Day 29: Trial By Fire
The morning sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the ruined cityscape. The red light felt more oppressive than usual, painting the landscape in hues of rust and blood. Eli's eyes were still heavy from a restless night, but it wasn't just fatigue that weighed him down—it was the memory of Cass's whispered words: Fifteen more to go.
As the group gathered their things, preparing for another long day of wandering, Eli couldn't help but notice that something about Cass had changed. She was always focused, always alert, but today there was a sharpness to her that hadn't been there before. Her movements were quick and purposeful, her gaze sweeping over the horizon with an intensity that made Eli uneasy. She was restless—like she was waiting for something.
"We need to be prepared," Cass said suddenly, breaking the silence. Her voice was firm, leaving no room for debate.
Eli glanced at Luke, who looked just as surprised by the sudden shift in Cass's tone. "Prepared for what?" Eli asked, trying to sound casual but unable to hide his growing concern.
Cass didn't meet his gaze, her focus still on the path ahead. "For what's coming," she said flatly. "We can't just keep running and hiding. Sooner or later, we'll face something we can't run from."
Luke frowned, shifting his weight uneasily. "What do you mean? We've been surviving so far—avoiding the worst of the creatures. Isn't that the plan?"
Cass turned toward them, her eyes sharp and cold. "Surviving isn't enough. We need to be stronger, faster. We need to be able to fight." She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in. "You need to be ready."
Eli felt his stomach tighten. There was something different in Cass's eyes, a fire that wasn't there before. Her urgency was palpable, and it wasn't just fear driving her—it was something deeper, more deliberate.
"Ready for what?" Eli asked again, this time more insistent. He was tired of the vague answers, the hidden truths.
Cass stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, with a sigh, she relented. "In fifteen days, something is going to happen. Something big. I don't know what it is exactly, but I've… seen patterns. The creatures, the changes in the environment—they're all leading to something."
Eli felt a chill crawl up his spine. He had always suspected that Cass knew more than she let on, but hearing it confirmed didn't make him feel any better. "And you think we can prepare for it?"
Cass nodded. "We don't have a choice."
Luke crossed his arms, his face pale but resolute. "Okay, so what do we do? We can't just fight everything that comes at us."
"We're going to train," Cass said bluntly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We're going to find one of the creatures, and each of you is going to fight it—one-on-one. You need to learn how to handle yourself in a real fight."
Eli's eyes widened. "Wait, what? You want us to fight one of those things? Alone?"
Cass gave a short, curt nod. "Yes. Alone. It's the only way you'll learn."
Luke let out a sharp breath, disbelief written all over his face. "Are you serious? We've barely survived together, and you want us to take one of them on by ourselves?"
Cass's eyes flashed with determination. "I'm not asking. I'm telling you. This is the only way. If you can't hold your own in a fight, you won't survive what's coming."
Eli's heart pounded in his chest, fear and adrenaline mixing in a sickening swirl. He had fought before—plenty of times—but never alone. And never willingly. The thought of standing against one of those monstrous creatures without Cass or Luke by his side sent a wave of dread crashing over him.
But Cass was different now. She wasn't asking them to fight because it was a choice. She was preparing them for something she believed was inevitable.
Luke shook his head, still clearly struggling to wrap his mind around the idea. "What kind of creature are we talking about here?"
Cass turned away, scanning the ruins around them with a calculating gaze. "Something small," she said. "Something manageable, but dangerous enough to force you to fight."
The tension in the air was thick as they followed Cass through the desolate streets. Eli's mind raced with the possibilities, the worst-case scenarios playing out in vivid detail. He had fought beside Cass before, trusted her to lead them out of danger time and again, but this… this felt different. It wasn't just survival anymore. It was training for a battle none of them were ready for.
They moved quietly, the ruined landscape offering no hint of what lay ahead. Cass's footsteps were steady, purposeful, and her gaze remained sharp, scanning the shadows for any sign of movement.
After a few minutes of tense silence, Cass stopped, raising a hand to signal them to halt. "There," she said quietly, pointing toward a crumbling building a few hundred feet away. "That's what we're looking for."
Eli followed her gaze and saw it—a creature, roughly the size of a large dog, skulking through the debris. Its body was sleek and low to the ground, its muscles rippling beneath its strange, scaled hide. It moved with an unsettling grace, its eyes glowing faintly in the dim light, but what unnerved Eli the most was the sound it made. A low, rumbling growl that seemed to vibrate through the air.
"Is that…?" Luke started, his voice barely a whisper.
Cass nodded. "It's not as large as some of the others we've faced, but it's fast. Strong. It'll test your reflexes, your endurance." She glanced between Eli and Luke, her expression hard. "One of you will take it down. No help. No interference."
Eli's stomach twisted into a knot. He had faced terrifying creatures before—ones that had nearly killed him—but always with the others by his side. Now Cass was asking them to fight alone.
"Eli," Cass said, her voice steady. "You're up."
Eli's heart skipped a beat. His hands felt clammy as he tightened his grip on his knife. He glanced at Luke, who gave him an uncertain nod of encouragement, though the fear in his eyes was clear.
Cass's eyes were locked on him, her expression unreadable. "You can do this. Just focus. Move quickly. Don't hesitate."
Eli swallowed hard, his pulse racing. He didn't feel ready. He didn't feel strong enough to face this thing alone. But something in Cass's voice—her certainty, her insistence—made him push his fear aside.
He stepped forward, his body tense, every muscle coiled and ready to react. The creature hadn't noticed them yet, its attention still focused on the debris it was sifting through.
Eli took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the knife in his hand. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest he was sure the creature would hear it.
Then, with a sudden burst of energy, Eli lunged toward the creature.
The beast reacted immediately, its glowing eyes snapping toward him as it let out a feral growl. It moved with blinding speed, leaping to the side just as Eli swung his knife. The blade missed by inches, slicing through the air where the creature had been moments before.
Eli barely had time to react as the creature charged at him, its claws slashing at his legs. He stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding the attack, his breath coming in sharp, panicked gasps.
The creature was on him in an instant, its body a blur of movement as it lunged again. Eli threw himself to the side, rolling across the ground and slashing wildly with his knife. This time, the blade connected, cutting into the creature's side.
It howled in pain, its glowing eyes narrowing with fury.
Eli pushed himself to his feet, his body trembling with adrenaline. He could feel the burn in his muscles, the sharp sting of exhaustion creeping in, but he couldn't stop. Not now.
The creature charged again, but this time, Eli was ready. He sidestepped the attack, bringing his knife down in a swift, decisive strike. The blade sank deep into the creature's neck, and with one final, gurgling growl, it collapsed to the ground, its body twitching as it died.
Eli stood there, panting, his heart racing, his hands shaking around the handle of the knife.
Cass stepped forward, her eyes hard but approving. "Good," she said quietly. "You did well."
Eli didn't feel like he had done well. He felt like he had barely survived.
But as Cass turned to Luke, her expression unreadable, she said the words Eli dreaded: "Your turn."
Luke's face went pale as Cass turned her gaze on him. He had watched Eli fight the creature, had seen the fear in his eyes and the raw desperation of the struggle. Now, it was his turn, and the weight of that realization hit him hard.
"Your turn," Cass repeated, her voice calm but firm. There was no hesitation, no softness. She wasn't offering him a choice—she was giving him a command.
Eli stood there, still panting, his knife slick with the creature's blood. His muscles trembled with the aftershocks of the fight, but it was the fear in Luke's eyes that made his stomach twist.
Luke swallowed hard, gripping his machete tighter as he glanced toward the ruins ahead. "What… what am I supposed to fight?"
Cass didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked toward the crumbling building they had spotted earlier. "There's another one nearby," she said, her voice steady. "A bit bigger than the last, but you can handle it."
Luke's knuckles went white around the handle of his machete. "Bigger?" he muttered under his breath, but Cass had already started moving toward the building, her limp still noticeable but controlled.
Eli watched as Luke followed Cass, his posture stiff and nervous. Eli's chest tightened. He knew what Luke was feeling—he had just been through it himself. The fear of facing one of those things alone was like nothing else. It clawed at your mind, making you second-guess every step, every move.
Cass stopped near the entrance of the building, raising her hand to signal them to stop. She crouched low, her eyes scanning the rubble. After a moment, she pointed toward a shadowed corner where the debris was piled high.
"There," she whispered. "It's hiding, but it's there."
Eli strained to see what Cass was pointing at, and after a few seconds, he caught a glimpse of it—a large, hulking figure moving slowly through the rubble. The creature was bigger than the one Eli had fought, its body thicker and more heavily armored. Its scales glinted in the red light, and its breath came in slow, heavy growls.
Luke's face tightened with fear as he spotted the creature. "You want me to fight that?" he whispered, his voice shaking.
Cass nodded, her expression hard. "Yes. And you'll fight it alone."
Luke took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling quickly. He glanced at Eli, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. Eli wanted to tell him it would be okay, that he could do this—but the words felt hollow. Eli knew firsthand how terrifying it was to face these creatures, and Luke was about to find out for himself.
Cass stepped back, giving Luke space to prepare. "Remember," she said quietly. "Don't hesitate. Be fast. Be decisive. The longer you drag it out, the more dangerous it becomes."
Luke nodded, though his face was pale, and his hands trembled slightly as he raised his machete. He moved forward slowly, his eyes locked on the creature as he tried to control his breathing. Eli could see the fear in every step Luke took, but there was also a determination there—a quiet strength that surprised Eli.
Luke approached the creature, his footsteps as light as he could manage. The beast hadn't noticed him yet, its massive body shifting through the debris as it searched for something. Its low growls rumbled through the air, making the ground tremble beneath Luke's feet.
When he was just a few steps away, the creature finally turned toward him, its glowing eyes locking onto him with sudden intensity. Its body tensed, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence as the two stared at each other.
Then the creature lunged.
Luke reacted quickly, swinging his machete in a wide arc as the creature charged at him. The blade connected with the creature's shoulder, slicing through its thick, scaly hide, but the cut wasn't deep enough to slow it down. The beast roared in pain and fury, its massive claws slashing through the air as it lunged at Luke again.
Luke barely managed to dodge, stumbling backward as the creature's claws raked the ground where he had been standing moments before. His heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The creature was faster than he had anticipated, and its sheer size made it even more dangerous.
"Don't back down!" Cass shouted from the sidelines, her voice sharp and commanding. "Keep moving! Don't let it corner you!"
Luke gritted his teeth, gripping his machete tighter as he circled the creature, looking for an opening. The beast's glowing eyes followed his every movement, its body tense and ready to strike again. Luke could feel the adrenaline surging through him, his fear giving way to a desperate need to survive.
The creature lunged again, and this time, Luke was ready. He sidestepped the attack, bringing his machete down in a swift, powerful strike. The blade sank deep into the creature's side, and the beast let out a deafening roar of pain.
But it wasn't enough.
The creature whipped around, its massive tail sweeping through the air and knocking Luke off his feet. He hit the ground hard, the air knocked from his lungs as the world spun around him. His machete clattered out of his hand, sliding across the ground out of reach.
"Luke!" Eli shouted, instinctively taking a step forward, but Cass grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
"He has to do this on his own," Cass said, her voice cold but steady. "If you step in now, he won't learn. This is part of his training."
Eli clenched his fists, his heart racing with fear for his friend. He wanted to help, to rush in and save Luke from the creature's wrath, but Cass was right. Luke had to fight. They all did.
Luke groaned as he pushed himself up, his body aching from the impact. The creature was already closing in, its claws digging into the ground as it prepared to strike again. Luke's eyes darted to his machete, still lying several feet away, but the creature was too close—he wouldn't be able to reach it in time.
With no other option, Luke grabbed a nearby piece of debris—a broken length of metal pipe—and swung it at the creature with all his strength. The pipe connected with the beast's face, the impact sending a shockwave through Luke's arms.
The creature staggered back, momentarily stunned by the blow, and Luke took the opportunity to scramble toward his machete. His fingers closed around the handle just as the creature recovered, its glowing eyes burning with rage.
Luke stood up, his grip tight on the machete, his breath ragged. The beast roared and charged at him again, but this time, Luke was ready. He dodged the attack, bringing his machete down in a brutal strike that sliced through the creature's neck.
Blood sprayed from the wound as the creature let out one final, gurgling roar before collapsing to the ground in a twitching heap.
Luke stood there, panting, his body trembling with adrenaline and exhaustion. His machete hung limply in his hand, blood dripping from the blade.
Cass stepped forward, her face calm but approving. "Well done," she said quietly. "You fought well."
Luke didn't respond at first, his chest heaving as he stared down at the dead creature. Finally, he nodded, his face pale but determined. "Thanks," he muttered, though his voice was still shaky.
Eli let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, relief washing over him. Luke had done it. He had survived.
But as the three of them stood there, surrounded by the bloodied bodies of the creatures they had fought, Eli couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. Cass had said they needed to be prepared—and now, more than ever, Eli believed her.
Whatever was coming in those fifteen days, it was going to be worse than anything they had faced before.
And the they had to be ready