Life After Death

Chapter 36

Unsurprisingly, most people were on high alert throughout the night. Not entirely convinced that they wouldn't be ambushed throughout the night by a gang of Reapers looking for blood, or Lurkers tearing down the walls, attracted to the extra noise they created.

Every whistle of the bushes caused by a breeze turned heads. Pattering of soft footprints, belonging to what must have been a fox or badger, causing them to hold their breaths just in case. The sky itself though, was a stark contrast to the rain that had cleansed them hours ago. Clear and unthreatening. Each star twinkling with its own beacon of hope and light, the moon full and round.

Alas, they did not meet such a grisly fate. In fact, no one on watch even saw anything out of the ordinary. As if there wasn't anything to threat about.

But eventually, the morning sun did begin to reveal itself, beam through the windows and cast its optimistic light over the damp grass of Serenity.

Vivian, Nathaniel, Jade and the others stood in their house. Organising their things and loading their guns - which were undoubtedly going to be needed. Skelly was there too, pacing around the room, offering morale with the light wags of his tail. No one spoke either, the mood surrounding them tense, despite their affirmations to themselves that all would be well. Outside of their own walls too, there was an unspoken, yet lingering sense that something would go horribly wrong. As if awaiting a massacre.

"Someone's at the door," Jace cried, uncaringly. Too busy packing his bag to bother opening it, leaving it to Nathaniel, who opened it to reveal Austin.

"Austin! You're coming with us?" Jade said, a relieved and joyous smile dancing on her lips at the sight. Especially given his reluctance the previous night. They had wondered whether he had actually killed before, and that was perhaps why he seemed to hold back.

And as he arrived, Javon and Whitney both came downstairs with their own bags packed. All of them leaving bearing a determined look on their faces as they made their way through the grounds, Skelly tagging alongside them like a bodyguard would a celebrity. If they were nervous, they were yet to visibly show it between them. Acting undeterred by the undeniable unease smothering the atmosphere. Fuelled by annoyance more than anything - and a resolution to prevent the Reapers laying ruin to them anymore than they already had done. A need to preserve what seemed like what might be their last chance at a decent life.

"We should go in two groups," Theo suggested, as more of the volunteers arrived, "Since we don't know how many there are. It will help keep us quiet and spread out, cover more ground. We'll take radios to communicate and update."

And so, the pair assembled their groups as a more or less even split, grabbing their walkie talkies to ensure they could maintain contact when necessary.

. . .

A little while later, as they walked through the wooded, shaded area of forestry around them, they couldn't help but grow a feeling of nervous anticipation. However, this time it was less morbid. Strangely so as they grew closer to whatever conflict awaited but fuelled with unanswered questions.

Where would they be? How many of them would there be, would they be outnumbered and how badly so if they were?

Each snap of a twig, rustling of bark and fallen leaves, gaining their attention. 90% of the time, being themselves, the other ten percent being an unseen animal. Not even a Lurker, which uneased them more than comforted. Like they had already been slew perhaps, or merely just followed their remaining senses to trace some other noise or smell. Possibly Reapers. And then, a small flicker of delusional hope that the Reapers had been met a swarm they could not fight off - doing their work for them.