Chereads / The Dreamwalker / Chapter 13 - Breach

Chapter 13 - Breach

Callum rained down blow after blow on its furry body. He nodded in satisfaction as he saw the life in its eyes fade. Meanwhile, its corpse still flew through his previous position in slow motion.

A savage grin spread on Callum's face as he witnessed the tide of gobs get caught in his spell. All of a sudden, they did not seem so threatening to him. However, he knew that feeling would only last as long as he could still use his card's spells.

He did not let his arrogance consume him as he analysed the gobs. 'That one is going to jump first. Then the one over there.' He thought as he watched them while a plan of action formed in his mind as the first gob leapt into the air.

However, it met the same fate as the previous gob Callum had dispatched. They could pose little threat to him while the effects of Slow were in use. He put the spell to good use as he moved from side to side to kill the jumping gobs at a speed no one else could match.

He even had the time to study how everyone else was doing. 'The civilian fighters aren't doing too well.' He thought as he watched a man's head disappear into the open mouth of a gob. 'Even if I hold them off here, it won't be long till there're gaps in our defence.'

The situation already looked bleak, even though the battle had just begun. Amy's section appeared to be doing the best. Her smoke prevented the monsters from approaching the wall on that side. So the civilians over there had suffered no casualties so far.

However, Rachael's section was not doing so well. Her card's spell only affected herself, and although she could kill gobs quickly on her own. The civilians there were even worse off than those close to Callum.

'Rachael's side is going to collapse soon. They can't handle the horde at all. The centre is only ok because I can defend a large area alone. Which has allowed the civilians to group up and protect each other.' A deep frown appeared on Callum's face as he smashed another gob that had dared to try and take a bite out of him.

However, that was when he spotted several gobs preparing to launch themselves toward a group on his left! Callum cursed as he eyed the gobs currently flying toward him. He closed his eyes as he made his decision. 'I better not regret this!'

He leapt down from the wall and into the horde. Callum had rapidly realised the only way to ease the pressure mounting on the defenders was to take the initiative in the battle. However, out of the three Walkers that included himself, he was the only one who could do it in relative safety.

The only problem he faced was ensuring he killed enough gobs before they breached the wall. His hammer never stopped claiming victims as he waded through the pile of bodies forming around him. At first, he pushed deeper into the enemy lines. He did this to ensure he bought enough time for the centre section until he could return.

Then, he turned his attention toward Rachael's side. He bellowed savagely as he brutally beat a path in her direction. The gobs let out a panicked squeak when they realised death was descending upon them. Callum frowned when he noticed the crowd of gobs in front of him was getting thinner.

'They're retreating. It seems like these monsters do have some intelligence.' Callum cursed as the white lights from the fragments entered his body. 'They'll just return once I leave.'

The horde was thin enough for Rachael to deal with now. So Callum had completed what he had set out to do. However, it was by no means a permanent victory. Loud shouts came from behind him, warning him of an approaching enemy.

Callum cursed as he reacted to those warnings. Only to see Bal charging through the gob ranks in his direction. 'I think he has a bone to pick with me.' Callum thought as he eyed the monster. Their previous encounter had already proven there was nothing Callum could do to kill Bal.

'He's willing to tie me down so his horde can breach the wall. Well, I'm not going to let it go your way!' Callum did not hesitate in turning his back to the approaching threat as he sprinted for the wall. What Callum could only describe as an angry roar came from somewhere behind him as he climbed the makeshift barrier.

The people on top of it reached out their hands to pull him up. As Callum took hold of a man's wrist, he glanced behind him. Only to see Bal had entered the area of Slow. The giant of a monster growled as he watched Callum stabilise his footing on top of the wall and stare at him with a defiant expression.

'Come on!' Callum shouted in his mind as he prepared himself to lash out the moment Bal jumped toward him. However, the Lord of the Hungry City defied his expectations!

Bal's giant fist struck the truck that served as the base of the wall that Callum stood on. Callum felt the planks of wood beneath his feet tremble as he clenched his jaw. The sudden impact had almost caused him to lose his balance, as many others had.

He could only watch as several people toppled over the wall and fell into the gaping maws awaiting them below. The sickening sound of those monsters chewing on their friends damaged the morale of the humans who heard it. However, Callum was already cursing when he saw Bal preparing to strike the truck again.

"Move! Get away from here!" Callum roared, startling those around him.

However, they soon understood the reason behind his warning as they followed his line of sight. Callum did not wait for them as he jumped down behind the wall and ran for cover. A loud bang rang out when Bal's fist hammered against the truck again. The furniture and wooden planks resting on top of the vehicle came crashing down. A moment later, the humans who had been too slow to react soon followed.

Callum's eyes narrowed as he peered through the cloud of dust that formed in those moments. He hoped to see some people escaping the devastation before the horde could reach them. However, the nasty sound of humans screaming for help soon reached his ears.

Callum tightened his grip on his hammer as Bal's figure appeared amongst the wreckage. A cruel grin lit up the monster's features as he searched for and found Callum. 'Come on! What are you waiting for!'

Despite how it appeared, Callum's actions had not been aimless. However, he had hoped the wall would have been left intact. As Bal took a step toward Callum, the latter's plan came to fruition. Bal staggered as something that looked like a missile struck his head!

Although it did not explode, it was clear to everyone the projectile had a lot of power. A grin appeared on Callum's face as he glanced to his left. That was when he saw Tom holding a large golden box with a short barrel aimed at Bal between his hands!

Callum stared at it with interest since it was his first time seeing what Tom's card could do. That was when he realised Tom had spent all ten of his will counters on that spell. 'That thing better be able to fire more than once!' Callum cursed as he reactivated his Slow ability and dashed toward Bal.

He knew he would have to slow Bal down and distract him so Tom could focus on attacking the monster. However, Bal seemed to realise what he planned to do as he sneered at him. As Tom fired another projectile at the creature, a large fissure appeared on Bal's stomach.

Callum gaped in horror as it opened, revealing a vertical mouth full of fangs. Callum would never have reacted in time if it were not for his Slow ability. He barely dodged in time as a long, black tongue whipped toward him from the ghastly mouth.

'That thing is so fast my slow spell barely helps!' Callum cursed when he realised that if Bal had used it during their last encounter, he would already be dead. Anger flared in Callum's mind when it dawned on him the ancient horror thought so little of him.

However, Callum was not suicidal and realised his best option was to rush to Tom's side and defend him from Bal's attacks. Adrenaline pounded through his veins as two more black tongues snapped at him as he ducked and jumped over them. His black t-shirt beneath his jacket stuck to him like a second skin as it absorbed the abundant sweat pouring out of him.

Bal growled when Tom's second missile struck him, which forced the monster to pay more attention to him. Before the third projectile could strike, a fourth tongue appeared and wrapped around it! The slimy mass of flesh dragged it toward the gaping hole where the missile disappeared without causing any damage!

It was then that the horde poured through the gap in the wall, which rendered the defensive structure useless. Callum cursed as he saw the human survivors rushing toward him, followed by Amy and Rachael, who were doing their best to stem the tide.

Callum analysed the situation and came to a horrible conclusion. 'We're screwed. We thought Tom could handle Bal, but that's not happening. We knew we were against the odds, but this...' He shook his head as he trembled with rage. They had fought for their lives, but that had been of little consequence.

It was one thing to know you were probably going to die. However, it is quite another to face that situation when it comes. Bal ignored Callum as it commanded the gobs to distract him. While the gobs lumbered toward him, the grey giant charged at Tom.

'Once Tom goes down, the rest of us will soon follow.' Callum clenched his jaw as he pounded on the surrounding gobs with his hammer. A wave of smoke flowed over his enemies and forced its way down their throats. As the horrors struggled to breathe, Callum waved his thanks at Amy, who wore a concerned expression.

It took Callum a moment to notice what had Amy so concerned. The clatter of weapons hitting the ground reached Callum's ears as those who had stood with the Walkers on the wall abandoned the battle. Callum could not bring himself to blame them. He guessed they were choosing to spend their final moments with their family. That was if they could reach them before the gobs caught them.

Callum even felt he would do the same in their shoes. However, nobody was waiting for him. All he could do was continue in that futile struggle til his last breath. As he fought against the wall of fur, he heard Rachael scream. A putrid scent permeated the area that made Callum gag as he backed away from his enemies to find the source of that smell.

However, when his gaze landed on the source, he wished he had ignored it. Tom's broken body lay against the wall of a building. The skin on his face and the right side of his body turned to liquid under the green substance Bal had spewed on him.

Tom grinned through the pain as he stared at the monster. Bal's left arm hung lifelessly by a small strand of skin that kept it connected to his shoulder. 'It seems he managed to hurt Bal after all.' Callum sighed at the content expression on Tom's face. 'It's too bad it wasn't enough to save our lives...'

Callum eyed Bal from the side as he wondered if the monster was now weak enough for him to handle. However, the sound of humans shouting from behind him distracted him from his thoughts.