Rise of the Night Stalkers

by Kurtis Eckstein

  Because there were far too many things out there that could kill us, whether it be through firepower or sheer numbers.

  Knowing that Harper was already on her way to the hospital, I headed straight there as well, occasionally asking the system to check for drones again.

  So far, nothing else had shown up.

  However, even before the hospital came into sight, Harper did, flying toward me. I supposed I really wasn’t paying attention, because she wasn’t trying to hide her intentions at all. Thus, I slowed down as she passed me up and began circling around, only for her to fly right over me and drop onto my back.

  I didn’t even bother asking ‘why’ as she wrapped her arms around my neck, already knowing there wasn’t a logical reason.

  ‘She just wanted to,’ was her only excuse.

  That, and she didn’t want to show up at the hospital by herself, even if I might only be a few minutes away from getting there myself. Again, there wasn’t necessarily a reason for it, since she wasn’t concerned about the humans hurting her. Instead, in her perception, it was like showing up at a dance without a dance partner – a comparison I understood, but wasn’t fond of.

  However, I quickly changed my mind about that, as an unexpected scene flashed in Harper’s thoughts, one of her dancing with a grown man who was undoubtedly her deceased father, based solely on the similarity in appearance to Savannah, Ethan, and herself.

  All three of them took after this man who had suddenly appeared in Harper’s head, though he looked distinctly different from her grandfather, suggesting that Randy was their mother’s father.

  Needless to say, Harper was shocked by the memory, with it being the first one she had ever had of being human, and she immediately went through a series of complicated emotions, ranging from her initial confusion, and then to her recollection of excitement of the event, only for her feelings to transition to sorrow and despair – all within a matter of seconds.

  Previously, when she had learned about their deaths, it hadn’t affected her at all, because she couldn’t remember them, but this single memory was enough to elicit a powerful sense of loss.

  She suddenly missed her dad, beginning to grieve for her loss.

  After a moment, Harper buried her head against the back of my shoulder, tightening her arms around my neck, as her body began to tremble with waves of emotion.

  I honestly had no idea how to comfort her, not feeling her loss myself despite being able to sense it, so I just stayed focused on her with my mind, so that she would know I was there – so that she could feel my mental presence, in addition to my physical one.

  ‘Do you want to just go home?’ I finally asked telepathically, when she didn’t seem to be improving.

  She shook her head against my back, my skin having become a little wet from a few tears that slipped out. She didn’t respond coherently in her thoughts, but I could see that the memory only increased her desire to see her family again.

  Which meant, I supposed we were still going anyway.

  Granted, we were pretty much already there. I could see the hospital now, there being no one outside at the moment. However, someone must have been keeping a lookout, because when we landed, John came out with a concerned expression.

  His eyes quickly shifted from Harper’s arms around my neck, to the top of her white hair – her eyes still hidden – to my face. “H-How did it turn out?” he asked hesitantly.

  I knew what he was really asking, but I avoided the question just for the fun of it. “Great. All the Night Stalkers at the powerplant are dead. I didn’t find any other survivors though.”

  Randy had just walked out too, hearing the tail end of the conversation, his expression also reserved. “Oh,” he said loudly. “It looks like most of them escaped when it first happened. One of the guys we rescued was able to get ahold of them on the radio, since they were using an established privacy code channel, unlike what we normally use. Sounds like a few of them didn’t make it though.”

  I had no idea what he was talking about, in regards to privacy channels, but didn’t care enough to ask. Still, it was interesting to discover my initial assessment was wrong about there being survivors. But then again, I didn’t know for sure how long it took for a human to become a Night Stalker, and the fact that most had escaped wasn’t to say at least one of their group hadn’t been the Night Stalker who led the rest inside.

  Randy quickly continued when I didn’t say anything. “But, how did it go with those soldiers?” he added cautiously, prompting John’s eyes to tighten as well.

  I sighed. “I let them go.”

  No way in hell was I about to admit they escaped my grasp.

  Both men exchanged a glance at that revelation, with the two of them now beside each other, before Randy looked up at his granddaughter’s partially hidden face.

  “And is Harper alright?” he asked quietly.

  She sniffled and then lifted her gaze to meet his, her red eyes still tearful. “Where’s Savannah?” she wondered, her tone a little pleading, like a little kid asking for their mommy.

  His eyes widened. “Oh sweetie,” he said softly. “I’ll go get her right now.”

  Harper loosened her grip as she shook her head, only to use my tail as a stepstool to drop onto the ground and step to my side. “No, I want to go,” she replied, holding out her hand towards him.

  The older man hesitated for a moment before nodding, and accepted the offered gesture to lead her inside. It was odd seeing them hold hands, largely because they just looked so different – one, an almost alien creature in comparison to the other lifeforms on this planet, appearing like a demon with her wings and tail, while the other was just a standard human.

  I met John’s gaze once they disappeared inside, easily walking through the gap in the cinderblocks between the two glass entrances, prompting the man to clear his throat. “Umm, and thank you for saving my son. The wife and I really thought we had lost him.”

  I nodded in acknowledgement, only partially listening as he continued, instead focusing on Harper’s thoughts as they walked through a lobby with a ton of chairs scooted against the wall, only to be led down a hallway that was all white. Granted, it was dark inside since no one was running the powerplant, with a few lit candles on the wide floors, providing just enough light for the humans to find their way.

  The walk was further than I expected, but eventually they ended up at another lobby that had high windows where the sunlight was streaming in. This also appeared to be where most of the refugees had ended up, all of whom instantly looked over at Harper in shock, with a few of the younger kids screaming in surprise.

  Randy ignored their reaction as he found someone he knew in the crowd – Garrett, the prematurely balding man who had been injured earlier in the day. After asking where Savannah was, Randy quickly led Harper to the kitchen, where it sounded like they were attempting to prepare food for all the mouths to feed.

  I tried to focus on John’s ramblings again, wondering if I might just go sit up on the ER roof entrance, instead of socializing with him. Because thus far, he had basically just found various ways to thank me, instead of telling me something useful. And I didn’t save Tony for him, so I didn’t want his thanks.

  However, my attention unexpectedly shifted to Harper again as she noticed someone running down the dark hallway they were in, breathing heavily. The woman was an unfamiliar face, visible thanks to Harper’s night vision. However, Randy recognized her right away when she rushed past a candle further down, prompting him to speak up.

  “Something wrong, Nicki?” he wondered.

  The middle-aged blonde woman almost tripped as she came to a stop. “Randy?” she asked, not seeming to be able to see him in the dark. “Oh Randy!” she exclaimed. “Your granddaughter – she’s hurt!”

  He let go of Harper’s hand and began rushing forward, with Harper staying put, realizing the woman couldn’t see her in the dark, not having noticed her faintly glowing eyes yet.

&n
bsp; “What happened?!” he exclaimed. “And how bad is it?”

  The woman had frozen solid, her muscles locked up as she attempted to respond. “S-Sarah, s-she said she slipped, and…”

  Harper’s eyes widened as we both registered at the same time what was going on. That two-timing slut had attacked Savannah, probably out of jealousy and hate, even though the skank’s problems were her own fault.

  In a flash, Harper and I moved in sync, with her bolting down the hallway past the two humans and turning around a corner, while I slipped past John and rushed for the front entrance. Harper quickly found the only doorway that was brightly lit up inside, while I shoved past the cinderblock barricade, being far too large to fit through the opening and sending some of them crashing to the ground.

  Two women were rushing out of the room just before Harper reached it, running in the opposite direction, seemingly with a purpose. As she stood in the doorway, her gaze quickly fell on John’s wife, Emma, crouched over Savannah with a small knife in her gut. It was a massive kitchen, with the layout being so wide that the majority of the space was just one open room, with all the ovens and counters being against the walls.

  Harper’s eyes then darted to the other women in the room, clustered together against one of the counters, her vengeful glare falling on Sarah who was already staring at the younger girl in horror at her sudden appearance.

  Why was she even shocked? Although I already knew the likely reason why – the reason Sarah would make such a stupid decision.

  People inherently made bad choices when they were angry, and the more pissed they were, the more likely they might make a decision that they’d almost instantly regret – though I doubted this woman regretted what she’d done. She only regretted the consequences about to befall her.

  I ignored the wave of screams coming from the refugees as I exploded through the second lobby, having no idea what I was going to do when I caught up, but desperate to get there.

  Without hesitation, Harper bolted across the large kitchen, pushing aside one woman and knocking Sarah off her feet before she even had a chance to escape. The victim landed on her shoulder, hard, screaming at the top of her lungs.

  “It was an accident! I swear, it was an accident!”

  Harper climbed on top of her, sitting on her chest as she grabbed a fistful of her blonde hair, slamming her head into the hard tile floor as she spoke, saying just one or two words in between smacks.

  “A knife!” Crack. “Does not!” Crack. “Accidentally!” Crack. “S–”

  She stopped speaking when she realized she had knocked the woman unconscious, deciding she wouldn’t be satisfied unless her enemy was awake when she killed her. I had managed to pass Randy in the hall, shoving him to the side as I burst through the open doorway at the same time, prompting Harper to look over at me, a mixture of hatred and torment in her expression. The other three women in the room had silently backed away into a corner, terrified of the scene unfolding before them.

  I focused on Savannah, with Emma flinching as I approached, but not moving from her side. The injured girl was still awake, but she seemed lost in the shock of having been stabbed, her green eyes wide and unfocused as her chest heaved rapidly.

  “I just sent someone to get supplies,” Emma announced urgently, beginning to tremble as I knelt down. “I used to be a nurse here, so I can help. I don’t think it hit anything vital, and usually intestines move out of the way when someone is stabbed, so she should be okay. I just need to get the knife out and get her stitched up, and we still have antibiotics left, so–”

  I cut her off, surprising myself with my own words as I gave her a hard glare. “If she dies, then there is no longer any reason for me to try to keep all of you alive,” I retorted harshly.

  Despite Emma’s dark complexion, it looked like all the blood drained from her face, her skin becoming ashen. “I’ll do everything I can,” she promised. “Infection should be her only concern, and we have antibiotics still, so–”

  I abruptly stood straight up, prompting her to freeze solid, my gaze shifting to Harper’s. She stood as well, in response to my unspoken thoughts, her fingers still in Sarah’s hair, beginning to drag the woman’s limp body across the floor.

  I backed away and gave Savannah one last glance before turning around, finding Randy in the doorway, his eyes wide, his expression shocked and dumbfounded. After looking at his injured granddaughter for a moment, his gaze shifted to Harper dragging Sarah, before looking up at me.

  He didn’t move as I approached him.

  “W-What are you going to do to her?” he asked in a shaky voice.

  “What do you think?” I snapped back, a little surprised he stayed put in the doorway even as I got close enough to tower over him.

  He just looked up at me like a deer in headlights, clearly debating how to respond to the situation. Doubtful he was going to be forgiving about what Sarah had done to someone in his family, but torturing her to death probably wasn’t agreeable to him either.

  Knowing how most humans were, he’d probably just send her off to fend for herself, which could possibly be its own death sentence, but not as satisfying as what Harper and I both craved. Not that I cared what he wanted – there was no way in hell he was going to stop us.

  After a long moment, he finally moved out of the way, guilt written all over his face, just as Harper stopped behind me.

  Unexpectedly, Savannah’s breathing turned to choking as she attempted to speak.

  “W-Wait,” she pleaded. “Please. Don’t.”

  We both looked back at her in annoyance.

  Was this stupid chick serious right now?

  “She tried to kill you,” I snapped.

  Savannah tried looking at me, wincing as she finally turned her head. “B-But my little sister…”

  I just stared at her as I tried to comprehend what she was trying to say…

  Until it all hit me at once.

  Her little sister used to be a ten-year-old human girl, whom Savannah rightly wanted to protect even as a Night Stalker. Except that protection meant more than physical protection. It was also psychological. She didn’t want her little sister killing anyone, even though she technically already had – the exact same foundational reasons for why I had been hiding away a disturbing memory of what I had seen at the powerplant, in order to protect her psychological wellbeing.

  Dammit!

  “I’m not a little kid anymore!” Harper retorted, her angered tone breaking, as tears slipped out of her eyes, a mixture of rage and sorrow churning inside her chest.

  ‘Drop her,’ I said gently in my thoughts, causing Harper to look up at me in shock.

  “But!” she replied out loud.

  “Drop her,” I repeated, shifting my attention to Randy’s pale complexion. “You better deal with her,” I warned. “And if Savannah dies, forget about ever asking for our help again. For anything.”

  He didn’t respond, seeming frozen in place.

  I looked back at Harper, telling her telepathically that we were leaving, only for her to not budge, staring at Savannah now – no, staring at the small knife in her older sister’s gut. Gently, I shifted my posture and carefully picked her up in my arms, her thin body tense.

  ‘There’s nothing we can do to help her. And us being here is distracting them.’

  Harper only buried her face against my chest in response, now that she didn’t have revenge as an outlet, so I headed back into the hallway, leaving behind an unconscious Sarah and a room full of stunned humans.

  The two women who had been leaving when Harper first arrived were just now coming back, their arms full of supplies. They halted in their tracks when they saw us, waiting for us to turn the corner before resuming their rush towards the doorway.

  We ended up passing Chris in the hallway, speaking up due to the noise I was making, before he could see us clearly. “Hey, did something ha–”

  His voice cut off when he realized it was me, causing him to b
ack against the wall as I passed him up. No doubt I was the last person he expected to see inside the building.

  When we got back to the lobby, it was almost completely deserted – I had no idea where everyone had gone, but it wasn’t like this place was small by any means. Likely, each family probably had a few rooms to themselves on the other floors, and my appearance had caused them all to sneak away out of cautiousness.

  Two of the few people who were in the lobby were Garrett and Harper’s slightly older brother, Ethan. Neither seemed to know what was going on, considering it had just happened, with the kid’s young voice echoing in the open space.

  “H-Harper?” he said, looking from her to me, and back again. “W-What’s wrong?”

  She didn’t respond, and neither did I.

  I just continued to walk out into the next hallway, and then proceeded to head home once we were outside, with the girl in my arms doing her best to process all the emotions bombarding her.

  Between the unexpected happy memory of her father, and the fresh sight of her sister with a knife sticking out of her, it was too much. She felt broken, or at least on the verge of it. So, I finally did the only thing I could think of.

  I used the available resources from her earlier meal to level her Thermoacoustic stat by 3 points, thereby raising her already elevated fatigue, and causing her to pass out.

  Unfortunately, it was the only reprieve I could offer.

  Chapter 22: Violation

  Two days. It had taken two days, but we finally made it.

  Harper could now use fire magic too, her Thermoacoustic at 20 points and her body having undergone the pricey evolution and augmentation. That also meant her attack had jumped to a whopping 11,700 like mine, so it was a massive improvement.

  Moving forward, it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle to just continue to raise her magic stat, since I had yet to run into any other costly evolutions, even after leveling my stat to 40 points.

  And the upgrades weren’t too bad, in terms of cost.

  I probably could have gotten it to 50 if I only had myself to worry about, thereby unlocking ice magic finally, but I didn’t like the idea of both of us being unconscious at the same time. So, we took turns like previously, eating, leveling, and sleeping around the clock, having no need to sleep for a solid eight hours at night.