In the morning when the group woke up, Terry was standing on the tallest rock looking out and there were now five skeletons again. As the group woke up and ate breakfast and did their business, Izzy and Tamara talked with him.

“So, what do you think?” Izzy asked the other two as they all looked at the map. Luckily, they were still within the state that it was for, but they would have to get a new one eventually.

“Well first off, I wish we could find a truck. That would make things so much easier.” Tamara said.

Both Izzy and Terry nodded their heads at that. “I agree but unfortunately we don’t so we just have to hoof it. It looks like it’ll take us another two days before we reach the outer limits of the next city. And I think we’ll have to cut through the middle of it.”

“Why da middle?”

“It would take an extra few days to skirt around it, at least. And I think as long as we’re careful going through the middle should work.”

He could tell the women didn’t really like the plan but if they wanted to get through the city faster, they had to cut through the middle.

“Okay, I guess it’s what we have to do.”

“What about any survivors we see along da way?”

“If they want to follow along with us, I guess they can but like I’ve told Sam, I’m not babysitting anyone. Otherwise I would never make it home.”

“I guess I know what you mean. I would hate to get more people like Sam.”

The three chuckled at that. Folding up the map they got the group moving.

The last two days went by faster than the group thought they would and were pretty uneventful. They only ran into a couple groups of monsters that Izzy and Tamara took care of easily. Before they knew it, they were outside the city.

The city of Omaha came into view and the group just stopped. This was the first major city they had come across since this whole thing started. There was smoke as black as night curling up into the sky from all over the city. They could hear screeches and howls coming from it as well. At one-point Susan even said she saw something flying over it, but when they looked for it, they couldn’t find anything.

“Okay everyone, this is going to be tricky. It looks like there’s lots of movement in the city so we’ll want to take things nice and easy and take our time moving. Don’t take any chances and try not to get seen, by anything or anyone. I don’t want to have to run through this being chased by every monster in a five-mile radius. Got me?”

The group nodded. Terry turned to Pope, “Do you have any useful abilities unlocked?”

“I’m only a level two.” He said like that should answer the question.

“Yes, but do you have anything useful?”

“I guess if we find a place to rest, I have something to help conceal us. But nothing for when we’re moving.”

“How about you?” He motioned at Tamara.

“I have ma conceal ability but that’s only for me. And it’s still low level.”

“We’ll probably be using that quite a bit going through here, you’ll probably be our scout.” He saw a look of horror cross her face but it was gone in a second and she nodded. “Okay, let’s go. And remember no unnecessary talking.”

The group nodded and moved out, heading towards the city. They followed the main road into it, hiding behind the many vehicles that were on the road. The road didn’t really move through any districts but there were exits for most places. The group was able to stay on it for quite a while until…

“Oh, shit, everyone down.” Terry said and motioned for everyone to hide. He looked up over the hood of the car he was behind and about three hundred yards in front of them was a giant bird like thing sitting in a ring of cars.

Izzy came up beside him and looked over. “Crap, what are we going to do now?”

He took out his map and opened it, finding where they were at. “Okay, I think if we backtrack to this exit and get on the adjacent road here, we can bypass the bird and then get back on the highway around here.”

She looked at the map and then back towards the bird monster then back at the map. “I guess that’s what we have to do.”

He turned the group around and backtracked to the last exit. It went off to the right and led to a road that ran adjacent to the highway but went through the city a bit.

When they got to the end of the exit, it felt like things were closing in on them. They were used to the openness of the road. It felt almost claustrophobic when they looked up at the buildings. He took the lead with his skeletons surrounding the group and the kids in the middle.

They went from block to block, checking each corner and clearing intersections before moving again. There were small fires still burning in some of the streets as they passed by and a ton of glass on the road and sidewalks that made crunching noises as they walked over it. It really kept the group on their toes.

They continued doing that until they came to a block that had six SUVs end to end blocking the road going forward. It looked to be a small business section of the city as they didn’t see any houses. But having vehicles blocking the road was a sure sign of human activity, and Terry really didn’t want to have to deal with humans.

The group made their way to the corner of the building across the street to the vehicles and he looked for any movement. Not seeing anything he had to make a decision about going through or going around. Looking around the corner he saw two small fires burning in the street and he counted seven cars spread out between the corner and the next block. Not seeing any movement down that way either he pulled back and signaled for Izzy and Tamara to come forward.

“What do you think? We can either try and go through that blockade or go down and around it.”

The women looked over the block ahead and peeked around the corner.

“Why not just go through? I don’t see anyone on the other side.” Izzy said.

“I agree.”

“Those vehicles in a line means there were humans behind there at some point. If they’re still there, I don’t want to get trapped.”

“Well, if dare are humans shouldn’t we check on dem?” Tamara asked.

He really wanted to say no, but he could see they were going to push it. Just as he was about to agree, they heard a crash coming from the road to their left. He motioned for everyone to get down and behind a car. They barely made it as a man wearing hockey pads and carrying a hockey stick walked into sight.

Terry peeked over the door and watched the man come into the intersection. The man stopped and looked around before motioning behind him to come forward. What followed didn’t really shock him but surprised him a bit. He looked over at the women and saw looks of hatred and disgust on their faces.

Following the man were five more men in various outfits of sporting equipment and Terry counted twelve people in a single file line connected by rope. The people tied up with rope looked ragged and skinny and barely able to even stay on their feet. From what he could see there were two men, two children and the rest seemed to be women.

He turned and looked at the women and saw they were ready for a fight, each of them were gripping their weapons so tight he could see their knuckles were white. He motioned for them to hold on and wait just a bit. As they were watching the group of people the first man motioned for one of the others to come forward and help him move one of the SUVs.

Luckily, Pope was fairly close to Terry so he was able to whisper to him to have the group gather together and Pope would use his illusion abilities to hide them. Bradley and Susan motioned that they wanted to go with him and the women, but he motioned for them to stay behind and protect the group.

As Pope got the group together and quickly cast his illusion, Terry had two of his skeletons go back a ways and go to the other side of the street and start walking up towards the men.

The two men moving the SUV just started to get it to move when one of the line guards shouted, he saw Terry’s skeletons. The man was wearing a baseball helmet, a catcher’s pad and holding a baseball bat, he started walking out towards them with the others shouting at him and badgering him. The man was swinging the bat like he was practicing for a warm up pitch. As the man got to the skeletons, Terry mentally ordered them to split up, one going right while the other went left, bringing the man right in the middle of them.

The man turned and tried to keep both skeletons in view but soon had his back to one of them. The other guards shouted at him to move. Without warning though the skeleton in front stepped forward and swung its sword while the one behind stepped forward and thrust its sword forward.

Both swords struck the unlucky man and he fell to the ground, dead. The three other guards quickly rushed to their dead comrade but before they got halfway there, Terry rushed out from his hiding place with Izzy and Tamara right behind him.

“Stop right there.” He shouted as he got between the men and his skeletons.

“Who the fuck are you?!” The lead man shouted at him. He was wearing a football helmet and pads. Definitely a jock type.

“I’m the man you’re going to wish hadn’t seen you pieces of scum.”

“Ha, and what are you going to do about it, little chicken?” The man said and stepped forward just as he noticed the three other skeletons join Terry’s group.

“Well kill you of course.” With that he drew his sword and heard Tamara and Izzy draw theirs as well.

With all the commotion the two men moving the SUV stopped and looked to see what was going on. When they saw the other men squaring off against new comers, they stopped and ran to help them out.

“What’s going on here?” The man in the hockey equipment shouted as he ran up to the group.

Terry turned towards him, “We’re just concerned citizens looking out for the people.” And pointed towards the string of prisoners.

The man turned and looked then leaned back and laughed. “Those things? They aren’t even human, they’re elves.”

“It doesn’t matter what they are.” Izzy shouted back. “There’s women and children in that line.”

“So? That just means they’ll be easier to train.”

The horrified look on Izzy’s face said it all. The man knew he wasn’t walking away from this without a fight. And if he wanted to continue being in the slave trader business, he would need to take care of upstarts like this.

Hockey guy drew out his own weapon, the hockey stick and took up a defensive stance. “If you want them, come get them.” He said and then yelled.

At the man’s yell, Terry couldn’t help but have his attention drawn to the man and he ran at him, sword raised. Izzy was right behind him and Tamara had disappeared in the small commotion.

As he got to the man, he swung his sword down, meaning to cut the stick in two, but when the man blocked the attack it barely scratched it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Izzy and his skeletons taking on the other four men, so he could concentrate on the leader.

Jumping back from the block he lunged forward to skewer the man but he pushed the sword out to the side and stepped into the thrust, jabbing the end of the hockey stick into his stomach. Luckily his armor blocked most of the blow, but it did cause him to faulter back a step or two.

“Ha, not bad for a newbie.” The man taunted.

“Not bad yourself, for a jock.”

The man’s smile fell from his face as the comment. “I’m not a jock!” he yelled and charged Terry.

He waited for his moment and as the man got close and seemed to be lining up a slap shot, he side stepped and stuck his foot out, tripping the man. He fell to his stomach but quickly rolled out of the way and sprung up to his feet. He was impressed.

“AAAAHHHHH” Someone to the side yelled and then fell, causing him and the man to turn and look.

One of the men fighting Izzy and the Skeletons was down with a wound on their back. Seconds later another man fell to the ground. Soon after, Izzy and the skeletons had the other two down and only the leader stood.

The man facing Terry threw down his stick and kneeled before him. “I give up.”

Terry hesitated for a moment but it was decided when Izzy came up behind the man and stabbed him through the heart. He was shocked at her actions. “What… Why…” He stammered.

Izzy spit on the man. “Men like him don’t change. If we would have let him go, he would’ve just kept doing the same thing but doing it better so as not to get caught again.”

He was still stunned but then Tamara came up beside her and spit on the man’s body as well.

“You can have him.” Izzy gestured to the body, “and do whatever you want with him.” She then turned and went to help the elves.

Terry just watched as the two women walked away. He had no idea they could be so cold. Then again, he was about to do the same thing. Shrugging he went around to the bodies looting them and stuffing them in his special inventory.

When he was done, he gestured for Pope and the group to come out of hiding and then followed the women to the group of elves.