The forest descended into pure chaos as the group scattered, running for their lives. At the front of the pack was Kyle, his earlier bravado utterly gone.
His powerful strides were now panicked and uncoordinated, his club forgotten as he barreled forward like a frightened animal. The only thing he seemed focused on was getting as far away as possible.
At the back, Jess and Darrow moved with purpose, their weapons in hand as they ensured no one was left behind. Jess's sharp eyes darted back and forth, scanning for stragglers, while Darrow's wiry frame seemed tense but ready for action.
Harry, somewhere in the middle, found himself torn between fleeing and helping. The screams and cries around him were deafening. People tripped over roots, collided with each other, and stumbled in their frantic attempts to escape. The Jonkeys' screeches echoed through the trees, accompanied by the sharp whistling of their projectiles.
"Keep moving!" Jess's voice rang out, firm and commanding. "Don't stop!"
Harry spotted a boy no older than fourteen, frozen in place, his wide eyes locked on the dark shapes leaping through the trees. Without hesitation, Harry veered off course, grabbing the boy by the arm.
"Hey! No time to freeze up!" Harry shouted, pulling him along. "Move your legs or they'll turn you into a monkey pancake!"
The boy stumbled, but Harry kept him upright, practically dragging him forward until his feet started moving again.
Ahead, a girl tripped over an exposed root, landing hard on her hands and knees. Harry's eyes darted toward the approaching Jonkeys, his stomach twisting. He ran to her, helping her to her feet.
"Come on, up you go!" he urged. "We're not stopping for sightseeing!"
The girl nodded mutely, tears streaming down her face as she clutched his arm. Harry pushed her forward, glancing back at the chaos behind him.
The situation was dire.
People were getting injured left and right—some from falling, others from the Jonkeys' sharp projectiles. A man let out a blood-curdling scream as a stone struck his shoulder, sending him crashing into the dirt. Another stumbled into a tree, his ankle twisting painfully.
Harry's chest heaved as he ran, his kitchen knife gripped tightly in one hand.
His mind raced, torn between wanting to help more people and the raw instinct to save himself.
"Everyone!" Jess's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She and Darrow had slowed their pace, keeping to the rear of the group. "Bear with it! We're almost through this!"
"Tim, help out here, I'm falling back." Harry fell back, joining the two at the rear.
Jess's face was set in a grim mask of determination, while Darrow's sharp eyes flicked between the trees, watching for incoming threats.
"W-What are those things?" Harry asked between gasps, his voice tight with exertion. "Do you they have any weak points?"
Jess nodded, her tone clipped. "They're fast, agile, and terrifyingly strong. But they do have got weaknesses."
"Good and?" Harry's asked again as he dodged another whizzing projectile.
"Low stamina," Jess said, glancing over her shoulder. "They can't keep this up forever. And their aim isn't that great. As long as we keep moving and dodge, we'll outrun them."
"And if we don't?" Harry asked, though he already suspected the answer.
Jess's gaze hardened as if remembering a gruesome scene. "If one of their attacks lands, you're done. So, just don't get hit, boy. If you do... you are dead."
Harry swallowed hard, the cruel reality of the situation kicking in slowly. "Noted."
Behind them, the Jonkeys' screeches grew louder, their shadows flitting through the trees. Harry could feel his lungs burning, his legs screaming in protest. He kept receiving messages telling his stamina was running low.
But like all the others he pushed on, fueled by the knowledge that stopping wasn't an option.
"We just need to keep going," Darrow said, his voice steady despite the chaos. "A little further."
Harry glanced at him, surprised by his calm. Darrow's spear was gripped tightly in his hands, but his movements were deliberate, not panicked.
'He looks really cool.'
And it was oddly reassuring.
They pressed on, the forest a blur of shadows and movement. The group's cohesion was all but gone, each person running on raw survival instinct. But thanks to Jess and Darrow's guidance, and a few other helpful people like Harry and Tim's occasional interventions, most of them were still moving.
Harry gritted his teeth, his breath ragged. "Come on," he muttered to himself. "Just a little further."
Just as a faint hope began to creep in, a sound tore through the air—deep, guttural, and bone-chilling.
"Rrroarrr!"
A familiar roar echoed through the forest, reverberating in Harry's chest and sending shivers down his spine. His eyes widened as a wave of goosebumps spread across his skin.
"No..." he muttered under his breath.
"Rrroarrr!"
The roars—louder, darker, and more oppressive than the Jonkeys—stole the air from the forest. Nearly everyone froze, their faces twisted in fear. Hands shot up to clutch heads as people whimpered and groaned, collapsing to their knees. It was as though the sound had pierced directly into their minds, drowning them in an invisible weight.
Harry staggered but managed to stay upright, his knife trembling in his grip. His voice came out in a hoarse whisper, more to himself than anyone else. "Whispers of the Endwalkers..."
Beside him, Jess's jaw tightened, her eyes darting toward the source of the sound. Darrow shifted his stance, his spear held at the ready, though his knuckles were white with tension. Both of them seemed shaken but were managing to stay focused. Around them, however, the situation was deteriorating rapidly.
The Jonkeys seized the moment. Their guttural screeches grew sharper, almost gleeful, as they rained down projectiles with unnerving accuracy. Stones whistled through the air, striking the frozen crowd with sickening force.
"WHIZZ-THUD!"
"CRACK!"
The first impact sent a man flying backward, blood spraying from his chest. Another stone smashed into a young woman's side, crumpling her to the ground like a ragdoll.
Screams erupted, piercing and raw, as bodies fell one by one.
Harry's legs locked in place, his eyes going wide as the horrific scene unfolded before him. Blood splattered across the forest floor, pooling beneath the fallen. The air was thick with the sound of anguished cries and the sickening thuds of bodies hitting the dirt.
"!"
His mind went blank.
For a moment, he couldn't think, couldn't move.
His stomach churned violently, the bile rising in his throat. This wasn't like a game. This wasn't some fantasy where people got back up after a critical hit.
These were real people.
And they were dying.