Genesis : Knights of Salvation Series
Chapter 29: Battle of the Valley pt. 2

I wait nervously on my horse as Talon stands alone farther in the valley. Clare, Foxglove, and I both wait quietly close to the valley wall as Enyo, Orion and Harrison do the same on the opposite side. Every part of me is on edge as we wait. We’re all clear on the plan but I don’t agree with it. Orion said the only logical plan would be to pick them off enough to get through without being slaughtered. So obviously his plan is to dangle one of our own all alone to draw a few of them out and kill them.

I hate this plan. Everything about it gave me a sick feeling. Talon has a gun which helps with the nerves in me but I can’t help but have a gut-wrenching feeling something was going to go wrong. I know we don’t have many options, but we can’t go back because this is the only way out of here. We also cannot run through that mob of beasts, it would be walking to our deaths. I pull my arrow back and get ready for Talon to start drawing the forsaken after him.

I watch as Enyo looks over all of us, his eyes settling on me for a moment but at that moment I could see he’s wrestling with this plan too. Enyo isn’t the kind of person to just allow his men to do something like this. If anything he would be the one playing as bait but Talon wouldn’t hear it. Enyo kept saying that he’s the captain so he should be willing to take the risk but Talon just kept saying no. Talon even gave him a long rant about how he trusted us to keep him safe and that Enyo needed to lead us to ground zero.

Enyo takes in a deep breath and gives Talon a hard nod telling him to start. I watch nervously as Talon starts jumping up and down yelling towards the forsaken hoard.

“Hey! Hellooooo!Dead Heads!!” He screams out at the top of his lungs waving his arms all around like a crazy person. But it does the trick as three forsaken take notice and screams out running at full speed towards our teammate. Forsaken run faster than humans and at this rate within minutes they will be on top of the talon yet they are still too far for any of us to hit them. We wait, each second passing too slowly as we wait. Finally when they are about twenty feet from Talon, Orion, And Foxglove who is in front of me release bullet after bullet taking them down quickly. My stomach starts to ease knowing there are three fewer of them to attack us.

“Load up,” Enyo orders out quickly as they get ready for the next trap, only the forsaken hadn’t gotten the memo to wait for them to reload as six of them burst out of their dull tottering and take off towards talon. Obviously drawn by the sounds of their fallen comrades and the smell of their rotten blood. The forsaken hurtle towards us as Foxglove rushes to reload. I pull my arrow back tight my right hand resting next to my chin as I focus my arrow on the rushing beasts. I take in a quick breath and release my arrow as I breathe out. My arrow this time slams smack dab into one of their throats causing the thing to thrash out for a moment before falling down on the ground dead. I pull the arrow back quickly as Foxglove finishes loading. Her gun thunders out as she shoots two more down, leaving three more now getting dangerously close to Talon.

Orion and Harrison’s guns go off as does Talons, all taking down the last three. Once again I can feel the knot inside of me loosen just a little more until I looked up to the hoard of forsaken. You know how when something terrible is about to happen and there’s a small silent moment. One that falls on you as you watch the disaster happen in slow motion right before your eyes? This was that moment, the moment that I looked up to see the rest of the mob take notice of the putrid stench of the fallen forsaken. It’s as if I could see all of their deformed mouths snarl and their eyes zero in on Talon.

Almost in unison the last twelve forsaken wail in anger. They all take off some slower from their odd mutations while others run like a bolt towards us. I pull back my arrow unsure of what I should do, should I aim for the closest to us or shoot as many as I can and hope they land? Foxglove loads her weapon as does the rest of us. As if we are smack dab in the middle of a war guns start bellowing out around me as I let loose arrow after arrow, some missing and one or two sticking. At first, we take a few down but the ones left seemed to learn they were being hunted too. We have only taken down four of them while the others are feet away from Talon who runs back behind us. Talon heads for his horse turning back around him to shoot the ones closest to him. Most aren’t killed but slowed for a moment. I can’t help but watch as he jumps onto his horse turning just in time as one spindly forsaken clawed hand grab his leg. He pulls out a dagger slamming it right into its brains.

I turn to see one catapulting towards Foxglove as she tries to reload, and I shoot out my arrow. It slams into its shoulder making it yowl out in pain. Slowing it down in time for Foxglove to reload and shoot it in the head.

“Go!” She orders out to me and Clare as two more notice us and run towards us. Without thinking I pull hard on my horse’s reins the horse rearing up and kicking a forsaken as I dig my heels into its sides. My horse takes up for the exit, Clare riding behind me. As I ride towards the exit of the valley I hear more gunshots from behind me and when I turn around I see Talon has gotten loose from the forsaken and now shooting down the ones beginning to swarm Foxglove as she’s still trapped by the valley wall. I turn my horse around slightly pulling an arrow without a tether out and aim at the forsaken. I let go as I watch the arrow slice into one of their necks. I pull another arrow out as I notice Enyo and Orion are free from the wall. Harrison looks to have been pulled from his horse as Enyo slices out at the forsaken as they try to jump on the down Harrison. My heart felt like it wasn’t beating as I try to reload my arrow only for a hand to clasp down on my arm pulling me down off my horse.

My back slams into the stony ground as a slobbering forsaken tackle on top of me. I try pushing the heavy forsaken away as it chomps down wildly trying to get a bite of me. Suddenly It felt like that night so many years ago. the Forsaken on top of me trying to tear out my throat. I scream out as I push against its body harder, and some of its black slobber falls down on my face. In one heavy push, I toss the thing off of me. I search around quickly as I go to stand to replace my bow only to replace it next to the forsaken. The forsaken stumbles up that same ear-bending scream piercing the air. I hear someone behind me as shots continue to echo out. I look over to my horse that runs near the wall and at the sword latched to its saddle. So I do the second stupid thing during this mission. I hear Clare call out and look over to see her defending herself from a fat blubbery forsaken. I turn away and run towards my forsaken.

It runs at me when I get close it swings out with its claws and I evade ducking quickly under it and tumble to the ground as I fall to my stomach and grab my bow. I turn around to see the beast towering over me and jump. I roll to the right as the beast slams to the ground and I reach to my quiver pulling an arrow out and shooting it in the head. I run to the now dead forsaken and pull the arrow out of its forehead and turn running to my horse. When I reach my horse I climb onto it quickly and when I look around for Clare the sword is slicing through its neck. She jumps back quickly trying to keep the blood from getting on her. As she runs to her horse farther in the valley. Just as she gets to the horse I look to see how everyone else is doing.

Enyo and Orion are still fighting with three of the forsaken still going after them. Foxglove is off her horse slamming the butt of her gun onto a forsaken head crushing it. Talon gets free from his forsaken as Enyo yells something. Then I see what they are yelling about. From inside the valley, another group of forsaken had heard the fighting the stench rising from the dead forsaken luring them to the battle. Talon and Enyo say something as Talon takes off on his horse towards us. Orion follows they slow down quickly as I notice that both of them are covered in black stenchy blood.

“Aspen, stay close we’re getting away before theirs to many.” Talon orders but before I can say anything Clare is tackled to the ground from a forsaken out of nowhere.

Orion sees this too and quickly speaks up his orders. “Talon, get her out of here. Meet us at the waterfall, understood?” He yells and Talon nods.

Orion slides off of his horse and runs to her aide. Before I can argue Talon slaps my horse’s rear hard sending us running out of the valley and away from the rest of the team. As our horses, pierce threw the forest’s foliage and cut our view of the others.

It’s just me and Talon riding fast through the forest, as my heart pumps heavy. My mind and heart are set on the hope they survive.