Another car passed us without stopping. I huffed and threw my duffel bag to the ground. We were out of the woods, and I could see for miles around, except for small shaded patches behind coyote bushes. Definitely not enough space for a dino to sneak on me.
"I need a pit stop," I told Andy.
"You need to select your card, too." Andy pestered me the umpteenth time.
I ignored him and carefully walked into the bushes, looking for a thicker one, so the people passing us in the cars won't see my bare ass.
I swore as another bright yellow lizard threw itself under my feet and stomped it with my walking stick. Somehow, I ended up skewering the thing and was now staring at the lifeless body. The neon pigment was slowly fading, and it was turning into a more expected sandy colour. Guilt churned in my gut. I usually didn't hurt harmless creatures, but I was tired and jumpy. The day wasn't even over, and I lost track of how many times monsters had tried to kill me. And we weren't even back in town yet.
I dug a small hole with my hiking pole and put the body in there. Then walked to the side and finally did my business. I tried to stay hydrated over the last few hours, because I'd lost a lot of blood. So in the previous hour, this was the second time we had to stop. On the other hand, my backpack was getting lighter.
I limped back to where Andy was sitting and sanitized my hands. The timer on my [Heal Wound] finally reached zero, and I didn't want to waste a single second of it. I rolled up my pants and applied the card's magic.
"You really should look at your new cards," Andy muttered. "It's so quiet around here, and who knows what awaits in the city."
I rolled my pants leg down and stared at the empty highway. The last time we got distracted, our car careened into the ditch.
The birds were loud as ever, and the Sun was sinking below the horizon. He was probably right. Who knows what will come out at night?
"Ok, but keep your eyes peeled," I told him. "In fact, give me your phone." I extended my hand.
"Why?"
"I don't want you to get stuck in the news feed while I am distracted and defenceless."
Andy pulled out his phone and extended his arm to me with a frown on his face. I did not enjoy feeling like a parent to a petulant toddler.
I put his phone into my pocket and said [Deal Hand].
The screen displayed a familiar picture of three choices.
The outside borders of one card were blue, and the other two were green.
In the middle of the first green card was a mask, split into two sections, one sad, one smiling. [Game appearances] - was writing on the bottom of it. The second green one was [Spear]. And the third blue one was a familiar spiral with [Leap].
I was upset that I didn't get the white [Heal] again, and it took some breathing exercises to move on with my selection.
I was a little curious what the [Game appearances] card was all about. From what we deduced with Andy, green cards meant permanent improvements. I tried to make the card flip to read the description, but the only action I was able to trigger from this menu was draw.
After some consideration, I chose [Spear]. [Game appearances] probably had something to do with social skills and how people perceived you. And while it was my bread and butter, right now I needed something to help me survive.
I confirmed my draw and flipped the card as soon as it showed up in my Deck.
Basic proficiency with spear weapons. Grants +5% damage and improved accuracy when wielding spears.
I picked up my walking stick and weighed it in my hand. Somehow, I knew that while it could serve as a spear, it had bad ergonomics and wasn't sturdy enough. Thinking of hitting someone with it also brought faint recollections of foot positions and body movements that I could not have known before.
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"Freaky," I whispered.
"Chlo," Andy said in a concerned voice. "I don't want to distract you from something important, but maybe you should hurry up."
I closed the screen and looked around. The first thing that came to my mind was that the coyote bush does not bloom yellow.
I jumped to my feet and threw my duffel bag over my shoulder. Those were not flowers. We were almost surrounded by neon-yellow lizards of all sizes.
"Don't run," I told Andy.
In all honesty, I had no idea if lizards had prey-chasing instincts, but it was always good to be cautious.
The creatures were steadily advancing as we started walking away. One of them crawled forward. It had a hood around its muzzle and was larger than the rest. I started walking back faster and registered Andy's agitated breathing behind me.
The lizard hissed, its hood inflated, and for a second, it lit up as bright as the sun. Then a sphere of neon yellow soared in our direction. I only had a split second to whisper [Leap] and staggered to stay upright on the other side of the road. It was the only place clear of yellow, visible in my periphery. And I didn't want to jump backwards into the unknown.
I turned and saw Andy running for his life along the highway. But the lizards didn't follow him. They were focused on me. I started after Andy, but my speed left much to be desired.
Despite two heals, my leg was still in bad shape. I was only grateful that I didn't lose my hiking sticks. Andy was swerving left and right, crossing both lines. I kept my eyes on the road and moved forward as fast as I could. Sweat beaded my forehead, and blood was rushing in my ears.
I caught a flash of bright yellow out of the corner of my eye and swung my "spear" at it without thinking. My maneuver flung the lizard far enough for me to continue my hobble.
My gaze bounced around, searching for a way out. The lizards were fast, and there was no way for me to outrun them. There were also too many of them to kill at once. But maybe, if I dealt with the biggest, they would leave me alone? After all, any time we saw them before, they were scurrying out of the way, like any sane gecko should.
I planted my good foot and a hiking stick firmly into the asphalt and did a one-eighty. There were at least ten lizards still running persistently after me.
The first lizard lunged from the left. I pivoted my body, thrusting the hiking stick forward. The sharpened tip caught the creature's body in the air, but it wasn't sharp, nor sturdy enough to do any real damage to the molten scales on the lizard's abdomen. The creature tumbled backward into the approaching tide of its relatives. A chorus of hissing washed over me, like an ocean wave.
Two more rushed in from opposite sides. I swept the stick, like a bat cracking it across the nearest one's skull with a solid thunk. The middle of the stick vibrated, like it was about to break in two, but it held. The creature crumpled, twitching.
Deal Hand screen popped up, but I closed it with just a mere intention.
Even then, I was too late. The second lizard was mid-leap, claws extended, aiming for my lowered face. I jerked backwards, and it landed on my chest, talons digging into the windbreaker and tender skin over my ribcage. I grabbed it with my free hand, tearing it off like a feral cat. The squishy, scaly body was hot, almost scorching my hand. When I tried to shake it off, the monster sank its sharp teeth into the soft tissue of my palm.
It stung like hell, but I tried to keep my focus on the rest of the herd.
Shivers crawled down my spine when I noticed they were no longer attacking. They were keeping their distance now. The largest hooded one watched from the back with unsettling intelligence in its yellow eyes. Its body was no longer bright yellow, but a dimmer shade of ochre. The colour change didn't make his presence less intimidating.
The lizard on my hand fell off, like a leech that had drunk its fill. My palm burned as if I'd shoved it inside a kettle, but I kept my attention focused on the creatures.
The bright light of an approaching car broke my focus, but my enemies got distracted by it, too. The big one finally moved, hissing something to its peers, and they all disappeared into the side bushes.
The car passed me, and I caught a glimpse of two women in the front seat. I waved frantically for them to stop. But they had already passed.
Turning after our possible salvation, I saw Andy's silhouette in the pink hue of the setting Sun. He was actually closer to me than I would expect from a person running away the whole time I was fighting.
He spread his large body to block the car's path. The road had four lanes, but they had already moved into the curb lane to avoid me, and Andy was blocking them from moving into the middle.
I stood there, chest heaving, covered in scratches and bites and hoped for the women to be nice enough to not run over Andy, but stop and give us a lift instead.
The car slowed down and finally came to a stop near him. My body grew heavy with relief, and my "spear" creaked a little from supporting my sagging weight.
When I collected myself, Andy was still talking to the driver. I started slowly, waddling towards the sedan. My limbs felt heavy, and my bitten arm barely moved. I wondered if exhaustion from the day had finally gotten to me, and I was going to collapse before reaching safety.
Andy turned around and waved for me to hurry, and I pushed myself to go faster. There was a metal taste in my mouth, and the sound of blood rushing in my ears became stronger than ever. I finally reached the car and propped myself against the trunk to catch my breath.
"Chlo, you won't believe it. This is Judie - one of my neighbours. She will… Chloe… Chloe, are you all right?"
The world faded, and the last thing I saw was Andy rushing to catch me.
Chloe's Deck (3/10):
-
Blue Card: [Leap]
Instantly leap forward up to 6 feet. Beware of obstacles. Cooldown 30 minutes.
-
Blue Card: [Heal Wound]
A small burst of healing for a single target area you touch. Cooldown 1 hour.
-
Green Card: [Spear]
Basic proficiency with spear weapons. Grants +5% damage and improved accuracy when wielding spears.