Chapter 11: Contact

Now we had been spending at least a month going through fitness and combat training, coming from basic routines we set for ourselves progressing to a proper trainer in Michael, we have seen ourselves improve in leaps and bounds. I am no longer my scrawny 175cm and 80 kg , shooting up to 190cm and have stacked on a good 20kg in weight with it being virtually pure muscle. I still had some fat around my body but I was well on the way to looking like a Greek god.

There's something inherently pleasing to see your body transform in a fragment of time compared to before everything changed. If we were looking at the situation a good month or two ago, I would say to get where I am now would take at least 2 to 3 years with such an incredibly strict diet and exercise plan. That's not to say its all looks and none of it is for use, we as a group have been beaten into a well-oiled machine. Frequent expeditions out working on tactics against a variety of beasts in the forest have fine tuned our team work to a thing of beauty.

Towards the direction we have had most of the new residents of the Sanctuary come from and the commercial area, we probably explored that area the most. In a bizarre happenstance we found some shadow cats running from something; ducking behind some low ground cover we found some larger wolf like creatures chasing them down. They didn't have the speed to catch up to the cats, as the shadow cats were using the shadows to the best of their ability to out distance the wolves. However, we found that when the wolves were on loose or exposed ground, they moved slightly faster than the cats.

Another thing to watch out for and we got a bit worried when we noticed, was one of the cats veer off to the right and circle around the wolves lying in wait behind a tree. When they passed by it jumped out and watching on we expected to see blood flying and the wolf fall to the ground, but in amazement when the claws landed on its fur it produced sparks and glanced off the fur. Seeing that happen and with them also moving faster on exposed earth we started calling them rock wolves. Mainly due to their defensive properties, speed on the open ground and the rock like shards covering the fur.

We let them be and avoided conflict with them but soon enough we came across some out on a supply run and found them extremely difficult to take down. They only had a few areas of their bodies that were vulnerable to injury and they were small and very hard to get to, being the eyes, mouth, top of the neck at the joint between head and spine.

Getting them off the ground and onto a sealed surface was important as they could regenerate their defensive layers if surrounded by enough exposed earth. It took us awhile to get used to the challenge they posed but found if we could isolate them it was quick taking them down one by one, however if they were ever together it would be extremely difficult as due to their ground affinity they could sense when others of their pack were in danger.

Once distracted we could draw their attention while the other person would dart in at the side and thrust at their exposed neck. These animals coupled with the speed focused shadow cats meant we had to adapt to different tactics and Michael hammered out any rough spots we had. It was handy having the lake at hand as it meant any scars, cuts and punctures received were healed quickly. It didn't take away the pain receiving the injuries hence the improvement was rapid as we didn't want to keep getting hurt by the damn beasts.

The month was beneficial to us all and it meant on our new expedition we were confident to take on any challenge that arose. Moving further into the trees we stayed as a pace that would have a normal person panting while it was a casual jog for us. Not needing to keep an eye out for any supplies or anyone to help as last time we came through here, or Dan at least, the only people left were Tom and his family. We set a brisk pace towards where the police station was and about an hour into the trip we had a break, there was a slight clearing up ahead and we stopped and had a bit of a breather having some water and snacks.

Looking around I was taking in the sights and noting that the original 30m tall trees had now towered to 45 pushing on 50m tall, the houses had remained at around the 30m mark and the trees had continued higher. There was no telling just how far they would rise and it was going to be quite a sight if they didn't stop. Having only seen some shadow cats so far, we didn't put much mind to them as they became a bit more of a nuisance by now instead of a challenge.

Not having seen any rock wolves it made me think that maybe they hadn't made it to the area yet, we had been in an easterly direction when we came across them so it could be that they originated from the mountains. They could have either migrated here or been chased and I hoped that it was the first as something that could chase an animal like the rock wolves away would be quite the threat.

After another 5 minutes we packed away our gear and continued on our path not seeing much else. After another hour or so we hadn't seen much else, we had probably travelled over 30km by then and the forest had no end in sight. This concerned me as by now we should have at least come across the police station as it was only 7 or 8 km from the park the Sanctuary used to be.

Having travelled over 4 times that amount and not seeing anything had me thinking about some of the consequences to that train of thought. If it wasn't just the trees and mountains that changed but the structure of the earth itself then we would have all sorts of problems to deal with. Thinking back to the previous few weeks and how far we had to travel for our trips out of the Sanctuary it wasn't noticeable before but now it was evident that there were changes.

If we looked at an increase of distance then there was no way of knowing just how long the forest would go for. Stopping the group, they turned to me,

"What's up Dave?" Sarah asked.

"Well, something has crossed my mind, and I don't like it",

"That's no good, from what I know so far you've got your head on pretty straight." Michael mentioned.

"Well from what you guys remember, how long was it to the police station from the club rooms?".

"Hmmmm probably a good 6 or 7 km. Why do you ask?"

"So, think about it Michael, we have travelled probably around 30km give or take a few from the Sanctuary, and its still not in sight."

"Ah shit! What the hell." Daniel swore.

"I think that when it all started happening it was only the visible changes we noticed, like the hills and the trees, then also the Sanctuary, but what if it was also other things like the ground shifting?

Things have been happening slowly though still substantially over time, for example the trees started out around 30m in this area but now they are closer to 50.

Thinking back on our past few weeks and the expeditions, didn't you guys notice just how much time was passing and the fact we took just that little bit longer each time?"

"Then that means we have no idea how long its going to take to get there, whats that going to do to the estimation we gave to Nat and Andrew?"

"We will have to keep an eye on the time and after probably 1 to 2 days have passed, we need to return regardless of the outcome. We can go back out after that but we don't want to worry then needlessly."

Coming up with an outline we picked up the pace wanting to just find anything at all, 2 to 3 hours had passed and we had made a few more stops to refuel due to the increased exertion. Travelling another 40km on top of the 30 we were thinking about possibly changing direction when we spotted some light through the trees that seemed different to what we had become accustomed to. Slowing down we moved towards the light and the trees peeled away from Infront of us and what we came across was a small grouping of buildings that were at different height with ladders and metal walkways stretching between them.

They had a wall surrounding the compound made of scrap metal and brick walls, we could notice people patrolling the perimeter holding clubs, make shift spears and the odd rifle and handgun. Not wanting to spook anyone we stuck to the tree line and moved around the area surveying what was before us, we could notice the odd body of shadow cat on the ground, trees that had been cut down and the subsequent tree house remains used for the barrier.

We made our way back to the starting point and the area in front of the gate/door in the wall. Digging a hole in the ground we made sure to bury the majority of supplies we brought with us only keeping some water, food and our spears. Mainly thinking that it would look weird if we came towards them from the forest with nothing at all used to protect ourselves, and if they were hostile, we didn't want to lose anything too important.

After securing the majority we made our way towards the compound and quickly drew the attention of some of the guards, seeing them shout internally we saw about another dozen or so move to the gate bearing weapons. Once we were about 50 metres away, we heard a shout,

"HALT!! WHAT'S YOUR PURPOSE HERE?"

"We wanted to find some other people; we mean you no harm."

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS, KEEP YOUR ARMS UP AND SLOWLY MOVE TOWARDS US."

Looking at each other, we gave each other a furtive nod and dropping our spears on the ground we moved towards the guards.

Coming within a few metres of the guards we were told to then halt and they moved forward to check us for anything else we might be carrying, they quickly confiscated our food and water,

"HEY, that's ours."

"SHUT IT! You'll get it back later."

Starting to feel irritated by the treatment my anger nearly soared through the roof watching the guard checking Sarah get particularly handsy with her. I could see her eyes start to water and before I could do anything she just shook her head. Reining myself in barely I noticed Dan and Michael had their back turned and they didn't see what had transpired. Making sure to commit that mans face to my memory I swore to deal with him personally for what he did to my best friend and no one was going to stop me.

After being checked quite thoroughly and being inwardly pleased we had hidden our other supplies we were escorted into the compound and when we were our faces dropped. The condition of those inside and what had transpired in this hell hole was unspeakable and before the day was through, we would pass judgement on whoever was responsible.

Men and women were living in filth and seeming malnourished, they were being watched over by guards that were the picture of health, who in turn were grinning and laughing at the people before them. Watching on as an older gentleman stumbled on the ground looking like he was barely able to stand, ribs poking out through his top, the hollow sunken eyes of the children and youths would haunt my dreams forever.

Through this the guards…just…laughed....

How could someone watch this and get any sense of pleasure or enjoyment out of it, the sheer disregard for their fellow human being made my blood boil. Everywhere I looked I could only shake my head in disappointment at the utter contempt shown by the guards. They were suppose to protect those inside these walls, yet they were treating them as their entertainment and play things. We could see specks of blood splattered around the area and it didn't seem like it came from anything outside the walls as they were pretty secure and sound.

This could only mean that they not only starved the residents but played out their sick fantasies on the helpless individuals. Not being able to stomach it much further we looked at each other seeing the same thing on the others faces and we made to turn around and make our way to the gate. As we started to head there we heard,

"And where do you think your going?",

Hearing this we turned around and saw the most disgusting individual I had ever seen, a large rotund man waddled outside with greasy slicked back hair and receding hairline. A shirt barely clinging on for dear life as the buttons were stretched to their limits and a pair of pants with the waistband disappearing beneath multiple of folds of overhanging stomach. We turned back to him and as he made his way over we could see him staring Sarah up and down licking his lips, she nearly threw up in disgust and all three of us stepped forward putting her safe behind us.

Seeing the object of his desire being hidden behind us we could see the rage cross his face though it was quickly covered by a slimy teethy smile he flashed us,

"You've only just arrived and I haven't had the chance to greet you in person yet, I always make sure to meet all my new guests", eyes fixating on Sarah.

"Oh we just wanted to see if anyone else was out there. We have been living in the forest for the last few weeks. Now we know about some other groups, we are needing to get back to our friends." I responded very tersely.

"Oh nonsense, surely you can spare a few hours, and I can show you around the place. Its always good to have new friends." The man responded with a nearly hidden sinister smile on his face. "Come come, I'll show you around…. Personally."

As he said that we noticed multiple guards gradually converging on our position. Pointing it out with a nod to the others we glanced around quickly and felt it would be best is we played along for the moment.