"THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! THEY ARE FUCKING EVERYWHERE!"

"ANYONE THAT CAN HEAL STAY IN THE MIDDLE, EVERYONE ELSE STAY SHOULDER TO SHOULDER! DO NOT FUCKING RUN!" Steve's voice trembled and did sod all to fill me with confidence.

An endless swarm of Skull Wearer monsters of various sizes, poured in from the surroundings, circling and hissing aggressive challenges at the frightened bunch of meatbags standing shoulder to shoulder

Disturbing, sloppy eating noises emanated from where they smothered both the corpses of our fallen and the corpse of the nesting monstrosity we had just brought down.

They were greedily picking it all clean, like starving piranhas.

There were 20 people left, I think..We were all exhausted and had used up most of our healing tonics; I wasn't sure how long the healers would be able to keep up let alone if they had any energy left to do a single heal.

On that thought, a large creature dashed forward, aiming for a short man with a drill, and dozens of emboldened smaller ones followed. He screamed as he jabbed out with the drill, grazing the large attacker in the face, forcing it to recoil and retreat, screeching out spider expletives.

People yelped as they kicked and swiped at the remaining smaller ones until they managed to force them into retreating, realising they had lost their larger champion.

"STEVE! WE ARE GOING TO DIE IF WE TRY AND FIGHT THEM!" I yelled over the din of screeches and people shouting at each other to stay in the circle and not give any ground.

The only reason we hadn't been swarmed yet seemed to be because we were in a large crowd and even the largest of the creatures were mostly hesitant. but judging at how much shouting was going on at each other, including the fearful crying and constant screams, we were barely holding it together as it was.

"DONNIE WAIT! NO! STOP!"

One person bottled it and tried to run off. He made it 5 metres, smacking two spiders with his hammer before getting pulled down as dozens of the monsters ripped chunks of flesh off him.

"NO WAIT-NO DONNIE! SHIT! SHIT! THIS IS FUCKED! WE'RE FUCKED!"

It wasn't a quick death and the screaming and flailing attracted more of the horde as they all fought to get a piece of the guy.

As grim as it was, I looked back at the pump house and noticed that this had created an opening for us.

The larger monsters scrambled over its siblings to fight over screaming Donnie, and only the smaller ones were left nervously chittering and darting about, trying to stay close to each other for safety.

"WE NEED TO MOVE BACK TO THE WELL BUILDING! THERE'S LESS OF THEM THERE! WE CAN BREAK THROUGH IF WE GO NOW!" I looked to my side at Tanner, who nodded at me with his teeth clenched.

"EVERYONE FOLLOW ME AND GODU! I'M NOT FUCKING DYING TODAY!" Tanner roared out as he started to glow red.

"ARGH MY LEG!" Someone cried out behind us.

FOR FUCK SAKES!

"WAIT TANNER PLEASE!" Sylvie's pleading cry was barely audible.

But it was either too late for him to stop, or he didn't hear her.

He charged forward into the 15-deep row of smaller, skull-headed spiders; trampling on their claws, kicking and running over their dirty, bloodstained heads.

I hesitated as I looked back at faces full of fear and panic..but I couldn't risk staying behind any longer; Tanner was already a few metres ahead and I had to move NOW.

Sprinting forward, I followed a path that was littered with wounded or dead rat-sized monsters. As I closed the gap, I could hear people behind me screaming and shouting at each other as they started to follow.

"I'M FUCKING FOLLOWING THEM COMON!"

"STOP! WAIT FOR RINE!"

"MOVE IT YOU STUPID PRICK!"

The clear path was rapidly shrinking, so my shields snapped round to cover either side of my waist and started to sucker punch any limb or jaw that came within range.

The cretins were eager to eat their own kind; seeing a free easy meal was simply too irresistible for them.

We arrived at the doorway; I booted a cat-sized skull wearer that strayed into my path and then instinctively shoulder charged forward towards Tanner.

Which was incredibly lucky, because a much larger one jumped out of the brush into the air, aiming for Tanner's head, but instead I slammed back into the bushes.

Tanner blurred past me and domed another hungry aggressor that was charging from behind just as I made it to the doorway.

I spun around and was mortified to see that there were 5 people that had barely moved including Steve and Sylvie.

Steve was swinging and stabbing frantically, protecting Sylvie, who was helping one of the other healers hobble along; their leg was bloodied and gushing blood.

The rest of the group were coming in fast and I saw the shield woman covering one side, bashing her way through and the other side being protected by a guy skillfully skewering with a rapid drill.

Triya was in the middle of them and Xno was hovering around her taking careful shots at specific targets.

A woman at the back of Triya's group tripped up and smashed her face into the ground hard. She groggily raised her head up, dazed, and I watched the look of confusion turn into pure fear as she was dragged away by her feet toward the swarming crowd.

In the last few moments she started clawing at the ground and screaming before she was engulfed by endless legs and teeth.

Her screams stopped quickly.

Tanner neatly connected his hammer into another larger skull wearer and I kicked the head of a smaller one that had tried to bite at my ankles. He followed up with quick overhead strikes on both, using the spike who put them down for good.

I looked back up as the larger main group reached us and shouted at them to help protect the entrance.

Most of them ran inside, including Triya, leaving me staring at the door, mouth open with a 'seriously wtf guys?' look..soo not sure if I was not fucking clear enough with my request for help? But at least the shield woman stayed with us to help defend the doorway.

Why didn't we fucking just go to the building in the first place! This has gone to complete shit!

I wanted to cry with frustration, but there was no time for any of that.

Snapping back to the smaller group, they were now halfway, but were down to 4 people.

Steve wasn't there.

NO! DON'T DO THIS TO ME STEVE!

I looked past them in panic and saw Steve had fallen and was wrestling on the ground with glowing chains wrapped around his arms as he kept trying to push off several larger skull wearers.

The swarm was swiftly becoming denser.

"STEVE! GET UP! PLEASE!" I cried out, gritting my teeth and took a step forward.

It was unrealistic to think I could save him; I knew this, but it was hard seeing him being brutally outnumbered and not trying anything.

But it was too late.

The last thing I saw of Steve was him stabbing one of the bastards in the head with a glowing spike, and then he was gone.. Buried under the mass of abominations.

It didn't feel real, yet my heart sank like a sack of shit.

I hadn't known Steve for long, but he felt like a true friend, and he had grown on me heavily.

I glanced at the remaining people, struggling to break through.

Don't think, just act.

I recycled my sadness into anger as I stormed towards Sylvie and shoulder charged another, larger one attempting to attack them, but using my knee rather than my shoulder to smash the vile piece of crap back into the crowd.

I grabbed the other arm of the person she was helping hobble along, and powered towards the door, glancing back to look out for attacks.

The other two were defending the rear, back peddling. One was swinging a spear frantically and the other was the slingshot teenager who was firing handfuls of small rocks from his advanced slingshot.

Keep it up kid! just a few more seconds!

The swarm collectively screeched and started to rush forward the remaining stragglers, now that the biggest ones had returned from their feast, the swarm become braver.

This prompted Tanner to rush out and he just managed to barely save the slingshot kid's life by home running one of the largest, trying to blindside the boy.

I chucked Sylvie and the passenger into the doorway and spun round to make sure Tanner or the others didn't get snowed under.

The final two ran past as I saw Tanner had fallen and was on the ground with the bar of his weapon pressed up against the face and jaw of the largest skull wearer, which was angrily trying to gnash through.

All around him the smaller ones were greedily biting his clothes, face and skin.

COME ON TANNER YOU CAN DO IT!

I heard the slingshot boy curse and I side-eyed him holding up his slingshot and shouting.

"COME ONNNNN!! JUST ONE FFFFFFUCKING MORE!!" The boy gritted his teeth as he pulled back, the string that was flickering on and off, glowing, like an incandescent light bulb on its way out.

Tanner's grip slipped on his weapon, leaving only one hand holding back the creature bearing down on him.

"TRIYA! SOMEONE! HELP!" I cried out as I moved forward, but to my utter disappointment I failed to summon the strength to shoulder charge. I just didn't have it left in me.

I summoned every last ounce of strength I had..but there was nothing at all left.

No! Please! Just one more! Just something! ANYTHING!

In response, my shields shuddered and reluctantly collapsed into my back and I fell onto one knee as Tanner became engulfed by the swarming mass.

My eyes started to mist up as I heard his screams of pain.

I'm completely battered… I'm sorry Tanner!

"ARGH!"

The shield woman charged forward and roared as she ploughed into one side, clearing enough for me to see Tanner's bloodied arm still holding the sledgehammer with his other hand thrashing into jaws and legs.

*BRRZT. BRRZT.*

Xno's projectiles sprayed into the crowd and the monsters scrambled to get away from the danger, hissing and screeching in pain from the larger projectiles.

A single pyramid projectile whistled and struck the large creature that was pinning Tanner down, square in its head.

It pierced the skull and blasted out a gooey bloody spray out the back of it.

He let one hand go of the sledgehammer and put it up behind his head, seemingly reaching out for someone.

Time seemed to freeze as I stared at his hand.

The monsters were all frozen with their mouths gaping, saliva stringing through the air.

The shield woman's thin face, sharp nose, bright blue eyes and braided sandy blonde hair mid-twirl, smashing faces in a wide arc.

Several prismatic coloured projectiles paused in the air mid glide towards their targets.

The world took on an overly vibrant punchy colour palette that felt like I was looking at a renaissance painting that used impossibly accurate colours.

I felt a slither of energy regenerate and I growled as I put it all into one last push.

Everything violently crashed back to normal speed as I burst forward, grabbed his hand, and, using that final single drop of strength, yanked him out and carried on dragging him towards the door.

The shield woman caught up to us and spun round to shield bash some unhappy diners that were screeching inhuman expletives, extremely pissed off that I'd taken their meal away, before grabbing Tanner's foot and we lifted him up and fell through the doorway.

The door slammed shut behind us as Xno activated his spotlights, sounding off repeating synth-growls, aiming at the three screeching, crawling bastards that had managed to get in with us.

I couldn't move a muscle, but several hands dragged me and Tanner to the corner and people were shouting, running forward to fight.

The short glimpse I managed showed them the size of huge rats, and I heard splatters and wet smacks as they were beaten to a pulp in mere seconds, only managing to inflict a bite on one person's leg.

A thin sliver of sunlight burst into the room as the door was briefly pushed open by a large screaming skull wearer. Two people ran to reinforce the door, with one person stabbing the monster in the face, forcing it to retreat.

Several whimpering people desperately held the door as it quivered, threatening to smash open, until Triya ran up cursing and used the bolts, successfully securing it.

The sound coming from the door was intimidating, as hundreds of small legs tapped, thudded and scratched, like large hailstones on a tin roof, trying to find a way to get themselves in.

If hailstones screeched and had nasty rows of teeth, that is.

Tanner dropped his sledgehammer with a small clang and stopped moving.

"TANN-" I struggled to catch my breath.

Everyone was either panting or sobbing hysterically.

"TANNER-NEEDS-HEALING!" I managed to push out loudly between gulps of air. My body was overloaded with lactic acid and every single muscle was cramping and aching, causing mild spasms that rippled through my body.

I strained to look around and between people's legs I spotted Sylvie lying face down on the floor, not moving, and the guy with the wounded leg, who I thought was another healer, was also unconscious, propped up against a wall.

Glancing up, I could see the eyes of everyone that had paid attention to me looking around, but nobody appeared to be able to help Tanner.

I groaned as I rolled over onto my back and shakily reached into my leg pocket and pulled out my healing tonic bottle.

"Someone-please!" I breathlessly said as I held the bottle out, and to my relief, the shield woman grabbed it with a grunt and unscrewed the cap before pouring some of it on his face; after which she opened his mouth and poured a little more.

I lay still and struggled to keep my eyes open as she came over to me and held the bottle in front of my face.

"Open up. You need some too." she said gruffly.

I obliged and she poured a bit in.

It tasted almost sugary but also left the same sensation as popping candy as it slid down my throat; I immediately felt better as a warm feeling spread around my body.

"Ugh, thanks for that, I really appreciate your help." I rasped out, my voice broken from shouting so hard.

"Yeah sure. No problem" she flatly replied, and placed the bottle down next to me, still lying on the floor, before walking off.

..Was it something I said?..

I managed to roll onto my side with a sigh and observed Tanner's face wounds improving markedly and nearly all other visible wounds were scabbing over.

Under the lighting that Xno was providing, I could see reflections of tiny specs of shimmer coming to the surface of his skin and then collecting blood, dried or wet, from the surface and then absorbing it before disappearing.

The wounds weren't completely healing, but he probably needed more juice for that.

After a minute or two he cracked open his eyes.

And then groaned.

"Fuck sakes..the second time I'm expecting to see an angel, but instead waking up to see your mug"

He sighed as he closed his eyes; his mouth making tacky dehydrated sounds whilst he moved his mouth.

I snorted, kicking a small dust cloud up from the floor, still lacking the energy to move.

"Ahh sod off." I let out a sour chuckle.

I took a moment before I decided Tanner would want to know what happened.

"Steve didn't make it."

Tanner tensed up at my words.

"For fuck sake Steve...bloody twat...he was probably trying to show off.." He released a groaning sigh.

"Yeah..rest in peace Steve." I muttered and rubbed my weary eyes; extreme exhaustion was overpowering me.

I became aware that people had started moving heavy objects, using the crates to make a sectioned off area in our corner. We also weren't alone anymore, as Sylvie and another unconscious body were laid down and several other people were sitting down resting against the wall.

My eyelids were becoming extremely heavy and I was struggling to comprehend sounds.

Is that Triya talking? or the shield woman.

I really needed to ask her name considering she saved my life.

Tanner started snoring so I drunkenly slapped his arm and rolled onto my back.

"I'm gointa' shlake a-nap mate."

The guy didn't move a muscle, but my words were coming out slurred as my mind started to shut down.

"Wake me up if anysing' eggslisin' huppuns'..."

All I could think about was sleeping, even when a small part of my mind was screaming at me that the room wasn't safe; that there was a fucking nest at the end of the room; it didn't matter.

I need to sleep.

We need to sleep.

***