The Day of Reckoning (Prototype)

Chapter 68: Treehome Alone, Pt. 2

I look over my shoulder, seeing how close the monsters are! "L-Leave me alone!!!" I shout like they can understand me. One of them screech, and I look ahead of me.

There's a car in front of me and not enough time to move! Instead of trying to dodge it, I bring myself to a stop and jump straight up! An Eldritch runs right into the car, and I land on its head! I jump up again, jumping over the car!

I stumble forward when I land, but keep balance and keep going. The other one is still close, but I get an idea. I spot another car and go as fast as I can! My lungs start stinging, and my legs hurt, but I can do this!

I drop the crowbar and focus on running. Once the car is close, I jump and spin around simultaneously, landing on the hood while facing the Eldritch. I jump over it and run back in the direction I came from. As I run, I spot the monster that ran into the car and move faster.

Once I reach the crowbar, I slow down and turn to the other Eldritch. They're both an equal distance from me, so this should work! The moment the monsters lunge, I jump back, and their open maws collide and get stuck, just as planned!

I grab my bar and swing it into one of their chins. Its teeth get shoved farther into the other's mouth, making it screech and bleed out. It falls to the ground, bringing the other one with it. With both of them on the ground, I pull a spike from the dead Eldritch and shove it into the other, ending both.

I fall onto my butt to catch my breath. I'm not built for all that running, nor fighting! Plus, I probably would've died if not for those cars! And pure luck, too! I didn't think those stunts would work!!

"I-I really did it! I k-killed three Eldritch on my o-own!" I say to myself. I start collecting spikes and use the crowbar to break teeth from the Eldritch's jaws. "R-Ramil will be s-so happy that I h-helped out!" The words I said really sink in. I helped.

"I-I helped them! I actually helped them!" I say to myself. I giggle at the thought, but the giggle quickly turns into laughter! I did it! I actually did something useful!

Now that I've got the teeth and spikes in one pile, I need something to carry them. My sacks are still pretty full, and I didn't bring another bag. I'm sure I can find one inside these houses. I go into a house and find a big, and sturdy backpack.

I return to the pile, scooping everything in. I slide my crowbar into the bag as well. It's more convenient than carrying it. I start back to my first kill to harvest teeth and spikes. I pull the cords out of my sack and inspect them. They're old and dusty. Even if there was electricity, these are useless.

The ground shakes, and my blood runs cold. The giant is behind me, and I know I can't fight that thing! No way! I duck behind the first car, looking for something to use! As I do, I realize how long these cords are. "I can m-make a tripw-wire!" I say.

I tie one of the cords to a well-planted metal pole that sticks up from the ground and start tying the ends of cords together. For extra length, I pull out a rope and use it to cover the rest of the distance.

I tie the rope to the weirdly placed garage door and run to the house from before.

I hear the giant's roar not even two seconds into my sprint and see how close it is. I turn and look up, seeing it stare at me. "N-No..." I mutter, a tear rolling down my face. Saliva drips from its mouth as it eyes me like candy.

It roars, and I jump into full gear. I run as fast as my legs can go, feeling the ground shake as it gives chase. I hear the cords snap, meaning that it worked! The giant tripped!! It falls down and destroys the same house my first kill is in front of!

The impact of the fall makes me bounce! I land hard on teh road on my arm. Pain shoots through my shoulder, and I shout out.

"AAAAAGGGGHHH!!!"

I grip my arm as tears fall. I hear the monster start getting up, and my brain panics.

"No, no, NO!!" I yell. I scramble to my feet, the adrenaline pumping to my head. I run faster than I realized I could, trying to stay far away from the giant. I-I can't die now! I just became useful, I CAN'T get killed!!!

But I can't run back to the treehouse or else it'll destroy our home!! I run through the street and look back, seeing the giant turning around. It's gonna tail whip me!! I run into a house to take cover, but it doesn't help!

The tail bursts through the wall and comes straight for me! I jump for the stairs and stay low, but the tail sweeps me up and shoots me through the roof! "AAGGH!!" I shout. This is the second time he's sent me into the air, but I'm not gonna get knocked out this time!!

I spot a tree as I fall and reach for it! I land on a branch and hold it, making me spin. I drop and fall on my back, but the bag reduces damage. I guess it has good padding.

I get up and run, pulling out three Blindsights. I yank the pins and throw them at the ground, creating a smokescreen. I change direction, heading into another house to hide. I sit against a wall and catch my breath, trying to think of a plan to get away.

The treehouse is a little bit farther from here; if I can distract the giant long enough, I can use the last of my energy to sprint home. The problem is, none of my bombs can travel that far. Even if they could, the sound of my running would catch his attention.

Unless...

I grab rope from my bag and pull out Fairy Dusts. I tie them up, putting one Blindsight in the middle and a mini makeshift catapult I made from a spoon, rubber bands, and a couple other things I found in the house. I wind up the front two Fairy Dusts and carefully sneak out.

I carry the contraption into the road and hide. It starts moving, catching the giant's attention. He slowly follows, enticed by the devices. I start counting from ten, waiting for the explosion.

Once my countdown hits zero, the Fairy Dusts explode into a large cloud of pink and yellow smoke. I jump up and dash, looking behind me. Just a second after I sprint, the catapult shoots the Blindsight through the smoke and, thanks to the angle and trajectory, straight into the giant's face!

It roars out in pain as I focus every last ounce of power that I have into my legs. I run and run and run until I spot the tree just a couple steps ahead. My legs are starting to tire out- for real this time. My lungs hurt from all the air I'm inhaling, and I can't keep running much longer. "C-Come on, come on!" I say to myself. "I can m-make it!!"

I get to the fence and throw the crowbar. I jump and grab the top, trying to hoist myself up. My arms are too tired, they're not working!! Tears pool in my eyes as I hear the roar of the giant get closer and closer. "No, n-no, no, please! P-Please!" I pout. I use my feet to try and help myself over, but they can't get a grip on the fence!

I hear a shriek to my side and see a single Eldritch staring at me like fresh meat. It's gonna tackle me! I can't get away!!

I CAN'T GET AWAY!!!!!

The giant roars again, and the Eldritch lunges. Every muscle in my body tenses, but my brain screams at me to "MOVE!!!!", and I pull myself up with all my strength!

More strength than I ever knew I had.

I launch myself over the fence and land hard on my back. I cough a bit, but dont have enough time to gather myself before hearing a scratching noise against the fence. I turn over and reach into my Blindsight bag, preparing myself.

The Eldritch pokes its head over the fence, and I chuck the bomb as soon as I see it. I nail it right in the face, and the fire makes it screech. It retreats, and I do the same. I muster up the strength to stagger to the ladder and climb, shaking.

As soon as I'm past the doorframe, my legs collapse. I fall down and hit the wood floor. I stay there, shaking and processing everything that happened.

I collected spikes.

I got my own weapon.

I killed Eldritch.

I escaped the giant.

"I'm going to sleep."