The sky was dark and the ground littered with the corpses of Apaches. Their wings clipped, no longer flying in the sky. Chained to the ground by the ferocity of a hidden king. A king that lay deep within the depths of a man-made ravine. Yet that king was nowhere in sight as a hidden man searched for the owner of the crown, the crown of supreme dominance.

Jason frowned. The sight of these wreckages instilled a discomfort feeling in him. Where ever he looked around, there would always be a sight of fallen helicopters. Seeing this carnage was enough to tell him that the giant stinger wasn’t something he should mess with. He looked up in the sky and saw nothing but the clear night sky. He was supposed to be relieved, but he was more anxious, knowing that the giant stinger might be lurking somewhere near.

He felt a bit safe hiding inside his Shadow Realm, but he knew better, that this trick of his could easily be overcome. Jason drew closer to a wrecked helicopter. It was split apart into two right down the middle. He looked inside and salvaged whatever he could find. But sadly, he couldn’t find anything useful.

This feels weird. Jason had a bad hunch. He looked around the helicopter one more time and noticed there were no dead bodies. There was no trace of the pilot nor the co-pilot. He did saw a few blood splatters here and there, but that was it.

His caution brought him to a second Apache, and a quick look-around brought him the same conclusion. There was no sight of dead bodies. Jason wasn’t satisfied and went to another helicopter, and the truth was unfolded right in front of him. The dead bodies were gone, and he could only think of one thing.

It’s eating us…

He shouldn’t be surprised considering what he had been through. New York was the best example. He saw way too many times where people were getting eaten alive into the jaws of beasts closely resembling prehistoric animals. But something didn’t make any sense to him. The whole place was too clean for something of that size to eat a human and, to begin with, how did the gigantic UC eat the Apache pilots? He doubted there would be anything left if the giant stinger pierced through any of the humans.

He imagined the stinger carrying the Apache pilots like skewers but he shook his head. It wasn’t possible, not like what he imagined.

Shit, I shouldn’t think about something this useless. I better find a safe path for escape rather than thinking about how it eats. Jason made his mind and turned back to the exit of the Apache. But he stopped. His foot was halfway out from the cockpit, but he stayed motionless. He didn’t even dare move a muscle, imagining himself as a stone.

His eyes rolled upwards and saw a huge shadow looming over him. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…

A repetition of a particular word kept on circling in his head. It was the only thing that could describe how fucked he was in the current situation. For some reason, he got a bad feeling that hiding in the shadows won’t help much.

Shit, how in the hell did it move without even making a sound.

The shadow above him went further away, moving as silently as the cloud. It would have been a cloud if it wasn’t for that big-ass stinger searching for more prey. Yet, his encounter didn’t end there. A feeling made him looked to the side, and boy, he felt his heart dropped.

His eyes twitched a bit as if lacking magnesium before it turned wide open. He stared at the sky that was at a distance and saw what it was. There’s another one.

It was a carbon copy like the one that moved above him. There was nothing different about it but something bugged Jason. He wondered whether this was a tail or a separate entity. He traced it down to the base of the giant tail, hoping to see the body of the creature.

I should have thought. It didn’t look good for Jason. The only thing he saw was the massive length of the tail reaching the edge of the cliffside. The monocle aided him well in seeing from afar, but it didn’t do any good in calming his nerves. One giant stinger tail was already a menace, but two? That was…

Jason’s thought fell short. He thought two would be the worst possible outcome, but he saw it. He damned his eyes for seeing it, but he couldn’t deny that he saw it.

Fuck… There’s another one.

Two were trouble, but three was like Mr.Death reaching its hand out for a handshake. Jason just stood there in his awkward position, staring at another giant stinger roaming in the air like it owned the place.

BOOM!

Out of nowhere, an explosion broke the silence of the night. He turned and saw another giant stinger impaling through the ground. The bright flame and black smoke raised up in the sky, illuminating the darkness of the night. He wondered what it was, but his monocle couldn’t see that far.

No, Jason. This isn’t the time to worry about others. I need to figure out a path to escape from this place. But is it safe?

He questioned the safety of going back while staring at the direction towards Toronto City. Those people that wanted him dead were becoming bolder to the point of resorting to an airstrike. He could imagine how much those people hated him, and going back through the same road might not be a good idea. Going up against another ambush wasn’t his cup of tea, considering he had people to protect. He didn’t mind massacring them all after what they did to him and his friends.

He waited for a while until the giant stinger that loomed above him went away further in the distance. Rather than being interested in the size of this unknown monster, he opted for the sensible train of thought. The search for a safe way out.

He jumped out of the cockpit as silent as possible. He was that cautious even in a state of invisibility. Both of his feet landed on the ground as his whole body crouched close to the ground. He was at the point of crawling on the ground. Jason looked around and saw nothing change in the movement of these giant stinger tails.

Jason made a move, taking a step. He merely took a step and stopped. His eyes wandered across the sky, hoping not to alert the giant stinger tail. The man was too paranoid in dealing with monsters of such size. He learned his lesson, and rushing wasn’t going to be a help in his current situation.

Slowly, he adjusted his steps from slow to normal. After seeing there were no changes in the action of the giant stinger tail, he concluded that it might not be able to see him in his Shadow Sneak state. A first assumption of his as he still didn’t want to get carried away.

Jason trod his path carefully. Choosing his road well and not making even the slightest mistake of bumping into something or causing even the slightest disturbance to his surrounding. He didn’t even dare kick an itty-bitty pebble as he feared that the slightest sound might alert them.

After a long period of paranoid time, he reached the edge of the cliffside. He stared down at the deep ravine while he spotted the sight of those giant stinger tails coming out from different locations of the ravine. From what he saw, these tails might not be coming from the same monster, but he was still opened to the idea of an extremely big monster that stretched out through the length of the ravine. It sounded ridiculous, but at this point in time, there was nothing impossible.

Hmm, walking on the land under Shadow Sneak might be the fastest method in getting out of here. But I still can’t help but worried. Or should we just continue our plan of digging until the end?

Jason was deep in thought. Thinking of an escape plan wasn’t easy, more so when he had numerous factors to take into consideration. An ambush from humans may lie ahead of their path back home, and these tails weren’t making it easier. Then, he glanced in the direction of the lake.

Through the waters? An idea flashed by. The thought of a freighter gliding on the surface of the lake, reaching the port in Toronto was like a grand entrance. Rather than being subtle, it was the most grandest way of saying to the enemy that ‘I’m back’.

No, not home. His head was down, looking at the ground. The open hostility shown by those men opened numerous possibilities in his head. If they dared shot him in the open, then his family might already be in their clutches. To take a family hostage was the most rational thing to do if you were dealing with someone dangerous like Jason. And considering their intelligence, they might have counted his love for his family into the equation. Using one’s loved one was the oldest trick in the book for 101 Villain Guide. Who wouldn’t give up their life for the one they love? And Jason was one of those guys.

They wouldn’t? would they? Neil said he’ll protect my family at all costs, but… can I trust him?

That blonde hair man came into his mind. Neil warned him in the beginning that some people were targeting him. He didn’t take it seriously, considering they were all on the same side, but the worst had happened. The result of his interrogation cleared Neil’s name but was it enough to believe that guy was on his side? It might be a ruse or a mastermind behind another mastermind. Too many things were jumbling in Jason’s mind.

Fuck it! He opened his mouth towards the sky as if trying to shout. Nothing came out from his mouth as he paid heed not do something that stupid of alerting the enemies. But no one could blame him, too much was at stake here, and the stress was piling up.

I’ve decided. First thing first, I need to get back to the group. His small excursion ended with him returning back into his hiding hole. He went back inside the hole and saw the whole group digging a tunnel.

“What are you guys doing?” he asked.

His voice caught the whole group by surprise as they all turned with their weapons readied in hand. But the sight of Jason made those caution went away.

“Jason!” Hakeem rushed to his friend and gave him a hug. Jason didn’t dodge as he just accepted it.

“So, how is it out there?” Hakeem asked.

“Not good, those tails are still roaming around,” Jason said.

“Tails?” Esther didn’t miss plural.

“Yea, there’re more than one,” Jason said.

“Fuck!” Hakeem said. He walked around as the revelation was a big hit to his mental state, and he wasn’t the only one who felt the despair. The Igruk family was in the same spot as their eyes glanced at Tapeesa.

“So what should we do? Do you have a plan in mind?” Esther asked. Her words gained the attention of the rest of the group. All eyes landed on Jason.

“We’re heading back to the freighter,” said Jason.

“Freighter?” Esther confused.

“Yes!” Nuniq was the most elated since going back to the freighter meant going back to his home.

“It’s our home. We’ve been living away in the UC zone through the freighter. It’s not the best, but it’s better than staying on land,” Arrluk explained to the clueless Hakeem and Esther.

“So, we’re going back to Toronto by ship?” Esther asked once more for confirmation.

“No, we’re not going back Toronto,” Jason burst the bubble.

“What?” Esther was confused, and so did Hakeem.

“You’re not making sense, Jason, our parents…” before Esther could continue, Jason cut her off.

“We’re in danger, Esther.” His voice turned colder. “Do you remember those guys that ambushed us? They blast a bazooka at our jeep, and then they ambushed us with an airstrike. You think they won’t touch our family?”

Reality hit her hard. Numerous scenarios ran in her mind, figuring out through Jason’s words. She wanted to deny it, but the most rational would think for the worst. Her knees grew weak as she flopped on the ground. Her head was down, and her eyes were glistening. She was on the verge of having a meltdown.

But a warmth enveloped her as her dear brother gave a hug. He patted her head and consoled her. “It will be fine. I won’t let anything happen to our family.”

She glanced at Jason with her teary eyes. “What do you mean?”

“After I send you all to the freighter, I’m going back to Toronto... Alone.”