Chapter 2

"LETS GO BOYS NOT TOO MUCH FURTHER!" The colossal man bellowed. He could hear one of his boys asking him something. "Ronos eat? eat?" It asked. "Yes my boy, all you can eat!" Ronos replied. Tonight the feast would be enough to feed his boys for weeks. It was important to keep them full, if they went hungry there would be disastrous consequences. The pack had reached the gate entrance, beyond it was the settlement. Ronos approached the gate with a clay like object. "STAND BACK!"

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Hayes first heard the explosion, after that all he could hear was the ringing in his ears. Panicked faces ran to get weapons and hide behind cover. The smoke from the explosion flooded the entrance covering it in a dense dark fog. Hayes knew what was behind that fog, he ran for his life to his mothers cabin. The man with the piece on his hip drew his weapon. So did the others with weapons. They aimed their guns for the fog, waiting. For what seemed like a lifetime, the crowd was submerged in silence. Anticipating what was in the fog. One of the men cracked under the pressure wildly firing off rounds screaming. "AAHHHH!" They could hear the bullets hitting something, but it didn't sound right. A bullet hitting flesh was never this loud, this was metal.

Hayes made his way to the cabin. Inside his mother's old room was an old double barrel shotgun. Hayes knew how to use it. He had not used a gun since he had last gone hunting with his mother, he grabbed the pack of fifty shells and headed to his room. He grabbed his knife, heavy jacket, a days worth of dried food, a lighter and a hatchet. Hayes rushed to Odis' home. Lilith and Odis were already packing their belongings. They both trusted Hayes when he said they couldn't withstand the attack. Odis saw Hayes and gestured for him to follow him, they headed for the workshop leaving Lilith to keep packing. Inside they workshop Odis walked over to something covered off to the corner. Removing the tarp Hayes saw what it was. "I want you to take my daughter west. Get to the outpost, join the fleet. Do whatever you have to." Odis frowned. "Odis what about you? Aren't you coming with us?" Hayes pleaded. "No I am too old to travel such a distance, the bike will only carry two people. This is my life here, but I want more for Lilith do you understand? I will create a distraction and you two will leave through the path." Odis said. By this time Lilith had finished packing and had come to see where the two went. She had heard the last of the conversation. Tears in her eyes she asked. "We can't just leave you! I won't do it!" Odis gave his daughter a tight hug and said. "You must go west join the outpost I have taught you everything I know, tell them you are an engineer. They will take you!" Hayes dragged Lilith with him to the bike

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Ronos had trained his boys to withstand gunfire. He had built scrap shields for them to hold up in a line. He had read of a tactic ancient warriors used long ago to avoid attacks from all sides. He had taught them how to make a shield wall. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Not a single shot from the settlers round found flesh, this made Ronos grin an evil grin. "My boys when the shots stop its time to feast!" He said in a low voice just enough for them to hear. Soon the settlers would begin to reload, that would be the moment the raid started. Soon enough the firing had paused and this was the signal. "AHHHHH!" A battle cry from the boys could be heard across the settlement. The shield wall exploded like shrapnel in every direction. Each piece reaching a victim and tearing them to shreds. Screams could be heard from the settlers, only to be snuffed out by his boys. Some settlers began to fight back using various close quarters weapons. A man with a shovel found three of his boys' cranium before being swarmed by the enraged brothers of the fallen. Another man was masterfully removing his boys' limbs creating a pile of bodies around him two, five, now ten had fallen. 'It's my turn now' Ronos thought.

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Ecuador was not only a highly skilled craftsman. His father had also trained him to use a katana, at the time it seemed like useless knowledge. A craftsman never fought. Today he thanked his late father a thousand times. Although they had weapons and shields the blood raiders had little to no skill when it came to combat. They each came at him all in no defense. With each stroke of his blade he cut them down one by one. Ten had fallen, now the colossal man was headed his way. 'This is it.' Ecuador thought. He cautiously approached the colossal man. From his back the colossal man pulled a spiked mace. 'Strong and slow.' Ecuador calculated. The giant man lunged at him with an incredible speed. A barrage of strikes followed. All Ecuador could do was retreat. Suddenly something grabbed his ankle. Ecuador looked down to see one of the raiders was still holding on for life. The colossal man laughed and swung with all his might! All that could be seen was a mist above the legs, Ecuador had been slaughtered.

Back at the workshop blood raiders had surrounded the garage. Hayes readied his double barrel but Odis lowered it slowly and pointed towards the back door. "You and Lilith walk the bike. I will make you a path!" Odis ordered. Odis grabbed his workshop hammer and opened the garage door. As soon as the door had reached mid level he stopped it and countless raiders came pouring into the garage. The larger ones squeezed themselves under the door. THUNK! THUNK! Odis looked like a butcher in a slaughterhouse. Each spam of his hammer spattered a skull and it's contents all over the workshop. THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! Three more down. Meanwhile Hayes had taken the shocked still Lilith and sat her on the bike while he walked it down the path towards the entrance. He was taking the dirt path behind the houses, it would take longer but they would be safe Hayes thought. Screaming could be heard from every direction causing a disorienting hum in his ears. Suddenly from a distance behind he heard it. "Hey look it's the ghost! Come here my boys!"

After killing that swordsman Ronos started looking for the one his boys called ghost. When he had started rounded them up for his raiding party they all spoke of a 'ghost.' They said he haunted the out-lands but they had never found him. Ronos knew there was no such thing as ghosts, he would prove it to his boys by slaughtering this ghost. They had all given the same description, a young man, taller but slim with dark grey hair. Ronos would slay his boys fear and conquer the outlands and expand his domain. Then, he saw it. The ghost he was there sneaking as he has always done. Not today Ronos thought.