Something terrible had happened in that place. Something grim. Something… wicked.

It seemed that none of the villagers had been spared, regardless of age or gender. Children, women, and the elderly as well. They were thrown unceremoniously in the pile of bodies all the same. Like mere sticks and logs in a pyre.

Death had been delivered indiscriminately.

…And whomever or whatever was responsible for the atrocious feat could still be nearby. They were in danger - Danny suddenly recognized this fact.

“We need to get out of here immediately.” He said quietly, but loud enough that Wallace who stood nearby could hear him.

The captain, in his turn, was startled by the unmistakable urgency in Danny’s voice, tearing his gaze away from the gory view. As soon as he heard the whispered words of the younger man, realization suddenly dawned on him as well about how hazardous their situation truly was.

Frantically turning around, the captain got the attention of his subordinates that had just begun recovering from the distasteful experience and, with agitated gestures and hushed tone, ordered them to beat a hasty retreat out of that ominous place.

Danny could not have been more awake right now. His senses were working on overdrive, paying the utmost attention to his surroundings. His eyes darted from side to side, inspecting every corner, roof and darkened rooms, searching everywhere for threats, for enemies to reveal themselves.

It had been a while ever since he felt like this. Like he was actually in peril.

Obviously, dealing with zombies and its hordes always carried some risk. Fighting the undead was not just a simple walk in the park. He could get injured, and if he let his guard down, letting himself get swarmed, even his life might be in danger.

Yet, he was only getting stronger with time and more skilled in fighting. Despite the inherent danger, facing zombies - even in large numbers - held little challenge to himself already due to the mindlessness of his enemies.

Now, however, at this very moment - while he swiftly fled the place accompanied by his allies -, Danny was painfully aware that things were different.

The scene they encountered at the center of the village could only mean one thing in his mind: the invaders’ forces had been there. There was no other possible explanation.

Even if someone else found out about the crystals for one reason or another - just like he himself had done -, would they be capable of engaging in such a slaughter? Would another human be capable of this? Danny did not think so.

Even if they had the mental predisposition to act so cruelly, given his own experiences with the soul gems, he doubted another human being would have had enough time to draw sufficient strength from the magical stones to be able to do what they saw. To slaughter an entire village with their own two hands.

The signs of battle pointed to the fact that no firearms had been used. In fact, the markings left behind all around the place from the fighting indicated the perpetrator had used some kind of bladed weapon. Maybe an axe or a sword. Something that could leave cuts and slashes on the floors and walls.

Therefore, the invaders were not just the likely culprits. They were the only ones Danny could think of that would both be willing and able to enact such a vicious massacre.

As the group of eight finally left the confines of what was now effectively a mass grave, Wallace released a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. Danny himself also felt quite a bit frazzled, as did all the others who had entered the cursed place with them.

Though they all felt they could finally breathe again now that they out there in the open and away from that macabre deserted town, they were not out of the woods just yet.

Leaving the village meant they did not have to worry about being ambushed as much, but they could still encounter the hostile force responsible for the carnage all the same. Which, obviously, was something they all desperately wanted to avoid.

Looking at the attention grabbing red bus the civilians were travelling inside of, an intrusive thought made itself known inside Danny’s head, urging him to leave them behind and save himself. To ditch them all and flee alone to maximize his chances of safely escaping, of surviving.

However, he soon shook his head and banished the treacherous idea from his mind. ‘That’s not who I am. That’s just fear talking.’ He thought with a firm conviction. Fear was the insidious killer. The silent saboteur. Letting fear dictate his actions was the same as giving up control, an idea he absolutely abhorred.

After all, Danny was all about control. The importance he placed on it could not be overstated. During most of his life, he fought against the terrible darkness that haunted him under the banner of regaining control over his fate, of taking back some of his lost freedom and breaking away from the shackles put on him by the wily demon. If he could fight a literal demon for it, he wouldn’t let something like fear get in his way..

His mind was a hive of activity as he considered their options and the best possible course of action they could take to ensure that every single one of them got back safe and sound to the settlement. One thought gave way to the next, only to be discarded soon after as another took its place.

Even so, little time had passed while his mind was occupied. The constant soul training he went through every day, the tireless consumption of ever more crystals, did not only grant him physical prowess. His thought speed, memory, and other similar aspects of himself had also been bolstered.

“What do we do now?” Wallace asked with a frown as they reunited with the ones that had remained behind and were thus spared from the tense but short trip. His tone lowered, as if he was afraid that talking too loudly would summon the horrors that befell the village which, even now, deceptively hid the gruesome display within its boundaries by presenting its idyllic and apparently common rustic exterior to any unsuspecting spectators.

“So, how did it go? Did you guys find the people we were looking for?” One of the squad members that was left behind to guard the envoys asked with curiosity and some excitement, failing to recognize the severity on his teammate’s expressions.

“You really don’t want to know.” One woman said.

“We found them alright.” Another squad member replied grimly, adding shortly after, “…Damn. Poor choice of words.”

This time, the man who had stayed behind and questioned them took the hint, noticing the stony looks of his companions. “What happened?” He asked with concern.

“We’ll fill you all in later.” Wallace interrupted the conversation, not wishing for the group to get sidetracked. “Right now, we got more important things to worry about.” They were still in danger and needed to leave this place. Everything else could be sorted out later.

“Danny?” The captain turned to the younger man, wanting to hear the perceptive mercenary’s input and opinions before they ran away from this place.

As all eyes turned to him, Danny’s mind gears finally stopped churning. There was no more time to contemplate their situation. Time was of the essence as any delay could spell doom to them. Who could say if the invaders would return to this place and, if so, when? Half-assed and rushed as they may be, he had to act based on his own deductions and impressions.

He had been debating with himself whether they should ditch their conspicuous vehicles and make their way back on foot, prioritizing stealth over speed this way.

However, he discarded this option in the end. If they lost their vehicles and the protection they offered, he would not be able to ensure everyone’s safety. He could not guarantee that everyone would survive the return trip even if they managed to avoid encountering whatever or whomever was responsible for the village’s demise.

After all, although zombies were not particularly threatening to him, the same was not true for the others. They were just common humans and he… he was just one person. He could not be everywhere at the same time. A battle against multiple zombies could easily result in casualties if the civilians had nowhere to hide.

Therefore, they could not ditch their vehicles. They had to take the risk of being spotted, no matter how shitty this option seemed to be and how unwilling he felt. Hopefully, however, they wouldn’t be. Sometimes, there simply weren’t any seemingly good choices.

Nodding his head at Wallace, he said, “We should leave as quickly as possible. But let’s try to be stealthy about it if we can. We don’t want to draw attention.”

Agreeing with the younger man’s assessment, the captain returned a nod and started passing orders around hurriedly but quietly, making sure to keep the buzz of activity resulting from his commands as silent as humanly possible as well.

Very soon, everyone was already back inside their respective transports and, after making a U-turn, they were headed back the way they came.