Chapter 92: Risk

"See? It worked."

They all ignored Brandon as he pointed towards the approaching figures. It had been his plan from the start: burn the bodies and attract the monsters with its flames.

’Is it the heat or the light that attracted them?’

Miles pondered as the wind whipped sharply against his face. The silhouettes grew increasingly clearer.

’Ghouls.’

All of them. At least twenty from where he stood. The only fortunate thing was the fact they weren’t heading towards him.

Their attention was completely entrapped by the dancing flame on the pyre. It was still growing strong.

"Come on. Fall back, let’s get out of their way for now. We can pick them off one after the other as they come."

That was the second part of his plan. With the ghouls solely focusing on the flames, they could take advantage of that, plus the overall dampening effect of the storm, to whittle them down slowly from their rear.

It was a risky bet, based on a lot of assumptions. But...

’It’s working.’

Brandon was the first to step back, then Ryan, and the rest slowly followed. The ghouls were close enough that he could properly see them now.

Even then they didn’t stop, and kept marching mindlessly towards the flames.

’Are they going to-’

The first ghoul stopped, its actions coinciding almost perfectly with when Sarah, the last among them, joined the rest in front of the kitchen.

They watched silently as the figure stood there, waiting for any moves. Nothing. A second ghoul soon joined it, then a third. More were on the way.

Mia let out a small sigh of relief.

"Alright, I think we’re clear."

Brandon shook his head.

"No, this window won’t last forever."

The flames were already dying. Regardless of how much effort he’d put into lighting it, the storm was endlessly patient. Such a flame was less than a drop in the ocean of its cold.

With that said, Ryan gave the signal.

"Attack."

As always, Grimm moved first. Having learned from his first round outside, he launched a volley of four heavy stones into the gathering mass by the flame.

They landed in the midst of confused ghouls with muffled thuds, then they exploded, sending a wave of rocky shrapnel into the legs of the creatures. The wave also slammed into the pyre, shifting it a bit, but luckily, not messing with its flame much.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Mia and Ryan slipped away, targeting the small groups of ghouls slowly approaching the flames.

After some hesitation, Chloe, still worse for wear, and Sarah joined them.

It was much easier to deal with such distracted, scattered ghouls than the mass as a whole.

Miles glanced at Brandon, and the boy pointed forwards.

"Come on."

They both moved towards the pyre, and the six or seven ghouls around it that Grimm’s projectiles had disabled.

One stretched its still-functioning hand desperately towards his shoes the moment he stepped close enough. Miles stared at it silently for a moment, then stabbed his spear into its eyes.

A notification popped up.

Brandon, on the other hand, just ignited his hand again before pressing it against any living ghoul’s face, torching it before kicking it into the flaming pyre, reviving the fire a little.

They moved quickly, and soon all the corpses lay motionless or in the pile. Miles glanced at Brandon again, and they both moved away from the pyre.

The others began returning too. He counted at least four downed groups of two or three ghouls in Mia and Ryan’s direction.

Chloe and Sarah stood over a group of three.

’They don’t look so good.’

Still, even they were recovering, trudging back towards the kitchen. Behind them, in the haze of the storm, more figures shifted.

"That’s the first wave down,"

Brandon said as Ryan and Mia finally made it.

The blurred figures sharpened rapidly, abnormally so.

"Is tha-"

They burst through the haze, tall, frostbitten skin stretched taut over wiry muscles. They sprinted straight down towards Chloe and Sarah, ignoring the flames entirely.

"Shit!"

Brandon cursed beneath his breath and took a step forward. Grimm beat him to it. A large stone sailed over the girls’ heads, blowing up accurately on one of the two ghouls’ shins.

The explosion sent it rolling and tumbling into the ghoul beside it, collapsing them both. Taking advantage of the window, Chloe grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled, dragging them both towards the kitchen.

With them out of the way, Grimm threw two more stones. Both landed directly on the fallen ghouls, further disabling them.

Mia stepped forward, moving towards the monsters, only for Brandon to place his arm in her path.

"Not yet."

She raised a brow, but nevertheless complied.

More figures moved in the distant haze, rapidly approaching the area. Their silhouettes sharpened to reveal the same sort of wiry ghouls that had just attacked. Trailing at a slower pace behind them were at least five normal ghouls.

Mia swallowed dryly at that.

A tense air settled over them as the creatures drew closer and closer, until they realized.

"They’re heading for the flames."

Flames that were just about on their last legs now.

’Why did they target Chloe before though? Was she too far out?’

It was possible. Regardless, all four ghouls slowly came to a stop around the dying flame. They stood there fidgeting, seemingly confused. One even began looking around.

Ryan looked to Grimm, who was still catching his breath after the last throw.

"We can’t waste this chance."

The boy nodded, packed about five stones in his hands, then flung them at the flame. They impacted the snow like miniature artillery strikes, mowing down the creatures.

Miles doubted any of them were actually dead.

"Brandon, Mia, follow me. Let’s finish them off. The rest can handle any others."

Ryan charged forward; Mia trailed behind him. Brandon watched the two for a moment, then sighed, chasing them.

Grimm knelt down, taking a breather after his barrage.

"Come on."

Chloe moved towards the stragglers.