismay, the vial was shattered, and not a drop remained. Gale felt his world ending, he felt hopeless beyond belief- he felt afraid. But resolute on surviving, he quickly began clawing his way through the trench to the other corpses in it. He reached the first and, with moderate effort, pushed it over only to see it's vial gone completely.

Gale snarled and began crawling again when he finally heard the shouts. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he could hear them all the same. Gale began crawling faster. The situation was rapidly devolving, and he needed a way out. Next corpse; nothing. Move on. Next; nothing. Move on. Panic began to grip Gale's heart. The watchmen were so close he could feel the ground shake with every step.

Suddenly he saw it; a single vial of the sweet amber liquid, hanging by a string, off a piece of jutting metal from the trench wall. Gale began pumping his exhausted arms as hard as he could. The strain didn't matter- he was going to live! The watchmen peered ever closer, and the metal rebar started shaking with each step they took. The rebar began loosening, etching, falling closer to the ground. The vial hung in the balance- if it breaks, Gale's done for.

Gale gritted his teeth, and with a mighty push, launched himself from the ground and snatched the vial off the rebar. In a flash he ripped the cap off and dumped the contents into his mouth. The cold thin liquid slid down his throat. Gale baited his breath. almost immediately he felt the effect. The re-invigoration of his muscles, the warmth returning to his body, the strength. Gale huffed and pulled himself up using the same thing that almost damned him.

With shaking legs, he braced to let go of the bar. But this time, he didn't fall over. It felt like he was wading waist deep through sand, but he could move. And move he did. Gale began sprinting down the trench, the yells ramping in aggression. Gale turned his head as he ran to see his assailers, only to be blinded by the spotlight of the watchmen, and then the loud alarm that it sounded split the air. Gale only felt more invigorated as figures rounded the corner with weapons drawn.

A bolt whizzed past his head and stuck into the wall next to him. Another pierced the lantern hanging next to his head, the oil spilling out and catching fire on the mud. Gale saw a small opening in the walls ahead, and immediately jumped into it. A tight squeeze, the small alley stretched to the other side, and Gale took full advantage. Just before Gale shimmied out, a watchmen's leg stomped in front of the opening. Gale turned and saw lights approaching the opening.

The watchmen took another step, and Gale barreled out, almost getting stepped on again by the same watchmen. The spotlight of the giant metal abomination swept over its legs, and Gale disappeared beneath it's abdomen. He looked around, planning his route. Behind him the other watchmen stomped around scanning the trenches, before him, more trench expanse. taking his chance when the spotlight moved on, Gale sprinted down the corridor and rounded the corner, only to see beasts prowling down the path, checking each crevice.