It was a lovely afternoon in Ashland, Maine. The bright sunlight and calm breeze made it an ideal day for recreational activities. However, not a single person could be found. There was no sign of life. Houses were perfectly in tact dismissing any questions concerning a possible conflict occurrence here. There was simply no one around except the lingering silence that could send chills up your spine.
From nowhere flesh began to weave from raw matter in three separate spots. Cradles of nanolight knitted their skin, bones, muscles back into existence with terrifying accuracy.
Z fell to his knees, 'What the hell! I nearly fucking died! If this is normal then you people are crazy!' Z blurted while catching his breath.
Eve looked at Lucy with a smirk. 'Hey, Lucy?'
'Yeah?' Lucy replied.
'Remember when we used to scream like that?'
Lucy giggled. 'Oh, absolutely.'
Z stared at them. "Yeah, keep laughing. I'll have you know I came this close to cardiac arrest!'
'Of course you did. Guys look.' Eve said.
She pointed toward a supermarket at the edge of the silent street. Its once-bright LED sign had several letters missing. Dark blood splatters stained the remaining letters, dried by time but still visible.
'C'mon let's see if we can get some extra supplies.' Eve suggested.
'Be careful Z...…'
Z whipped his head around trying to identify the person that had whispered into his ear.
No one.
Lucy and Eve were almost at the entrance of the abandoned supermarket. Z gripped his Sacred gear.
The atmosphere in the building was quite different. The air was humid and foul.
Inside was complete chaos.
Food packets and snack items and other products were littered on the floor, some remained on the shelf. Some shelves and shopping carts were knocked over. The cashier stand was unoccupied but a pungent odour reeked of something rotten.
Eve took a peek behind the cashier's stand and said, 'What the…'
Z and Lucy approached. The cashier's corpse lay crumpled on the floor. All four limbs were torn off. Only a jagged right arm remained nearby, useless, shredded like the rest of him. The others were nowhere to be found.
'Hell, lets just get what we need to get and get out of this place.' Z said.
They spread out and quietly scavenged. Z headed toward the healthcare aisle. As he passed it, something else caught his eye, it was a door and inscribed on it was: MANAGER'S OFFICE.
He reached for the doorknob. And the moment his fingers brushed the cold steel, he felt a crushing pressure bearing down om him. It reminded him of the strange visitor Amy was talking to at their house. He was rooted to the spot sweating profusely. He felt it, a dangerous and deadly being was coming and he knew it was coming for him.
'Z.'
He jolted, stumbling back.
'Huh?' He said recovering his wits.
Lucy stood behind him. 'Are you okay? We're leaving now. C'mon.' Lucy said standing.
Z quickly stepped away from the door and stuffed some wrapped cupcakes into his pockets. He rejoined Eve and Lucy outside where three backpacks were laid stationed in front of the supermarket.
'What are those? Where did they come from?' Z asked.
'Our supplies,' Eve said. 'Food, clothes, first aid, the basics.'
'Well, where did they –'
Color faded. Time slowed down. An evil presence passed over the three Shades.
'It's here, Z.'
Z turned around slowly. From the corner of his eye, he could see the Manager's office door open ajar. Standing at 8 feet tall was a dark humanoid creature with hideously sharp claws and teeth, its eyes glowed like barbeque coals. It was a –
'Man-eater!' Eve yelled.
The three Shades drew their Sacred gears immediately as the monstrosity gave a terrible shriek. It had found prey.
Lucy's aura burst outward. 'Divine Ability: 'Astral Chains.'
Eve's daggers materialized. 'Divine Ability: 'Moonfire Daggers.'
'Wait, WHAT NOW?!' Z yelled in confusion.
A violent gale of miasmic power swirled around them, making the storefront windows shudder. It was the effect of their release of immense power.
The Man-eater charged at them.
Eve moved first, sprinting forward to engage the Man-eater. At the last second, she ducked the man-eater's flinging arm, slid beneath its massive arm and slashed behind its knee. A spray of purple blood burst out as the monster collapsed to one knee, roaring.
'Wow—' Z breathed. 'That's insane…'
'C'mon we have to join her.' Lucy shouted. 'Man-eaters regenerate quickly.'
She dashed wielding her Sai.
Weeks ago, he thought, I was just reading manga in my apartment…
Now I'm fighting monsters with the greatest power in the universe.
The Man-eater roared with anger. Eve dashed at the monster her daggers aimed at the monster's neck. The monster deflected her blades with its razor claws. But Eve was too strong for it. Her blades had cut its fingers off. The creature roared in agony as purple blood poured from its mutilated hand.
Eve backed up while the monster blindly charged at her. The monster was furious unaware of the other threat. Lucy's Sai drove deep into its black heart and the Man-eater screeched, staggering back.
'It's over.' Eve said. She had been absorbing Miasma and her daggers darkened, lengthening as they consumed Miasma. She dashed at the monster. A head fell to the floor.
Purple liquid flowed gently at Z's shoes. He had witnessed the most amazing spectacle of his life. He ran towards the two girls, 'That was crazy. I guess these Man-eaters are pretty weak, huh?'
Eve wiped her daggers. 'I hope you got to see how these things fight. Don't get comfortable. This is just the beginning and mind you; this was the weakest of the Man-eaters. A pawn. Its purpose is just to kill and devour humans like candy.'
'Wait, you mean there are different kinds of Man-eaters.'
'Yes. This was the weakest. Any Shade should be at least be able to kill 3 of these alone.'
'So what other kinds are there.'
'This was a Lesser Man-eater,' Lucy began. 'Above it is the Striped Man-eater, the Berserk Man-eater, the Humanoid Man-eater, the Devil Man-eater, and the Dragon Man-eater."
Z frowned. 'Those sound really poorly named.'
'They all have the same abilities; their claws and jaws. What separates them is their strength, speed and rarity. We can expect to find Lesser to Humanoid man-eaters based on the data we have on the North Maine forests.' Eve said.
'What about the Devil and the Dragon Man-eaters?' Z asked.
Eve gritted her teeth. 'There is only one Dragon Man-eater and it is always by Grey's side. As for the Devil, if we see it, we run or else we all die.' She said coldly.
They had walked for what felt like hours, though none of them showed any sign of strain. Shades didn't. Their footsteps were silent, steady, and oddly rhythmic against the cracked earth. The sky above them was a dull sheet of gray, smothered by drifting clouds of dust that never seemed to settle. The land was quiet—too quiet. Yet Eve moved with absolute certainty.
She led the team with the calm intensity of someone who had experienced these missions a hundred times over. Before setting out she had gathered every scrap of intel from previous battle records, scouting reports and Shade informants in the Vatican.
'Its important to gather information concerning the mission site before a mission. You never know what could save your life' She had told them.
Her words echoed in Z's mind.
Z and Lucy followed behind, watching out for any strange movements. But everything around them looked dead—trees without leaves, buildings without windows, cars without owners. And yet Z was replaying Eve's earlier battle with the lesser Man-eater. She was dazzling, her movements, her execution style, her strength. It made Z restless. Something burned inside him, a mixture of admiration, envy and hunger. He needed such strength. If he wanted to find Amy (and stay alive) he needed to grow stronger, faster. He subconsciously clenched his fist and smiled in anticipation.
Lucy noticed Z smiling strangely. They had been quiet for too long, the kind of silence that made people uncomfortable. She shifted closer, lowering her voice so Eve wouldn't hear.
'What's so funny?' She murmured. She wanted a personal discussion.
Z blinked, dragged suddenly out of his thoughts. 'Hmm? Oh--I was just thinking about a funny clip I once watched.' He lied.
'Oh.' she replied, clearly unconvinced.
It was a weak lie even she could tell. She watched him for another second, trying to read whatever emotion he was hiding, but eventually let it go.
Z looked around. 'Come to think of it why haven't we seen any other people? I mean I haven't seen a single living being did something happen? Its Like a nuclear bomb hit and radiation scared everyone away. Y'know the stuff you see in TV shows.'
'No. It started 14 years ago. A year after Sage Mike was defeated in battle. Man-eaters flooded the earth. Grey was determined to find the Holy Grail. The Man-eaters killed, devoured and desecrated humans, buildings and basically anything in their path, leaving death and destruction in their wake.' 'The worst part,' Lucy continued, 'was when Grey appeared publicly in New York. Thousands saw him. Human armies mobilized, but it was pointless. Grey was a monster. Their strongest weapons couldn't even touch him. Get within a thousand meters and you were either crushed or erased.'
'Shit.' Z said, 'But… I lived in New York. With Amy. I didn't see anything like that. Life was normal. Yes I barely left my house, but I didn't hear anything like the world going to ruins. Everything was… normal.'
'It could be the work of the ruin Princess's magic. Her illusionary magic rivals a Sage's. Some say it surpasses them. She has the power to rewrite reality—or at least what people perceive as reality. That's how strong the enemy forces are.'
Z felt a cold shock travel down his spine.
Amy. But what about that little girl from the 2nd floor apartment. Had she really been using illusions on him? Why? To protect him? To deceive him?
Eve raised a hand.
'We're here.' She announced.
They stopped beside a lonely stretch of cracked road—no different from the dozens they had already passed.
'Seems to me like we just decided to come to a random stop.' Z said.
Eve didn't respond. She stepped forward, placing her palm on thin air. A ripple spread outward, distorting the air.
'This is the entrance to the stronghold.' Eve said. "According to the data I got, this place is crawling with Man-eaters as you already know. Once we enter, know that we might not all make at out alive. So before we step in remember why you chose to come. Remember who you're fighting for. It'll matter when you're on the edge.
Z took a breath. He remembered Roy's dying look. 'Let's just get this over with.' Z said.
The forest's air was sticky and heavy as though the atmosphere itself wanted to weigh them down. The deeper they walked, the more the air seemed to rot. It didn't take long for them to identify source. Desecrated corpses — or what remained of them — littered the forest floor. Severed limbs dangled from branches like grotesque fruit. Some torsos were wedged under fallen logs, half-eaten and swarming with fat black flies.
The soil beneath their feet squished unpleasantly, saturated by old blood and cursed energy.
They went in further waiting, suddenly they picked up a faint sound. Barely a murmur, almost lost in the forest's unnatural stillness. The sound of something eating greedily, ravenously. The wet, sloppy smacking of a hungry creature feasting like an obese man tearing into a greasy deluxe pizza after starving for weeks. Except this wasn't pizza. It was flesh.
Z could feel its presence. 'Northeast,' he whispered. His grip tightened around his blade. He didn't need the Grail's power. He followed the sound and the trail of cursed Miasma through the trees until a shadowy figure came into view. A lesser Man-eater hunched over a corpse, tearing into it like a predator lost in instinct. It ripped off a chunk of meat and swallowed loudly, blood dripping down its chin and falling freely onto the swampy earth.
By the time the monster sensed danger, Z was already in striking range.
His blade ignited with roaring flames and in one fluid motion, he cleaved through the Man-eater's neck and its whole body erupted in flames. The head spun once, twice, then crashed into the soil. The body toppled a moment later. It continued to burn until nothing was left of it.
All in seconds.
Eve watched with raised eyebrows. She had known he could fight, but not like this. He sensed its cursed energy from that far? And that speed… that swordsmanship… Her pride flared. She wasn't going to let the new kid steal all the attention.
No. It was time she revealed at least half of her real strength.
Z sheathed his sacred gear, jaw clenched, eyes burning. The Man-eater's victim — a torn adolescent — lay limp on the ground. There was barely a face left to recognize. Before he could let the grief settle in, Eve knelt beside the corpse, pressing her hands together in a short prayer.
'There's no need to grieve,' she said softly. 'The faster we exterminate these scum, the better chance the human race has left.'
(Elsewhere--In the same Cursed Forest)
'C'mon, hurry up! Jim! Sniper, now!' A man yelled.
The M107 sailed through the air and was caught by the man with practiced ease. He dropped to a knee and aimed the gun at the horrifying creature that was repairing its flesh from an earlier grenade blast.
'Eat steel you sumbitch.'
The massive .50 BMG round flew from its barrel and pierced the creature's heart, sending it crashing onto its back. 'C'mon follow it up! Kill them all!' The man yelled.
A ragtag group of hardened fighters with firearms, daggers, battered body armor, and even more explosives charged forward. They unleashed a deafening barrage. Bullets rained. Shells clattered across the ground. The monster convulsed violently as round after round ripped into its regenerating body..
'Keep firing, there's a limit to how many times they can regenerate.' A man yelled over the gunfire.
After another minute of rapid gunfire, they group finally ceased fire. A weathered man in his forties stepped forward
'Is it dead, boss?' One of the shooters asked.
The monster was laying still, lifeless. Its body full of lead and bullet-sized holes. He looked at the monster's head and then it's claws.
'Guess they weren't so scary when they're dead, huh?' he thought.
'It's dead.' He said finally.
The group burst into cheers high-fiving and slapping each other on the back like they had won some trophy.
'That makes five today. Nice work boys.' The man said smiling. But the sky was dimming and as much as he wanted to kill these monsters, he knew that they were running out of ammo and in the dark these Man-eaters would certainly have the advantage. Besides, the only reason they've been able to kill this many is because they had the element of surprise. Any other strategy would end up in a one-sided massacre.
But he had to rescue Linda's son. He had too.
'Oi, Jim!'
'Yes, boss.' Jim replied.
'How much ammo we got left?'
Jim shook his head. 'Not much, Fred. Three mags per man, four grenades total. Enough to take down one maybe two more...'
'And that's assuming we have the element of surprise. It's getting dark. Shit! I can't keep disappointing Linda, but I can't lose my men to these fucks, not again. Argh!'
'Alright we fall back and regroup.' Fred said.
They began their retreat, but then, a faint growl froze them mid-step. It came from the corpse they had just executed. The men scrambled to reload, forming lines and raising their weapons waiting for the monster to get up.
But it didn't. Instead, it gave a resonating shriek. The sound was so loud they had to clamp their hands over their ears or risk instant rupture. Even then, warm blood trickled from their ear canals.
'What the hell was that?!' A man named Gabriel asked.
The men didn't need to be told twice. Panic fueled their limbs as they tore through the forest, following the marks they had carved into trees earlier. Their breaths came in ragged bursts, hearts hammering against their ribs.
Then another shriek echoed. Then another. Then several more, overlapping, answering the call.
The forest was not quiet. The ground itself trembled. Then, inhuman galloping began.
The Man-eaters were coming. Dozens of them. Fast.
Fred wasn't oblivious to the situation, he knew they were fucked unless he could somehow slow them down. The men were already exhausted, and the terrain was slippery with roots, mud, and collapsed logs making escape clumsy and slow. He tried to think. Nothing came.
A sudden thud came from the group alerting Fred. One of his men, Phil had gone to the ground writhing in pain. He was clutching his leg. The others skidded to a stop, eyes darting between Phil's agony and the sound of footsteps closing in.
'MOVE! KEEP MOVING, YOU SONS OF BITCHES!' Fred yelled. 'If any of you stop again, I'll shoot you myself!'
The men put their weapons away and continued running, leaving Fred and Phil behind.
He dropped to his knees beside Phil. His stomach twisted when he saw the damage.
Phil's right foot was bent at a nasty angle, a jagged bone poked out through torn flesh and soaked fabric. Blood pooled beneath him.
'Goddamnit Phil.' Fred said softly.
Tears streamed down Phil's cheeks. 'I-I…'
Fred grimaced. Phil wasn't the best shot he had but he was young, brave and talented. Even after his mother had warned him not to go with the hunting party and had told him to stay with his fiancée, Phil refused because he wanted to protect their camp from the Man-eaters.
Now he lay here, deep within their territory unable to move.
'I'm sorry, kid,' Fred whispered.
He placed a frag grenade gently in Phil's shaking hand.
Phil's lips quivered. Hot tears fell freely. Fred tore a strip of cloth from under Phil's body armor. Just as was Fred stood to go, Phil tugged on his trouser leg.
'Kill them all.'
Fred nodded. Then he ran. His boots pounding through the forest as his chest tightened with guilt, sadness, and a deep, boiling hatred. Hatred for the monsters. Hatred for Grey. Hatred for the ruined world they were forced to survive in. Everyday became a test for survival. No beer pubs, no football games, no laughter, no peace. Just hunt or be hunted.
He spotted his group ahead. Why have they stopped moving, he thought.
'Oi!' He yelled, shoving dead branches aside. 'What's wrong with you lot I said don't stop running!'
But as he reached them, he soon realized why they weren't just standing.
They were frozen.
Because standing right in front of them were two Man-eaters, healing from the bullet wounds they'd suffered minutes earlier. Their flesh knotted itself back together, bones snapping into place with wet, disturbing cracks.
Both creatures tilted their heads, their glowing eyes locking onto Fred.
'Ah… fuck.'