Crossroads

Chapter Five: Shepherds and Sheep

A voice boomed out from the vertex of an oaken V-shaped table, "I'll have no more damned excuses! If you cannot get this madness under control, I will find someone who can!"

It was a commanding voice, one that beckoned compliance. Even a man such as Umbri, in all his eight foot glory, was powerless to defy it.

Umbri bowed his head and placed his right palm against the middle of his chest, "My apologies, Sir." His dense black hair hung buoyantly just above his shoulders. A thick cut of beard ran down his cheeks before abruptly ending besides his mouth. His face was stern behind deep green eyes. He stood in stark contrast to the man behind that powerful voice. "We have made progress, however it is arduous. They know the ins and outs of the Old District better than we do, and they have the support of its residents, to a degree."

"To a degree?" The question was paired with the rise of one bushy grey eyebrow that sat atop a dull blue eye. The man behind it was small, no taller than five foot and scarcely weighing a hundred pounds. He was paunchy and balding on top of his head in the middle of more grey hair. He eased his grip from the round crystal that rested on the right arm of his chair, Umbri finally let out the breath he had been holding. "Well?"

"There are still elements that are distrustful of this rabble. They share a similar sentiment, the animosity, but they aren't ready for such extremities." Umbri's face was stoic, a blank slate.

The smaller man looked down at the table and rubbed his chin, thinking. "Well then, we must fracture that crack. If we simply crush them, which I have no doubt we could, we would lose the others. We must make this group an enemy of its own neighbors."

Umbri nodded, "Agreed. We have implanted several of our own within the district, they will sow dissent and drive away any support."

"No, I think not. You don't go far enough, Captain. You must make them fear this group, this...what are they calling themselves?" His tone was flippant.

"The Sheep." Umbri replied.

The man scoffed at the name, "Ah, yes, these 'Sheep'. We must make the people see that they are nothing but crivelins in a sheep's skin."

It was an analogy that was absent from Umbri's home world, and would be strange to anyone not from Illoras. The crivelin was a sly predator, dangerous and cunning. "Apologies, I'm unsure of what you are suggesting."

The man sighed, "I forget how rigid the mind of your kind works. I want you to show the people how dangerous these Sheep are. Make it clear that their violence will have...unintended casualties. Stage an attack using these moles of yours. There must be blood on their hands. We will then bring them to justice, and that will be that." He was grinning by the end.

"Sir, the risks are too-", Umbri was cut off.

"Are you questioning me, Captain?" His hand clenched around the crystal orb.

A chill shot up Umbri's spine. "No, sir. It will be done."

The hand relaxed and a false smile curled on his lips. "Good. You can go."

"Thank you, Magistrate Guillos." Umbri bowed his head once more and left through the door he entered, ducking through the frame.

Umbri towered over most, and was stronger too, but the Illorad are not most. Umbri wasn't quite sure why they used his kind. He wondered if it was solely for the sake of appearances. The world of Crossroads was a confusing one for many, lost in time and space and thrown into the unknown. But they recognized physical strength when they saw it, and none displayed it more than the hulking Wendors that were Umbri's kind.

He continued to the elevator where he waited for it to make its long ascent. The wall in front of him was glass from floor to ceiling with a scarcely noticeable line running up the middle where the doors would split when the elevator arrived. From up there he looked down on the city below. Tall buildings surrounded the Tower, the central hub of Andros City. The roofs gradually declined as the city spanned outward. To the north these roofs gave way to metallic shingles that shone brilliantly under the red sun. Umbri's eyes narrowed on this district, the Old District.

Outside the tower his hover waited, a vehicle similar to cars found on Earth, but with crystal spheres where tires would normally be found. The hover itself was black in color and had a truck-like shape to it. Umbri entered from the passenger side, his driver already behind the wheel with the hover on. Once Umbri was in the hover lifted off the ground by a foot and began to glide forward.

"That bad?" The driver, a long time friend of Umbri's, asked.

Umbri looked forward, and then out the passenger window. "It doesn't matter. What must be done, must be done. For the sake of this world."

"Of course, for Crossroads, this lovely world of ours." It was dripped in sarcasm.

Umbri scowled, "Careful, Horgor, careful."

Horgor rolled his eyes, "Listen friend, I have stuck with you this far. But not out of a love for this world. We need to stick together through these times, you know as well as any what is at stake."

There was no answer from Umbri.

The two continued in silence down the busy streets towards the barracks. The city was bustling, full of life. The buildings changed shape and color and material from one block to the next, each drawing influence from a different kind's home world. Each of the known worlds had fair representation on these streets. Andros offered too much for Arrivals and Worldborn alike to ignore.

Umbri didn't see the other hover coming. It struck from the driver's side crashing into the metal and fusing with jagged maws. The momentum of the crash carried both hovers into the lobby of an office building that they had been passing by before coming to a smoking halt. His head had bounced off the shatterproof glass that composed his window, triggering its release and sending it skidding across the lobby floor. His left arm and head draped through the now exposed opening, it was several moments before he could muster movement.

He groggily sat back into the seat of the hover and reached to his left. "Horgor...you okay?"

There was no response. Umbri's hand found Horgor's shoulder and squished against a warm damp shirt. He looked over to see a jagged piece of debris had lodged itself in Horgor's throat, the blood spilling out onto his body. His eyes were already empty. Umbri could see the driver of the other hover slumped over the wheel, dead as well.

The passenger door swung open and two men pulled Umbri out, spilling him face first on to the ground. A sudden sharp pain pierced through his left shoulder drawing out a grunt. It was followed by several more, though they felt more dull than the first. Umbri rolled onto his back and caught a descending hand as it came down towards his chest. His massive hand enveloped the wrist and crushed the bones while pulling the man down. His other hand came up and circled the man's throat, the windpipe faired worse than the wrist. Umbri tossed the lifeless man aside and pushed himself up to his feet.

The other man stood facing him, anger seething from his violet eyes. He shouted in a harsh and guttural language that Umbri recognized as Uchtorian, but couldn't understand. His omnidex had broken in the crash. The man held a large metal cleaver in his right hand and and lunged forward. Umbri grabbed the cleaver by its blade and snapped it off at the grip. A moment of shock entered the eyes of the Uchtorian before Umbri's fist caved in the man's face.

Umbri looked around, wheezing and stumbling towards the intertwined cars. He confirmed that the other driver was dead, a human. By now a crowd of shocked onlookers had gathered on the sidewalk and in the street outside. Umbri scanned their faces, looking for anyone who appeared out of place. In the sea of shock and awe he saw a woman, tall and thick with dark skin and deep red hair. There was no fear in her eyes, only contempt.

He stumbled forward towards the crowd, towards the woman. Several onlookers came forward to help him and ask if he needed help. Others called the emergency line. Umbri tried to push them away and continue towards the woman, but his vision blurred and he collapsed to a knee. Umbri reached for the woman, but she turned and disappeared into the crowd. The voices around him began to blend together as his vision faded to black.

Umbri found himself in a forest, of sorts. The trees reached up with black bark and a blood red canopy. He was sitting in front of a fire, in a circle with four others. They ate in silence, ripping cooked meat from heavy bones. It was dark beneath the canopy, his eyes scanned the trees for movement. It was then that he saw the pale glow from deep beyond the trees. He squinted, trying to make out its shape. One of the others saw him looking.

"A ghost, Umbri. Best ignore it if you wish to not be devoured." This drew chuckles from the others.

Umbri stood without saying a word and step around the fire, moving towards the trees. Suddenly he realized that the fire and his friends were gone, replaced by more of the forest. He was standing before a bright light, warm and hypnotic. He reached out to grab it, this ghost.

He awoke in a hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling light.

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Thanks for reading chapter five! Feel free to give feedback on my writing style, always looking to improve. If you enjoyed it, give me a follow so you don't miss any future chapters. Here are the links to previous chapters for anyone who missed out!

Chapter One: https://steemit.com/fiction/@crossedsteems/crossroads-chapter-one#comments
Chapter Two: https://steemit.com/writing/@crossedsteems/crossroads-chapter-two-where-am-i
Chapter Three: https://steemit.com/writing/@crossedsteems/crossroads-chapter-three-welcome-to-crossroads
Chapter Four: https://steemit.com/writing/@crossedsteems/crossroads-chapter-four-midway