Layan was aware of the people long before anyone noticed the lone figure quickly catching up to them. He could see that they were not doing very well. Most of the people looked like they were a few steps away from the grave.
Layan did not stop and started to call out to the group when he figured they would be able to hear him. The first person to notice him was a small boy walking besides an older woman at the back. He just stared at Layan with lost eyes.
His mother finally noticed that her boy was dragging against her hand with his head turned back and looked over her shoulder. Layan called out again and the woman reacted turning to the front and calling out for Susan.
The woman who answered the call was not what Layan was expecting from the leader of the group. When she walked up to him from the front of the line Layan smiled and held out his hand to the well made-up woman. She was wearing a dress that still looked to be in good condition and he could even see signs of makeup on her face.
"You are a sight for sore eyes, stranger" Susan's words were filled with warmth as she looked the young fit man up and down. Her gaze especially lingering on the weapons on his hips.
"I am glad to see you all too. I found the town deserted and saw some monsters there and did not know what to think. What's happened to everyone else?" Layan asked the question he needed to know the answer to straight up. He had no time for the little social games that people played with each other. His grandfather had always taught him to come straight to the point.
"Come sit and rest I will tell you all about it." The good-looking older woman turned to the side of the road walking ahead of him with a distinct sway to her walk. She found a raised area to sit comfortably and started telling Layan about herself and the situation for the rest of the survivors.
Susan turned out to be the head of the P.T.A for Ben's hollows only school. So, she ended up being the, one in charge of the fleeing group of survivors. More because a lot of the women were used to listening to her suggestions than any other reason.
There was no one of true authority left from the town everyone else had been taken in the night. The Survivors were a broken bunch the days of walking followed by sleepless nights had worn them down to nothing.
When Layan finally managed to get Susan to talk about what had happened to the rest of the people, she could only whisper of horrors in the night coming out of the darkness and taking them. He finally had some good news when he found out about the mother who had the ability to manipulate heat.
He asked to meet her and suggested that they start making camp as soon as possible. The sun would set in about two hours and from the sounds of it they would need that time to gather the firewood to keep the fires going all night.
Layan spoke to Renee, the young mother who had awakened with the flux wave. She was just as worn down as the rest of the party. Her son was all she really cared about.
Layan was able to send his sight into her and determined that her body was affected by the flux corruption. Her cells were riddled with it and he did not know how to help her. He did not know how to rid someone else of the black substance, but he aimed to try.
All they had to do was survive the night Layan thought to himself looking once again over the huddled defeated people from the town. There was little fight in them and even the empowered lady was struggling to keep alert.