The grocery store was a complete mess. Not a single shelf was left standing, their content scattered everywhere. Dead people everywhere I looked.
"What the hell happened here!" Rolf had almost reached the storeroom, before the smell of blood had forced him to stop.
Chioma, standing next to me, had to turn around and throw up.
"It's a massacre!" I gasped, wanting to throw up myself.
The people weren't just dead. Their necks had bitemarks, and most of their entrails had been ripped out of their body. A truly horrific sight.
"Spread out! Search for anyone still living!" I commanded my 3 units.
"Check on Magnus, Rolf!" Chioma stammered, getting back on her feet.
Chioma and I slowly followed. Trying not to remember the sights as we descended down the path of death.
"He is gone! It looks like a fight happened here as well, there are dead people over there." Rolf spoke in a discouraged voice, his shoulders hanging low.
It did truly look like a fight had taken place. Four dead men was lying close to the stairway to the roof. As we walked closer, I noticed a big furry dog lying there as well. A knife in its side.
"Wait!" Rolf walked slowly to the creature amongst the dead, holding his staff high, ready to attack.
"That's a wolf! And a big one at that!"
He tapped it a few times with the staff before he relaxed. "It's okay. It's dead. But it's strange. We've had wolf's in this country before, but for the past 100 years there shouldn't be more than a few packs that the government kept track off. And none of them should be this far north."
"I was thinking the same Rolf. Something strange is going on here. They clearly died while fighting that wolf. But I don't think it killed them all alone!"
The units returned. Reporting what we were already thinking. Nothing was left alive in the grocery store.
"Take those stairs to the roof. Report back what you find!"
"Yes sir!" They instantly ran up the stairs with weapons ready.
"I've been thinking." Chioma had squatted down, taking the pulse of the dead. Even though it was clear they were dead, maybe it was just a habit from her work at the care center.
"I don't know anything about your games and all that. But after the shockwave, while I joined Frey to go look for you, Rolf. We saw hundreds of those orbs descending. Those that turned into portals. Isn't it fair to theorize, that not only the nasty goblins could come from them? And that there should be more nearby?"
So far we had just been rushing from one place to the next. Being overwhelmed by chaos and the threat of death.
Trying to deal with some kind of apocalypse would be a strain on anyone's mind.
But in reality, we had cleared just a single one of those portals, destroying it in the process. And there could be a new one on every street for all we knew, each with their own type of horror. It was very likely, that this wolf had come from just such a portal.
"You're right Chioma. We need to leave the city. The orbs seemed more dispersed in the countryside."
I had just finished speaking, when my units returned from the roof.
"Stop it! HEEELP! Let me go!"
The units threw a child on the floor before me. She was crying and screaming loudly.
The female unit slapped her hard across the face, and the crying stopped as the girl covered her face in her hands. Her chin clearly bore a red hand mark.
"That's enough! Back into line!" The red haired woman unit swung about, her hair swaying behind her. She had joined the others within two seconds.
"Commander," another unit took a step forward, "the roof was completely empty, aside from this human that was hiding under some blankets in a corner!"
"Thank you. Join the others at the entrance and stand guard!" They left right away.
Chioma was sitting on her knees next to the girl, trying to comfort her. But the girl was terrified, her whole body shaking, and withdrawing from every touch Chioma tried to make.
"That's enough girl." Rolf was standing over her. "We are not bad people, and we are the leaders of our group. The others will not try to take you or hit you ever again. Do you understand?"
She only looked up for a second, wanting to see who was speaking to her. But she quickly hid her face with her hands again, clearly not believing the tall stranger standing over her, with blood on his cloths and a strange branch in his hands.
She continued to sob while Chioma tirelessly stayed by her side.
"Haha! You don't believe me, ey?" Rolf smiled, laughed and took a few steps back. "Well look at this! I'm a real magician and I promise to protect you! Watch me now child!"
The girl was still trembling, but trough her fingers, I realized she was peeping at Rolf, clearly a child reacting to the mention of a magician.
Her hands dropped from her face and her eyes was wide open.
Rolf had conjured a fireball, trying his best to hold it in place above his palm for a few seconds, before letting it fly across the room with a big Swooosh, before it hit the wall in the far end.
"Wauw! Are you really a magician?!" She had stopped crying and Chioma had luck to get her on her feet.
"Yes I am. Now do you trust me? I promise nothing will happen to you." Rolf smiled warmly at her.
It took another 15 minutes before the girl truly trusted us. The winning factors being Rolf's magic show and that when she had looked at Chioma, she thought she reminded her of her babysitter.
The girl was part of a large group of people, who had gathered after the shockwave. Her mom had died in the blast. Leaving just her dad to take care of her.
The group had set up a temporary community, together with a handful of soldiers, who had access to the city bunker. It was located on the other side of the big horse statue. Somewhere between the hospital and the blue bridge that connected the southern part of the city.
The girl told them that different kind of monsters had been trying to get into the bunker. And a single time they had managed to get inside, because apparently they couldn't lock the heavy steel door, since all electronics had not been functioning.
They had destroyed most of the food supply in the bunker, before the men and soldiers managed to kill them. She had recognized a troll, from the children stories her mom used to tell her. In the end they had to evacuate the bunker and set up a camp on the ground.
That's why her father and a dozen other men had gathered, to go here and get food from the grocery. The girl had followed her father at a distance. Not wanting to be left alone. And inside the grocery store they had started to gather food, when they finally noticed her.
Her father had been carrying her, when something attacked them. He had pushed her against his chest, so she couldn't look. But she could clearly hear the screams from people, when they got torn to pieces.
In the end, the father had managed to get her to the roof, where he told her to stay, as he ran down to help his friends.
We decided to take her with us. Find the camp and the people holding out there. We needed a safe place where we could make our own plans for the future.
As we left the storeroom, I noticed the girl looking back over Chioma's shoulder, while she carried her. Tears was slowly falling from her eyes. I realized one of those men by the stairs, might have been her father.
As we joined my units outside, Rolf finally spoke again.
"We can't move as fast while Chioma carry the girl. I think it would be best if Frey move ahead of us and try to clear the way. The girl have seen enough horror. She don't need to witness any more fighting today."
Chioma was still holding the child, and she was getting sleepy, having rested her head against Chioma's shoulder.
"Okay Rolf. I will take the lead. But I will leave a unit with you. The sun is already high in the sky, it must be midday by now. Follow me as fast as you can."
I commanded the four units with leaf-cloth to follow me, leaving my first summon to help Rolf, protecting Chioma and the child.