It was almost symphonic how beautifully the ground tremored. Cracks split further along the snow-covered ground with every synchronised punch, and the smaller rock formations screamed in protest while deafening landslides ruined the surrounding scenery. The chaos was topped by several avalanches which could be seen rolling away in the distance, right behind the two monoliths tearing each other’s throats out.

  Luckily for War, she wasn’t immediately eviscerated upon setting foot in their general area. In fact, the constantly shaking earth was more of an issue than the Scarecrow’s, as she struggled to find footing but pressed forward regardless. Rocks cut away at her bare feet, the closer she drew, but she was unperturbed thanks to the helpful ability to remove the nerve endings from her body.

  Actually, she had considered removing her ability to feel pain not so shortly after gaining it but was dissuaded after an enlightening conversation on how knowing which parts of her body being damaged was important. Along with several long-winded rants from her companion.

  Turning back to the issue at hand, despite her earlier reckless behaviour, she had an inkling of what it would take to make it past these two. What it boiled down to was relying on basic stealth and improvisation in case things went south. Something that wasn’t difficult in theory, considering that was very small, and were a lot bigger.

  War slipped through the sparse foliage, staying close to the towering mountainsides that encircled them, while her companion was being dragged not far behind. In an attempt to blend into her environment, she had bleached the pigmentation of her skin, transforming her eyes, hair, and skin into a startlingly pure white. Yet, despite the camouflage, it did little to slow the pounding in her chest. What fascinated her about taking on a human form was the surge of emotions that nearly overwhelmed her. Her original form had offered a glimpse of these emotions, but they hadn’t been nearly as intense as they were now.

  As time passed her legs burned with effort, the snowfield was much larger than it had seemed at a distance, and slowly but surely, she was circling around the Scarecrows. As War watched the hulking metal masses from a distance giddiness caused a slow grin to bloom on her face, her companion had been worried over nothing, these creatures were far too large and stupid to pose as much of a threat as Galis had insinuated.

  Not a moment later it almost felt like somebody was listening to her thoughts, as like a bolt of lightning, her body seized up in panic. She skipped a few steps, almost tumbling over as the sound of constant pounding suddenly ceased. The bioweapon jerked her head upwards, eyes fixed on the scarecrows, her breaths coming in deep gasps. They were still facing away from her, but the violent beatings had stopped. Now, they stood deathly still.

  “Get down!” Galis hissed from directly behind her.

  She quickly hit the floor just as a clump of earth lodged itself into the mountainside to her left. The ground around her shook as a painfully loud crash assaulted her ears. The attack was fast, and unbelievably precise, shattering the slow clumsy image she had built of the Scarecrows.

  “Get closer to those bushes,” Galis muttered, crawling on the ground next to her, “Quickly.”

  Not too far away from her was a small thorny bush which she clambered behind as fast as she could manage. For several tense moments, all that could be heard were her slow exhales and with every silent second that passed became more and more intimately aware of how cold the snow felt on her skin. It was almost numbing.

  “…What was that?” War whispered to her companion while shivering.

  “Something I almost forgot about,” Galis whispered back with a grave expression, “You would think dealing with these damn things would burn all information regarding them into my memory. Seems like all this nonsense is getting to me…”

  “Was it that important?” She muttered. The bioweapon felt an increasing urge to pinch the bridge of her nose in exasperation like she had seen him do many times in conversation.

  “To be fair I wouldn’t even know if it applied here, considering your unique circumstance,” Galis shrugged, taking a moment to peek over the edge of the bush, “Scarecrows can detect the rate at which things die around them, or at least that’s what I’ve been told. I have no clue how anybody even figured that one out in the first place.”

  War attempted to do the same, only to be confronted by an unnerving sight. Both giants were now motionless, their attention fixed on her. The bioweapon could now see the black, hollow eye sockets of the blue one, their gaze unsettlingly still now that the Scarecrows were no longer in constant motion. The intensity of the stare was unnatural, causing a strange and unpleasant sensation to crawl across her skin.

  “That doesn’t explain anything.” War turned back to look at him, her expression flat.

  Galis waved a hand dismissively, “I was getting to it…They can detect the rate of death around them at an atomic level, which means they can sense skin cells dying and regenerating constantly, something which your body pretty much always does.”

  Her eyes widened by a fraction, “How is that possible?”

  “Don’t ask me,” Galis grumbled, “All I know is that hiding behind organic material, like plants and bushes confuses them. Something I learned is that they can’t tell whether the rate of death is due to natural environment degradation or a potential enemy.”

  “Do you think glasses knows?”

  This caused her companion to pause, “Phutho? It’s entirely possible, that guy…or I should say the computerised ghost of him is uncanny and weird. He feels like the ugly child of a scientist and a con man. But he’s not important right now.”

  War sighed; the cold snow was beginning to irritate her so she fried the rest of her nerve endings until she couldn’t feel anything anymore. But even this wasn’t enough to comfort her from the situation.

  The potential of dying at the hands of the Scarecrows was concerning, yes. But she didn’t feel the sense of fear she perhaps should have, rather the frustrated feeling came from a sense of incompleteness. Something was missing…She had initially attributed it to the unknown reason for her existence, which still grated at her, but now she was wondering if it was something else too. Galis was somebody she could understand but the old man wasn’t…yet he was obviously incredibly important to her creation.

  War rubbed her temples, “…So what now, will they just leave us alone after a while?”

  Galis barked a laugh, “No way, not those Roma-forsaken creatures. They hold grudges over nothing. I once saw one chase a friend of mine all the way to the city walls because he tricked one into falling into a pothole. The Scarecrow pulverised him in front of thousands of civilians and the only reason why there weren’t mass casualties was because it was too focused on punching his dead body to move. It let the military put it down quickly.”

  “Really?” She grumbled.

  “I’ve never met a more hateful creature in my life.” Galis nodded solemnly.

  “Then maybe I should just fight them…” War muttered, “If running isn’t an option.”

  “No, you suicidal maniac, you’ll get eviscerated.” Galis glared at her, “You have a brain now. Use it.”

  The bioweapon scoffed but scanned her surroundings. To one side, the smooth grey rock of a mountainside loomed, while on the other, the angels of death were only momentarily paused by the sparse foliage she hid behind. Ahead of her, a small slope led back down to the open field, with more towering rock formations rising not far behind.

  “There,” Galis whispered pointing between a few sets of trees. War followed his translucent blue finger to where she could spot a crack in stone ahead of her.

  “A cave?” She murmured.

  Her companion nodded, “Phutho said there was a village further north and since we’re quite literally beset on all sides by mountains, there must be a way through one of them.”

  “I can see that, but it’s still quite far.” War grimaced, “If the Scarecrows are waiting for us to show ourselves, then the moment we step out they’ll kill me.”

  Galis scrunched his eyes shut, “I know that…But there has to be a way to get there. You’re a shapeshifting affront to nature; can’t you turn into something that will actually help us?”

  The bioweapon took a moment to ponder on his suggestion. She had some interesting options to work with. the human body alone was a phenomenal tool, even if she still hadn’t figured out every detail, simply being able to create certain parts came with its own benefits. And the Wailers she had fought not too long ago in the laboratory possessed exceptional musculature which let her move at incredible speeds.

  Yet it didn’t feel like enough. She was still a great deal slower than her enemies.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of slow creaking. And after a moment, a singular heavy footfall.

  Galis looked at her grimly and she didn’t have to peek to understand that the Scarecrows were slowly encroaching on their position. It wasn’t a fast process either. For each second, she wasted thinking about what to do, the sound of grinding gears and scratching metal grew louder. A hauntingly slow melody in stark contrast to the earlier violent and explosive sounds.

  War tightened her fist in anger, clumping up a fistful of snow until she heard a quiet snap.

  ‘Huh?’ She thought, bewildered.

  She looked down at her palm and saw a single flower amidst the white powder that sifted through her fingers. The plant was delicate and white, its fragile petals seemingly reaching outward, while its small stalk lay snapped and still. It had blended into the surroundings so seamlessly that she hadn't even realized it was there.

  "...What?" she muttered to herself. Flowers were fragile. Ill-suited for the harsh, cold environment in which she'd found this one. It caused a small divide between what she knew to be true and what she was currently experiencing giving her a slight headache.

  While contemplating, War ran a thumb over one of the weeping petals as an idea slowly clicked to place in her mind. After holding and staring at the plant more closely she could begin to see dancing patterns within, a kaleidoscope of colour which gradually sharpened into focus. Within minutes of careful dissecting, she knew that she could imitate the properties of the plant in her hands.

  “Didn’t you say you had a plan?” Galis whispered with a faint sense of urgency, watching her carefully “At this rate, you're going to be in real trouble.”

  “I have a plan,” She muttered, “It’s called thinking on your feet.”

  Without saying another word, she lowered herself flat onto the snow and extended her arm. She focused, willing it to change, and watched as it transformed, blooming into thousands of identical white flowers. In that same instant, an ear-splitting scream erupted from directly above her, a metal siren screeching so loudly it nearly bled her ears. In a flash, a colossal fist came hurtling down, crashing toward her with terrifying force.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  War barely had the time to glance at her companion's unamused expression before diving as far as she could, still growing an ever-increasing number of flowers onto her arm. It was almost to the point where it physically weighed her down.

  The large fist flattened the bush, along with most of the surrounding area, and a crater was left where it lay.

  “…Finally,” War said with a smile. It was Go time.

  She ducked beneath a sweeping arm as the faint, blue Scarecrow raked the earth and snow in a violent arc. Both earth and snow sprayed over her head as she slid down the nearby slope, pivoting and swerving to avoid crashing into trees. Despite the obstacles, she managed to create some distance between herself and her relentless pursuers.

  The bioweapon didn’t dare look back, maintaining a swift pace as she neared the entrance to the cavern. Not moments after her close shave, the second Scarecrow made its presence known. With chilling precision, it slammed its heel into the ground, cutting off her path entirely. Unlike the first Scarecrow, which seemed intent on wreaking havoc as loudly as possible, this one was eerily silent, exuding a quiet menace. From far above, she barely made out thin red slits on its face, coldly studying her. They were sharper, more calculating than the empty black eye sockets of the blue one, and they seemed to pierce through as it towered over her.

  “Don’t stop moving!” Galis exclaimed from behind her, seemingly unharmed. Apparently, even these giant monsters couldn’t physically hurt him. It actually made her slightly jealous.

  Nevertheless, she nodded and followed his advice, attempting to leap over the foot that blocked her path.

  The only small hitch in her plan came from the fact that her gait was thrown off by her arm, now weighed down by the thousands of flowers. She shot forward much farther than she had anticipated, the extra weight propelling her uncontrollably. This caused her to be struck by a low-flying fist, which slammed into her with brutal force, redirecting her into the nearby rock wall. She cried out in agony as the impact sent a shock of pain coursing through her body. The overwhelming intensity of the pain was a new experience, and it left her disoriented, her head spinning in a way that made the world around her tilt and blur.

  War heard several cracks and her chest ached in pain… she must have forgotten to remove a few nerves.

  “…Ouch,” She groaned, struggling to pull herself out of the mountainside she had just been embedded into.

  “You said you had a plan?!” Galis was next to her in an instant, trying and failing to grasp at her and help her out.

  “I’m working on it,” War winced.

  The Scarecrows weren’t courteous enough to grant her that time, however, and she could already see them closing in on her position. Where they would be on her in seconds. Without time to waste she detached her flower-laced arm and flung it as hard as she could in their direction. Hoping that it would work in the way she had intended.

  The arm sailed through the air with grace, her enhanced strength had propelled it far enough that it ate through the distance between her and the enemies fairly quickly. As it flew, the arm slowly dissolved into nothingness, leaving the frail white flowers dancing through the frigid sky in a large arc. They whistled around the Scarecrows, a few gently landing on their shoulders after being picked up by a faint wind.

  “What the…” Her companion trailed off, staring at the cascade of petals that filled the air.

  It didn’t take long for the Scarecrows to react. In perfect unison, they swatted at the air, as if trying to crush the scattered plants around them. The momentary distraction gave the bioweapon just enough time to break free from the rock wall and scramble toward the cave entrance.

  She dove inside as quickly as she could, barely making it in time. The last of the flowers had gently settled onto the floor just as she slipped into the cave. Outside, the blue Scarecrow tore into the foliage in a fit of rage, while the grey one simply stood, its gaze fixed on the spot where she had disappeared, burning with malice.

  The inside of the cavern was best described as glacial. The insides were smooth on some walls and jagged on others, with reflective ice coating every visible surface. It clinked with every step War took further in.

  She felt a faint smile play on her lips as she walked further away from the carnage outside. Not looking back nor feeling the need to. All of that action had taken a toll on her, however.

  The path she walked was long and narrow and every breath she exhaled was shaky and laboured. Vapour poured out of her mouth in a constant stream, and she was beginning to feel her movements slowly grow stiffer. Safe or not she would have to pick up the pace since being trapped in this cavern was slowly giving her frostbite. Even with the lack of feeling and resistance to the cold, it was still beginning to grow painful to move.

  “That sure was something,” Galis sighed, popping up on her left, “I wasn’t sure what you were planning but it’s a good thing it worked. I mean, for a minute there I was sure it was over.”

  He chuckled.

  War tried to open her mouth to return a witty remark but couldn’t seem to unwind her jaw. It felt as though she had eaten something chewy which had stuck her teeth in place. Eating…huh. She hadn’t eaten anything since she had awoken, she wondered idly what food even tasted like.

  “War? Hello?” Galis waved a hand in front of her face. “…Anybody home?”

  She gave him a shallow nod in return, trying not to move her body too much, to which he grimaced.

  “The cold is finally getting to you,” He said while squinting at her, “You should swap out most of your muscle for fat, it helps insulate heat better and you won’t need nearly as much if you’re not doing all of those acrobatics.”

  War did what he asked wordlessly. A few seconds later she felt better, if only a little.

  Her companion sighed a second time.

  “You can’t slow down now, not when we’re almost there. The village should be through here and once we’re there I’m sure we can find someplace for you to rest. Maybe get a meal or two…doesn’t that sound nice?” Galis tried to cheer her up.

  “S-sure.” She croaked. As she pulled herself forward, the fear that was seemingly absent in her struggle was slowly encroaching on her heart. Lacking any pain to focus on after frying the remaining nerve endings she had missed; she simply felt her body shutting down in a way that was frighteningly fast. It felt like she had been strapped to an unseen weight that threatened to topple her every so often, depleted of energy she felt even her eyelids droop in exhaustion.

  *clink*

  War snapped her head right around to see a small piece of ice which had shattered onto the ground behind her. She stared at it, still for some time.

  Galis having either not heard the ice or otherwise kept walking.

  “I’m not too sure how Northerner cuisine holds up, but I’m sure it’s better than some of the scraps I’ve had to live off. Valtsomu can be a real pain when it comes to affording any basic necessities, I mean seriously…Did I tell you about how I used to live outside the city walls for the longest time? Imagine being unable to afford living in the place you were born, it was embarrassing.” He rambled from in front of her. “…War?”

  “I’m fine, continue.” She managed to say, with a small exhale. She shook herself off, ignoring the anxiety that gnawed away at the pit of her stomach. It was likely just the fear and paranoia since dying alone in the cold inside an ice cave was much more terrifying than a fight. It was probably nothing.

  “Right, as I was saying…” Galis continued.

  The bioweapon listened to him talk, half paying attention and half trying not to collapse. They had made quite a bit of progress at this point and her path had widened slightly, giving her more space to hobble along while leaning on the smooth walls. She was grateful to her companion…to some extent, she loved hearing him talk about his experiences. It helped her feel less helpless about being stuck in some icy hellscape.

  It was also nice that he seemed to be willing to help her despite being stuck with her, possibly against his will, possibly not. Yet in some deep crevasse of her mind was a flicker of resentment. It was surprising at first, but then it became less so the more she thought about it.

  It wasn’t his fault she was stranded, half-dying in what was effectively a freezer. Nor was it his fault that she was still a wandering husk with no answers as to who she was or why she had been made. There was no reason for her to be upset, but a small part of her seethed at the prospect that he might have answers. However, with nobody else to talk to, she had kept a tight lid on any anger she might feel at her situation.

  ‘He’s hiding something from you,’ it whispered. Maybe he’s well aware of your purpose and is just lying to you; maybe you're just a means to an end.’

  Maybe it was right, but she tried to ignore it regardless. More time passed as they navigated through the winding tunnels until something inside her snapped.

  War fell to her knees. She wasn’t upset or anything, just tired. The weight on her shoulders had somehow doubled and with little other choice, she began to crawl forwards.

  “…” The bioweapon could feel the concerned gaze of her companion as hands tried and failed, for the second time that day, to help her up. His hands slipped through her hunched-over form.

  “I said I was fine.” She grunted, clawing herself up by digging her nails into the ice wall beside her. She then began to walk again, albeit at a slower speed.

  “Should we take a break?”

  “No, we shouldn’t have long left.”

  “That’s a poor plan.”

  “I can make it.”

  “It doesn’t look that way.”

  “Galis!” She said, exasperated, “Please,”

  “Fine,” The man held up his hands in surrender, “As long as you don’t collapse on me again,”

  She nodded and faced forward again, but it didn’t take long for the silence to be broken once more.

  Say, what do you want to do War?” Galis asked softly, “I mean, once we get to the village. We’ll get you whatever you want, I promise. A nice meal, a comfortable place to sleep…Anything. You just have to make it through here, we’re nearly out.”

  “What if I don’t want any of those?” She replied in a small voice, with faint undertones of anger, “What if I just want the one thing that I’ve been asking for all this time.”

  “Which is?”

  She stared at him incredulously.

  “Answers! Galis, Answers!” Her throat was hoarse, and it itched, “I can’t keep going if I know all of this will be for nothing, you said I’d find a reason for my existence through living, but I’m starting to think that that’s just a lie.”

  “And what did you want me to say?” Her companion replied with a slight scoff, “If I knew, I would have told you already.”

  There was another small rattle in the cave as he spoke. The tinkling of ice grew louder and the frozen stone beneath her feet trembled like a quivering kitten. The ice above her cracked, just slightly sending refracted light bouncing into her eyes. It distracted her for just a few moments before she shook her head.

  “I know that” She groaned, “But I was made in a test tube, did you expect me not to have questions?”

  “Take that crap up with Phutho,” Galis replied bitterly, “I’m just as in the dark as you are.”

  The bioweapon wanted to punch him. There was no way he knew , and yet for whatever reason he wasn’t sharing. She clenched her jaw in silence and kept walking. When that damned scientist showed up, she would strangle the answers from his incorporeal corpse if she had to.

  They walked in silence for what felt like an eternity after that. War could still sense the faint tension in the air, but she chose not to acknowledge it. There was no point in arguing with the person she was stuck with, after all. She didn’t know Galis well, but it wouldn’t help to sour their relationship over paranoia fuelled by fear and exhaustion. At the same time, she didn’t exactly want to die without any answers. Thankfully her internal struggle was finally put to rest not moments later.

  A small portion of the weight slipped off her when she glimpsed the light at the end of the tunnel. It graced her eyes in the far distance, where the sun’s rays greeted the cold ground and shone with all the benevolence of a messiah. It pierced through the dark confines of the ice box she was trapped in, and her world felt a little warmer even with how far away it was.

  “Finally,” Galis breathed in relief. Stopping slightly alongside her to marvel at the distant light.

  War turned to look at him, feeling slightly sheepish. There was still a faint lingering anger, but it had calmed somewhat. Fading away under the faint heat. Maybe she should apologise.

  As if to punish that thought another tremor hit the ground. But this time it didn’t stop. The faint cracks that cobwebbed outwards from before grew more defined around her until they shattered in the briefest moments. Soon the entire cavern was shaking with such intensity that she had to lean against the wall for dear life. Rocks began to crumble around her as it felt as though the entire mountain would collapse in on itself.

  And that was when it hit her.

  The glowing rays of the sun now fell across her entire body as she looked up in confusion, they warmed her cold and tired body. It burned her eyes, stunning her with its sudden brightness, and as her vision slowly began to accustom itself to the light, she saw something that made her skin prickle in an almost exciting way.

  High above, the two Scarecrows loomed, their massive arms gripping either side of the mountain as they tore it apart. Despite their robotic features, which lacked any discernible emotion, War could feel their fury radiating from them. Both glaring at her with such palpable hatred that it almost made her flinch…

  Shock, Awe. Every bewildering emotion came crashing down onto her, immobilizing her for but a moment until she regained her bearings and turned to face her companion.

  “Time to go,” Galis whispered, and she couldn’t agree more.

  Within seconds she had transformed her physique back to its fighting state and threw herself down the length of the remaining path with all the energy she could muster. Almost crashing into several walls along the way.

  It didn’t take long for arms to begin reaching down and grabbing at her, something which she weaved around to the best of her abilities. She looked left to see Galis flying next to her at surprising speeds.

  ‘When did he learn to do that?’ She thought, curiously, but kept most of her attention on escaping.

  “I’ll distract them!” Her companion said before zipping upwards, she slowly heard his voice fade away as he flew, “Just run and don’t stop!”

  He didn’t have to tell her twice as she barrelled right through the exit and then some.

  Unfortunately for War, however, the minute she exited the cavern she felt herself collide with a solid and warm object, which knocked her to the ground.

  “Ah!” She yelped while tumbling backwards, catching what looked like a large wooden pole slamming down onto her head before her whole world went black.

  The last words she could hear before passing out were those of a gruff stranger who spoke in an annoyed tone.

  “Roma above, not another one.”