For Jack, nothing could be worse than seeing what had become of Tommy. He wasn’t sure how it had happened; during the initial outbreak everything had been chaotic and Jack had been separated from the people he knew. ‘I only wish that I had been there… maybe I could’ve done something… anything…’ The thought lingered even as Jack moved on.
He was going home, despite his house being the middle of the suburbs and thus, in the central location for the present outbreak. His family was most likely still out home, buried within the in-home safety shelter that his father had installed the year prior. Nevertheless, it would be dangerous, satyrs were unpredictable and if they already corrupted Tommy, then there was a chance that his parents… no, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.
Swiftly and cautiously, Jack began the journey to his home. Hoping that he would find some sign of his parents’ present location. He stuck to the shadows, moving slowly and silently to best hide his presence. Satyrs had an uncommon sensitivity to humanity, they were often aware of hiding humans, no matter how well hidden they were.
He wasn’t sure how long it had taken, time flows differently depending on your perception of it, and he was too hyper-aware for it to feel like anything but a slow crawl. Still, Jack eventually found himself on a familiar street corner.
‘There, almost there!’ He was so close, he could almost taste the memories lingering in this place.
“Help!” A voice cried out, the sound echoing through the seemingly deserted suburb.
Jack felt his body tense and suddenly enter fight-or-flight. He focused on the origin of the noise and saw another boy, probably no older than sixteen running through the streets. His shirt was torn and he wasn’t wearing any pants, so his underwear was clearly visible. However, what really caught his attention was the three satyrs behind the boy, one of whom was Tommy.
“Just give up Jared, you’ll like what you become, trust me.” Teased one of the satyrs, someone who looked like the boy, but older – probably his brother.
The boy didn’t turn around, but his panicked expression was clear to Jake. “Please, anyone! Help me!” The boy screamed loudly once more.
Jack decided to…