Page 109 of Wrath

Z

Iran out of the tent to see absolute fucking chaos.

“How the fuck did this happen?” I asked Stefan as I grabbed my sword off my back.

Fuck, I wished I had a gun, but they were rare and hard to come by. We reserved our few guns for those who trained with them extensively.

“They killed all of our sentries. By the time anyone could sound the alarm, they were already in camp.” The human’s eyes were wide with fear.

Everywhere I looked, I saw ghouls fighting against nightmares and humans alike.

Ghouls were hideous creatures, with papery skin tugged tight over emaciated bodies. Wisps of graying hair erupted from the top of the creatures’ heads. They had glowing red eyes and serrated teeth the size of my hand.

If you got too close, they would use those teeth to rip you to shreds.

And they were here.

In camp.

Attacking my people.

Anger reverberated through me, but I knew I needed to keep a sound mind. They needed a leader, not a warrior consumed with thoughts of battle.

I turned towards Stefan, only to see that Jolene and Mali had both joined him.

“Jolene, Mali.” I nodded at the two women. “Go to the school. Make sure there are adequate defenses protecting the children. If not?—”

“We’ll do what we need to do,” Mali assured me, already taking off at a run, her vampire speed allowing her to blur with the scenery.

Jolene nodded once and then hurried after her.

“Stefan, gather our forces. Take the south side. It isn’t about protecting our camp but about getting as many of us away from here as possible.”

Shock widened his eyes. “We’re abandoning our camp?”

“We don’t have a choice,” I said. “Aaliyah knows where we are. It’s not safe.”

Stefan looked as if he wanted to argue but decided against it. Without another word—and only a single longing glance in my direction that I ignored—he hurried in the direction I’d indicated.

All we could do now was fight the first wave of attackers and abandon camp before the second wave arrived.

I didn’t like running—it went against my very nature to do that—but sometimes, we didn’t have a choice. There were too many innocents here for me to feel comfortable starting an entire war. And if we sent the innocents away and left all our able-bodied warriors to fight, then they would be unprotected. However, if we sent them with our warriors, then this battle would be over in seconds, and those who stayed behind would be nothing but a sacrifice.

I couldn’t let that happen.

Iwouldn’t.

The day was thick with smoke and the bitter tang of blood. Screams cut through the air, sharp and desperate, as the ghouls poured over our camp like a flood of darkness.

I didn’t have time to think, only to act. I already held my sword, its cold steel comforting in the chaos. The firelight flickered, casting twisted shadows over the tents as the creatures clawed their way through, their eyes burning with hunger.

With a roar, I charged into battle, swinging my sword at the approaching enemies with ruthless determination and single-minded focus.

A ghoul rushed at me, its red eyes burning like polished garnet stones, but I stealthily ducked out of the way and then popped up behind it. The sword caught in the fleshy part of the creature’s neck, and I watched with only a modicum of satisfaction as the head rolled in the opposite direction of its body.

There was no time to revel in the kill. More were coming—always more.

Another ghoul lunged at me, its claws slashing through the air. I sidestepped, raising my sword just in time to block its attack. It snarled, its breath foul, and I could smell the rot on its skin. I shoved it back with all my strength, hearing the sickening squelch as its body hit the dirt.

---