chapter 16- counter attack

(James)

Within the tavern:

I was frozen as I saw Max being choked by that thing. I was scared, shocked, my legs pleading to move. "Please, I need them to move, just this once. I need the strength. Come on, don't I have any power? Use them."

But nothing occurred. I don't know how, but then I felt it: a tug on my shoulder.

"Ellie, what—" I said, shocked, as she moved past, sprinting towards that thing. I only saw a glimpse of her eyes, yet that was enough to see the hate, the will to kill. I'd only seen that look once in my life, from my father at one point. I hated that look, yet to see it on Ellie was more than surprising, it was haunting . But I had no time to wonder or overthink; I needed to act, to move.

And with that command, I too sprinted behind Ellie. It was a short distance, but what felt odd to me was how light my body felt—my blood, my muscle mass, it all felt balanced, like the mass had decreased to astounding levels, yet the volume remained the same as my original body. I wanted to try something. If I died, then so be it. I feared death; I was a coward, yet I moved. I couldn't run away, not now. I needed to run forward, faster and faster, passing the crazed Ellie.

I actually tried to tackle the thing holding Maxwell. I flew faster than Ellie and aimed right at the damn thing. Khaza noticed and jumped out of the way while I tackled Max and the white zombie.

The three of us went through the window. This time there was no outer space, just mist, dirt, and dead trees, a typical horror-like setting. But I wasn't done yet. I pulled Max back and stood up. As we did so, I noticed the white zombie not standing up, but twisting its body in an abnormal shape, using its hands like feet, walking on all fours while its neck twisted three hundred and sixty degrees. This was no humanoid creature; this was an abomination.

"James, let's get back, maybe grab a knife or something from the kitchen," MAxwell suggested. Yet the thing was chasing us, hopping around. Just as it was about to lunge at us, I saw a figure punch it towards the ground. It was Ellie again. With a surprising force, her right hook had enough power to pound that thing into the dirt. She learned from me and tackled it down while it tried to get back up., holding its twisted arms with one hand while using her other hand to deliver a punch to the face.

"Ellie, that's enough, fall back now. We need to—" Before I could finish, the sound of consistent flesh being crushed filled the air. Bone and meat, no matter what it was, seemed like minced meat. Ellie kept punching and punching.

"You little shit! I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!" Ellie's voice reverberated with rage, a ferocity I hadn't seen before. It was brutal.

Ellie continued to strike blow after blow, not even noticing her fists beginning to bleed. I could tell the difference; the zombie-like creature had blue blood, while Ellie's was unmistakably red. Glancing around, I saw not just one creature, but what seemed like a pack. The sound alerted their presence, and we needed to retreat, to get back to safety. We needed weapons, but I doubted the transformation of the cabin left us with any usable metal objects. Perhaps Tommy's sword, but I needed something lighter, something immediate. If only I had a knife. Only a simple hit and retreat could do the trick, at least against one of them. But before that thought could fully form...

A shadowy mist formed on my hand, coalescing into the shape of a white dagger, it was sharp and fitted in my palm perfectly . Then, it happened again with my other hand, and I held two short blades. I noticed the connection.

"Holy shit, guys! It's the cards!" I shouted. "The cards from the characters we made. If you remember the skills or powers like abilities, they'll be useful."

The creatures surrounded us. I faced one, its stare intense, and I knew words were useless. This was a brutal fight, and I was no fighter.

Its eyes, piercing and intense, locked onto mine. It charged again, its movements a blur against the muted forest backdrop. Waiting until the last possible moment, I dodged to the side, letting its own momentum carry it into a tree with a heavy thud.