Erik and Rebecca stood at the bridge. The water moved below, carrying debris and struggling thrall.

“Of course the thrall fall in there,” Erik says as he steps forward.

“They are thrall, right,” he asked.

“Probably,” Rebecca replied. She stepped past him on a bridge designed for one person.

The bridge shifted. Erik fell forward. He slammed his hand and jammed his shoulder. Erik collapsed upon the floor, his shoulder screamed. The bridge shook.

Rebecca braced herself against the shabby sides. The noise of the fall reverberated outward. The nearest thralls turned. Erik knew what he had done but he just needed a few seconds to writhe in pain…

Rebecca grabbed the hand of his ailing shoulder and pulled. Erik gasped. The shoulder rolled back into place. The pain crescendoed then wained.

“Let’s go,” Rebecca said through her teeth.

Erik got up slow.

“Two seconds.. just two.” He repeated. He held his shoulder, stood and eventually followed.

The bank of the river sloped down sharply. There was a footpath at the top. Erik held his shoulder. He watched the crowd of thrall gather below the bank. They attempted to climb but most failed. They would fall then stand and stare. Eyes pale and faces scarred.

From behind the crowd a pair of large humanoid thrall appeared. Rebecca saw them and gasp. She grabbed Erik’s hand and pulled. Erik’s already sore shoulder forced him to curse. It was enough of a noise to alert the nearest monsters. The larger ones, Collectors began to climb the bank.

“They are intelligent?” Erik said to Rebecca.

“They are Collectors. They are after me. Just move faster.” She snapped.

“After you… why?” Erik said but Rebecca ignored him. She pointed at a small boarded up building, nearly 500 feet from them. It was a tiny place floating in the center of a sea of concrete. A broken sign hung off a pole.

“An abandoned Burger Place restaurant. Not something I would think safe from monsters,” Erik added.

Rebecca pulled his arm again and Erik grimaced. He pulled his arm from her grip and began to run. The two padded along. They passed thrall. The monsters were slow to react and easy to pass.

Erik looked behind him. The two large Collectors got closer. They stumbled a bit as they climbed down the slope. He approached Rebecca and said, “We are going to have to run faster. Those things are quicker,” Erik said out loud.

“We need to hall tail, now.”

The pair didn’t match the pursuit speed of the Collectors, once they found their footing. The football player-sized thrall gained on them. Erik ran into some of the normal thrall, called regulars. Purposely disturbing them to put them in the way. He looked back to confirm it was working… reasonably.

Ahead, a path to a plywood-clad, pre-apocalyptic restaurant but it was still 450 feet away. Erik began to slow. The muscles in his legs began to object to his sudden activity. The Collectors stumbled through the obstacles Erik set. These creatures seemed to have a slight ability to see but it still wasn’t very good.

Erik pushed his fifty-year old legs as fast as he could but he wasn’t going to make it far.

Rebecca overtook the lead and headed toward the overhanging brick drive-thru window. Erik’s legs burned. He looked back. The mob, led by the two Collectors, got closer. Rebecca was well ahead of him.

Erik’s legs were done. He slowed. He searched for an alternative, an escape route. The large monsters beared down on him. He pushed forward. A small, round, two-seater car sat alone in the parking lot. Erik fell left and crashed upon his hands and knees. He crawled along the side of the car. He watched as Rebecca looked back, paused then disappeared around a corner. One of the Collectors passed. A large muscular beefcake of a protohuman. The other crashed into the small car causing it to rock forward.

“Idiot,” Erik said to himself and smiled.

The mob of regulars passed Erik’s location. Erik hid as close to the car as he could. He lay and watched the hominoids chase after a 14 year old girl.

“Coward!” He suddenly say to himself.

“You know, I do my best,” he replied.

Erik heard glass break and metal crunch. Movement from the other side of the car told him that the second Collector recovered from its sprint into the car. The creature growled, angry. It pushed the car forward. The Collector released the car and it crashed to the ground. The regulars turned around and looked, blind eyes unhelpful. The large thrall stepped around the car and stood at the corner. It took in Erik’s scent. It held its breath as it analyzed the scent. It looked down through heavily calloused eyes. It then seemed to lose interest and ran to the building. The regulars followed.

“They left you. You are alone… but Rebecca… she would be overwhelmed. Dead for sure.”

“My legs are done. They are not working,” he replied to himself.

“Push yourself…”

Rebecca screamed. Erik swore and stood. His legs wobbled.

“How?” He said trying to think of anything he could do.

He noticed a pair of humanoids. These were unusual, intelligent. They navigated through the thrall from the North.

He smiled knowing someone else survived walking into MARS. These were human. He watched as they walked carefully around the thrall. Avoiding as much noise as possible.

That was until Rebecca screamed again. Erik watched as the pair of survivors fell to the ground. The mob became alert and picked up the pace. They headed for the Burger Place.

The hair stood up upon Erik’s back. Absent of monsters near him he began to walk toward the building. He crept closer and noticed the four-foot-five teenager stand in the middle of a field of grass. She stared at the building in front of her and screamed again.

The mob pivoted at once toward her. The two large Collectors bullied their way to the front of the line. Erik picked up his pace, but not too close to attract attention to himself. He didn’t have the endurance to run away again.

The floor of his stomach dropped and he felt sick. He had to do something but what could…

Rebecca leapt. She disappeared.

Erik shouted her name. Thirty thrall turned instantly. Color drained from his face.

“Erik, swear to the gods. You’re dumb as a box of cookies,” he told himself as he watched all the thrall turn and look at him.

The Collectors approached Kali’s position, caring little about Erik. 

Erik followed the Collectors as they walked slowly toward where Kali disappeared. He forgot the attention he had called on himself and the first blow struck him unaware. He fell to the ground. A second, third and fourth punch followed. The thrall scratched and pulled at his clothes and limbs. He felt like a child’s stretch toy. A blow to the head. Erik’s world blurred into flashes of red, blue, green, yellow and black. It then disappeared.