“What the fuck is that shit?” Sid asked.

“I don’t fucking know.” Winnie asked.

A large creature was stomping towards them. It was huge. At least twenty feet tall. It was holding a large looking mace in both hands. The mace was resting on its shoulder. It was various shades of black and white.

“You know, if I was a betting man; I’d say that is a walking orca. A really big walking orca.” Sid said.

“What do you think it wants?” Winnie asked. The ground trembled with every footfall.

“Don’t know, don’t care. I ain’t going out there.” Sid said.

“I mean we’re probably fine. Orcas are known for not attacking humans.” Winnie continued. “They are the gentle giants of the deep.”

“First off, I’ve always wondered about that.” Sid said. “Do you suppose orcas really never kill humans or are they smart enough to never leave a witness?”

“Oh, shit.”

“Oh, shit; indeed.” Sid agreed. “We, uh, should probably be quieter.”

Winnie simply nodded his head in agreement. They both hunkered down. After a few minutes Sid turned to Winnie. “We should call it a pogre.”

“What?”

“A pogre. You know, porpoise plus orge. A pogre.”

“Jesus Christ, you’re an idiot.

Just then the pogre let out an ear splitting shriek. The two idiots sitting the observation post were momentarily stunned by the sheer power of the scream. Sid wiped some blood from his ear.

“Jesus feckin h Christ. We need to get out of here.”

“What?”

“I said we need to get out of here?”

“What? I can’t hear you.”

“Gawdammint.” Sid just grabbed Winnie by the shoulder, spun him around and started running back to base.

“Oh, shit. Wait for me.”

=======================================================================

“What is that?” Captain Kingsley asked. A roar was reverberating from the surrounding area.

“Captain. Look up.” Shouted a voice.

Hovering in the air were what could only be described as sky whales. Great graceful beasts cavorting in the air.

“Well, that ain’t shit you see everyday.” Captain Kingsley said. “Maybe they are friendly.”

“Yeah, and I got a foot of flightline to sell ya.” Sergeant Napier replied. “Everything in this world seems out to get us now.”

One of the sky whales opened its mouth. A stream of orange something streamed from its mouth. It looked like a swarm of angry bees flowing from a kicked over nest. The cloud descended and began to touch the ground. Everywhere it touched, it exploded. An expanding wave of destruction began to engulf the encampment. A deafening roar accompanied the explosion.

“Ok, that’s pretty fucking cool.” Captain Kingsley said. “Would be better if they were our own.” Captain Kingsley turned to Sergeant Napier. “ We need to go. We can’t last against that firepower. Get the archers to cover our retreat.”

“Where to?” Sergeant Napier asked.

“The only place that seems to provide any hint of safety in this world.” Captain Kingsley replied. “The tree.” Sergeant Napier breathed.

“Precisely.”

Sergeant Napier turned and began shouting orders.

“You lily livered sonsuvbitches. Start firing.”

“You, you and you. Start the boys moving north.”

“Fuck, will you fucks get your heads out your asses and start moving.”

Slowly Sergeant Napier got the troops moving in the right direction. There was no time to gather their gear. The surprise attack was absolute. The archers began firing on the sky whales.

Plang plang plang

Every shot hit an invisible barrier. It pulsed blue around the impact site and faded away.

“Fuuuuuuck. Keep firing you fucks. Fall back in pairs. Keep pressure on those flying motherfucks.”

Explosions continued to rip through the camp. Screams and the smell of roasting flesh began to waft in the air. It was hell on earth. Or since the apocalypse began, it was a Tuesday.