Blackmoor Chapter 24

Jimmy held perfectly still, his eyes darting between Eric and the terrifying creatures that were gaining on him.

He took a slow, deliberate breath, then another, trying to calm his frantic heartbeat. With a final gulp of air, he released his grip.

The wind pressure instantly slamd into his chest, blowing him away from Eric. In the chaotic mont, he struggled, but his fingers found the cell charger in his hand.

He clicked the hidden button. The device split in two, and each half aggressively attached to the train’s tallic surface.

Jimmy, holding a handle on each device, was finally more comfortable, the magnetized grips holding him firmly in place against the wind.

He lifted his head and faced Eric, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Eric, Eric, I did it! Haha!" he yelled.

"I Knew you could pull it off, kid. Now don’t just stand there, Move!!!!."

Eric yelled back as loud as he could.

Jimmy took a look at the two separate devices and noticed a small, hidden button on each, blending smoothly with the surface.

He pressed down on one, and the corresponding device detached from the roof, almost throwing him off balance.

"Whoa, whoa!" he said, trying to regain his balance.

He pulled himself forward and reattached the device by pressing the button again. Now he had one hand forward. He repeated the process with the second device, enabling him to slowly crawl forward, maintaining a steady grip.

"Kid, you have to move your ass! Now!" Eric yelled aggressively.

Jimmy looked at him, but he realized Eric wasn’t looking at him, he was looking at the threat behind him. The Yagans were now only a few feet away.

Jimmy’s heart leaped into his throat, and he hurried himself, trying to move faster.

But just as he reached out with his right hand to attach the device, a sudden flash of light shot it away. It flew off the train, throwing him into imbalance as he struggled to hold on with only one device left.

"Jimmy!" Eric yelled, the loudest he had ever scread.

Jimmy finally regained his balance and turned around to check the distance of the incoming Yagans, hoping to try sothing else.

But it was too late. His eyes widened in shock and fear. A thick spear, held by a Yagan now terrifyingly close, was fast approaching his chest, aiming for his heart.

Fear completely took over, and the world seed to slow down. He was stuck in a surreal, dreamlike state, his thoughts racing.

*Why did I go on the ship?* he thought, tears welling up in his eyes.

*Why did I leave Atlas?*

*I only wanted answers. Nothing else.*

*And now I’m going to die.*

Tears stread down his cheeks as the spear moved closer.

*I’m going to die.*

He could feel the cold tal now, just inches from his skin.

His thoughts were abruptly cut off. His eyes, wide with terror, looked up at the creature.

Slowly, impossibly, Yelena appeared in the mid-air, upside down, right behind the creature.

A generated weapon appeared in her hand, aid at the Yagan’s head. She moved in slow motion, floating forward, then fired.

"Huh?" Jimmy said to himself as the world snapped back to its usual speed.

Brain and skull splattered aggressively as the shot landed on the Yagan’s head, killing it instantly.

She landed right beside Jimmy and, without wasting a second, fired another shot at the remaining Yagans. The shot was instantly deflected away as one of them stepped forward and held out a shield.

Eric, watching from the front of the train, was shocked and relieved.

There was a mont of complete silence. Yelena stood her ground, her face and body covered in blood from the splatter and previous battle, her gaze cold.

"Hmm, the insect is alive and well. Which ans Davak lost," a Yagan behind the one with the shield spoke in his own language, his voice deep and crackling.

"It killed three, which makes it a formidable opponent. Let’s take care of it first. A little entertainnt before moving on. What do you think?" another one said.

Yelena continued to stare at them coldly, watching attentively and prepared for whatever was to co.

"Yelena!" Jimmy called out, his voice filled with shock and relief.

"Shut up. Now’s not the mont," Yelena replied, her gaze still fixated on the Yagans.

After a few seconds of analyzing their behavior, Yelena spoke to Jimmy.

"Brace yourself," she said in a sharp, controlled, and unemotional tone.

"What? Why?" Jimmy asked, confused.

**DOOOOOOMMMM**

With a thunderous roar, a Yagan lunged forward, covering the distance in a split second. Its fist ca hurtling toward Jimmy’s’s head, ready to splatter it with a single strike.

"Eh!"

Jimmy said in shock. He was suddenly pulled backward, away from the fist.

Before he could react, he was in the air as Yelena grabbed him by the collar and flung him forward toward Eric.

Eric saw Jimmy flying toward him and jumped, catching him mid-air. He then gripped the train tightly with the help of the split charger still in Jimmy’s hand.

"You okay kid?" Eric yelled.

"I nearly died multiple tis! Do I look okay?" Jimmy yelled back, happy to be with Eric again.

Eric turned to check on Yelena, but all he could see was a blur of motion, a flurry of strikes and parries too fast for his eyes to follow. He turned his attention back to the front.

Far ahead, the city of Solaris was visible as the train approached. But a new problem imdiately caught Eric’s eye.

"From one bloody nightmare to another. hell of a job, Eric" he yelled in annoyance.

"What?!" Jimmy questioned.

Eric pointed forward. Thick, well-designed pillars humd with electricity, positioned on both sides of the train’s path, segnted all the way to the city entrance.

"What the hell are those?" Jimmy’s eyes widened.

"Disinfectant towers. Scrub the train clean of anything breathing or not, before it gets anywhere near the city." Eric explained loudly.

"What’s so bad about that?" Jimmy asked, confused.

As he looked, a small bird-like creature suddenly flew between a pair of pillars. It instantly vaporized into a cloud of dust and ash.

"Oh," Jimmy said softly, the danger finally sinking in.