Chapter 18 – The Cost of Retreat
"Move!"
Captain Mercer's command cut through the chaos.
The expedition broke into a sprint across the open fields, every Watchman staying as close to formation as possible. Behind them, the earth shook with every collision between the giant guardian and the unseen monster hidden within the Blackwood.
Brook's lungs burned.
He had never run this hard in his life.
The thunderous impacts behind them didn't sound like two creatures fighting.
They sounded like mountains colliding.
"Don't stop!" Mercer shouted.
"The Wall is less than two kilometers!"
The northern gate was visible in the distance, its towers rising above the fields like a promise of safety.
Brook looked back only once.
The dust cloud had swallowed the battlefield.
Nothing could be seen.
Only heard.
Another roar ripped through the air.
This one was closer.
Much closer.
A shadow burst from the dust.
It crossed the field so quickly that Brook barely registered its movement.
One of the Watchmen at the rear turned just in time to raise his shield.
The impact shattered it instantly.
The soldier was thrown through the air, disappearing into the tall grass.
His scream was cut short.
"Rear attack!" Graves roared.
The formation split.
Three Fast Biters emerged from the wheat, followed by two towering Weepers.
"They're cutting us off!" someone yelled.
Mercer drew his sword.
"Graves! Left flank!"
"Brook, with me!"
Brook pivoted just as a Fast Biter lunged.
He caught its claws on his blade, twisted his hips, and drove his shoulder into its chest.
The creature stumbled.
Crowley appeared beside him.
One clean strike.
The Abomination dropped.
"Keep moving," Crowley said.
"If we stop here, we die."
Another cry echoed behind them.
Brook turned.
A veteran Watchman named Ellis had fallen after twisting his ankle in a hidden rut.
Two others reached for him.
"Leave me!" Ellis shouted.
"I'm not leaving anyone," one replied.
Before they could pull him up…
The ground beneath them erupted.
A massive claw tore through the earth.
The three Watchmen were thrown apart.
Brook's heart stopped.
"ELLIS!"
Mercer grabbed Brook's shoulder.
"No!"
The captain's voice was harsh.
"You go back, and everyone dies!"
Brook stood frozen.
He watched as the survivors were forced to retreat, unable to reach their comrades.
The screams behind them faded into the chaos.
Rain began to fall.
Heavy.
Cold.
The field turned slick beneath their boots.
Visibility dropped.
Every shadow looked like another monster waiting to strike.
The expedition had become scattered.
Mercer counted quickly.
"Report!"
"Here!"
"Here!"
"Still moving!"
Brook listened.
Something was wrong.
There weren't enough voices.
Graves looked around.
"Where's Nolan?"
No answer.
"What about Pierce?"
Silence.
A third name was called.
Nothing.
Brook's stomach tightened.
"We've lost them."
No one argued.
Everyone already knew.
The Wall was finally close enough that Brook could see Watchmen lining the battlements.
"Horn!" Mercer shouted.
"Signal the gate!"
A lookout spotted them.
The alarm horn echoed across the fortress.
The massive gate slowly began to open.
"We're almost there!" one recruit shouted.
Hope returned for the first time since the retreat had begun.
Then the sky darkened.
Something enormous passed overhead.
Brook instinctively looked up.
A grotesque winged creature descended from the storm clouds.
Its body was twisted, its wings ragged, its scream piercing.
It crashed directly into the center of the retreating formation.
The impact scattered Watchmen in every direction.
Brook rolled across the muddy ground, his sword flying from his hand.
When he looked up, he saw devastation.
The creature had torn straight through the formation.
Several soldiers lay motionless where they had fallen.
Others struggled to rise, injured and disoriented.
Graves rushed forward with a battle cry, bringing his sword down with tremendous force.
The creature caught the blade in one claw.
With terrifying strength, it flung Graves backward into a boulder.
The veteran hit the stone with a sickening crack before collapsing.
"Lieutenant!" Brook shouted.
Graves coughed, forced himself onto one knee, and waved them away.
"I'm… still breathing…"
Brook reached for him.
Crowley stopped him.
"Brook."
His voice was calm.
"Get to the gate."
"But—"
"Now."
There was something in Crowley's eyes Brook had never seen before.
Absolute certainty.
Brook nodded reluctantly.
He grabbed the wounded recruit beside him and pulled him toward the Wall.
Archers on the battlements finally opened fire.
A rain of arrows filled the sky.
The winged creature shrieked as several arrows struck its body.
It abandoned the attack and retreated toward the fields beyond the Wall.
"Open the gate!" Mercer roared.
The massive doors widened.
The surviving Watchmen stumbled through one after another.
Brook crossed the threshold and immediately turned back.
Mercer was the last one inside.
"Close it!" he ordered.
The chains groaned.
The enormous gates slammed shut.
Silence followed.
Broken only by exhausted breathing.
Mud.
Blood.
Rain.
Brook looked around the courtyard.
The expedition had left with twelve Watchmen.
Only five stood inside the Wall.
Captain Mercer removed his helmet slowly.
His face was pale.
He looked at each survivor before speaking.
His voice barely rose above the sound of the rain.
"We lost…"
He paused, unable to finish.
Graves answered for him.
"…Seven."
No one spoke.
No one could.
Brook stared at the closed gate.
Just hours earlier, they had walked through it believing they were the hunters.
Now they knew the truth.
Beyond the Wall…
Humanity wasn't feared.
It was prey.