Carson was in deep slumber, he was dreaming, dreaming of the past, when his mother used to take him to see the Eruptions when he was sad, it was strange to remember such times, that a matter of a such simple natural phenomenon, could make his younger self smile and laugh, he felt motivated by it ,truly a weird thing ; He could see the Eruptions in his dreams, but, he could notice in the smoke of his dream, in the yellow clouds of oxygem, something with green eyes looking at him, something looking deep into his soul.
A feminine scream could be heard, as Carson opened his eyes, seeing himself on his bed, he could hear screams, it was close ,his neightboor, he was still slugish from just waking up, not even puting his shoes, just taking his eletric baton and following to the corridors of the building, triyng to locate the screams, however, once he got in the corridors, they already had stoped ; Carson carefuly walked the corridor, noticing that the lights were flickering, he began to walk towards the elevator, he needed to alert the building security of the screams, but, when he got to the elevator metalic double door, he could smell smoke and noticed that pressing the button to call upon the elevator din't work.
Carson looked arround, he began to put his thoughts in order, noticing all the strange things, he slowly back tracked into his appartment ,without giving his back to the corridor and without losing his stance with the baton at hand, once he was inside, he closed and locked the door, begining to move slowly and silently inside his own house, triyng to focus on his surroundings, only to notice...Silence...
He peaked at the street of his building, the street that normaly was so vivid during the night, was totally desert and silent, he looked at neighboors buildings, triyng to see if there was someone in the windows investigating the screams, however, he din't saw a single soul, but he could notice some of the neighboor windows broken, but there were no bodys in the streets, so whatever broke the windows, it broke to enter, not to get out.
Carson noticing all the weird things, slowly putted his service uniform and took his equipment, he din't wanted to face whatever was outhere in the middle of the night, but he felt that sooner or later, he would't have a choice, while his head was triyng to reach a conclusion of what is happening at all, thinking that this might be a pirate attack or maybe the CIS finally made their way to the planet?, no, this was to dificult to him to imagine, they would need to dominate many planets before, they would have word of it, he was sure of it.
Once he was ready, with his black uniform, his eletric baton on his belt, Dc-17 Pistol Blaster on its holster and his vox on his pocket, with his vox in specific being active to notice any communication of any other forces of the city to try to understand what is happening, he felt that he was ready ; Carson made his way to the door once more, always keeping silent, but, this time in the corridor, he noticed that something changed, the elevator door was open, he moved towards it to investigate, using his blaster's lantern to iluminate things clearily and what he saw made a chill come down his spine.
The elevator was at the bottom, completly smashed, and he could see blood in the torned and creased pieces of metal ,pointing his blaster to see what happened, he could see that the magnets got destroyed, making the entire thing fall at once ; The guard felt somewhat, lucky that he was so tired, this probably woke up the entire building and whatever did this, surely was still on the building, waht made Carson think that he needed to reach help quickly.
Going down the stairs was a matter of being light with each step, aways looking behind and front, always triyng to cover all the points of view, being as silent as possible, until Carson could hear, another scream, this time it came from the street but it was quickly silenced by something, with Carson hearing a sound similar to a *squish* of flesh, making his eyes wide in fear and his entire body tense, being unable to continue descending the stairs ,Carson was even considering going back to his appartment to think in another way, but he heard another scream, this time, from the building upper floors and the sound of repeated blaster fire, making Carson look arround the story that he was in at the momment, noticing no movement on the floor, but hearing something way scarier, the sound of something in the elevator pit, happily, he was already down some floors, with the elevator doors of that floor being closed, but still, Carson din't dare to breath loudly.
His descent of the stairs began once more, after thinking about the situation for some instants, he was scared, but he was a guard of the city, he was a guard of Wualief, he felt that he needed courage at this momment to do the right thing, that was look for help and look to solve this crisis, however means nec-
Carson thoughts came to a sudden stop.
He had reached the entrance of the building and he could see something moving in the flickering lights of the reception, he could see the recepcionist Twi'lek of the building in his chair, with his yellow skin being covered in his own blood, has he could see the movement with something on his chest, something with black fur and a long bald tail, the creature that was eating the man's insides, making Carson scared beyond belief, this was not a droid and if it was a Pirate, it was definitly one that he din't want to mess with, not without the proper equipment, with Carson turning off the lantern of his blaster, he wished that he could just shoot that thing, but his guts told him that it was an bad idea, with Carson passing behind the being ,unoticed while the creature feasted.
In the streets, Carson could't see much, there was light in some bilboards, but, at the same time, the entire street was pitch black, all that he could do to guide himself was to follow the builboards, with his boots muffling the sounds of his slow walk, until at one momment, Carson could feel that he was steping in something wet, closing his eyes instantly and praying to all the gods, stoping fully on his tracks.
Pointing the lantern towards his boots, he could see a trail of blood, following it with his lantern, his hand shaking a little, as he could see the head of a Rodian, decapitated in the floor, with an face of pure terror on its rigor mortis state, but what truly scared Carson, was that he could see, a quick hand taking the head alway from the light and pulling it behind a trashcan, making Carson turn off the lantern in terror, with his heart beating as the motor of a pod-racer plunger ; He took a deep breath, small but deep and slowly began to walk back on his path, hearing sometimes squiklings in the shadows, hearing laughter and sometimes the wet and strange sounds of flesh and bone, Carson din't knew how long he could walk without being noticed, he needed to reach some of the oficial buildings, but he was to afraid, to scared, with his eyes looking at the bilboard of an Bar, seeing that there was light inside the building, this that he carefully walked towards.
Carso, once inside the bar, could see people drinking and enjoying things, they din't look worried at all, they were all laughing and drinking, drinking and drinking, with some simple playing some Dejarik boardgames, he was scared, but at least there he could feel some touches of normalcy, going to the Barman first, with his presence atracting some glazes of the unfriendly kind.
The bartender glanced at the security droids, giving a nod toward the bar's entrance. Better to be safe. She didn't have much energy left, and the droids would soon deactivate without a recharge. But the look of sheer terror on the young guard's face told her the situation was worse than she realized.
A Toydarian traveler, his jacket adorned with a small blaster at his side, floated up to Carson's level, his wings buzzing softly. His voice was calm but curious. "What did you see, boy?"
Carson gripped the cup of water tightly, trying to steady his trembling hands. "I... I saw a head," he stammered, eyes wide. "A man's head on the floor... a trail of blood. Windows smashed, screams coming from the buildings."
The crowd in the bar began stirring, several of them making moves to leave. The thought of their homes, their loved ones, sent ripples of worry through them. But the Toydarian's next question stopped them in their tracks.
"Did you see what caused it?"
Carson's mind flashed back to the creature devouring his apartment's doorman. His voice quivered as he nodded. "It... it had claws, black fur, a bald tail. There were more of them, I'm sure.''
The Toydarian gave a grim nod, drawing his blaster. "The doorman did his job, then." He flew up a little higher, ensuring everyone could hear him. "Alright, listen up."
The bar's patrons gathered around him, uneasy but attentive.
"I don't know who's attacking, but what I do know is they're aggressive, and we're in trouble. Lights are still on, which means we're alive because of them. Maybe the creatures fear it. So, here's what we do—everyone with a weapon, follow me. We head to the port. It's close, and from there, we can take a ship to get help with another city.''
At first, the plan sounded solid, even to a terrified Carson. The port was only two streets away, and there were at least seventeen people in the group. But things quickly fell apart when four people decided to venture off on their own without explanation. Minutes later, screams echoed from the streets outside, sending a shiver down the spine of everyone left inside the bar.
The bartender grabbed a blaster rifle from under her stool, her voice hard with resolve. "We need to move. The auxiliary power will last maybe an hour, and after those screams... staying here is suicide."
Carson drained the last of his water and stood up, squaring his shoulders in an attempt to look composed. Still pale with fear, he retrieved his blaster from its holster.
"Alright," the Toydarian said, "let's get moving. Can the droids come with us? They might be useful."
The bartender nodded, and the two security droids joined the group. Slowly, they exited the bar and stepped into the dark streets. Most of the buildings were pitch black, but a few flickering billboards and auxiliary-powered structures cast a faint, wavering light. The bartender and the droids led the way, with Carson and the others following close behind, using every light source they had to illuminate the path.
In the distance, the sound of blaster fire echoed. Carson recognized it instantly as the standard issue for city guards, and it was coming from the direction of City Hall. But it was to far to check it out.
Carson moved closer to the bartender, sticking close to her and the droids. His voice shook as he tried to make small talk, desperate to calm his nerves. "I'm Carson. Thanks for this."
The Frenk woman glanced at him, her face drawn but resolute. "Tlerra. And you have my thanks too."
Carson let out a nervous laugh. "Why thank me?"
"Because if you hadn't come into my bar and warned us, we'd still be sitting there. You probably saved our lives."
Carson nodded, though the weight of her words made him shudder. He clutched his blaster a little tighter. Meanwhile, the Toydarian floated alongside them, scanning the streets and alleyways with his blaster raised. His voice was calm but quiet. "I didn't think ahead about what ship we're taking. Mine's in for repairs, so unless someone else has one…"
Carson shook his head. "No need. If the city's in this much danger, protocol dictates there should be an emergency base at the port. The rest of the guards are probably preparing a counterattack. We just need to make it to sunrise." even if resolute, Carson still thought to himself that if this was the case, they would hear more blasters coming from the port.
"I hope you're right, boy," the Toydarian murmured, his gaze shifting behind them. Suddenly, his tone sharpened. "We need to pick up the pace."
Tlerra started to glance back, but the Toydarian grabbed her arm. "Don't look," he whispered urgently. "Just keep walking. If people notice what I've seen, there'll be panic."
Carson saw it too but kept silent. Panic would only make things worse, and in situations like this, he knew fear could spread faster than fire, even more if he spoke that the last one in the line was now missing.
As they neared the end of the first street, Tlerra whispered to the Toydarian, "You seem used to this kind of situation. What are you?"
"I fought in a civil war," he replied grimly, eyes narrowing as he scanned the darkened windows of the surrounding buildings. "A mercenary. Stopped when the droid armies took a side. Thought about retiring." His voice dropped lower, growing harsher. "We're being watched."
As the mercenary announced the news, a sudden scream echoed from the back of the group, abruptly cut off with a gurgling sound. When they looked, they saw one of the people being dragged away, blood pouring from a vicious bite to the neck, with multiple hands pulling the body back into the shadows. Some of the more hot-headed members of the group immediately opened fire, while Tlerra, Carson, and the mercenary stood frozen, unable to stop them from shooting.
The sound of blaster fire quickly drew the attention of shadowy figures in the buildings. Carson, in terror, watched as a creature leaped from a nearby window, hurtling toward him. Reacting fast, he shot at it and dove out of the way. Screeches and squeals erupted all around as shadows and silhouettes began to pour into the street. The limp body of the creature landed nearby, its metallic claws glinting in the light, and a knife being stuck on its tail.
"RUN! EVERYONE RUN!" Tlerra screamed in panic, directing her security droids toward the approaching horde.
The droids raised their automatic blasters, firing rapidly at the advancing creatures. Each shot briefly illuminated the swarm of beasts, but for every creature that fell, five more seemed to take its place, quickly overwhelming the fallen bodies. It became impossible to see if they were making any progress.
As the group fled, a few of the more hopeful members stayed behind, believing they could hold their ground. But within seconds, the droids were torn apart, and their screams filled the streets. Carson, the mercenary, and Tlerra ran with all the speed they could muster, Carson's chest burning with fear and exertion.
They had never run so hard in their lives, but the horde was relentless. The growls and muffled screams of those who had been caught echoed behind them, the sound of the beasts getting closer with each step. Carson could feel the ground vibrating as the creatures lunged at his feet, barely missing him by inches and soon he noticed, he was the last of the line alive, the others alive were in front of him, the Mercenary and Tlerra.
They reached the end of the second street, now just the three of them. The others had been lost to the swarm. Ahead, they could see the port, and Carson spotted a bulky, square-shaped ship—the one he had seen land earlier that day. It looked like a mining ship, probably reinforced with a sturdy hull!
The realization sparked a surge of adrenaline in Carson, making him run even faster. His legs burned, and his lungs felt like they were going to burst, but he pushed forward. He was now ahead of the Toydarian mercenary but still lagging behind the long-legged Tlerra. To their dismay, the port was completely deserted. Dismantled droids littered the area, and some ships had bloodstains smeared across their windows and entrances. But the mining ship stood out—it had bodies outside, likely the miners, but its entrance was still open.
Tlerra reached the ship first and immediately slammed the button to close the door.
Carson dove inside just as the door began to close, crashing into the wall to stop his momentum. He didn't even feel the pain, too focused on the horde of creatures swarming the ships outside. They moved like a wave, enveloping everything in their path. A foul smell filled the air. The mercenary was running as fast as he could, but the creatures were closing in. Carson, shaking with fear, raised his blaster and fired in their direction. His hands trembled too much for him to aim properly, but with so many of them, any shot was bound to hit.
His frantic shots managed to drop a few of the creatures, allowing the mercenary to make it inside just as the door slammed shut. The Toydarian had some scratches on his back, but his wings were intact.
"We need to search the ship, fast!" the mercenary urged, his voice thick with fear.
The three of them quickly agreed and began a sweep of the vessel. Luckily, it was fully sealed, and Carson activated the steel shutters over the command room's windows, a feature usually reserved for mining operations to prevent accidents that the ship's shields couldn't handle.
However, their relief was short-lived. The ship was out of fuel—likely why the miners had stopped at the city in the first place, only to meet their grim fate.
Now feeling the exhaustion settle in, Carson's legs began to throb in pain, and his shoulder ached from where he'd slammed into the wall. Despite the physical agony, he was grateful to be alive. His voice, though, betrayed his exhaustion. "Now, I guess all we can do is wait."
Tlerra sat next to Carson in the command room, keeping a firm grip on her rifle. "You both should rest," she said. "I'll keep watch for now. I was already scheduled for the night shift, so I'm well-rested."
The mercenary started to protest, but when he saw Carson's pale, tired face, he relented. Scratching his thin beard, he nodded. "Good idea. But don't hesitate to wake us if anything happens."
Tlerra nodded, and as the two survivors settled down to rest, she began patrolling the ship, checking for any breaches and scavenging for anything useful the miners might have left behind.