1 Escape (Part 1)

I'm finally outside again.

It's raining, but it couldn't hide the loud screams and explosions behind us. The fire lit up the cold dark night and the smoke from the burning wood was stinging my eyes.

Ah, this headache is not helping the situation.

I looked at the 6 people I am with. I am not friends with any of these people, we just happen to run into each other as we were escaping. I know their faces and their names, but that is all.

We stopped to catch our breath and to organize ourselves.

"Let's keep moving forward, don't look back. I'm sure some of the attackers will be nearby." said the guy with the auburn hair. I think his name is Achilles, I have never personally talked to him but he is known for being one of the strongest in our batch.

The girl with the long black hair looked at us as she tied up her hair into a ponytail and said, "Let me check our surroundings first so we know which direction we can go, I'll widen the search area but with my current energy it's just enough for 100 meters max. ". If I remember correctly her name is Joan, a childhood friend of Achilles and they arrived at the Institute at the same time.

Joan looked at us again with her exhausted eyes and then clapped her hands, I noticed the fallen leaves around her moved slightly away from her, and tree branches swayed ever so slightly. She just used her Talent called Sound or that's what the trainers in the Institute call it. She told us that she could feel some interference with the sound she makes, this acts like a sonar. She's one of the reasons why we didn't get caught during the chaos inside.

From what I have learned from the Institute, these Talents first manifested around 50 years after the 2020 pandemic. The origins of the virus were never found, at the same time there was no cure made for the virus. It's said that the pandemic caused the deaths of a third of the world's total population.

Later on, it was found that the virus not only infected us but it also infected animals where they found a few mutations, change in personalities and habits on said infected animals. Further studies were made on those people that were infected which showed that the virus changed the DNAs of the infected which let them access an energy which is dormant on our bodies and with that energy active there is a possibility for a Talent to manifest.

Joan sighed, "There is no one within 100 meters around us, my sonar is not that accurate so we should be more careful from here on out, for now we should rest for a few more minutes"

She is right, we should be extra careful, we do not know what kind of threat we are gonna face as we go deeper into the forest. Looking at the burning buildings behind us I thought there may be others that escaped, but the attackers probably surrounded the Institute before sending in their forces.

My lungs are full of smoke, making it harder to breathe. I should not be tired from all of this, after all those hellish training they made us go through. If we get attacked now, only a few of us could fight even if we could fight it does not mean we could survive.

Should I split up with the group? It is better to move alone than to travel with a group, but it is still safer to move with a group.

As I stood up, Achilles asked "So which direction, Joan?"

Joan fixed her hair and pointed to her right, "We should go deeper into the woods, we could use the trees for cover while we move forward. The farther we are from here, the less danger we would face."

"Let's go, everyone stay vigilant, we know nothing about this place and our enemies. From here let's just walk, we'll take a break every 10 clicks," said Achilles. Clearly he's trying to hide that he's tired, but his shortness of breath says otherwise.

The seven of us continued our escape through the forest. If you look at us you'd probably think these teens won't survive long. I'd probably say the same if I didn't know who these people are. Most of them don't even have a weapon to begin with. Well for starters I don't really know who they are but I got some sort of clue from the time I spent around them in the Institute.

Should I split up with the group? I just couldn't think of an answer. The more I ask myself, the more this headache keeps bugging me.

Moments later we heard a bone chilling scream just ahead of us.

And then silence. We could hear the slow rain, and our tired breathing. I could hear my heart beating loudly, as if it were beside my ear, in my head. My chest goes up and down, up and down, up and down. No, I could hear something else breathing. I moved forward low and slowly, gripping the hilt of my dagger.

Crunch

I stopped.

I looked down on my feet.

No.

My heart is racing.

There's something in front.

My heart stopped.

Its eyes were glowing in the dark. Its fur was dark gray, the fur around its snout darker. It was whimpering. Looking at the two others in front of it. It's legs were shaking as if it would collapse any second. Blood was slowly trickling from its body. A small stab wound.

It slowly walked towards the light and turned its gaze into the puddle on the ground. Two more with the same figure, walked towards the light and they all gathered on the puddle.

We were taught about monsters in the Institute but this is my first time seeing one breathing and this close, they said that these were once normal animals but were mutated by the virus. Looking closer, I'm sure these are Direwolves. I've read about them, in the previous era they're said to be an extinct species of wolves. These direwolves are much bigger than the information given in the books.

There were three of them.

Could we fight them?

Should I split up with the group?

Maybe we could just go around them. We're in no shape to fight.

Looking closer, they're eating something on the ground

Crunch

There was a pool of blood...

Also a man's head.

It feels like I'm in a nightmare. Is this real? I want to look away.

Shivers ran down my spine.

I need to get away from here.

"Somebody help m-"

Crunch

It's staring at me, its lifeless eyes. As if they're telling me to run, that I need to get away from here as fast as possible.

I need to run.

Turning around I saw Joan and the others nearby covered in sweat, and shaking. No, it's the same for me. My hands can't stop shaking.

"W-we should go around them." said Sun, visibly shaken.

"That's not possible anymore. Direwolves have extremely sensitive sense of hearing, the reason we got close right now is that they're busy with their food." I told Sun

"I have a plan," Sun continued. He was called the smartest in our combat classes, maybe that's why they named him after Sun Tzu, one of the greatest military generals in ancient China.

Everyone turned their gaze at him. Confused and scared.

"Joan, have you recovered some energy?"

"Just a little bit, enough for a small move," she answered

"Alright, I just need you to create a high pitch sound that would hurt the direwolves' hearing and maybe incapacitate them even for a minute. While they're distracted, we'll take down one after that we'll run. I'll use Exalt on everyone,"

Exalt, Sun's Talent, increases the movement speed, and strength of whoever Sun chooses and himself.

This is the first time I'll be able to experience Sun's Talent.

"Well we got nothing to lose right?" Joan nervously chuckled

"Just our lives," I smiled at her

"We'll start as soon as Joan gives her signal," said Sun

"Cover your ears boys and girls," said Joan. She put her fingers into her mouth and started to whistle. She changed the pitch of the whistle to be ultra high and its volume to be loud, and she held that whistle for just around 20 seconds.

We saw the direwolves drop and try to cover their ears. Few seconds later they started whimpering loudly.

"Change of plans, Joan did more damage to them than expected. Split and attack 2 direwolves. Go! Joan take a breather, we'll take it from here.." Sun gave out instructions