The rings, as they were commonly referred to, was a bit of a misnomer. To start with they weren't circular except in the broadest sense of things. Making the name even less accurate, each ring moving away from the tower got progressively less uniform. In the early days scouts simply needed a convenient and easy way to designate areas that have already been looted, compared to sections that might still contain something valuable to the residents.

Within the first ring you would find roughly three blocks of buildings that had already been searched thoroughly. Some of those city blocks included high rise apartments, office buildings, and several parking garages. At first the inhabitants of Skytop thought they would be able to clear these buildings quickly. What they didn't expect was to find many of them had become self contained ecosystems.

When you have a building over twenty stories in height, and no one to maintain it, things can quickly get out of hand. Vines, grass, and even in some cases small trees had overtaken the first several floors. It was even worse if the buildings had any underground section, these were perfectly acceptable replacements for caves in an urban environment. Just the first ring alone took years for the early teams to clear.

Glen was beginning to grow tired as the day steadily ticked away, hours after the run in with the bear the group had finally made it to the fourth ring. They had been walking almost non-stop all day. Even after all the food they ate, every party member was showing signs of their energy flagging.

“I know we are wanting to clear the tunnel and finish up as soon as possible, but if we keep pushing without rest we’re just going to be welcoming unnecessary risk.”

Everyone heard Glens statement, and not a single person was going to argue with it. They all understood the danger involved in this exploration mission. Tunnel systems were a problem for the city because you never knew which buildings they connected under the surface, or what lay in they're depths.

Neither team wanted to be caught out and exhausted if they did find anything lurking inside. It was expected that an aberrant had taken up residence, but it wasn't uncommon for rampant to sleep in docile hive like groups.

Liz took charge pulling the teams together and asked, “How close are we to the entrance?”

Pirah looked around and took in the surroundings, “Based on the landmarks I recognize, we should be within visual distance to the entrance of the tunnel in about the twenty to thirty minutes. If we keep at our current pace we'll arrive well before dark.”

“Ok, let's press on. We can setup a camp nearby and observe the entrance overnight. Before the sun comes up we can head in and take a look around before those noisy bastards start waking up.” Liz issued her order and everyone agreed.

Jordan was in charge of Specter’s tactical decisions when on a mission. While walking on towards the entrance she addressed the group as a whole, “There are many lower buildings in this area than we're used to working with. When we get closer I'd love to try and find a three or four story vantage point to make camp. It was give us a more defensible position and better sight lines.”

It was a perfectly sensible plan, as such everyone kept their eyes up for a structure that would suit there needs. They closed the short distance just as Pirah had predicted in about twenty-eight minutes time. The entrance was shrouded in darkness but still just barely visible roughly three hundred feet from them down the block. At this point they drew closer together and began to move with more measured intent.

Bryan stopped the group and pointed out a nearby four level parking garage. It was a bit closer then they wanted to be, but still over two hundred feet from the entrance easily. He zeroed in on the third floor before saying, “There is where we make camp for the night. We have the high ground, we have good coverage, and it's far enough away from the hole that nothing should wander in to our camp by chance.”

“Are you sure about that?” Glen asked, “The light from our camp fire may be visible up there. You don't want to look for somewhere higher or more tucked away?”

Liz cut in with a bit more composure than she has showed earlier in the day, “It looks like this rookie still has a lot to learn. Don't worry little brother, us veterans will take you under our wings. We might make a real scout out of you if we have a few more missions together.” Sharing the situation with Glen earlier had eased the burden on her mind, and both teams could see the benefit already.

It was Miles that explained to the confused looking Glen, “There is wreckage everywhere from the old world transportation, right? Those vehicles might not move anybody, but they're still useful. I’ll show you when we're setting up.”

Not used to being talked to like he was back in training, Glen began to feel like he had lost what little control of this mission that had belonged to him. He took a moment to still his mind and stop overthinking it. He was surrounded by seniors and friends that had his best interest at heart.

“Thank you for being willing to teach both me and my team. Who knows, something I learn today might save my life one day. I appreciate it.”

With that the conversation ended for the time being, and the group got moving towards the camp site they had selected. So far away from home they had no way of knowing which buildings were clear, however they managed to climb the floors without incident. They arrived where they would set up just as the sun was beginning to set.

The light in the sky was coming to an end, they had to work quickly before they found themselves in total darkness. Lucky for the group, wood was more than plentiful these days. They were able to grab a large amount of wood for the fire on their way to the building, and even more as they climbed. This structure was one that had been reclaimed by the earth after two centuries without use.

Just as Miles said he would, he pulled everyone together to demonstrate how to use the interior of a ruined car as a fire pit. With a little effort they had found a vehicle that still had most of its glass intact. By shrouding the glass with crushed vegetation and dirt, they were able to keep the majority of the light hidden from an outside view. Just as an extra precaution they made sure that the car they used was closer to the inside of the building rather than on the more visible outer edge.

With their fire lit they had light and warmth for the night, now came the fun part. They had to settle in and wait. The one thing every explorer enjoyed the most, hours of watching and waiting for nothing to happen. Honestly though, that was the preferred outcome. An uneventful night meant everyone made it home safe.

***************************************

Both teams appointed a single person to start their watch for the night and began to wind down. They had another early morning coming, it was paramount to their success that everyone got to sleep as soon as possible. After a long day of marching it didn't take long before everyone passed out.

Douglas and Liz were picked for first watch. She was pretty sure this was a joke the teams had come together to play on her. No one was going to hear her complain though, with them on different teams they were rarely off at the same time. She didn't know when she would get another chance to speak with him alone.

Between the two of them there had always been a tentative connection. Glen and Douglas were best friends growing up in the tower, with very little space to do anything adventurous as kids often tried to do. They had attempted to talk her in to helping them sneak out on more than one occasion. Who would be that irresponsible and dumb though. No one deserving of being a scout, that's for sure.

Lost deep in her thoughts, time faded away and hours passed quickly through the night. It took her a moment to realize that Douglas had been steadily making his way over to her skirting the perimeter. They had been stationed a bit apart for maximum coverage, but the city seemed dead tonight.

“You know Elizabeth, I've been trying to talk with you all day. You haven't exactly made it easy. A guy could get the idea you don't fancy him anymore.” Douglas started the conversation with a joke and a light smile despite where they found themselves.

“You know Doug, I hate when you call me by my full name. I swear you do it just to get a rise out of me.”

“Oh I do, I really really do. Isn't it just the best. Doesn’t this just take you back to the old times. You and me sharing the view from our little window of the world. Are you ever going to be comfortable telling your brother about us?”

It was frowned upon for scouts to see each other. The problem was, it was so common the rule was more of a guideline. A guideline that was completely ignored by the majority of the greenmen in the tower.

Who else could they talk with that would understand how they saw the world? While most people watched the world through a plane of glass from a far, the scouts lived in it. They put their life on the line each and every time they went out to preserve the way of life for the residence of Skytop.

“There is no “us” Douglas. You know that. We have our banter and our fun, but that’s where it ends. I was raised by the same father as Glen that taught us to respect the rules. Respecting the rules is how we all survive out here.”

“Liz we’re not children anymore. Every day is a blessing, I know that. Nothing is promised. Doing what we do, I don't know how many more times I'll make it home. I want to spend the time that we do have getting to know you better.”

She started to reply when movement caught her eye in the distance. “We’re going to have to put this conversation on hold. Do you see what I'm seeing?” she said pointing at a group of what appeared to be nine rampant moving in the distance. They were barely visible in the low light, but they appeared to be dragging something large in the center of them.

Whatever it was, it was taking eight of them with their combined strength to lift it. The night just got significantly more interesting. The ninth rampant moving with the group seemed to be acting oddly. Focusing on it Liz began to realize though despite it being human shaped, the proportions were wrong.

The creature came to be much taller and lankier than she originally thought as it drew closer to the tunnel entrance. It's arms and legs were at least time and a half longer than they should have been. The abberant’s torso was so long it looked as if it had been grabbed on either end and stretched. She could see sharped claw like nails extending from each hand.

From a distance she didn't realize that is had been hunched over, seemingly alternating between walking on it's legs and it’s knuckles. Liz realized this was probably the aberrant Glen's team had spotted before.

“Hey go wake everyone, I don't think we're going to be waiting for morning.” She instructed Douglas. For once he didn't put up an argument, his eyes were wide taking in the bizarre spectacle.

Rampant were mindless for the most part, but not the leader of this little group. She could tell he was actively scanning the area. His head was constantly moving from building to building, looking for anything near them that stood out. It was only by chance that she spotted them first and was able to dip back in to the shadows using her cloak to mask her movement.

She watched as the group made their way in to the tunnel entrance. The creature they had brought back had a massive frame, it was too large to simply squeeze through the door. The situation kept getting worse the longer she watched.

The rampant began to hit and kick the still form of the downed animal to force it through. She thought it was dead, but it must not have been as she saw it begin twitching from the blows. This was the single most brutal display of violence she had seen these monsters commit.

Whatever the hell was going on down there, they needed to know. It was not right, monsters like these should not exist in the world. Her mission changed in that moment. They would stop whatever horror show existed beneath the surface.