Forging a Team

Maya covered her mouth in fear while quickly backing away from the intersection. She didn't have much time to warn the others.

"There's one of them ahead. It's coming our way. We might have to fight it," she whispered while catching her breath.

Adam immediately noticed their panicked gazes converging on him. It was a good sign. The group instinctively turned to him when in danger. He had to take the lead of the group now and instill some confidence in them.

"Don't worry, we've got it. We have the numbers and we know it's coming. Maya, you'll be at the front, with me and Steven backing you up. The rest will fan out and make sure that nothing unexpected happens," Adam began barking orders.

He had two goals in mind. He wanted to see if Maya had what it took to kill a Tainted and let her get used to the situation. What's more, he wanted to show the group that the Tainted could be defeated and killed.

They quickly took positions near the intersection. Maya stood at the center of the street, flanked by Adam and Steven. The rest of the group stayed behind, checking nearby alleys and buildings.

The Tainted ran into the street with a loud growl. It noticed the group and charged at the closest person.

Maya observed the creature closing in on her. Its moves were erratic and uncoordinated and it was more akin to a beast than a human being. She saw only hatred and hunger in its eyes. It was terrifying. Her palms became sweaty so she tightened her grip on the weapon and steadied her stance.

The Tainted was nearly in range, its hands spread wide and saliva dripping from its maw.

Maya sidestepped the creature and took a large swing. She yelled in anger. The strike connected but the beast's momentum tore the ax from her hands. The Tainted lost its balance and fell over, rolling on the ground.

"It's not over!" Adam shouted. "You missed the head!"

The creature rose to its knees. The ax was embedded in its chest, black blood bubbling around it and dripping from its mouth.

Maya took out her baton and lunged at her opponent. The first strike caught the Tainted straight in its face. It shrieked while falling to the ground again.

Ir didn't have the opportunity to rise again. Maya pinned it down and began hitting it with all her strength. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at a creature that had been a person like her just a few days earlier.

Confrontation with the Tainted made her understand that the world had changed and confront the emotions that she had bottled up after the Impact.

Absorbed in her fear and anger she didn't even notice the message she received when the Tainted stopped struggling.

"It's enough, we have to move." Adam took hold of her hands and helped her get away from the corpse. The group watched in silence as Maya hid her face in his arm and began sobbing uncontrollably.

The rush of the fight broke a dam of apathy she had built while cooped up in the town hall. It had been easy before Adam had shown up. They just had to wait for the authorities to get ahold of the situation and rescue everyone. They hadn't had to do anything.

Now though, they had to rescue themselves and it scared her.

Adam let her vent for a little before gently pushing her away and addressing the group.

"You have the right to be scared and angry. But you have to remember that you are not helpless. We can and should fight back." As he spoke he saw confidence budding in the survivors around him.

It was a light beam of light in the darkness of fear and doubt that clouded their hearts, but it was a start. He would harden them, just like he had been hardened in the flames.

That would come later though. They weren't a team yet, but a ragtag group of random people with different goals and targets.

They would follow him for now, at least until they secured some supplies, but at least some of them would go their separate ways afterward.

They would try to find their kin, get back to their homes, or flee to the forests rather than braving the dangers of the city with him.

He couldn't let that happen and he already had a plan in mind.

The group reached the supermarket Adam had visited earlier. He scanned it with the Bloodsense and noticed that there were two Tainted remaining inside.

He smiled inwardly. They would be useful in a short while.

"Gather as much as you can. We need ready-made meals and water. We don't have the time or the means to cook anything for now," he ordered quietly as the group split up around the store.

Adam monitored the Tainted. One of them stayed in place and behaved according to the pattern. The other one though started moving in Adam's direction as soon as they entered. It was exactly what he needed.

After letting them taste an easy victory, Adam wanted to show them how dangerous and deadly the Tainted could be. He wanted them to realize that without the group they were nothing more than prey.

The only question was how far was he willing to go to achieve this goal.

The Tainted was just around the corner. The person closest to it was Charlotte, one of the two women, aside from Maya, who had chosen to go with him. She was the oldest and weakest person in the group and Adam wasn't sure if she could survive the journey.

He turned away from the small wrinkled woman and began packing the food while the two voices inside of him quarreled again. He had to make a choice and do it quickly.

The Tainted reached their alley and shrieked loudly as it saw Charlotte. She turned startled and paled. Opening her mouth she tried to scream but no sound left her throat.

The monster lunged forward and pushed her onto the shelf overturning it. Adam faced the Tainted and hefted his fire ax. He charged at the creature with a loud shout.

Members of the group began to gather, alarmed by the commotion. What they saw was Adam pulling the dead Tainted from Charlotte. She was lying on the shelf, covered in blood.

Steven was the first to rush to help. He reached Charlotte and checked her vitals. She was alive, but not unscathed. A nasty deep bitemark marred her shoulder, blood quickly soaking through her clothes.

Just as Steven took off his shirt to try to stop the bleeding he heard a hoarse growl coming from the front. Another Tainted stood in the alley behind the overturned shelf.

Adam was ready to face it when he saw Maya charging from his left with a yell. She struck the monster with the ax from above, nearly splitting its head in half.

He smiled inwardly. He had been right about her. She would be a valuable companion. The rest of the group stood frozen in fear though. Adam saw their newfound confidence melting like the snow in spring.

Now was the time to take the reins.

"Steven take care of her! Adam pointed at Charlotte. "Everyone else, pack the food and get ready to leave in a five! There might be more of them nearby. We're leaving the town as soon as we're done here."

He saw the doubt on their faces. They were considering their options.

"You don't have to go with me," Adam spoke quietly, driving the last thrust. "But if you go alone, you're as good as dead. There are thousands of them scattered throughout the town."

He pointed at Charlotte who had just been raised to her feet by Steven. She was shaking unsteadily, pale as a sheet, her shoulder wrapped in a bloodied shirt.

"She's alive only because we stuck together," Steven added while supporting her. It seemed that he understood Adam's goal, at least to some extent. "We should stay together."

The rest murmured in compliance at his words. Adam's ploy was a success. His little team was now bonded by the fear of the Tainted and the sense of security that only staying with a group could provide.

These bonds were weak but they would suffice for a while. He would strengthen them in time.

Steven breathed in relief when he saw that the group didn't split. He had dreaded this moment but everything seemed to work out just fine.

He pitied Charlotte of course and hoped that she would pull through. Her sacrifice was a small price for keeping the group together though.

Steven was a coward at heart and seeing the Tainted up close terrified him to the bone. He had mulled over the fact that he had so readily agreed to go with Adam for the whole night but hadn't found the answer yet.

It might have been the promise of finding safety in the garrison or Adam's confidence that spurred him to action, he couldn't be sure.

Nevertheless, there was strength in numbers and Steven was determined to be a part of it.