Podo peeked his head around the door, his voice a hushed whisper that carried across the small, warm burrow.
“Time to go. He said he’d set it up for tonight—but we need to hurry to make it on time.”
Nia, already stirring, rubbed her eyes and gently shook Janner awake. Then she tapped Leeli on the shoulder, while Janner turned to rouse Tink. Rebekah, sleepy and curious, sat up amidst the quiet flurry. She smiled through a yawn at Mr. Reteep, who had followed Podo into the room and was already helping gather and pass out bags.
The children, though reluctant at first, soon found themselves trudging into the dark tunnel adjacent to the hideout, bags slung across their shoulders. Rebekah stuck close to Leeli. Janner tried to stay near Tink.
They walked for nearly an hour, winding through long, narrow tunnels that smelled of damp stone and old earth. When they finally surfaced, it was in a forgotten alleyway, surrounded by crumbling brick and the quiet hush of midnight in an oppressed town.
A cool breeze stirred, and the children, now fully awake, felt a strange excitement in their veins.
The adults, however, grew quieter—more alert.
Tink bounced on his heels, grinning, agitated by the thrill of being up past curfew.
They found their way to the tavern without incident, slipped inside as a dim form waved them over, and sat out of sight of the windows to wait.
“I am delighted to meet you, Queen Nia, and your children,” the innkeeper said, bowing slightly in respect. “I must leave now to avoid suspicion, but please accept my gratitude for the hope you and yours have brought me. If you need anything from the shop, go ahead and use it—it’s yours.”
Nia smiled warmly, clearly touched. “Thank you—and may the Maker bless you and keep you safe for arranging this. Anniera thanks you.”
The man nodded once, then slipped out the back door.
Silence returned. Deep, still, and complete—save for the creak of an old chair or the sigh of the night wind brushing against the shutters of the tidy restaurant. The minutes dragged by, punctuated only by the children’s soft sighs and Podo’s nervous glances toward the windows.
Then—a shape.
A dark figure passed by one of the frosty panes, stark against the glow of the Fangs’ watchtower fires. The front door handle rattled.
A quiet, burly figure stepped inside, then confidently shut the door behind him.
“You the Igibys?” he asked, voice low and firm.
Podo rose, cautious. “Migg Landers?”
The man nodded. “We leave in an hour.” He passed them without another word and, using a heavy key, locked the back door next to them with a soft metallic click.
“This is a dangerous journey,” he said, his voice low—almost purring. “I’m going to need you to listen to me at every step. I say jump—you jump. No questions.”
He glanced at each of them, measuring.
“There are a lot of ways to die out on the prairies. Freezing. Bomnubbles. Starvation. Dehydration. Need I go on?”
Nia stepped forward, firm and composed. “If you’re trying to dissuade us from going, it isn’t working. We know how to listen, Landers.”
He nodded once, satisfied, then stood nearby—angled just right to watch the front windows that the others couldn’t see.
Almost an hour later, Tink’s stomach grumbled loudly in the quiet.
“Mom, I’m hungry!” he whispered, just shy of a whine.
Nia glanced at him, then shook her head gently. “We’re not eating from our stores yet, Kalmar. You need to wait.”
Tink’s mouth opened to protest, but Janner stepped in first.
“We could probably find something to eat here,” he said, glancing toward the counter. “Remember? The innkeeper said we could use anything in the store.”
Nia hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod.
Tink lit up with a grin and darted off, slipping past Migg and around the corner into the narrow passage behind the counter.
Janner and Rebekah exchanged a look—equal parts amusement and concern—then quickly followed, hoping to keep Tink out of trouble.
They found themselves sitting on the floor behind the counter a few minutes later, drinking some juice they’d discovered, their backs against the shelves and feet stretched out on the cool tile.
Then Migg moved.
He stepped quietly to the front door, rested one hand on the handle, and—without looking back—smiled for the first time.
“Time to go,” he said.
He opened the door, but stepped out without any sort of caution.
A Fang stepped through.
“Well doneee,” it hissed.
Migg didn’t flinch. He held out his hand.
“And my payment?”
The Fang grinned.
And before anyone could react—before they could even register the betrayal—it struck.
Its jaws clamped down on Migg’s hand.
His eyes widened.
He collapsed, twitching on the floor, the grin still fading from his face as death took him.
Silence shattered.
Podo was already rising, flipping the table they’d sat at onto its side, using it as a crude barrier. He stormed around it, sword in hand, a wild fire blazing in his eyes as the first wave of Fangs rushed the door.
“TO ME!” he bellowed.
Janner, Tink, and Rebekah ducked behind the counter, hearts hammering, ears ringing from the sudden shift from quiet to chaos.
Janner’s mind raced.
They were trapped. The front door was overrun with Fangs—dozens pouring through like a black tide. The back exit was far behind them, out of reach, around the corner—
And with a sinking feeling, Janner realized something.
The back door was locked.
And their family—Nia, Leeli, Reteep—were backed into the far end of the tavern, near that very door, hemmed in with no escape.
They couldn’t run. They couldn’t get to each other.
They were surrounded. The only good part of this situation was that the Fangs didn't notice them behind the counter and were rushing past the main area the counter was located in to the smaller area their family was in.
Oscar ran at the back door, but bounced off with a groan. Nia began driving her shoulder into the thick wood repeatedly. "Podo!" she called in desperation. Podo picked up a table and threw it at the Fangs, crushing a dozen and buying himself a bit of time. He charged at the door, breaking through with a sickening crunch, and quickly escorted Leeli and Nia through as Fangs spilled through the door.
Janner, Tink, and Rebekah huddled under the counter as the Fangs rushed out both doors in an attempt to catch their family. Kalmar finally braved a quick peek over the top of the counter, earning a frown from Janner, but then was joined by his siblings when he realized the tavern was empty.
Outside, Podo fought off the Fangs in a losing battle, arm hanging down where he had broken it.
"Aha!"
A hatted man clad in black swung down from the rooftop, leveling a dozen Fangs as he did with both feet and saber. “Flee, foul fiends, away from here!
The Florid Sword is drawing near!”
He and Podo leveled the Fangs quickly. Fighting off the last dozen, he laughed, "You fight well good sir, but the time to flee is nigh! Scurry forth, fore these wretched beasts regroup!"
Nia tried to protest, but the way to get back inside the tavern was blocked. She peered in the window as Podo carried Leeli as he ran off. She signed to the boys, looking at Rebekah with a look that stated everything. Stay together. Stay safe!
Then, forced off by a sudden influx of Fangs, she followed Podo at a sprint.
https://thethwaphouse.wixsite.com/thwap-house/forum/spoiler-fanfiction/10-dividing-blood-nightmare @Batwhacker the Freedom Fighter ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
@Lili Shakespeare (FF and FAR)
YAY!!! I AM POSTING MORE FREQUENTLY!!! YOU CAN PUT YOUR PITCHFORKS AWAY!!!
**grabs pitchfork* I HAPPEN TO KNOW THAT THE NEXT CHAPTER IS NOT OUT, AND THAT IT HAS BEEN 14 HOURS SINCE YOU POSTED!