"Oh thank god." I say, releasing a small sigh as Jenny helps me back up.
Looking around at the first inferno, Jenny gives me a nervous look.
"We gotta go. The fire's closing in. The rest of them made it back and are holding out against the rest of the horde who are escaping out of the field, funneling into the village."
I wince as I nod, the adrenaline wearing off and the pain starting to set back in.
"You look horrible." She says, glancing down at my appearance.
I don't respond. Instead I shift my sword hand, deciding to use my left hand instead of my injured right.
Looking up, all I am able see is fire and corpses.
"Where are we supposed to go?"
Even now, the fire encroaches on our position, burning the bodies of the infected as it inches forward.
"We gotta go back through the cut down stalks to where we were fighting before and hopefully outrun or outmaneuver the fire. That's how I got here and that's how we're gonna get back." She says, already moving dangerously close to the fire.
Yet, as I am about to voice my concerns, I feel something. Something distinctly different from the unbearable heat. Something cold. Something wet.
Looking up, I spot grey clouds blocking out of the moon.
"Rain?"
I look back down at Jenny who seems just as mesmerized.
"Where did those rain clouds come from?" She mutters, staring at the sky.
My mind races with ideas and theories. Most concluding to the fact that I was being helped. That must be it. There was no way these clouds were natural, I would have seen them coming in earlier today.
Around me, the breeze seems to stop, and the rain continues to fall.
"This is all so strange." Jenny continues, "This feels so unnatural."
I take a deep breathe. I don't know what to tell her. Should I tell her anything at all?
The fire hisses violently as the rain comes crashing down.
The roar of the inferno beginning to dull as steam pours into the air in thick white clouds.
Burning stalks begin to wilt under the downpour, embers beginning to blink out like dying stars.
Jenny stands still, her eyes lifted, and her soaked hair clinging to her face.
I look around, watching as the fire extinguishes.
Jenny slowly lowers her gaze from the sky, her lips parted as if to speak—but no words come.
Instead, we both hear it.
A thud.
Heavy. Rhythmic. Like footsteps from something huge.
Fear fills my heart once again.
That fucker is back.
I spin around, my right arm flailing uselessly as I continue to tightly grip my weapon with my left.
I scan above the grass, but the thick steam and smoke choke my vision.
"I can't see shit!" I shout, trying to ready myself.
Still, a deep fear claws at me as the sound of something massive moves through the scorched earth.
Then it roars, a sound so loud, so inhuman, it feels like it tears through the air and slam into my chest.
My ears ring. My bones shake.
I grip my sword tighter, raising it in front of me as if that might make a difference.
Beside me, Jenny flinches, her face tightening in discomfort.
The creature keeps coming. Each step landing heavier than the last, the earth almost groaning beneath it.
Even Jenny's hand trembles now, her cleaver quivering slightly at her side.
From the veil of fire and steam, a large silhouette seems to appear.
"If we want to run, I think now's the time." I tell her, backing away from the wall of extinguishing fire.
She releases a sort of helpless chuckle.
"Run? The fire hasn't extinguished yet, nor do I think that we can outrun that thing."
The silhouette steps out, revealing itself fully at last.
It's no doubt the same creature as before. Massive. Mishaped. Its skin is scorched, patches of blackened flesh peeling from the heat. Fire clings to its shoulders and back, flickering hungrily despite the falling rain. Every step leaves behind hissing steam as the wet ground reacts to the heat pouring off its body.
Jenny grips her cleaver with both hands, calming her breathing and raising her weapon in front of her.
"It's on fire." She says, her voice low.
"I can see that." I reply, not taking my eyes off of it.
Its eyes burn faintly in the dark, small glowing embers set deep in a face that looks half-melted, half-rotted. It lets out a low snarl—no words, just raw sound—and steam jets from its cracked lips with every breath.
It pauses a few feet in front us, its jaw agape as if it was trying to smile.
It knows that we fear it. It is mocking us, amused by our actions and faked confidence.
The creature makes eye contact with me, tilting his head. It remembers me.
It licks its large yellow teeth, dropping onto all fours like some sort of primate. The fire still dances across its back, droplets of rain hissing as they strike its burning skin.
Then it moves.
Fast.
It launches forward like a beast, steam and mud blasting up in its wake.
Jenny darts left without hesitation, leaving me alone in the monsters path.
I dive right, slamming into wet mud and broken stalks.
Behind me, the creature shrieks, driving its arms into the ground to halt itself.
It whips around fast, super fast and charges at me once again.
I scramble up, shrugging off my backpack and quiver. I definitely won't need them now.
How the fuck am I supposed to fight this guy?
Gripping my sword with both hands, I brace myself, my right arm screaming in pain.
The creature raises a massive fist, aiming to crush my chest.
I drop low and slide beneath the blow, mud spraying as I pass under it.
I drag my sword upward as I go, but its flesh is too slick, its muscles too thick. My weapon barely leaves a mark.