The Wastelands

Ruined City

Heather sniped another zombie before going for another. There were a lot of them, so it wasn't challenging at all. While looking down, she could see them coming closer and closer. "Soon they'll come," she whispered, "Let's make a little more noise shaw we."

She held her hand flat, gathering the wind before closing her palm, and pressed hard. As she opened her palm, a bullet made of a swirling mass of compressed air was formed. She placed it gently with the others, which were lined up neatly in a row.

Heather reloaded her sniper rifle before taking another shot. "Hurry and save that girl, little brother, because if you're going to make a lot of noise doing so, then I'll have to make a lot more." She glanced down at the zombies that kept coming closer. Heather could hear some crawling and groaning a few floors below, and it was getting louder. "I have an audience to please after all," Heather's tone was emotionless, cold as she reloaded and aimed.

Then she heard a screeching sound in the distance. "And the main event is about to start." Heather pulled the trigger.

***

Terran ran after Tyson, and as he was doing so, he manifested his medium. He knocked a zombie with a swing of his stave and caught up to Tyson. Just as he was about to be taken down by a group of zombies. Although he fought like he knew what he was doing, and Terran couldn't help but note…. "He fights like Shadow." He whispered…. At least a watered-down version of it. Quick movement with precise strikes.

In any case, there were too many, and impatience was clearly written on Tyson's face. So Terran moved and protected the other boy's back.

Tyson looked at Terran's weapon in confusion. "Where did you get…."

Terran interrupted, "I will focus on defence, and you take them out."

Tyson nodded in understanding. Heather shot one then another. The remainder They made short work of them. Then Terran stood there silently pondering. "Why is this so easy?" Lilia said the zombie she fought at the outpost was brutal to take down. These zombies, not so much. "Numbers? Maybe? So where did these things come from." A bad feeling washed over Terran. "I don't like this."

"What wrong with you? We need to go." Tyson called out.

Terran whipped his head up. "Yes, your right." Right now, getting to Tessa was more crucial.

They finally got to the building that Tessa was heading toward. Tyson had searched around. "There's no way in! Terran!"

Terran took a step back, looking around, and seeing that a ledge was just out of reach. "Can you reach that if I boost you?"

Tyson stared up for a second, then shook his head. "No, a little too far out of reach."

Finding a crack in the way a little further up. "Maybe…" Running up the wall a little, he slammed his stave into the wall. Making sure it was secure, Terran swung on it before letting go. "I'll boost you now." Bracing himself and holding his hands out

"Nice." Tyson placed his foot in Terran hands, and Terran threw the other boy. Tyson grabbed the stave and pulled himself up. A couple of seconds later, he was safely over the edge. "Give me a sec…." Suddenly a female scream echoed. "Tessa! Sorry, man, I'll have to go."

Terran called out. "Wait, don't rush out…." Tyson ran off again. "Alone." He sighed. Although he didn't blame the boy, he too felt the sense of urgency, but it was reckless to go into an unknown situation alone. The Ruined City was a scavenging zone for students, but one must keep an eye out for bandits. "Well, at least there's no more Zombies around." Looking up where Tyson disappeared at. "But I can't get up there without help." His body weight was a bit too much. His bones, especially, were a lot denser than normal humans. So he uses his ability to compensate for his lack of mobility.

'Good thing I'm a Lumeye.'

Placing his hand on the ground, Terran's eyes glowed, and roots broke from the survive and rose up the wall, making a nice ladder. Climbing up, he passed his stave. It disappeared and reappeared in his hand after he pulled himself up into the opening.

Now where to go, but Terran didn't need to look long because he could hear the sound of fighting not too far away… then gunshots. "Damn," he cursed. "That's not Heather's shooting."

Terran ran, and what met his eyes was Tyson fighting with Conner of all people, and Tessa curled up in a corner, bleeding. Terran's priorities were clear, and he rushed over to help Tessa. "Tessa, Tessa, can you hear me?" Checking her pause, Terran sighed in relief as he found a pulse, I-be-it a weak one, but it was still there. However, he doesn't like the look of her eyes. "Might go into shock." And the wounds. A gunshot in the shoulder and one in the leg. The latter was especially worrisome. So much blood. If Terran doesn't do something soon, then she'll bleed out. "Tessa!" Shaking her, trying to get a response.

"Mmm," Tessa mumbled. "I'm sorry, so sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Quickly he tore some cloth from his clothes, "Sorry Sil, I need this." Placing the falcon gently next to him as he tore up the pouch the bird was sleeping in and wrapped up the wounds as best he can.

"My fault, everything's my fault," Tears dripping from her eyes.

"Everything is going to be okay, so don't worry about it." Terran reasuredTerran placed his hands just above her leg and the other at her shoulder and closed his eyes. He hissed; he was right. The gunshot wound had torn up her leg so much, but the shoulder wound wasn't much better. His healing ability alone won't be enough.

Suddenly a crashing sound made him open his eyes to find Tyson getting flipped into the wall. "Geeze, you people." Conner was pissed, putting his gun at Tyson, then pulled the trigger, then nothing. He laughed. "Just my luck." He threw the gun to the side. "That bitch left me behind, I happen to walk into Zombies of all things, and the one gun I managed to steal, and it's a piece of crap." He took Tyson's rifle, and looked it over, and nodded. "This one will do. Now, who will I shoot first."

Terran stopped healing Tessa's shoulder to slowly place his stave on the other side of the girl's body. Conner turned at the sound and squinted. "What's your name again, Terran, right? Wow, what the hell happened to you."

"I was about to ask the same thing? Wasn't your leg injured?" Terran stated. He didn't think Conner was faking; Terran did see how cut-up his leg was. Terran just wanted to keep Conner talking.

"You mean this?" Conner tapped his injured leg. "Had worse! But I'm more interested in you seemed to be full of surprises. Explains a lot, though." Suddenly he began to shoot, and Terran activated a stone wall to block his stave, but it was only high enough to secure both of their bodies. Conner laughed. "Really, that's all you got? You think that will stop me? Do you know how long I've waited?" Smirking. "And she kept running away from me, so I shot her in the leg for good measure." He sighed. "Even though they wanted her alive, I don't think it's possible anymore." Conner tsched, mockingly. "Oh… well!"

'Asshole,' Terran silently cursed, but could only watch as his stone wall moved to incase both Terran and Tessa. Although it was way too slow as Conner raised his rifle.

Suddenly something flew at Conner's face, "Get this thing off me! Get it off," he screamed, but all you could see were wings and feathers as he stepped back, trying to protect his face. Then Tyson came from behind and took out Conner's feet, making him fall backwards out of a window.

Sil crutched onto the windowsill and preened his feather. Like he never fell from the sky in the first place. Relieved, Terran let go of the stone, exhaustion almost overtaking him, but he couldn't allow himself to stop healing Tessa. He just couldn't.

"What are you doing to Tessa?" Tyson grabbing onto Terran's arm. "Stop! I said stop!"

Terran shook him off. "I am trying to save Tessa's life." Glaring at Tyson. "So let me work?"

Tyson stood there for a second, then he just slumped to the ground, holding his head. "I don't know what's going on anymore." Looking up at Terran. "I don't care what you are. Just save he, please?"

Terran was conflicted about what to say to the other boy. "She needs someone to talk, to keep her awake."

Tyson perked up. "!...."

Then Sil flapped his wings in startlement when a hand suddenly grabbed the windowsill. Terran tensed, wondering if Conner would come back, but sighed in relief when Captain Terrance popped his head in. With one look, he assessed the area. "Mr. Green is Miss. Castie good enough to move?"

"Captain I…."

"Not now, Mr. Franklin. We need to leave." Captain Terrance interrupted. "Mr. Green."

"She's healed enough to move," Terran confirmed as he took his hand away.

"Good."

"May I ask, sir. Why the hurry?" Terran asked.

"Your sister's implementing the plan early, and we need to leave the area right away," The Captain answered. "Geeze, has she lost her mind or what?"

Terran could only say one thing. "Probably." As a screeching sound filled up the sky.

***

Heather was humming underneath her breath. As she could hear, the Zombies were pretty much at her front door. But her attention was on the Turkey Vulture Protector was cycling her building. "See how I brought so many yummy Zombie distortions ripe for the picking," Heather called out. "You must have been going crazy trying to get to them, huh?"

She heard something smashed through her barricade, but she ignored it. "Hear's a little incentive." She aimed at the bird and fired. Her intention was to maim. Nothing could harm a Protector but to get its attention.

It reacted, just as expected, with a screech as it climbed into the sky, ready to pounce. Heather got up from her prone position and let go of her sniper. Although it didn't fall to the ground, it just floated beside Heather, unaided. "Time to go." Then Heather jumped out just as the Turkey Vulture swooped down, with talons out.

The whole building collapsed behind her with a bang, and Heather kept on hmming as she flew away.