The Deepwood Forest, a dense forest that acts as a natural barricade for the city of Hellsgrog. The orange tree leaves fell as the cold wind blew them down, gliding across the forest.

  The ground was covered in light snow as Winter was soon coming.

  In the middle of this forest, the crunching of leaves and labored breaths could be heard as a group of people, dragging what looked to be a dog-like animal almost double their size, entered the clearing.

  A cliff lay at the end of the clearing, allowing for the group to see the walls of the city.

  Leo excitedly looked at the sight, basking in the beauty of the city.

  “Guys, I think I see the city!”

  Off in the distance, the walls of Hellsgrog could be seen hidden amongst the trees. The vines slithered up and down the walls with the massive buildings towering behind as if coiling itself around it.

  The sky was gray, blocked out by massive clouds, making the walls appear more intimidating.

  “Whew, looks like we can get there by sundown,” Leo said cheerfully.

  “Yeah… totally…” said an exhausted voice behind him.

  Turning around, Leo saw his best friend, Chris, gasping for air. Behind him, the rest of the group, Amanda, Anthony, Sophia, and Diego, were just as winded.

  Looking back, not even half an hour ago, the group of young adults encountered a mutant. The dog they carried now had put up a struggle, hurting both Amanda and Sophia.

  Luckily, Chris was a Smogborn, someone with an ability Amanda said people call Refractions.

  With his Refraction, he locked down the beast so the rest of them could finish it off.

  But this had left the party tired and wounded.

  “Okay… maybe just a little break.”

  Relieved, everybody collapsed to the floor.

  Amanda flopped on the ground beside Sophia, her blonde hair threatening to undo the bun it was in, rubbing her own leg before resting her head on Sophia’s thigh and worriedly stared at her forearm. “That thing nearly took your head, Sophia, are you sure you’re okay? That bite looks nasty.”

  “I’m fine, it was just a bite. I’m not too sure what this mark is on me but it hasn’t done anything to me yet, so I should be good for now. I’ll check it out once we enter the city.”

  “Hm…”

  Noticing something weird, Amanda grabbed Sophia’s forearm, resulting in her wincing in pain.

  Raising an eyebrow, she said “Doesn’t sound like ‘nothing’ to me.”

  Farther up the hill, Leo laid on his back blankly staring at the sky, a great smog coming over from behind them suddenly cut off by a blood red wall of clouds and sunlight.

  Chris slowly crawled next to Leo, brushing a leaf of his short black hair. His lean frame made him look skinnier than he really was, especially with the loose shirt.

  “So that’s Hellsgrog huh? Doesn’t look too bad. I bet they’ll even have veggies for your fat ass”, said Chris.

  “Dude, you weigh more than me…”

  Hearing that, Chris just smiled and stared at him with a blank expression. “Yeah, and? I’m still taller.”

  “Damn…”

  Leo drooped his head in defeat, not knowing what else to say. If anything, he was on the more lean side as well, with a wider build than Chris.

  Leo suddenly gave a warm smile to his friend. “Chris…I know it’s a little late. But I want to thank you for letting me join you guys. Without you, I would’ve still been wandering the wastes.”

  Chris smirked as he grabbed his head, playfully swaying it around. “What? Getting all sentimental now, are we? We were kids back then anyway, how could I leave you behind like that? It’s the responsibility of the eldest to take care of those younger than themselves.”

  Leo couldn’t help but shake his head, freeing himself from Chris’s clutches. “Dude, you’re only the oldest by a few weeks.”

  Chris shook his index finger. “That’s still the oldest, shortie.”

  Leo quickly stood up. “Shortie!?”

  As if to prove his point, Chris quickly got up, easily resting his hand on Leo’s head and resting his own head atop it. Unable to retort this show, all he could do was sit back down in defeat.

  ‘He always goes for the height…’

  Chris began to laugh hysterically, falling on his back as he held his stomach.

  ‘His face reminds me of a frog,’ Leo thought to himself, running his hand through his black hair, parting it naturally down the middle.

  Calming himself down, Chris rested an arm on his forehead. “And besides, I don’t regret bringing you with us. If I had left you behind, I think I’d feel guilty anyway so it’s a win-win.”

  Leo closed his eyes as a wide smile painted his face. He couldn’t help it. Ever since they had picked him up when he was around 12. But for the next five years, they had traveled across the rugged deserts hunting and scavenging what they could to survive. All for but one purpose, to reach the paradise-city of Hellsgrog, said to be the last real city humanity has had since the great incursions.

  “Look on the bright side, if there aren’t any veggies yet, I can grow them myself. I’ll make a huge garden for all to see, maybe even some flowers for Amanda”, he said looking towards Amanda in the distance.

  “One more word about flowers and I’ll let the dogs take me, you hear?” Amanda said jokingly.

  Chris smiled. “I just want everyone to live a better life, y’know, in the city, find others like us. Build a new life from scratch. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

  “Yeah. Don’t worry, we’ll get there no problem.”

  “Before looking for a future like that, we’ll have to get there first, y'know!” Anthony said from behind. “And if you’re gonna make flowers, save me some for Sophia!”

  “Yeah I know, I know. I’ll save the hyacinths just for you.”

  “What do those mean?” Anthony asked.

  “If I remember correctly, sorrow, desire for forgiveness, and re-”

  Before he could finish, Anthony jumped at Chris in a playful brawl. “WHO DO I DESIRE FOR FORGIVENESS FROM, HUH? YOU? LIKE HELL I WOULD!”

  They stayed at a stalemate, with their bodies being a similar build.

  “You still owe me a deer from the last hunt you bastard, you made us eat those disgusting veggies for the rest of the day. Give me back my meal!”

  “I may not have gotten a deer, but I got a beautiful trophy for my humble self!” Rummaging in his shirt, he pulled out a silver necklace, a ruby embedded in the center, held by a silver chain.

  Diego raised a hand. “I bought the dog too!”

  Unheard, Chris smirked.

  “Oh yeah?! Where’d you scavenge that from? The trash heaps?” Chris barked.

  Laughing in triumph, Anthony proudly stated, “Why I claimed this from the fallen dog we easily dispatched! It’d be a waste to just leave it there!”

  Chris nodded, “I see, so you just wanted to impress your mistress, huh?! Too bad it doesn’t even fit on you, fat ass!”

  “Why you!”

  As those two were duking it out, the others just watched from afar as they drank their water and ate a few berries they found in the forest.

  Diego hurriedly got up and joined in to attack both. With his chubbier build, he overwhelmed the two, resulting in his ultimate victory.

  Staying seated, Amanda simply watched in worry. “We shouldn’t waste energy on wrestling like this. Something’s off…”

  In the distance, Leo could hear Amanda and Sophia, catching “The tattoo’s starting to grow…”

  Leo turned as Amanda approached from behind.

  “Leo, can we talk? Now.”

  “Of course, what’s up?”

  “It’s Sophia… her tattoo’s spreading, I think that dog is still after us.”

  “There’s no way it could’ve survived those wounds, how could they have come back?”

  “I’m not sure, but Sophia’s become more tired than usual, I think it’s from the mark.”

  “Let me see.”

  Going toward Sophia, Leo looked at her forearm to see a yellow star symbol with a red line where the elbow started, slowly growing towards the middle of the star, where a red dot could be seen.

  “Leo… it’s growing faster than yesterday…”

  ‘Looking back, the dog we fought had barely escaped, having been outnumbered and even surrounded by us. The mark definitely has something to do with that damn dog, but why’s it still getting worse? We gotta get to the city to check it ou-’

  Amanda tugged on Leo’s sleeve, bringing him out of his train of thought.

  “Not just that, I’ve been feeling uncomfortable lately. Something isn’t right about this place. Don’t you feel it too? It’s just-”

  “Too quiet…”

  Looking around, Leo noticed that other than the group’s noise, the forest was eerily quiet. The sound of the wind pushing the surrounding vegetation was all that could be heard, but the forest seemed lifeless.

  Whispering, Amanda replied, “Exactly, not just that, but I get this feeling something’s watching us. It’s as if we were led here.”

  Hearing this, Leo quickly got up and told the others, “Guys we gotta move, now.”

  “What’s wrong?” asked Chris.

  “Yeah I was about to win man”, said Anthony.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Listen.”

  Listening, the others noticed this abnormality.

  Freezing, Leo finally got the feeling of being stalked. It was as if the entire forest was watching their every move.

  “Alright, let’s go. I think we’ve overstayed our welcome, Sophia, use my shoulder, we can go together”, Anthony said, lowering himself to support Sophia.

  Packing their things, they quickly continued their way to Hellsgrog.

  …

  3 hours later

  Their journey continued as they traversed the dense forest, orange leaves drizzling down on them like butterflies, highlighting the near end of Fall. The orange sky outlining the massive wall that could be seen towering above the trees.

  “Just a few steps further guys, we’re right there.”

  Encouraging the others to press on, Leo took the lead as Chris supported Amanda and Anthony for Sophia.

  “How’s Sophia?” asked Chris.

  “She’s too tired, I know the walk was long but why’s she so tired? She can barely lift her head, let alone stand.”

  “I’m sorry, baby… I’m slowing us down…”, said Sophia, struggling to get the words out.

  “Oh no, baby you’re fine, look, it’s right there just hold on, they’ll help us in there, I’m sure of it.”

  Anthony reassured her as he began to pick up the pace to the gate.

  Looking back, Leo helped Chris with Amanda as she had a wounded leg from the skirmish with the dog beforehand.

  “C’mon, I’ll help you Chris, let’s ju-”

  Suddenly, a deafening roar split the air as out of the shadows of the forest, three two-meter tall dogs dashed out, rushing closer to the group.

  Looking back, Leo saw the dog they fought from before, alive and well. But now, there were three of them.

  ‘There were more?’ Leo thought.

  With urgency, Leo yelled, “Move now!”

  Everyone started to bolt for the gate.

  Out of nowhere, Sophia’s knees buckled as her body collapsed to the floor. It was as if a boulder fell on her back, with a crater forming beneath her, pinning her down.

  “C’mon get up!.”

  Anthony yelled, trying to help Sophia up but to his surprise, she didn’t budge. She couldn’t even lift her arms.

  Seeing this, Leo looked back at the dogs and back at Sophia.

  Leo froze. ‘They’re…going for her?’

  Seeing the dogs surrounding her, Sophia tearfully looked at Anthony and said, “I’m sorry, baby, I’m slowing us down”.

  Clenching his teeth, Anthony continued to try and lift Sophia from the ground. As if she were a boulder, she didn’t budge, and her breathing became more ragged. “Don’t say anything, baby, just hold on and I’ll-”

  The growls of the dogs around him froze him in place.

  Seeing this, Chris pushed Anthony away from Sophia with his Refraction, a barrier, right before the dogs fell upon her.

  “Sophia!” cried Anthony as he struggled behind Chris’s barrier, but to no avail.

  All the group could do was watch in horror as the 3 dogs ripped Sophia apart by the limbs, leaving behind her head, torso, a single arm, and a single leg. Blood splattered everywhere, dying the snow in red.

  Life quickly faded from her eyes as her eyes landed on Anthony, a tear streaming down her left cheek. Her long black hair finally overlapped her eyes, blocking her face from the group.

  “Sophia…”

  As they ran, Leo looked back and what he saw carved itself into his mind.

  One of the dogs had stopped eating. Blood painted its fur with a portion of her intestines wrapped around its neck like a scarf. Everything about it seemed primal, except its eyes.

  The dog’s eyes, though not very noticeable, were focused and aware of its actions.

  Making eye contact with Leo, the dog tilted its head-

  And smiled.

  Not only that, it looked as though it were holding back a laugh, its body trembling ever so slightly. Its teeth visible with bone and muscle stuck between it.

  It wasn’t hunting them because it was hungry, it was hunting them because it enjoyed the thrill of the hunt.

  Leo’s stomach churned, almost vomiting on the spot.

  “It’s not even hungry” he muttered, almost tripping on himself.

  “It’s enjoying it…"

  Once the group got far enough from those dogs, Chris finally let Anthony go, tears and snot drowning his face.

  Collapsing to his floor, he let out a scream that echoed throughout the forest, ringing through everyone’s ears.

  The group understood Anthony’s sorrow, feeling what he felt.

  But they couldn’t stay.

  They had to get to the gate.

  That’s when…

  ATTENTION! ATTENTION! A RANK ENTITY IDENTIFIED! NORTHERN GATE WILL BEGIN TO CLOSE IN 10 MINUTES.

  After the announcement, the ground shook, causing everyone including the dogs to stumble as the once unflinching walls began to scrape across the dirt ground. Looking toward the gate, Leo saw the gate slowly closing.

  Seeing this, Leo prompted everybody to move.

  “But, Sophia…”

  “Anthony, she’s gone, we can’t get her, you think she wants you to die too? Let’s move. Those dogs are probably still after us”, Chris said.

  In the distance, the group could hear one of the dogs howling, probably signaling that it had found us.

  “Anthony let’s go!”

  “Shit…” Cursing, Diego lifted Anthony up like luggage over his shoulder and began to run for the gate.

  Following in suit, Chris picked Amanda up and ran as well with Leo at his side.

  Approaching the gate, they realized it was more massive than they thought, with the walls blocking out the sky as the sun set behind. Right in front of them, they saw it.

  The gateway.

  “It’s right there guys, c’mon!” inspired Diego, struggling to run with Anthony flopping on his shoulders.

  With the end in sight, the group ran as hard as they could to the gate, but a single howl shook them to their core.

  The dogs, having finished their feast, began to close the distance. Their eyes locked onto the group, with the smiling dog at the forefront of the hunt, eyeing up Anthony with a sadistic grin.

  With little effort, the dogs cut the distance from the group, rapidly approaching the group.

  “Those dogs are just too fast… I’ll hold them off for a bit. Amanda, Leo and I will buy time, get past that gate with Diego”, Chris said to Leo.

  Hesitantly, Amanda gave a firm stare that demanded his safe return, then started to the closing gate.

  Chris began creating barriers to block off the dogs, putting everything he had into them, with Leo watching his back.

  Looking at Chris, Leo could see the cracks forming on the barriers, Chris’s body cracking with it. This wasn’t the first time this has happened, but it was significantly worse than before.

  He didn’t know exactly how Chris’s Refraction worked, but one thing was clear, the barrier would reflect the damage onto his body. It was as if he was putting his body on the line every time he used his Refraction.

  For this instance, he was putting his life on the line.

  Glancing toward the gate, Leo saw that the others were behind the gate.

  Leo yelled, “Chris, they’re good, let’s get moving!”

  Hearing this, Chris began to start for the gate but stumbled, looking down, he saw his leg had been damaged from the cracks on the barrier, his left leg split open, exposing the bone. Not only that, he felt a great pressure weighing him down.

  Recognizing these symptoms, he looked to his arms and widened in horror.

  The very mark Sophia had was now etched onto his right forearm.

  Cursing to himself, he looked up to Leo and smiled with that frog-like face.

  “Sorry Leo…it looks like I won’t be planting that garden with you after all. Just…take care of Amanda, kay…?”

  Leo’s eyes widened. “Wait! Don’t you dare!”

  A sudden force pushed him back into the gate as Chris used his barrier on Leo.

  Carried by the wind, Leo briefly heard Chris mumble, “Get in there, shortie…”

  Getting up from the push, Leo began banging on the barrier along with Amanda, shrieking for Chris to come back.

  “Chris! What are you doing!?”

  Not being able to hear Leo, Chris turned to the dogs and kept pushing the dogs away from the gate’s opening.

  Cracks continued to form on his barriers along with cracks across his body. Accepting his fate, he clenched his teeth and took a knee, the pressure building as the ground began to crack.

  Pushing himself to the very limit, he screamed in pain as he put his all into a single barrier enveloping himself, blocking the gate’s opening completely.

  Standing tall, the barrier illuminated brightly as if it were gold. Shimmering as if it were the last sunrise, defiant, brilliant, but final. The mere spectacle of the barrier made the pack stare in awe at the barrier for a split moment.

  Shaking away the feeling, one dog charged headfirst only to be pulverized by the charge, its face decorating the golden gate Chris had conjured.

  10 SECOND REMAINING UNTIL COMPLETE CLOSURE, STANDBY.

  The opening was now barely the width of a person. But the only one left outside was Chris.

  Hearing that, Chris collapsed, along with his barrier, a crater forming as he was pushed down into the ground just as Sophia had been.

  Noticing the barrier disappear, the last two dogs began circling around Chris, one keeping its distance, wary of any other tricks the human had while the other, still wearing its sadistic smile, looked to the group, unable to fit through the cracks to give chase.

  With the barrier gone, Leo and Amanda tried to get Chris but were held back by Diego, holding them both by the waist in each hand, struggling to hold back both the two and his tears.

  His mind blurred. The pain in his legs were gone as all his focus was on the sight of Amanda, the love of his life, and his friends behind the closing gate.

  Amanda’s tearful face.

  Leo’s struggle.

  Anthony’s broken screams.

  Diego looking away in shame carrying Leo and Amanda.

  As long as they got to live, he was happy.

  Thinking of this, he broke into a weak, but gentle smile of satisfaction.

  As Leo looked out, he could barely see Chris through the crack, seeing Chris look towards the gate with a smile, having fulfilled his duty. Giving into the pressure, his body fell limp under the weight of the invisible force.

  “Chris!”

  As the crack was sealed, the final moment that bore into his mind were the two dogs pouncing onto his best friend.

  Staring at the closed gate, Leo couldn’t find the right thing to say or do.

  ‘I… What do I do now…’

  Releasing the two, Diego fell back and leaned on a wall, with Amanda and Leo collapsing onto the ground.

  Amanda gritted her teeth, wiping the flood of tears coming down her face. “I should’ve done more…I could’ve done more…”

  Leo silently looked at her, unable to meet her face. “I knew there was something wrong, I should’ve said something sooner…I should’ve made us run sooner…”

  On his knees, with trembling hands touching against the cold steel gate, Leo looked to the closed gate, the image of Sophia’s empty eyes staring at them and Chris smiling back at him.

  The weight of these losses destroyed him. Staring blankly, the silence around him was deafening - all but the sobs of his friends beside him.

  Suddenly, a low rumble shook the floor.

  Amanda shifted over and sat by Leo, her hands trembling as she reached out, resting it over his.

  “They didn’t die for nothing,” she said softly, her voice shaky, barely holding on. “We’ll make this place worth it.”

  Taking a deep, struggled breath, Leo focused his gaze. Although the loss of his friends burned fresh, he knew he had to continue forward with his friends to survive.

  His eyes focused behind him, where a crowd had formed

  A crowd would be an understatement actually as there were at least a couple thousand in this open-roofed room with the sky painted orange as the sun began to set.

  Faces were worn with exhaustion, with chapped lips and healing wounds or bruises covering them.

  These weren’t citizens of Hellsgrog… They were survivors like him!

  ‘Why are they still here…? Where are we?’ Leo thought, looking around the endless chamber.

  What stood out to him was a giant gate. The gate loomed over the crowd like a silent sentinel, its surface made up of some mix of metals and dirt with jagged spikes near the bottom with flood lights on top illuminating the chamber, blinding the people below.

  Suddenly, the gate opened its maws, silencing the chamber completely. And with that a single person entered through the maw and into the chamber in a relaxed manner until they stood on a high-ground for all to see.

  The figure’s bright smile cut through the tension of the crowd.

  Amanda leaned toward Leo, her eyes narrowing.

  “Something’s wrong here...”

  Clearing their throat with a beaming smile, the figure announced…

  “Welcome to Hellsgrog!”