Head toward town

A sudden cold breeze washes over your back, sending a shiver down your spine. You are reminded of the long rips in your clothing, rips from the demons in the battle last night. You decide that the first thing you are going to need to do is get some more clothes, and the best place to do that is in the town.

You begin to walk towards the forest, and the shortcut to the town, with Evie trailing along behind you. You pass the ruined physics block, the gutted building reminding you of scenes from post apocalyptic films and games you have seen.

You arrive at the spot you fought the demon the day before, and met Evie. The only sign that anything took place here is a large, dark stain on the concrete, the body of the possessed summoner having disappeared. You look over at Evie, and notice the look of pain over her face, and decide to quickly move on before she starts to get too distraught. With quick steps you pass the scene, and move toward the forest.

After a few minute walking you pass around the outside of a final building, and the forest appears before you. The dark trees extend away to either side of you, running around the college on all sides. Straight ahead of you is a small path that you know leads through to the town, about 20 minutes away. With a smile you stride purposefully into trees, Evie following you closely.

Instantly the bright sunlight dims, the once cheerful yellow glow turning to a dull grey illumination in between the trees. You glance to either side, taking in how dark the forest seemed, much more brooding and dangerous than you remember it to be. A feeling of foreboding fills you, and a powerful urge to leave surges through your mind. With a **** of will you suppress the emotion, putting it down to left over nerves from your rude awakening last night.

You continue to move along the path through the forest, the feeling of foreboding fading the longer nothing happens. You start to feel very calm, your back straightening as your confidence increases. The sense of confidence must have also washed over to Evie, as she begins to walk with more surety, and not pressing so close to you.

Suddenly, a scream rips through the silent forest. You snap your head up to look in the direction of the sound, but see only the dark depths of the forest. Fast footsteps pound toward you, moving very fast. You crouch slightly, and begin to concentrate, ready to combat anything that comes toward you. By your side a column of black smoke boils into existence and coalesces into a large, black armoured demon wielding two short swords, his enormous broadsword useless in the confines of the forest.

The footsteps continue to race toward you, and you begin to form a ball of super compressed air in the palm of your hand. You squint into the darkness of the trees, trying to spot whatever it is that is coming toward you.

A girl bursts out from behind two trees, and slams into your body. You manage stay on your feet as the girl clings onto you, panting and sobbing. You turn your head to one side, looking into Evie’s face, her eyes as confused as yours. With one hand you pat the girl comfortingly, and prepare to throw the ball of air far enough away that it won’t damage anyone.

The girl holding onto you suddenly looks up, her pants having slowed just enough for her to speak.

“They… all…. Gone…. Things…. “ She gasps between pants, half the words unintelligible. She continues to mutter, before suddenly stopping, her thoughts seeming to have caught up to her. She draws a large breath, pulling away slightly, and looks at you.

“RUN! You have to run!” She screams directly into your face, “Those things are coming, they… RUN!”

With that she struggles to pull away, but you hold onto her tightly. You whisper reassuring words to the girl, trying to calm her, tell her she is safe, if you can convince her to accompany you it will mean just one more demon to help protect you.

A movement over her shoulder attracts your attention, and you glance up to see one of the demons from last night rush into view. You toss out the magical ball in your hand, and it streaks forward to slam into the demon before you, blasting it apart. With a smile you turn your head back down to the girl to tell her the chasing monster was dead, that she didn’t have to run anymore.

A series of snaps from the wood make you whip your head up, and peer into the forest again. Just the dark shadows greet you however, the forest seeming as still and quiet as it was before the girl appeared. You lift your hand to summon a ball of light, and send it flying forward to dispel the shadows.

A circle of illumination races out into the forest, the ball shining brightly onto its immediate surroundings. Suddenly, however, the ball seems to be no longer illuminating its surroundings, and the forest remains shrouded in darkness. You peer in confusion, and try to understand what has happened.

Your eyes slowly widen, and your mouth drops open as you realise the truth.

Thousands and upon thousands of shadowy black bodies writhe over each other, their sheer numbers making the forest seem shrouded in darkness. They cover every available surface, moving toward you in near perfect silence, near perfect predators. You turn to look at Evie, and as your gazes meet you realise that she has also recognised the demons from the night before. You gather a huge breath of air, filling your lungs to their maximum.

“Fucking RUN!” You scream, and throw yourself into a sprint, pulling the new girl along with you. Evie quickly joins your side, and together the three of you race back down the path toward the college.

A surge of crashes and snaps come from behind you as the demons realise their prey is no longer going to wait quietly for them to come eat, and begin to give chase. You bow your head and redouble your speed, forcing your legs to move faster and faster.

Suddenly the new girl stumbles and falls. You skid to a stop and glance back, right into the face of the oncoming demon horde. You have to quickly make a choice, save the girl and risk the demons, or save your own neck at the expense of her life. What do you do?