Pyrrha: A New Beginning

Episode 5: The Calm Before The Storm?

When Pyrrha and Johnson came strolling back into the campsite arm in arm they were shocked to see the entire population of the camp was gathered outside of the farmhouse. They decided to waste no time in rushing to the top of the gentle hill, their feet pounding the large puddles as they went.

The crowd had burst into a murmur.

Glaster was standing on the porch like some kind of preacher, trying to console the crowd.

"We mustn't be afraid, people!" He shouted. "We've all made it this far!"

Johnson and Pyrrha tried to push their way through the crowd, but finding it was impossible Pyrrha grabbed the first person she saw by the shoulder.

"What's going on?" She asked with a concerned expression. The elderly Stranded shook his head.

"Glaster's just told us the situation." He said evenly. Johnson and Pyrrha listened in. The old man folded his arms and took a drag of his pipe.

"The Lambent have a presence in every settlement nearby. Basically if we were going to leave, we wouldn't make it far before we had a run-in, and let me tell you those are fatal."

"Wait." Pyrrha said sheepishly, had she heard right? "Leave? Why would we leave?"

"Razorhail, darlin'." The old man said. "This storm will brew up and spit out Razorhail."

"What on Earth is Razorhail?" Pyrrha asked, looking at the sky. Johnson raked his hands through his short hair.

"Are you sure?" He said with genuine fear in his tone. Pyrrha couldn't believe it. Her brow furrowed as she took a hold of his head and forced him to look her in the eye.

"What's going on? What is he talking about?" She said so she could be heard over the agitated din the crowd was making.

Johnson averted his eyes.

"Razorhail." He said to the floor. "It's a hail storm, only sharp. It cuts through everything. Skin and bone like tissue paper."

Pyrrha couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"So we're surrounded by Lambent and we can't leave because..." Pyrrha's words were ripped from her mouth by the grief in her tone.

"Because... Of somestorm!?" She shouted, tears welling in her eyes. The old man nodded. Johnson instinctively held Pyrrha, letting her bury her face into the comfort of his shoulder.

"Why do we need to go to a settlement? It'll only make things worse. We have tents, we can set up in the wilderness." Johnson said, clearly alarmed. The old man spun around and held his hands up at the campsite.

"Do you see these tents all packed up?" He said. "Either do I. The reason being is because that Razorhail will rip through them no matter where we decide to put 'em."

Johnson turned to the farmhouse, still consoling Pyrrha.

"So what's the plan?" Johnson said, not wanting to hear the answer. The old man took another puff of his pipe.

"That's what Glaster can't figure out." The old man said evenly.

The clouds rumbled like a hungry god and the rain got just a little heavier. It wasn't by much, but to Johnson, it was more than enough to send his heart racing.

The crowd were still shouting ruefully at Glaster.

"We could go in the Raven!" A man shouted, pointing at the King Raven helicopter in the field nearby.

Glaster shook his head. "Its impossible! There's not enough seats for all of us!" He shouted, trying to sound reassuring.

"Then do more than one trip!" A woman shouted, holding her baby close, making sure it was in plain sight. "If we leave now, we'll make it!"