RISEN || The Keepers of Astraela #2

5.2 || BOBBI

|| CHAPTER 5.2 ||
|| BOBBI ||

"DID SAGE HAVE  TO WALK so fucking far?"

It was Nox's millionth protest in the last twenty minutes, and Bobbi was ready to rip the possibly-Corrupted tongue from his mouth. He had recovered incredibly fast from a wound that should have been fatal.

At least well enough to whine incessantly.

Even while they trudged through the streets, trying to avoid anything inhuman, Bobbi couldn't stop looking at him. She wasn't sure what it was about him that put her on such high alert. Corruption wasn't a complete death sentence; it hadn't been for her. But there was something about his very essence that brought discomfort. Even Jade, who gripped Bobbi's hand like a life force, kept a wary eye on the lanky man.

"Shut it before I have someone else slit your throat," muttered Mystia.

The half-goblin tilted her head to the side. Her ears, sticking out from the brim of her crocheted cap, twitched as if straining to hear a sound Bobbi knew she only heard in her head. Mystia must have been digging through Sage's thoughts, much like she had done to Emrys months prior.

"They've secured a house in the suburbs." Mystia hastened her pace. "A little run down, but overall habitable. Says it's quiet there for now. No Corrupted activity."

For now.

It was best not to think about after. Especially since it shut Nox's mouth for the time being.

They continued in silence. Intermittent squeezes from Jade's hand drew Bobbi's eyes down to her. The young girl's face was strawberries and cream—pale from fright, with cheeks and nose reddened from the bitter wind. With her other hand, Jade gripped the strap of her teal backpack with white knuckles.

Bobbi lifted her head for another sweep of the surrounding area. The Corrupted's goopy, dark shapes should have been obvious against the snowy landscape, but the silent street brought no comfort. She and Eva had never gone such a distance without issue. It was as if everything had gone into hiding.

The prior night's explosions weighed heavily on her mind. The sonic booms. The blood red skies. Were they really an Astraelan attack, or something else entirely?

As they reached the suburbs, cutting through yards and finding coverage behind privacy fences, Bobbi's heart sunk. That time of year, yards should have been filled with twinkling lights and plastic reindeer. Kids should have been building snowmen and towing sleds toward the snow-laden hills down the road.

Instead, Havenwood had been reduced to a ghost town. Rather than twinkling lights, homes were adorned with blown out windows, scratched off siding, and doors ripped from their hinges. She couldn't help but wonder if any buildings remained inhabited, or if every owner had fled.

But as the stale odor of decay wafted through the air, she knew many had likely been buried by the snow.

Once they turned into another set of backyards, walking between a wooden fence and a chain link one from the opposing home, Mystia stopped. Nox stumbled into her back, earning a pointed glare from their shortest companion. Before she could spout off another threat, her long ears twitched once more. She turned back to face them.

"They're here." Mystia nodded to the chain link. After a quick glance of the area, she scaled the fencing with ease.

Nox watched hesitantly but followed shortly behind. He straddled the top, careful to adjust himself before stretching out an arm for the remaining girls.

Bobbi prodded Jade to go next. Much to her surprise, the young girl climbed with ease, not once reaching for Nox's hand as she vaulted over the other side—almost like she'd done it her whole life.