THE LAST GATEKEEPER

The Thing in Crow

            Crow collapsed in the mud with Azlyn still in his arms. Her face was covered in blood and Crow’s spine felt as if it might just shatter into more pieces.

It’s an odd thing, blood, Crow thought to himself. It’s always been so black until today.

Crow’s eyesight blurred as Jack and the others began to approach and he quickly faded into the dream world.

Boris and Joseph approached behind Jack. Weaver was sent to check up on Ellis and Jimmy in the Weapons store. The rain had faded to a mild pressure whilst during the battle it’d been thick and hot. Jack quickened his pace when Crow declined to his knees again and then sped to a sprint when the hunter fell to the mud with Azlyn in his arms.

“Boris, where’ve the Wraiths gone?!” Jack barked while they lifted the two out of the mud.

“I don’t know! They just turned into smoke!” Boris said and picked up Azlyn. They returned to the Weapons store where Ellis had awoken. He had a thick bruise on his left eye and a look of embarrassment as Boris and Jack carried in Crow and Azlyn. They went upstairs and set the two of them down beside Jimmy.

“If we keep going at this rate, we’ll have more wounded than fit.” Jack murmured and brushed a hand through his hair. “Why do you think they left?” He asked Boris and turned to him. “It’s not like they were about to lose or anything, if anything they were winning!”

“I don’t know and I don’t want to find out. I say we take the girl, forget the hunter and go find the survivors. I figure they all went to Duns Ford.” Boris said. Jack was already shaking his head.

“No, no, no, we can’t just leave him here! He’s saved our lives, even if he did bring this thing to us. But who’s to say it wouldn’t have come either way.” Jack said and then glanced back down at Crow. “We owe him our lives.”

“Okay, then we’ll take the Hunter too.” Boris said and looked at Crow as well. There was eeriness to him, unconscious or not.

His cracking and sudden breath shocked both of them and Crow’s eyes flickered open. He uplifted his upper body and a shocked face glared at Jack.

“Crow?” Jack said and then Crow responded with a gag. He couldn’t speak for a moment maybe because of shock.

“It’s in my back!” Crow finally managed to scream and twisted around while pulling up his torso. His bare back was pale at first glance but then Jack saw it. It squirmed within him for only a moment and then vanished.

“Oh my god!” Jack yelled and nearly fell down the narrow stairs again. Crow turned and his face was red and his teeth were clenched.

“CUT IT OUT!” Crow managed under a painful, yet horrifying voice. He drew one of his blades and slid it across the wooden, attic floor. He turned once again and slipped his torso up. Jack grasped the blade and then drew towards his back.

“Where do I cut?!?” Jack asked in a nervous blather with the blade in one hand.

“Where ever the hell it is!” Crow barked and then began to make vomit sounds. A bone breaking sound snapped Crow’s body into a distorted position. Jack saw it move again within him but then it was gone again.

“Boris! Go get Ellis!” He shouted and then Crow’s body cringed again, twisting and moving oddly. “Go now!” He yelled. Crow bent again before Ellis was standing before the Attic, looking in at the thrashing Hunter. “Help him! There’s something inside of him, something in his back!” He shouted and handed Ellis the blade. Boris and Jack braced down his shoulders and Ellis held his hand over Crow’s back. The lump in his back squirmed and when it did Ellis’ hand came down swift onto his back and caught it between two fingers. Crow yelled and had a panicking hasty noise that started as Ellis began to cut into it. The blood rushed out and Jack could see the black thing try to wiggle deeper into Crow’s flesh. Ellis let one hand off his back and snatched the thing out of Crow. It thrashed in the air for a moment and everyone observed it for a moment. It gave no warning before it disintegrated into a balloon of black liquid. Revolted, Boris stood and left the Attic.

Crow was out again. Jack fell back against the wall breathing heavily and wiping his face clean of the liquid.

            “What… What was that?” Ellis asked while doing the same. Jack just shook his head and put the heels of his hands to his face.

            “The girl, she’s hurt bad.” Jack said and pointed indirectly in her direction. Ellis turned on his knees and then climbed to her.

            “She was in my class for a few years, it was a while ago.” Ellis said and took his satchel up. He fished in it after craning Azlyn’s head onto his leg. He lifted her head into the light and from what Jack could see across from the room, she was torn apart. “God, what happened to her out there?” Ellis said in a pitiful tone. “Looks like she was beaten for hours.”

            “One of the Wraiths got hold of her.” Jack said still looking at her from across the room. He had a sudden anxiety.

            “Go and get some air, Jack, I got this.” Ellis said and gave him a look. His brother was right. He left the Attic and went out through the back faster than he’d done to stop the fight this morning and vomited.

            When was the last time I ate something. He thought to himself and then brushed some of his sweat off. “You okay?” Joseph asked from the Backdoor. Jack hesitated, looking at Duns Ford.

            “Why haven’t they come for us yet?” Jack asked. “Why haven’t they sent a posse?” He sighed. “If that Hunter dies, we all die.” All this he said with his back to Joseph.

            “What do we do?” Joseph asked. The rain had stopped but the stormed clouds still hung over the expanse of plains.

            “We go to Duns Ford before they go to Duns Ford.” Jack said and then turned with one hand on the blade hanging from his waist. “Yeah, we go to Duns Ford.” Jack almost told himself as he passed Joseph.