-Mythos: Last Stand

  Chapter 2: Catching Up

  by Caide Fullerton

  ???: “C’mon, kid, what’s up?”

  The old man, his once-dark, purplish hair faded and painted over with stripes of grey, stopped to look down at the young Human beside him before prodding further, “Ya know ya couldn’t hurt my feelings if ya tried. Go on, give it to me.”

  In response, Jackie could only cast their gaze downward, letting out a meek reply,

  Jackie: “What am I gonna do when you’re gone? Against that thing, even you…”

  ???: “What, worried ‘bout this little scratch? I’ll be fine, kid. Grandpa Alistair’s been through much worse than some juvenile Kuzumade.”

  That was a juvenile!? was a thought that crossed Jackie’s mind, but before they could express it, Alistair placed a hand on their shoulder and continued,

  Alistair: “Ya won’t get anywhere comparin’ yourself to me or some monster. You’re a strong kid, and more important than that, you’re smart—smarter than me, that’s for sure.”

  As the withering old warrior turned to continue on their journey, gesturing for Jackie to follow, he took a moment to deliberate before moving on to his second point,

  Alistair: “An’ besides, ya won’t be alone forever. You’ll find someone, and they’ll fill in for me. I’m sure a kid like you will find so many friends, you’ll forget about little ol’ me in no time.”

  Jackie balled up their fists, trudging behind Alistair. They knew he was just trying to comfort them, and they knew their own feelings were childish, but even so—

  Jackie: “I want you to be there, Al.”

  The old man smiled grimly, facing forward as they continued to walk.

  Alistair: “If I could stay with ya forever, kiddo, ya know I would. But this old man’s reachin’ his expiration date.” He chuckled before adding, “I might live a bit longer if ya call me ‘Grandpa.’”

  Jackie: “That’s not funny, Al.”

  He shrugged with an “Ah, well”, stopping and turning to face Jackie before crouching down to their eye level.

  Alistair: “Listen, kiddo. Even when I’m dead, I’ll still be with ya, understand?” He poked their forehead and grinned, “If ya don’t go on and live a happy life, I’ll haunt your ass forever, got it? Since I’ll be with ya, you’ll just have to meet enough people for the both of us, won’tcha?”

  * ? *

  The memory faded as Jackie blinked back to reality, having been caught by Helena mid-fall. Sam rushed over to help as well, eyes wide with puzzled shock.

  Amid the ruined storehouse—a Jackie-sized hole in the front wall and its rows of metal shelves crumpled and strewn about from the battle that had concluded just moments ago—the two siblings carefully placed the wounded Jackie against one of the storehouse walls, Sam throwing aside their torn cloak, leaving only the outfit underneath.

  Jackie sported a collared brown jacket over a grey tunic with a lace-up neck and brown pants. A belt around their hips held slots for two daggers and a worn sword scabbard. A quiver slung over their back held a javelin instead of arrows—their second javelin was still embedded in one of the Kritta’s heads outside.

  Jackie: “I’m fine, really… just got a bit too excited, is all. Not every day I get to meet other Humans… or, ever, for that matter.”

  Sam: “You are not fine, a small chunk of your waist is missing! Just… sit still and I’ll patch you up, okay?”

  Jackie: “Yessir.”

  Sam knelt down beside Jackie, slinging a bag off his back and swiftly yet carefully unloading several items—a roll of bandages and wool rag, a metal rod and tinderbox, a bottle of alcohol and a jar of honey. Meanwhile, Helena sat down in front of them, sweeping away debris from the battle with her foot.

  Helena: “Sooo… What’re you doing out here alone?”

  Jackie: “Scavenging for food, mostly.”

  Helena narrowed her eyes. “You took on a whole compound of Kritta just to scavenge?”

  They shrugged. “Kritta are easy to deal with, since they’re too small and weak to hold heavy weapons. I just messed up and revealed myself at the start.

  “Well, I guess their leader was pretty impressive, too. I’ve never seen a Kritta that could fight that well before.” They gave her and Sam a bright smile, “I sure am lucky you two showed up. And now, thanks to me attacking this place, I finally got to meet other people! I was starting to think I never would.”

  Helena: “Well, it’s a surprise for us, too. You’re only the third Human me and Sam have met.”

  Jackie: “So there are two more of you!?”

  They leaned forward, much to the displeasure of Sam, who promptly pushed them back against the wall. Helena sighed before responding,

  Helena: “Well, there were. We, uh, lost track of the second, and mistook you for him.”

  Sam: “We didn’t ‘lose track,’ he abandoned us. I wanted to think otherwise, but…”

  Helena frowned, glancing at Sam. That was the correct conclusion—one she wished he’d come to from the beginning—but it still felt wrong to hear him say something so cynical. “Sam—”

  Sam: “I know. I’m… I’m sorry—for being selfish. I know. We have to give up on him and get back to Strade.” He grit his teeth.

  Helena grimaced; that wasn’t what she wanted to say at all, but she couldn’t refute him. He’d sacrificed his ideals to come to that painful conclusion himself. She wouldn’t let that resolve go to waste.

  Jackie: “He ran away? That sucks.” On the other hand, they simply looked disappointed, replying bluntly.

  Rushing to change the subject, Helena flicked a finger into the air and continued, “Ahem, we still have Strade, though! We’ll meet back up with him soon.”

  Jackie: “Oh, perfect!” Their red eyes shone like gems. “I can’t believe I’ll get to meet a third person already…”

  Helena: “You, uh, sure seem excited about that.” A bit too excited.

  Jackie: “Of course I am! Friends are the most precious thing in the world. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to make so many.”

  That got Helena to cock her head. They’d literally just met; did Jackie already consider her and Sam their friends? She had no intention of trusting some stranger that quickly—especially after what’d just happened.

  As the other two conversed, Sam finished his preparations. He’d lit a small fire with the contents of his tinderbox, using it to heat one end of a small metal rod. He looked to Jackie,

  Sam: “Can you, uh, roll up your shirt?”

  Jackie: “What, not even gonna take me out to dinner first?” They winked.

  Sam: “…uh, what? No? I need to clean the wound.” Then a moment later he asked, “Are you hungry..?”

  Jackie: “…right. Sorry. No, I’m fine.”

  As Sam got to work cleaning the wound, Helena clapped her hands together, her expression lighting up.

  Helena: “Oh! We didn’t actually introduce ourselves, huh? I’m Helena, and this is Sam.”

  Jackie: “Oh, right! I’m Jackie. Nice to meet you guys.”

  Sam: “Okay, Jackie, uh… This is the part that’s gonna hurt. I’m gonna cauterize the wound, so stuff this in your mouth.”

  He offered Jackie a rag, and Helena could see the great effort it took for Jackie to hold back from making another fruitless joke.

  * ? *

  Jackie: “So, where are you guys headed?”

  With their wound freshly bandaged, Jackie stood and stretched, bouncing back to their carefree self shockingly fast. Sam exchanged a glance with Helena before responding,

  Sam: “South.”

  Jackie: “South, huh? That’s where this Strade guy is?”

  Helena nodded. “He’s forging a path ahead for us. If we hurry, we might be able to catch up before nightfall.”

  Jackie: “Gotcha. And you’re sure you wanna give up on the other guy?”

  Sam: “…yeah.” His shoulders sank, his expression turning sour, “He made the choice to leave. There’s… nothing else we can do.”

  Speaking to himself more than to Jackie, he stood with a newfound, resolute expression. Jackie nodded, cocking their head the other way,

  Jackie: “Why’d Strade go ahead of you, anyways? Something got you guys in a hurry?”

  Sam: “Eh?” A bit taken aback, Sam stumbled over his words, “You—didn’t you see it?”

  Jackie: “No? See what?”

  Sam: “That… huge monster! Whatever it was, it seemed like it was heading this direction, and we haven’t seen it since. Suffice to say, it isn’t safe here anymore… er, not that it ever was, but…”

  Jackie nodded along, maintaining their casual smile. Behind their calm expression, however, Helena noticed a distinct shift—a sharp look in their red eyes as Sam brought up the monster. A moment later, the sharpness disappeared as quickly as it came, Jackie snapping their fingers.

  Jackie: “Ahh, got it. I noticed the wildlife was acting strange since yesterday; guess that’s why. Seems these Kritta didn’t get the memo, though.” They stretched their arms and turned to the shelves of the storeroom, many of which were toppled or destroyed from the battle just before. “Well, we better get moving soon, yeah? Let’s grab what we can and go.”

  Helena: “We?”

  Helena slipped out a response without thinking, at which Jackie looked back with an eyebrow raised.

  Jackie: “Yeah, we. I can’t just leave you two behind!” Their expression shifted, “Unless there’s… a problem, with that?”

  Helena: “No, no, sorry. It’s fine.”

  Jackie: “Oh, good! Had me worried for a sec.” They replied with a smile before turning away, “Well, I’ll go ahead and get started.”

  With that, they picked a path through the collapsed shelves and past the Kritta chieftain’s corpse, getting a head start on sifting through what few supplies the previous denizens had amassed.

  Helena watched them go with a slight frown, scratching her head. Sam approached her with a worried expression, glancing over at Jackie before speaking in a hushed tone,

  Sam: “Is something wrong? Think they’re dangerous?”

  Helena: “Huh!?” Lost in thought, she snapped back to reality as Sam spoke. “I… no, it’s nothing.” She shook her head, forcing a smile, “I mean, we’ve been weirdly lucky lately, but it really isn’t often you meet another person, y’know?”

  Looking a bit relieved, Sam nodded. “Right, and they seem pretty capable. Let’s hurry and meet back up with Strade, alright? I’m… worried.”

  Helena nodded in return, setting her reservations aside for the moment as she followed Sam deeper into the ruined storehouse.

  Something was… off, about this person—about Jackie. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but she didn’t particularly care for the reason why.

  If they posed a threat, she would deal with them.

  Even so, she didn’t want to risk harming an innocent person—certainly not based on something as flimsy as a gut feeling. Sam, kind as he was, would certainly want to help them as well.

  For now, she would simply keep a close eye on them.

  Setting those thoughts aside, it didn’t take long for the three Humans to salvage the camp for all it was worth.

  ? ? ?

  Bags heavier than before with whatever supplies they could carry, the trio followed a mud path through twisting valleys between ancient ruins, fields of virulent, sickly green grass dotted by twisted crimson trees, and mountainous heaps of unrecognizable trash, retracing Sam and Helena’s morning trek in reverse. The air was hot and humid, punctuated by the wind howling through the valleys and the distant buzz of insects. Jackie took the lead, a cheery spring in their step.

  Jackie: “So, this Strade guy. What’s he like?”

  The siblings hesitated to respond for a few moments until Sam finally chimed in with “…Prickly.”

  Helena: “Yeah…” She chuckled, “He and Sam tend to fight a lot, but Strade’s a good guy at heart… I think.”

  Jackie: “You only think?”

  Sam: “He’s a loose cannon.”

  Jackie: “Ahh, gotcha. Well, I think I can work with that.”

  At that, Sam narrowed his eyes. “What exactly does that mean?”

  Jackie: “Well, I need to have a good hold of my team, right?”

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  Jackie continued on without pause, but Helena stopped in her tracks.

  Helena: “Your team?”

  Jackie stopped to turn and face her, shrugging with an “I guess so.”

  Helena: “What makes you think you’d be in charge? We just met you!”

  She placed her hands on her hips, frowning as she scolded them with a huff. In response, Jackie merely raised their hands in surrender, offering a wry smile,

  Jackie: “I just thought I’d be the best at it.” They shrugged again, “You can be in charge if you want, but I’m still gonna do my thing.”

  Sam: “…Could you elaborate on what exactly ‘your thing’ is?”

  Jackie: “Isn’t it obvious?” They waited a moment before realizing it was not, in fact, obvious, putting on a confident smile and jabbing a finger at the siblings, “Now that I’ve met you guys, I can get to work on my dream—I’m gonna make as many friends as humanly possible!”

  Sam: “There’s already four of us. Won’t that, uh, violate the taboo?”

  Jackie: “We’ll figure that out when we get there.”

  Helena pressed a finger to her temple, letting out a deep exhale. “And why, exactly, do you need to be in charge for that?”

  Jackie shrugged. “I guess I don’t need to. I just figured there’d be a leader. And that it’d be me.”

  Helena: “Well, there isn’t a leader. And even if there was, it certainly wouldn’t be the new guy… gal..? Uh?”

  Jackie: “I’m Jackie.”

  Helena: “Well then, it certainly wouldn’t be the new Jackie.”

  Jackie: “Aww.”

  Sam: “Does it really matter who the leader is..?”

  Helena glared at him. “The leader has to be someone that everybody trusts! And we don’t have one!”

  Sam took a step back as she raised her voice, turning her frustration his way. She immediately felt bad for upsetting him, but—

  Jackie: “I see, so that’s why…” They raised a hand to their chin with a thoughtful expression, “You seem like a kind person, so I was wondering why you’re kinda mean to me. So, you don’t trust me?”

  Helena hesitated a moment before turning fully to Jackie, delivering a direct, serious response, “No, of course I don’t. I have no reason to—we just met you, and we don’t know anything about you.”

  Jackie: “I see, I see,” they said, tapping their finger against their chin, “It never even occurred to me. I’ve never had to earn someone’s trust before; Al trusted me already.”

  With that, they lowered their hand and stepped closer to Helena, placing one hand on their hip and gesturing up at her with the other.

  Jackie: “In that case, give me a week.”

  Helena: “…a week?”

  Helena responded, dumbfounded, but Jackie simply nodded with a confident smirk,

  Jackie: “Yep. One week to earn your trust.”

  She sighed, scratching the back of her neck as she forcefully lowered Jackie’s raised arm. “What is this, some kind of game to you?”

  Jackie: “Of course not. I’m serious.”

  Seeing their argument had more or less fizzled out, Sam sighed, starting to walk past them. But, before the next word could be spoken—

  KIIRYAAAHHH!

  All three Humans froze as a shrill shriek pierced the air, the same sound echoing through the wasteland again only a moment later—but already significantly closer.

  Sam: “Shit—Jiyagi, now!?”

  Panic seeped into his voice as he glanced around at their surroundings. The particular valley they were passing through was flanked by steep muddy hills thick with sickly, almost neon green grass. A small orchard of crimson trees blocked the skyline around them further, their trunks and branches frozen in the shapes of dripping, coagulated blood.

  To be short, there was nowhere around to hide.

  Helena: “Let’s head back!” She gestured for Sam to go as she turned to Jackie, “Hurry up! We need to find cover before the stampede…”

  She trailed off as she laid her eyes on Jackie. Rather than turning to flee, they were standing in the very center of the path, facing forward. They slid their feet to the sides, taking on a wide stance, and reached back to their quiver to retrieve their two javelins, holding them over their head. They looked back at her over their shoulder,

  Jackie: “What are you doing!?”

  Helena: “Wha— me!? What are you doing!? We need to run!”

  Jackie: “Run!? You’re gonna get trampled! Hurry, come stand behind me!”

  Helena: “And stand right out in the open!?” She grit her teeth, “You’re the one who’s gonna get trampled, idiot!“

  Jackie: “I’m not! Listen, if we stand here together, we’ll be fine! Just trust me, okay?” They blinked, eyes widening as they realized what they’d just said. “Ah. I know you don’t, but—”

  Helena: “Sam, we’re moving!” She’d already turned away, disregarding Jackie. Ushering her brother along, the two of them hurried down the path.

  A hand gripped her sleeve.

  She swung back around to wrench herself free of Jackie’s grasp, expression flamed with rage. If they wanted to get themself killed, that was their business; she wouldn’t let them drag Sam into it. But what she saw as she turned gave her pause.

  Jackie: “Please, I… I don’t want you to get hurt.” They practically begged her, tears fogging up their red eyes.

  She was completely stunned, staring down at them for a moment. Sam took the initiative from her,

  Sam: “Alright, what do we do?”

  Jackie blinked away tears, pulling away from Helena to retrieve a dropped javelin. “Stand in the middle of the road. Close together. Don’t move, and make yourselves look as big as possible!”

  They raised their javelins over their head once more. Sam took up a position behind them, holding his arms out wide. He beckoned Helena over, finally breaking her from her daze; with gritted teeth she followed them, standing beside Sam with a firm posture.

  Helena: “This better work..!”

  As if on cue, the stampede rounded a bend ahead of them, blowing up a storm of dust and mud behind it as it trampled everything underhoof. Its members took turns letting out shrill screams as warnings to any creature that might dare get in their way.

  The stampede was made up of dozens of large goats—Jiyagi, as Sam had called them. The creatures were adorned with bone armor, skulls and ribcages giving them the appearance of stalking phantoms. Jagged tails swayed behind them as they charged, leathery wings resting at their sides.

  Sam and Helena tensed, bracing for impact—but that impact never came.

  The Jiyagi rushed past, sharply diverting to the sides of the muddy path. Others leapt into the air, launching themselves with great flaps of their leathery wings and kicking off the crimson trees to land on the other side of the Humans; others simply soared past or above, gliding through the air.

  The valley was consumed by the rumbling of stampeding hooves and a great cloud of dust, and then—silence. The Jiyagi were gone as quick as they came, leaving only three unscathed humans in their wake. Once they realized the monsters had passed, they began to furiously wave away the dust that clung to them, coughing away what had filled their lungs.

  Sam: “That was… terrifying.” Sam broke the silence, hands on his knees as he was doubled over, taking deep breaths.

  Helena took a moment to catch her breath before turning to Jackie,

  Helena: “How did you know that would work?”

  Jackie: “I learned a lot about monsters from my grandfather.” They spoke calmly, wiping the remaining tears from their eyes. A moment later they met Helena’s gaze, not a trace of distress remaining, “Jiyagi stampede like that for safety in numbers. Know why?”

  Helena shrugged, at which they continued, “Their eyesight gets really bad when they’re moving fast. They can’t tell rocks apart from predators, so they’ll avoid anything big and still. They mostly eat grass and trash, but they aren’t picky; if you run, they’ll assume you’re something they can kill and eat.”

  They puffed out their chest as they explained, clearly proud of the knowledge. Not a trace of the intense emotions from before remained; it was almost creepy how quickly they’d reverted to their happy-go-lucky self.

  Helena sighed, a frown creeping onto her face. “You’re far too proud of that.” She stood, brushing the dust off herself, “Well, we should probably keep moving before something else shows up.”

  Jackie nodded in agreement, stepping over to Sam and bending down slightly to face him,

  Jackie: “You good, buddy?”

  Sam: “Y-yeah, I’m fine. You scout ahead a bit while I catch my breath.”

  They raised an eyebrow at this, but shrugged, raising no argument as they turned to pick a path through the mud, giving the two a slight wave as they forged ahead. Sam waited a moment before turning to Helena,

  Sam: “I think it’ll be fine, you know.”

  Helena: “Hm?”

  Sam: “Jackie. I think we can trust them. My gut tells me… they’re a good person.”

  He watched their new purple-haired companion walk ahead, the wind blowing his own messy, dark-brown hair past his eyes. Helena watched for a moment before breaking into a chuckle, raising a hand to lightly hit Sam on the shoulder.

  Helena: “You say that about everyone. Your intuition isn’t very helpful.”

  Sam: “Wha—it isn’t!?”

  Her laughter compounded and she began to walk forward, forcing herself to calm as she looked back at Sam over her shoulder,

  Helena: “But… hm. I’ll give them a chance, for now.”

  ? ? ?

  Hours passed, the Humans exchanging pleasant conversations as they marched through the wasteland. The hills of mud and trash were unusually tranquil, as they encountered not a single other monster on their path to the ruins Sam and Helena had slept beneath the night before. Only the giant fist-sized beetles seemed to populate this region now, and they posed no threat to Humans.

  Jackie: “So, you made camp here? How do we find Strade?”

  Sam: “We have a system. There should be symbols to mark the path he took. I think this time, it was…”

  Helena: “Triangles.” Helena finished for him, pointing out one such symbol crudely etched onto the stone wall of the L-shaped ruin, “There’s really no telling how far he went, but I’m sure he found a spot to wait for us. Probably.”

  Jackie: “Well then, what’re we wasting time here for!? Let’s hurry!”

  And so they trudged along, the midday sun blazing hot above them, the wasteland remaining silent but for the incessant buzz of the beetles. Strade’s crude etchings marked their path, forging southward.

  As they trudged down the muddy valley path, the ruins and mounds of trash around them made way for an increasing density of crimson trees as they entered a forested region of the wasteland. The twisted trunks, frozen in the shapes of dripping blood, cast ominous shadows, making for a dreadful atmosphere. It didn’t take long for Jackie to break the silence, slowing to walk alongside the others as they asked,

  Jackie: “So~, Sam. You’re an archer, right? It was real impressive how you killed the chieftain earlier.”

  Sam: “Huh? Oh, yeah, I am, but…” He trailed off, scratching his head bashfully, “Honestly, I think my skills really need more work.”

  Helena opened her mouth to rebuke him, to say “You should give yourself more credit,” but Jackie beat her to the punch,

  Jackie: “Really? I thought it was good, but I guess my sample size is limited to just you…” They tapped their chin in thought for a moment, then, “Well, in that case, you’ll have to work hard to become even more impressive, got it?”

  Sam: “Uh, r-right! Um, yes sir..! Er, ma’am..? What, uh…”

  Sam fumbled his words as the group finally found the next marking on their trail, more crudely drawn than the others. Jackie paid no mind to his stumbling words, moving on to Helena with an energetic flick of their finger,

  Jackie: “And Helena! You’ve got a sword there, right? So, you’re a front-line fighter like me?”

  Helena: “Oh, this?” She placed a hand on the hilt resting behind her hip, “Well, I’m not as good at fighting as Strade, but yeah. Just, the problem is…”

  She drew her blade, and as she flipped it around in her hand to show it to Jackie, a fragment of the shattered edge chipped off, tumbling into the mud.

  Helena: “All the weapons we find are scrap. They don’t last.”

  Another crude, seemingly rushed marking passed by. Helena sheathed what remained of her sword, giving Jackie an almost accusing side-eye,

  Helena: “On the other hand, you’re totally decked out with good weapons. Where’d you get all those?”

  Jackie: “They were my family’s.”

  Helena: “…oh.”

  A quiet moment passed. Helena cleared her throat, scratching her neck as she spoke,

  Helena: “Uh, sorry for being kind of rude earlier.”

  Jackie: “Huh? Where’d that come from?” They looked up at her with a puzzled look, gears turning in their head until they realized. “Oh! Listen, you don’t have to get all weird ‘cause of that. I’m sure we’re all in the same boat, anyway.

  “Anyways, I’m not all torn up about it, really. My parents, and Al too, they gave so much for me, and taught me a lot about monsters, about how to fight—all that stuff, ever since I was a little kid. After all that effort, they wouldn’t want me to mope around all the time. So, I prefer to look forward instead.”

  They waved their hands casually, brushing the dark topic aside. Helena reluctantly nodded, shaking off a frown.

  Helena: “Right… yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”

  And thus, the trio were once again consumed by silence.

  Some time later, their forward march brought them to a long, straight path, flanked by dense crimson forests on either side, a great ruin visible at the end of the path ahead.

  Sam: “…hey, hasn’t it been a while since the last marker?”

  Jackie: “Oh, yeah. They’ve been getting steadily less frequent.”

  Sam: “Wha—why didn’t you mention that!?”

  Jackie: “Ehh? I thought you would’ve noticed, too?”

  Sam gave an exasperated sigh as Jackie defended themself. Ignoring them, Helena raised a hand to her forehead, narrowing her eyes as she peered ahead.

  Helena: “Hey, it looks like there’s something ahead. Actually, I think there’s something written on it.”

  Sam: “A whole message, not just a symbol?”

  She nodded, and Jackie attempted to gaze ahead as well.

  Jackie: “Well, it’s gotta be important, right? I can’t make it out from here. Let’s hurry over.”

  All in agreement, they picked up the pace to a jog, crossing the long, empty stretch. Ahead, the path split, forking in two directions; between the two paths stood a crumbled, lopsided ruin, something resembling a once-great cathedral. A large stone slab had fallen from the ruin onto the point where the path split, forming a wall upon which a message had been carved in large, messy handwriting.

  The trio slowed as they approached, the message clearly visible. They had no words as they came to a stop right before it.

  Rather, the message filled them with more dread than the sanguine forest through which they trespassed. Sam and Helena were rendered speechless, while Jackie regarded the message with a serious, analytical frown.

  It read:

  DONT FOLLOW

  RUN AWAY

  Chapter Glossary:

  Alistair - Jackie's grandfather and mentor.

  Jiyagi - (Pronounced jee-yah-gee) A species of winged, goat-like monsters that prowl the wasteland for scraps. They aren't picky between carrion and trash. Among the least threatening things found here, but even they can be very dangerous when they stampede.

  | Kuzumade - (Pronounced koo-zoo-mah-deh) Some monster or other. Apparently, even the baby one Alistair killed was quite scary.