The Lantern Bearers

chapter 30: a relative of Yui's??

Papa left me in charge of Willow, her baby, and keeping an eye on the newcomer, Moro.

Moro was mainly looking around the camp and talking to some of the passerby bearers and the residents here. He seemed harmless and more of a dork that has no idea what he's doing. However, it could be a fascade just to throw us off.

Sullivan would walk up to me with PDA in hand.

"Ahhh, young Zeus! I have uncovered another pharmaceutical location you can investigate to at least get Willow some pain medication and baby medicine in case he does get sick!" He said, showing me the map on the PDA.

"How did we not know about this??" I asked.

"Well, the thing is, there is no sign on this building and normally a hot zone for anomalies and monsters. A scout used nightvision goggles briefly to look inside and, sure enough, he seen medicine bottles on the shelves! Only problem is, we don't know what medicine it is that they prioritize in. I'm sure it's wide enough for at least basic pain and children's medication." He said with a shrug and smile.

"Papa told us to keep an eye on willow." I said shaking my head.

"I'll watch over her, i tended to my wife post pregnancy, and i can help her, at least just long enough so you can head down there and back." Nathan said, wheeling himself to us.

"Yeah, it's a short walk, too. Maybe an hour at best!" Sullivan said.

"But your little butt ain't goin on your own. Ask one of the bearers to go with you out there." Nathan said.

"Ugh, fine." I groaned.

"Good boy, now i'mma check on baby girl willow, see how her and the little one is doin." Nathan said, as he wheeled over to the house.

Sullivan would transfer the information over to my PDA, and sure enough, here comes the stranger with a dumb looking grin on him.

"Sooo, i heard you need a partner?" Moro asked.

"No." I said flatly.

"Oh come on! I'm a capable bearer! I have a TMP with a laser sight, i can pick locks, have a multitool for picking locks, and a myriad of other skills that would be a great benefit to you!" He offered.

I let out a deep sigh.

"He seems capable to me, and if he tries anything, put a bullet through his skull! Easy and done!" Sullivan said.

Moro would look at me with pleading eyes, as if that last bit flew over his head completely.

I sighed deeply and rubbed my temples.

"Fine...." i groaned.

We would gear up and leave for the void, following the path Sullivan gave us to the abandoned pharmaceutical building, walking along a dirt road in the dark void.

As we walked, i couldn't help but eyeball moro's TMP he had in his holster. The lazer sight kind of....urk'd me so to speak. Papa told me once that flashlight attachments were okay, but laser sights were for novices that can't aim and will give away your position, especially in foggy or misty areas.

"Ya know laser attachments are bad, right?" I commented.

"Oh? How's that?" Moro asked with a tilted head.

"Because, it makes you look like you can't aim, and it gives away your position." I said with aggravation.

"That's because i can't aim!" Moro replied.

"Pardon?" I said flatly.

"I have an eye condition. When i try to focus my sight in my right eye, it blurs, and i can only see the gun. Hence why i have a laser sight on it!" He said with a dorky smile.

Great, I'm stuck with a dork with an eye condition, great! What next? He has IBS or something and has to shit every other hour?? Ughhh! This sucks!

As we advanced closer to the mark on the map, i would catch a flicker of light in the distance....then a few more, as well as distant gun fire.

Other lantern bearers....

Pops told me that seeing other lights in the void could only mean trouble, as marauders and ill willed bearers from other havens taking on jobs while we are.

I would turn down my lantern, and moro did the same, as we hunkered down and crouch walked to some bushes.

Pulling out my binoculars, i would see not just three, but nine bearers frantically shooting at something glowing violet. It was humanoid, but the lighting around it obscured it's features. It would fire shoulder mounted guns at three bearers and they would be impaled by some metallic spikes of sorts that were glowing yellow, as if they were hot. She would then press some sort of device on her arm into one of their stomachs, and their whole backside would explode behind them. The other five would shoot at her, but the bullets would bounce off, one of them landing a few feet from us. She would then zip up to them with inhuman speed and grab one of them by the face, and crushing it into paste. Two were fortunate enough to get away and hide with their lanterns on low, but the other guy had his spine ripped out by the creature.

"Dammit, i can't see what it is! These binoculars can't zoom in that far!" I whispered.

"Oh no...look." moro said, pointing ahead.

Sure enough, the creatures glow would illuminate the building a bit. There was no sign, but inside of it was racks of what looked to be like medicine and a few folded wheelchairs. It's definitely a pharmaceutical building, but how do we get past the glowing thing?

"I can't see anything, aside a violet blob in the distance." Moro said, squinting his eyes.

"That's the creature we have to avoid. On my count, we go to that pile of rubble to our right." I said, pointing at it.

He nodded and waited.

As soon as the creature started to move to the leftmost area, i gestured for moro to move to the rubble.

We would start to gun for it, but was cut off by several yellow hot stakes being shot at us, hitting the ground around us.

The thing spotted us.

"Shit! Run to the building! We can hide better in there!" I shouted, gunning for it.

However, i forgot moro was nearsighted and can't see the building, so he ran to a different direction. The creature would start running towards him.

Upon closer inspection, i came across a startling discovery. She looked similar to mom!

She was a muscular, fit woman about the same height as Yui, had long black hair with two purple streaks on both sides of her head, glowed like Yui but instead of green, it was violet, wore tattered clothes, had two shoulder mouthed rivet guns, and had an arm with a jackhammer where her hand would be. She's just like mom, cept with a jackhammer instead of a drill, and has rivet guns! She was even more fit than mom too, boasting a six pack and toned muscles.

The most bizzare feature was her visor she had over her eyes. Does it help her target victims and let her see in the dark? Mom's can let her see in the dark, i believe.

"RUN! SHE'S GUNNING FOR YOU!!" I screamed.

My artifact detector had been going crazy since we have gotten down here, has to be an artifact of sorts, since there were quite a few anomalies around here, upon closer inspection.

Moro would trip and fall onto the dirt. He'd roll onto his back and see the girl advancing towards him, with the jackhammer starting up. I started shooting at her with my pistol, only for the bullets to bounce off and not phase her.

When she got close, she grabbed him by throat and lift him up. I desperately started shooting at her to no avail.

"STAB HER!!" I screamed.

The idiot grabbed his artifact detector and smack her with it. She looked stunned for a moment and both of our detectors would turn off.

She would gently lower him to the ground and dust him off, and even patted his head gently with a smile.

"......the fucks going on??" We both said in unison.