Chronicles of Eden - Act IV by Alexander Gordon Page B

quickly ran over and grabbed a burning piece of wood in the window before running over to the neighboring building and kicking the door open. She held the torch inside and looked around in the darkened home before jumping with a gasp.
    “Yeah, I think,” she said nodding as she saw more dead humans lying on the floor of the living room, with two woman and a young girl seen sprawled out on the floor with stunned expressions on their pale faces. Daniel and Alyssa looked around with growing concern as Triska ran across the street and kicked open another door, the teen peering inside and seeing three dead women along with a young boy lying on the ground, all of them having the same shocked expressions frozen on their pale faces.
    “They’re dead… they’re all dead!”
    “How can that be, what could have wiped the whole village out?” Daniel asked looking around quickly, seeing nothing but darkened buildings all the way down the street with no sign of anyone among them. Triska eyed over the dead bodies in the home before running back over to her friends.
    “I don’t get it,” she said shaking her head. “There’s no blood or wounds at all, it’s like they all just dropped dead.”
    Alyssa looked over to Lucky as the horse trotted over to her, the animal grunting softly as she reached out and slowly brushed the horse’s nose to soothe him.
    “You knew something wasn’t right here too, didn’t you, boy?” she asked softly with concern, then looked around the area carefully and shook her head. “Something’s really wrong here, that much is for certain. We should go, like right now.”
    “We can’t go,” Triska reminded her. “Our caravan is still broken thanks to you. We’re stuck here, remember?”
    “Great,” Daniel mused worriedly. “Stuck in a village full of dead people. Don’t suppose this could get any worse, right?”
    After that comment a girl’s loud scream was heard behind them, the group looking towards where they had ridden into town from as the scream echoed out again.
    “Hold that thought, Daniel,” Triska said dryly as she reached for her sword, grabbing the handle as Alyssa peered into the darkness with a sharp eye. Lucky slowly shifted back into his normal form and grunted softly as the group heard another scream, this time sounding closer.
    “Someone’s still alive in this town,” Triska said carefully.
    Daniel watched the darkness closely then looked up and to the side as he heard something landing on the roof of a nearby building.
    “What the hell are you guys doing?” Falla called down to them with disbelief. The girls looked up to seeing the butterfly girl holding onto a chimney and looking down at them while waving towards the burning bakery.
    “I thought you were trying to get help, not burn the village down!”
    “Falla?” Triska called up to her. “What are you doing here?”
    “Running for my life, that’s what!” Falla cried out as she pointed in front of them.
    The group looked to seeing Specca and Squeak sprinting towards them, with the ant girl leading the stumbling nixie by the hand as they were running as fast as they could along the dirt road. Squeak had her pickaxe slung behind her as she quickly ran while Specca screamed again as she tried to keep her balance from running so fast. Squeak looked behind her into the darkness and squeaked something loudly as they raced over towards their friends, the two girls seeming to be scared to death while Falla ducked down and hid behind the chimney.
    “What the, Specca? Squeak?” Triska said with confusion.
    “Daniel!” Specca cried out as she raced over and clung to Daniel with fright, the boy holding her with surprise as Squeak dropped down to a knee next to them while breathing and squeaking heavily.
    “What are you three doing here?” Alyssa asked. “And why were you screaming like that?”
    “Specca, what’s wrong?” Daniel asked with concern.
    Specca whimpered and held onto him while trying to catch