Chương 15: The Ambush

They sat on their bikes and studied the maze of vehicles. Some upright, some on their sides, arranged in ways that suggested intelligence and intent.

"The Guide entry on Eaters," Enzo said.

"You both got that after your first kill?" Val nodded. Sumi confirmed.

"We all have the same information then. And this is the work of people or a manipulation-type Eater." Val frowned.

"We really need better names for them. Manipulation-type and cultivation-type are way too long for actual conversation. And wizard Eaters or cultivator Eaters just sounds stupid." Enzo stared at her.

"Maybe that can wait until we're not busy figuring out how best to risk our lives and survive an obvious trap." Val's frown shifted into a smirk.

"Weaters and Seaters."

"No." Sumi shook her head.

"That's even worse."

"I think it's perfect," Val insisted.

"Moving on," Enzo said.

"Someone needs to sneak up and see what we're dealing with." She stared back.

"Is this punishment for the names?"

"No. It's because I'm a cripple and I'm guessing Sumi runs slower than you, too." Val sighed.

"Fine. What's the plan though?"

"Sumi Bolsters you. Then you get low, move up and scout ahead." Enzo blew out a breath.

"If anything goes wrong, you rush back here and we ride away. Otherwise, we'll figure out what to do once we know what's in there."

"Okay," Val said, hooking her bike stand, swinging a leg over, and crossing to Sumi.

"Buff me." While Sumi cast the spell on Val, Enzo glanced down at Murph, who was sitting and watching the exchange with barely contained excitement.

"Murph, stay." She met his eyes, and he could have sworn he saw understanding in them as she cocked her head, opened her mouth, and started panting, tongue flopped out. Val jogged toward the cars, muttering something under her breath as she went, and keeping herself low alongside the divider. She slowed as she got closer. Enzo watched her carefully, fingers gripping the handlebars. In his head, he was working out responses to a variety of things going wrong. Which spells to invoke.

He kept himself carefully balanced on the bike, his good leg firm on the ground, ready to turn and ride if escape proved the correct choice.

"We really need more spells," Sumi whispered beside him.

"Wizards should be able to peek over or see around things like this." Enzo agreed, but remained quiet. Val reached the first car, moving slowly, placing each step deliberately. A moment later, she turned back and raised a hand, waved it, and held up one finger. Then she kept going, still low, and disappeared from sight.

"What the hell is she doing?" Enzo asked.

"And what is the finger meant to mean?" Sumi patted him on the shoulder.

"She'll be okay. Val knows what she's doing. You should have seen her at the hospital that first morning after the rain started. Most of us were so confused after learning about mages and magic. Then, when the Eaters started waking up, everyone panicked. Val was one of the first few who stepped up. She and Rick organized people to build the barrier at the front entrance and had armed people standing guard within the first hour." Enzo took a breath. Then let it out. Sumi was right.

Val might be his little sister, and while he might still occasionally remember her as the little girl who cried every time her big brother left her behind, the reality was different. She was smart, even if the intelligence was often hidden behind sharp barbs and obnoxious retorts. Val was fully capable of protecting herself.

"Thanks." Sumi nodded. Then smiled sadly.

"I understand. I have a little brother back home. He's only fourteen." Enzo heard the words left unsaid. Val had mentioned back at the hospital that Sumi's family was in Osaka. Which meant she had no way home with technology failing. No way to find out if her brother or the rest of her family was alive. He admired the quiet strength with which she kept going. Didn't know if he could manage it in her position as well as she did.

"I know it's not much of a promise now, but if we ever figure out how, Val and I will help you get home, too. We'll help you find your family." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"Thank you." Val reappeared from behind a vehicle, moving fast. Enzo tensed. But she wasn't sprinting. Her pace was controlled, quiet, but not panicked. A few moments later, she straightened and came to a stop in front of them.

"It's weird," she said.

"I couldn't see how many there were, but there's one Eater crouched on the ground in the middle. There were a couple of others I could see hidden amongst the vehicles, and they were all staring at that one. Really intently, too. I counted six, plus the boss." Enzo tried to imagine it, but it was too strange to wrap his head around.

"Was it a manipulation-type? Did you see any magic halo around its head?" Val nodded.

"Yeah, but not just around its head. There were faint purple wisps coming out of its head, but they vanished after a bit. I didn't want to risk using Mana Sense in there."

"That was smart," Sumi said.

"We have no idea what Eaters can pick up on." They fell silent for a few moments.

"I think we can handle seven," Val said.

"Even if there are more, as long as they're not like that Tier 1 from the hospital, it should be fine." Sumi nodded her agreement. Enzo frowned.

"I'm worried that the manipulation-type you described is a Tier 1. Think about it. Someone or something gathered all the cars here. And what you described the other Eaters doing sounds like…" He trailed off. Val nodded.

"Like they're minions, right?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"Sure, but I already thought about that. We just need you and Sumi to get close enough to snipe the boss before they even know we're here."

"I don't think I'm good enough for that yet," Sumi said, uncertain. Enzo shook his head.

"We'd be betting everything if we snuck in that deep. Sumi's accuracy aside, I can't outrun them if things go bad."

"Then we do it like we did at the hospital. I'll take point, Sumi keeps me buffed, and you two cover the sides. Clear as we go." He considered their options. Turning around wasn't one. Sneaking was also out. Which meant they had to clear the Eaters somehow.

"Did you pick up Reinforce?" Val nodded.

"Yeah. Took me most of the day yesterday. Earth mana sucks compared to Fire, but I got it. And I've got enough stored to keep it running for a while." Enzo shifted his weight.

"Earth?"

"Yeah. Why?" He hadn't tried that one back at the hospital. Would have to add it to the list for testing later.

"Nothing," he said instead.

"Let's say we try to ambush them. It won't be the same as the hospital, because you'd be holding the front alone while Sumi and I have to worry about everything else. There won't be any breaks either, because they'll all be coming at once. And then there's Murph." Val and Sumi both looked down at the dog, sitting beside the bike, looking as if she were following the conversation.

"What's Murph got to do with it?" Val asked.

"We can't leave her attached to the bike." Enzo reached over and scratched Murph behind the ears.

"If… the worst happened, we wouldn't want her unable to escape." Realization flashed across both their faces.

"Oh."

"Does that mean she'll be helping us?" Sumi asked.

"She seems to hate the Eaters as much as we do." Enzo sighed.

"I don't think we have a better option. Murph seems to understand basic commands. Better than she should, because she's only had a few training sessions. I'll get her to heel. And if things look bad, maybe she can help us. Take one out herself." He shook his head.

"I'm not happy about it, but maybe… maybe it's necessary. She has to learn to deal with this new world, too." The silence that followed told Enzo that Val and Sumi were equally uncomfortable with the idea. And that they also lacked any other solution.

"Okay," Sumi said.

"Just to make sure I understand the plan. Val takes point while we hang back, using the cars for cover. And hope we can take out enough of the Eaters before they reach Val?"

"Right. But you will need to get close and Bolster her when you can, too. If you can."

"What if Val gets into trouble?"

"Then she runs for the bikes, and we do the same. At least if we've cleared as we went, nothing should get in the way." Sumi and Val both stood there quietly, looking about as uncertain as he felt. But he knew there was no other choice. There was no guarantee that the other bridges wouldn't have similar threats, not to mention the hours it would take on bikes.

"Let's do it," Val said.

"We're mages now. We can handle a few Eaters." Sumi studied Val's face for a few moments, then nodded.

"Okay." Enzo glanced between them, then down at Murph, who was still watching them intently. He climbed off the bike, resting it against the divider, and knelt down, ignoring the discomfort his knee produced.

"Murph," he said, grabbing her under the chin, staring into her eyes, and slowly unclipping the leash.

"Heel. Okay? Do not go anywhere until I say so. Heel." Murph stared back. For a moment, he thought she was going to nod. Then she leaned forward and licked his cheek, wet tongue dragging up one side of his face.

"Ugh." Enzo wiped the slobber off as best he could and stood up.

"Heel, Murph. Heel." Murph stayed beside him, looking up at him the whole time. He waited a few more moments, then turned to the others.

"Sumi, buff her just before she heads in. Then keep to the right side of the road. Val will push up the middle and I'll follow behind her." Sumi nodded, then she and Val moved out, both of them keeping low. Enzo grabbed his cane and followed, moving as fast as his leg allowed while still keeping quiet and half-bent over. Murph stayed by his side, looking as serious as he'd ever seen the six-month-old puppy. Val looked back and met his eyes. He nodded. She returned it.

Sumi tapped Val on the shoulder, a brief flash of light emanating from the contact. Then Val moved between the first vehicles and disappeared from sight. Sumi kept her head down and went right as planned, putting a few cars between her and Val before also disappearing between the vehicles. Enzo held his right hand out, ready to fire off a spell in case he rounded the end of a car and found himself face to face with a magic-eating zombie.

He moved carefully, doing his best to keep the weight off his bad leg for as long as he could. Just in case he had to make a mad dash back to the bike. If a hobbling, limping jog could be called a dash. Enzo forced himself to breathe. Then he glanced back down at Murph, who was still waiting beside him.

"Good girl, Murph. Heel." Seconds ticked by. His adrenaline spiked as he rounded each car. Every window he passed demanded a check. Then a shout broke the silence.

"Burst Fist!" A cacophony of screeching followed. Enzo leaned around the van and saw them. At least a dozen Eaters, rising from between the scattered vehicles ahead, emerging from behind doors and beneath undercarriages where they'd hidden.