Day 6: Questions and Shadows
Eli woke to the sound of distant crumbling, the rumble of some far-off building collapsing into the broken landscape. The red light of the apocalyptic sky seeped through the cracks in the abandoned factory they had taken shelter in, casting long, distorted shadows across the room. He hadn't slept well—again. Not that anyone could, in a world where monsters stalked the streets, hunting for whatever remained of humanity.
His body ached from yesterday's training and the relentless running. Every muscle protested as he sat up, and the dull pain in his legs was a constant reminder of how unprepared he still was for this world. Cass had saved him—again. If it hadn't been for her, he would have been dead in that alley.
He glanced across the room to where Cass sat sharpening her bone knife, the sound of the blade scraping against stone filling the quiet. She was focused, her movements precise, as always. Everything about her screamed survival—she was a warrior in a way Eli could barely understand. And yet, despite her strength, she kept helping him.
It didn't make sense.
Eli leaned back against the cold wall, watching her. She barely spoke unless necessary, her words always direct, her tone sharp. There was a hardness to her, an edge that came from experience, from having lived through things Eli couldn't begin to imagine. And yet, she had saved him twice now. She had taught him how to fight, how to survive—something she didn't have to do. In this world, there was no room for weakness. No one helped anyone unless there was a reason.
So, why was she helping him?
"Why are you doing this?" Eli asked suddenly, his voice breaking the silence.
Cass paused, mid-sharpening, and looked up at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Doing what?"
"Helping me," Eli said, his throat dry. "You don't have to. You could just… leave me behind. I'd probably just slow you down."
Cass stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. The tension in the air thickened, and for a second, Eli regretted asking. Maybe she would leave him behind now. Maybe she had been waiting for him to realize it.
Instead, she sighed and went back to sharpening her blade, her movements slow and methodical. "You don't have to understand it," she said quietly. "But in this world, you don't survive alone. Not for long. And I'm not leaving anyone behind if I can help it."
Eli frowned. Her answer didn't satisfy him. She was too tough, too hardened to just be doing this out of some vague sense of morality. There had to be more to it. He opened his mouth to press further, but the sharp look Cass gave him silenced him. Her eyes were intense, a warning not to pry deeper.
After a long, uncomfortable pause, she stood up, slipping her knife into the makeshift sheath on her belt. "Come on," she said, motioning for him to follow. "We need to scavenge for more supplies."
Eli hesitated, still mulling over her words, but he knew better than to argue. He got to his feet, every step sending a jolt of pain through his legs. His thoughts lingered on Cass as they made their way out of the factory, sticking to the shadows and moving silently through the wreckage of the city.
Why was she so determined to help him? He didn't have the strength or skill she did—at least, not yet. All he had was a knack for running away, for slipping through tight spaces and dodging danger at the last second. That had gotten him this far, but it wouldn't save him forever.
Cass, on the other hand, was built for survival. So why did she need him?
They moved through the ruined streets, scanning for any signs of movement. The Wraithkin were out there—Eli could feel it, the unsettling, suffocating presence of them lurking in the shadows. Every step felt like it could be his last.
But it wasn't just the Wraithkin that made his skin crawl today. Something else felt off. The air was colder than usual, and the light from the red sky seemed dimmer, casting everything in deeper shades of shadow. Cass was more on edge, too. Her movements were quicker, her gaze sharper as she checked every corner before moving forward.
"Something's different," Eli said quietly as they moved through a narrow alley, his voice barely a whisper. "It feels… wrong."
Cass didn't respond immediately, her hand resting on the hilt of her knife as she led the way. After a long pause, she nodded. "We're not alone."
Eli's heart skipped a beat. He'd been expecting an attack from the Wraithkin, but something about Cass's tone made him think this was different. More dangerous. The tension in his chest tightened as they moved further into the city, every sound amplified in the quiet.
Suddenly, a faint skittering noise echoed from somewhere ahead. It was soft at first, almost too quiet to notice, but it grew louder, a rhythmic clicking of something moving quickly over the rubble.
Cass raised a hand, signaling for Eli to stop. He froze, his breath catching in his throat, as the sound drew closer. His mind raced. It wasn't the Wraithkin. They moved with a gliding, fluid grace. This was something else. Something faster.
Then, from the shadows, it appeared.
At first, Eli couldn't make sense of it. The creature that scuttled out from the ruins was about the size of a medium dog, but its body was twisted and wrong. Its long, thin legs—eight of them—moved with a disturbing, rapid precision. The body itself resembled that of a spider, covered in hard, glossy black armor. But what made Eli's blood run cold was its lack of a face. Where a head should have been, there was only smooth, featureless skin.
But its body—its body was covered in eyes.
Dozens of small, red eyes dotted its back, each one blinking and twitching as the creature moved, scanning its surroundings in every direction at once. The eyes seemed to pulse, shifting with the rhythm of the creature's movements, as if they were watching everything at once—seeing everything.
Eli's breath caught in his throat. "What… what is that?" he whispered, taking a step back.
Cass didn't answer right away, her eyes locked on the creature. She reached for her knife slowly, her movements deliberate, careful not to make any sudden noise. "I've seen these things before," she muttered, her voice low. "Stay back. They're fast."
The creature paused for a moment, its many eyes twitching in Eli's direction. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt its gaze—if it could even be called that—turn toward him. For a second, the world seemed to slow, the sound of the creature's skittering legs echoing louder in his ears.
Then, it lunged.
Cass reacted first, diving toward the creature with her knife drawn. Her blade slashed through the air, but the creature was faster, darting to the side with unnerving speed. It scuttled up the wall of a nearby building, its legs moving in rapid, jerky motions as it dodged Cass's attack.
Eli felt his legs tremble, his body frozen in place. His instincts screamed at him to run, to get away from the thing, but Cass was already in the thick of the fight. She moved with a deadly grace, her knife flashing as she slashed at the creature again and again, but it was too quick. It darted around her, its legs clicking against the rubble as it weaved through the debris.
Suddenly, the creature shifted its attention to Eli.
His heart raced as it lunged toward him, its legs scuttling over the ground with terrifying speed. His body moved on its own, diving to the side just as the creature's legs slashed through the air where he had been standing. Eli rolled across the ground, scrambling to his feet, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps.
Cass shouted something, but he couldn't hear her over the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. The creature's many eyes blinked at him, twitching and tracking his every movement. He had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. His instincts screamed at him to keep moving, to run—but where?
Focus.
Eli gripped the small blade Cass had given him, his hands trembling. He wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough to fight it off. He could barely keep himself from freezing in terror.
The creature lunged again, its legs slicing through the air. Eli barely dodged, rolling to the side as the creature skittered past him. He stumbled, his arms shaking from exhaustion and fear, but he couldn't stop. If he stopped, it would kill him.
Just as the creature lunged for him again, Cass appeared, her knife flashing through the air. She slashed at the creature's legs, the blade cutting deep into its armored shell. The creature screeched, its many eyes blinking rapidly as it staggered back.
"Eli!" Cass shouted, her voice cutting through the panic. "Move!"
His body reacted before his mind did. He scrambled to his feet and ran, darting between the rubble and debris as the creature screeched and scuttled after him. His legs burned, his heart pounded, but he didn't stop. Every time the creature got too close, he dodged to the side, slipping through narrow gaps and ducking behind broken walls.
He could hear the creature behind him, its many eyes tracking his every move, but he kept going. He didn't think—he just ran.
And then, there was silence.
Eli stopped, panting, his chest heaving as he glanced around. The creature was gone, its screeching replaced by the distant sounds of the ruined city.
Cass appeared beside him, her expression unreadable as she wiped the blood from her knife. "You're faster than I thought," she said, her voice calm. "But you still need to learn how to fight."
Eli nodded weakly, his legs trembling. "Thanks," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "I… I don't know what I would've done without you."
Cass glanced at him, her eyes sharp. "You don't have to know. But next time? Don't wait for me to save you. Trust your instincts."
As they moved further into the city, Eli couldn't help but wonder—why was she still helping him? Why was she so patient with him when he clearly wasn't ready for this world?
But for now, he pushed the questions aside. There were bigger things to worry about.