Adam breathed slowly as he drew the bow with an arrow in his hand. The rain was still heavy then making it hard for him to properly aim and that doesn't even account for the fact that it was his first time using a bow. He stood on the veranda with the bow stretched and the arrow still loaded.He focused on the hazy figures that were walking towards the house.

  With him aiming at one, he took a deep breath and released the string.

  The arrow flew swiftly towards its target.

  Well, almost at its target; the arrow missed a few feet away from the nearest one of the creatures.

  The monsters, noticing the projectile, hasten their movement towards the house.Adam sighed, he knew it was a bad idea.

  He crouched, putting the bow down beside the pit and took his knife.

  Adam slightly touched the edge of it feeling a slight burn in his hand as he did.

  He then stood and entered the room again with the knife in his hands.

  Another thunder echoed.

  Adam thought that at this rate every creature in the area would awaken.He immediately headed down stairs to check for the doors.

  His footsteps clattering as he headed down.When he finally arrived at the door he checked if it was unlocked.

  And it is.

  He slightly opened the door with the knife still on his other hand. Just as he headed out the door he felt another presence into his side.Green glowing eyes seemed to watch him.

  Adam turned almost driving the knife into the figure who suddenly shrieked.

  “Wait!”

  The small figure said.

  Adam blinked then looked closely realizing that it was Kiel. He held down his knife and spoke in confusion.

  “What are you doing here? You were supposed to be with Kate”

  Before Kiel could even answer Adam pulled him inside the house while closing the door.

  Kiel took off his rain coat and shook the water out of his hair before finally speaking.

  “She was worried about you”

  Adam crossed his arms, leaning in the door as if waiting for Kiel to finish his statement.

  “And that she doesn’t want you to take all the points”

  Adam smiled.

  “Now that’s more like her, where is she now?”

  “She said that she had a plan”

  Adam slightly tilted his head.

  “And that is?”

  “No clue”

  Kiel paused suddenly, remembering something.

  “What happened with the bow?”

  Adam chuckled, moving past Kiel and heading straight towards the stairs.

  “It sucks”

  Kiel then immediately followed Adam upstairs.

  The heavy rainfall continued to block all visibility with a massive amount of water falling from the dark clouds.

  Kiel saw the bow, leaning by the side of the veranda near the pit, along with some of the arrows that lay scattered by the floor.

  He immediately took the bow and picked an arrow from the ground.

  Kiel then slowly stepped into the veranda, the water from the rain hitting his face. He loaded the arrow to the bow, pulling its string. Adam assumed that it was a twenty-to-thirty-pound bow.

  A little too much for someone his age, someone normal his age at least

  Kiel exhaled as he moved the bow closer to his face. The creatures were getting closer and closer, the rain making them almost indistinguishable from one another.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Then Kiel released the string, the arrow flew swiftly, cutting through the stream of falling water. In almost an instant, one of the creature’s silhouette was pierced by the arrow almost passing clean through its head.

  “Maybe ‘i’ suck” Adam said in a low whisper. Kiel was just about to load another arrow into bow when a loud crash from below interrupted him. Adam and Kiel looked at each other before dashing down stairs. Before following Kiel picked up a few arrows and hurried behind Adam.

  Downstairs, Adam immediately saw the source of the sound. He stared at the almost shattered door with a grey sword like object with a greenish edge pierced into it. The object then pulled itself piercing the door once again.

  And Again

  Again

  Again

  Adam and Kiel stood frozen, Adam still holding his knife and Kiel already loaded his bow with another arrow. It took whatever it was on the other side of the door sometime before it finally hit the knob, opening the barely attached door.

  When it stepped inside Adam saw a familiar mouth less figure that stood taller than him despite its hunched back.

  Kiel, being scared, immediately released his arrow towards the creature.

  It flew swiftly towards the monster face however, before it could even come in contact. The creature already turned toward Kiel’s direction, catching the arrow mid air. Its bony long fingers felt the stem of the arrow before snapping it in half, its shards falling towards the floor.

  Before either Kiel or Adam could even react, the creature lurched towards Kiel, gripping his neck with its thin hand, blood dripping from Kiel's neck as the creature’s talon- like fingers tightened the grip, Kiel dropped the arrows and bows as he struggled in the monster’s grasp .

  The creature then suddenly stood straight almost leveling the ceiling and completely lifting Kiel from the ground, struggling to escape the creature and unable to make a sound.

  It tilted its head as if to study the boy. It got its face closer to Kiel, the creature then blinked as if to realize something. Meanwhile Adam just regained his composure and threw his blade to the creature. The creature noticed the attempt and tried blocking it with its other hand; however, the knife cleanly pierced his palm. The mouth less creature screeched as it dropped Kiel to the floor, clutching its now injured hand. It pulled the blade out of its hand and threw it on the floor.

  Surprisingly, the creature didn't charge at Adam. Instead, it looked around itself as if searching for something. Suddenly there was a loud series of gunshots fired from somewhere distant, echoing through the still ravaging rain. The monster gazed to the directions of the sound and took one last look at both Adam and Kiel before swiftly dashing outside, towards the source.

  Adam heard himself breath heavily as he watched the creature leave. He shook his head and headed towards Kiel to check if he was fine.

  Adam lightly touched Kiel’s neck feeling the small wound now healed.

  “Are you ok? “He asked.

  Kiel nodded in reply, groggily shaking his head. After confirming that Kiel was fine Adam stood up walking towards the door.

  "You can’t catch her,” Kiel said, shivering slightly as he stood, slowly shaking his head.

  “So that was her brilliant plan? What are we supposed to do now?” Asked Adam while crossing his arms.

  Kiel looked down, breathing heavily.

  “I don’t know… maybe wait?”

  And so, they did for almost an hour. The entire period, Adam kept pacing back and forth in the kitchen while Kiel sat in one of the chairs.

  “Maybe I should have followed her,” Adam said.

  “She is riding a bike, we already talked about this, don’t worry she’s probably fine” Replied Kiel.

  “You seemed confident,” Adam said, crossing his arms.

  The boy shrugged.

  “I just have a feeling she is fine”

  A crunch in the front door caught the pair’s attention. Adam immediately took his knife as Kiel followed with his bow and a couple of arrows.

  When they arrived at the almost wrecked door, they slowed their steps. Adam looked at Kiel, motioning with his hand for him to wait. He moved closer to the door and held its knob, his grip tightening around the knife. With a sharp click, the door swung open, revealing a thin and tall figure.

  “That’s 390” said Kate soaked from the rain, her rifle still slung over her raincoat.

  Adam could only reply with a grin.

  …

  Adam and Kate spent the night in the house, sleeping, thankfully there were two extra rooms on the first floor. It’s not even like there was much to spend in the night, after a few hours the sun had already risen, and the dark clouds had passed.

  Adam woke early, already sitting in one of the wooden chairs in the kitchen, deep in his thoughts. Kate, who had just woken up, noticed Adam’s quietness.

  “What’s up with you? You’re being quiet all night” She asked, pulling a chair on the opposite side of the wooden table in the kitchen.

  “Also, where is Kiel?”

  “He said he will cook us breakfast” Replied Adam.

  “He seemed to be doing well considering he is still young and everything that have happened”

  Kate said, rubbing her eyes.

  “Better than we did then”

  “Well, he is practically born into, that might be something”

  Adam nodded, still not himself.

  “So, what is it?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I meant what were you thinking” Followed Kate.

  “It’s just strange”

  Kate tilted her head and blinked.

  “Strange? Who? Kiel?”

  Adam shook his head.

  “He was a little strange as well but no, I’m not talking about him”

  He paused.

  “The creature we saw at the Antique shop, the one who also got here”

  “Linda?” Kate interrupted.

  “Can we stop using that? We weren’t even sure if That thing was a ‘she’”

  Kate shrugged.

  “So, what about Linda?”’

  Adam sighed and shook his head once again.

  “She was smart enough to follow a barely visible smoke in the storm and yet when she came across us, she just left us for the gunshot. Even when Kiel and I are both vulnerable then?”

  “Maybe she was just sensitive to sound?” Kate suggested.

  “No, that wasn’t it” Adam paused tapping the table with his fingers.

  “It was as if, she was… searching and when she didn’t find what she was looking for she just left”

  “I doubt they are that smart and also…” Kate stopped.

  “’Also’ what?” asked Adam.

  “You called it ‘she’” said Kate with a smirk.

  Before Adam could reply Kiel had arrived with a plate full of eggs.

  “I didn’t know what type of egg you guys liked so I cooked both,” said Kiel, placing the plate on the table.

  “You seemed to be a good cook,” said Kate.

  “Of course you would know, you stole his chicken yesterday” Adam said, chuckling to himself.

  “I needed to learn,” Kiel just said softly.

  Their breakfast proceeded smoothly, Adam helped Kiel to take care of the dishes, after the two returned Kate asked Kiel for a map, pins and a marker.

  After a while Kiel was able to return with everything Kate asked for.

  She laid the map on the table; it was a map that shows the majority of London. She then stabs the pin into the map.

  “This is where we are now” she said pointing at the pin, she then took the marker and created three circles, each one inside the larger circle.

  “What were those for?” Kiel asked.

  Adam and Kate looked at each other before Adam spoke up.

  “We call them zones, the most outer part is called green zones, that is where we are”

  “Which means?” Kiel pressed the question.

  “This is where hordes of weak monsters reside, often cooperating with each other” Kate interrupted.

  “Weak? Those were weak?” Kiel’s voice was incredulous.

  Adam nodded at Kiel.

  Kate continued to create circles with the same format as the first, almost covering the entire map.

  “How does she even remember those?” Kiel asked Adam.

  “Photographic memory, probably the only reason we're still alive too” Adam answered.

  Kiel's face light up in amazement as if he just heard that superpowers exist, not considering creatures with featureless faces and extra pairs of sharp limbs.

  After Kate finished up with the map it was almost completely filled with circles of varying sizes.

  “What about the next zone after the green zone?” Kiel asked once more.

  “Those were the yellow zones and they contained almost zero of those creatures” Kate said.

  “You mean the greys? Also why aren't any of them there?” Kiel said.

  “greys? Did you just name them?” Adam asked.

  Kiel nodded.

  “Not a bad name, as for why there aren't any greys in that area is because of that” Adam pointed at the inner most circle were Kate was putting pins in each one of them

  “Those are the red zones or contact zones, those were the meteors have fallen” Adam said, leaving Keil’s mouth gapped.

  “There is also where the alpha of the greys stay, which is why the yellow zones are empty” Kate explained.

  “They… are scared”

  Kiel could only shiver in the thought of thinking what could make those creatures scared.