The Damaged

"Everything is falling apart, everywhere...." Ollie spoke, his voice grim. He stood facing the window with his arms hugged tightly over his chest. "Kali, you've escaped from the High Council and their corrupt ways, but you have come to another world that is just as plagued with it's own demons." He shook his head as he looked into the pitch black night. "The Peacekeepers failed to tell us of the Soul Reavers....they failed to warn the human race of a lot of things. Though, I can't say that I blame them. Would you? We took everything from them, from their food right down to their roofs above their heads. Ruthless." He shook his head and sighed heavily. "Kali, you're a Guardian, you have light in you, that is why the High Council chose you, that is why they took you from us when you were five." He turned and looked to her just as an explosion happened in the distance, a plume of flames could be seen rising into the sky. He grit his teeth and ran from the room, snagging his shotgun off of the wall before he ran out into the lightly falling snow.

Kali looked to her mother a moment before she tossed her sniper over her back and gripped her pistol into her hand. She pulled her helmet over her head and sprinted from the house, she caught up with her father easily just as he approached the source of the fires. Her emerald eyes fell upon glowing yellow eyes of these Soul Reavers. It seemed that trails of shadows snaked along behind their limbs. One cackled and rushed forward toward Ollie, though he didn't flinch as he pulled the trigger of his trusty shotgun. The pellets flew out and caught the being, sending it flying backward. Though, this only sparked the interest of the others. A woman screamed from within the house as the flames threatened to reach her. Kali looked up to the second story window then to her father before she rushed into the burning building. "Kali!!!" He called before he beat down one of the Reavers with the butt of his gun.

Kali ran up the creaking old stairs and found herself in a haze of smoke. The only thing left to guide her was the sound of the woman screaming. The heat of the licking flames threatened to close in, threatened to lick the skin from her bone, the heat was unbearable. When she rounded the corner she found herself frozen at the sight before her eyes. The woman was held down, a heel in her chest from one of these shadow beings. It seemed to be squeezing the life from her, her skin was a pasty white, her eyes wide as can be. Then, her screaming became muffled as something that looked to be the form of a white vapor came from her mouth. The Reaver grasped a hold of it and chuckled before his eyes turned to Kali. In the blink of an eye the fires were gone and four of the beings were rushing toward her. She gripped her pistol and did what she knew best. She fought. She pulled the trigger several times, but the bullets just seemed to go through the shadow creatures. She struggled as she was slammed to her back, though she did not scream. She fought and fought until suddenly the crack of the shotgun shattered her hearing. Everything turned white for a moment before her pupils could focus once more. Her father stood over her with his hand offered down. His lips moved but she couldn't make out anything he said. She shook her head and he sighed before he pulled her into a warm embrace. Once the ringing subside from her ears she pulled back, "What...are those?" She asked softly.

"Soul Reavers, they are born of darkness. They will stop at nothing but to kill each and every soul that walks this planet, and I don't believe they will stop there, I believe they will push further...they only used to be in Sterling. Though, her in the past few months they have been attacking at random here. They've killed a few each time, I fear that if we don't put a stop to this that they will consume this world and press further. I think the Peacekeepers knew of them...they knew how to keep them at bay, how to stop them..." Ollie spoke in a serious tone. "They can control what you see, what you hear, what you feel. Without you really even noticing...that fire was never real." He pointed out. The home around them was covered in blood however. The body of the woman lay in a messy heap on the bedroom floor, blood splattered all about. "You see what they want you to see. You feel what they decide you should feel."

Kali couldn't take her eyes from the corpse. "Oh..." She managed to utter. She turned and followed her father from the building. She looked up to the flakes of snow that fell from the black blanket of a sky. "Do you know what can stop them?" She asked softly.

Ollie gave a slight shrug. "I was hoping a Guardian could." He smiled to her as they headed back toward the old farm house. "I mean, it has to be fate that you've returned, right?" He looked to his shotgun before he took her pistol from her hands, he popped out the revolver and then took out a bullet. "I'll make you a few of the special bullets tonight, Kali." He looked over the metal piece in his hand. "But, something has to be done, and I can't go, I have to protect the town."

The hunter gave a nod as she watched her father inspect her firearm. "What is it that is different? I couldn't kill them...and I don't miss." She muttered.

Ollie smirked, "It's a recipe that I've come up with myself here in the past year or so, since they've been coming out." He stopped on the front steps of the home. "I think you and your friend can help us at least push them back so that no one else has to die." He said before he slipped into the warmth of the home.

Kali sighed as she came inside, she sat down in front of the crackling fireplace, her eyes sparkled as she watched the dancing flames. Her mind seemed to turn at a high rate of speed as she looked about, as if searching in the orange and yellow for an answer.