Fear clutched at Alice's stomach as she screamed for her children. She frantically looked around trying to find the stroller or the bikes. She looked for any sign of something familiar while getting to her feet and hurriedly taking in her surroundings.
She was in a strange jungle. There were vines hanging from some kind of purple barked trees with thick roots snaking into and over the ground. Small leafy bushes and shrubs doted the ground not occupied by the jungles odd trees. Looking down she realized what she had thought was grass was some kind of blue green moss. She felt as though she were on a different planet, which only made the fear that much worse.
Then there was a massive thunder strike that about made Alice jump out of her skin. The thunder rumbled across the sky followed by several others. She tried to look up but the sky was covered by jungle canopy. There was no telling how soon until rain came pouring down but she could almost hear it in the distance.
Alice could honestly care less about the rain though. She needed to find her children. As far as she knew, they were out here in this nightmare with her. Looking at her surroundings a little closer this time she tried to see if there were any signs of where she was.
That's when she caught the barrest glimpse of a building in the distance. It was as good a place to start as any so she headed the way. Then as she went to take a step in that direction she jumped again for the second time in all of 30 seconds. A gold rimmed white message popped up Infront of her making her recoil at the intrusion.
After a beat She furrowed her brow and tentatively looked closer when a robotic female voice read the message in her head. "What the...?"
Alice couldn't believe what she was reading. There was no way this could be real... Right? Maybe she was just dreaming or maybe she was having a seizure and this was her body's way of coping... No that didn't fit. She was much to awake, much to lucid for this to be a dream. She stood there for a moment just looking at the message trying to understand what was happening.
Then another window popped up this one was blue.
Looking at the second notification she scoffed "Is this thing saying it scanned my brain or something? It knows all the things I've done? That's pretty damn invasive..."
But even though it did frustrate her she figured what was done, was done. She moved on to her available classes and couldn't help but laugh at the first option, regardless of the situation.
"Womb Blessed Matriarch? That's basically Dean's wet dream. He always wanted to keep trying for a boy. Maybe with unlimited trys he'd actually get one. Fat chance of that. Next."
Looking at the other options there was only one she truly considered. The Hearthwarden Matron class, if the description was to be believed, it would give her the ability to sense where her children were, as well as grant her the ability to protect them somehow. She still wasn't quite sure that this was all real, but if it was then that was the best option. She made her decision and selected Hearthwarden Matron.
She looked over her stats for a moment. "Huh so it's almost like a video game stat sheet..."
She trailed off as she felt a warm tugging sensation in her chest. She took a moment to concentrate on it and quickly realized that they were connections to the girls. She could even tell which thread went to who. They were even all roughly towards the same direction.
Her thoughts immediately drifted to Sara and Rachel her two youngest just three and four years old. They were out here alone in the jungle probably scared out of their minds. She felt a tinge of guilt for how long she'd been selecting her class. It was only a minute or two but every moment could matter.
She took off at a sprint heading towards Sara. Her thread seamed to be right next to Rachel's. Which after Alice thought for a moment made sense because they were both strapped into the stroller.
She sprinted as fast as she could trying and failing to avoid all the roots and vines snaking along the ground. After getting her foot stuck and falling to the ground for the umpteenth time, alice got back to her feet starting to run again as she heard a deep guttural growl.
She froze as she found the source of the sound. Just 15 meters away a top of root covered hill was some kind of wolf. It stood a little taller than Alice's waist frothing at the mouth and bearing its teeth. It's flesh hugged a skeletal frame tightly making its ribs easily visible. There were multiple pus filled wounds that dotted its body, and the bones of one of its back legs were exposed.
Alice's eyes widened. "What the hell is that thing?!"
"Undead? You've gotta be kidding me."
The wolf started slowly closing the distance between them. Alice struggled to act, momentarily gripped by fear. Then she remember the sword the system said she received. It only took a moment for her to figure out how to bring the sword out to her hand.
Then she steadied her sholders toward the wolf bringing the blade up to bare. "Your standing between me and my babies. I don't care if you are scarry as hell. I'll drop your ass."
Once the wolf was within a couple strides it pounced. Alice attempted to sidestep and follow up with a strike of her own, but only managed to dodge. She was thrown off balance expecting an impact that never came as her sword swung through empty air. The wolf lunged again, its rotten claws tearing furrows through the moss covered ground as Alice scrambled backward. The putrid stench of its breath washed over her. Panic clawed at her chest, but she forced herself to plant her feet. She swung wildly, the blade glancing off the creature’s shoulder and sending a spray of black ichor into the air. The wolf barely flinched, snarling as if the wound only enraged it further.
Alice stumbled back, nearly tripping on a root, her arms aching from the sword’s weight. “Come on, Alice,” she hissed at herself. “Get it together.”
The wolf lunged low this time, snapping at her legs. She swung down like the sword was a golf club, the sword ringing as it clashed against jagged teeth redirecting the wolf to the side. The impact rattled through her arms and nearly knocked the blade from her grip, but it gave her the space to breathe. She kicked forward, boot connecting with the wolf’s side, shoving the mangy beast a step back.
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Snarling, the undead beast circled, its bones creaking, pus dripping from its open sores. Alice raised the sword again, steadier now, adjusting her stance the way she’d seen on medieval TV shows. When the wolf leapt once more, she sidestepped again and drove the blade forward with both hands. This time the strike sank deep into the exposed ribs, sliding between bone. The wolf let out a horrible, wet howl, thrashing violently as black ichor poured down the steel.
Alice screamed with the effort, twisting the blade free and slashing again, this time across its neck. The rotten flesh gave way, and the wolf collapsed in a heap, twitching once before lying still. Breathing hard, Alice staggered back, hands trembling around the handle of her sword. Her heart thundered in her ears, but the beast was dead. She had survived. More importantly, she had proven to herself that nothing, living or dead, was going to keep her from reaching her daughters.
She was about to leave when she noticed she had a notification waiting.
Alice felt an almost over whelming euphoria spread throughout her body as the stats took effect. It lasted for a few moments before fading.
"Holy crap, I wasn't expecting that..." She muttered to herself as she tried to decide where to place her free points. She eventually settled on dexterity so that it could keep up with her strength.
After the euphoria of her free points passed she stealed her resolve and started running towards the girls again. Finally she came around a tree almost as thick as a small car and saw the stroller sitting there empty, flipped on its side. A jolt of terror wrapped itself around her stomach as she feared the worst. Although it quickly subsided as she felt that the threads went past the stroller and somehow communicated they were ok.
She followed the tug in her chest around the next tree where she found them both huddled together in a small depression under some roots. Their eyes were closed and they looked like they'd cried each other to sleep.
Their cheeks were red and puffy and you could still see the line of tears on their faces. They must have just finished crying themselves asleep, and it broke Alice's heart to see her girls like that. Oddly though at the same time it made her proud that at such a young age they were able to comfort each other. She made a promise right there to make sure that she did everything in her power to never let something like this happen again.
Then crouching down she reached out gently shaking them awake. "Girls, mommy's here."
They open their eyes and immediately attacked Alice,
"Mommy!" They shouted in unison before devolving into a jumble of sobbing tears.
It took several minutes to calm them down and explain that she couldn't help that they had been separated, and they still had to go get their two older sisters. Eventually though, she was able to coax them into leaving.
Traveling through the jungle with two toddlers in tow was many times more difficult than traveling by herself. It was taking much longer than it had before, and she could feel that Suzie was still a ways off and somehow knew she was in danger. The pace she was going wasn't going to cut it, so she picked up her toddlers putting one on each hip and picked up the pace.
As Alice started getting closer she could hear screaming in the distance. Realizing that it had to be Suzie she redoubled her efforts, pushing herself to her limits. Soon she came to a small clearing where jungle turned to hard rock that lead to a 100 meter cliff. About 10 meters up the cliff hanging on for dear life was Suzie, screaming bloody murder as a decaying bear swatted up at her.
Seeing her daughter in danger, something inside Alice snapped. A primal fury, older than words, surged up from her chest and burned behind her eyes. She didn’t think, she just acted.
“Mother’s Devotion,” she whispered, the words leaving her lips without conscious thought.
Instantly, a pressure built in her chest like a dam about to burst. Heat radiated outward, searing through her veins until it tore free in a wave of scarlet light. The air around her shimmered as a translucent aura flared to life, pulsing with her heartbeat. Then three luminous tendrils spiraled from the glow, streaking across the jungle faster than sight.
They found their marks coiling protectively around each of her daughters, forming undulating scarlet spheres that pulsed slowly. For a moment, the world fell silent. Then the tendrils dissolved into fading motes, leaving only the protective shields behind. They were gentle, radiant, and alive with her will.
Alice could feel each of the girls distinctly. She could tell they were safe and protected. Alice willed Suzie's bubble to pluck her off the cliff depositing her next to her other two sisters. Then as the bear turned, eyes tracking the child, Alice got it's attention.
Lifting her sword and steadying her breath she yelled. "Hey! Your dealing with me now."
Without thinking she rushed the bear, screaming a primal cry. All she could think about was that this creature had the audacity to think it was going to hurt her daughter. She refused to let the offending creature live another moment.
She rushed strait ahead, looking it in its black eyes until at the last moment she dodged right and lunged forward getting to the bears side. There she sank her sword to the hilt in its rotting flesh.
The bear let out a gurgle of a cry, and turned too fast for Alice to react. It's massive body threw Alice backwards sliding her onto her back. She scrambled to her feet looking frantically for her blade before realizing it was still embedded in the beast.
She tried to charge forward and juke to the right again to claim her sword back, but the bear turned to meet her with its teeth before swiping with a claw rending a gash open in her left arm. Alice screamed in pain as blood splashed at the ground by her feet. Seeing her own blood, there flashed a vision in Alice's mind of her laying dead and mother's devotion fading leaving her girls to be next.
A new rage filled her chest popping blood vessels in her eyes as she started to see red.
"No chance in hell." She growled
The bear stood up on its back legs and let out another gurgling howl before trying to swipe down at Alice, but she was faster jumping forward and under the swipe landing her right next to the hilt of her sword as the bear came down on all fours. She grabbed and yanked it free, trailing an arch of black ichor, before twisting and striking down on the beasts neck as hard as she could. The blade sliced deep before hitting bone and stoping in its tracks.
The beast bellowed and tried to turn to Alice, but she wasn't done unleasing her furry. She planted her feet stabbing forward with all her might. As the bear came twisting around, she used its own momentum against it. She buried the sword deep into its neck at the base of its scull aiming up toward its brain.
There came a sickening crunch before the sword sank deeper piercing several more inches. The beast let out one last howl before collapsing to the ground in a bloody heap.
Breathing heavily she looked over at her girls. They were all facing away from what had happened. Even Suzie who kept trying to look over her shoulder found that every time she attempted, the aura of mother's devotion prevented her from doing so. Alice had a feeling that she'd subconsciously done that so the girls wouldn't have to see the nightmare play out in front of them.
Seeing another notification she opened it up.
Alice felt the euphoria of the level up wash over her again before putting her free points into constitution and dexterity. She could already feel her arm healing but she figured an extra point in constitution would help.
She took a moment to be amazed at what this new system aloud her to do. She was able to save her girls and fend off multiple threats, with a damned sword of all things. A weapon she has never held before today. Yet somehow... She looked down at the blade. It felt right. It felt good. She wasn't defenseless. In this new world she was a force to be reckoned with, and she would make damn sure that her baby's were taken care of.
She walked over to the girls releasing mother's devotion and kneeled down. The bubbles faded into wisps of scarlet light before all three girls hurried over to embrace their mom.
Rachel jumped up and down "Mommy! You were like a super hero! You saved big sissy Suzie and floated her around in your love bubbles! You were awesome."
Alice couldn't help but laugh at the frase love bubbles, but she supposed it wasn't that far off the mark.
Suzie hugged Alice tightly and looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "Thank you mom... I was so scared, but you saved me. I don't know what I'd do if you didn't get here in time."
Alice held her girls a little tighter. "I'll always do everything I can to keep my girls safe."
After a moment she stood back up. "We still have to get Patricia. She's out here all alone just like you girls were and..."
Thunder boomed making all of them jump.
"And I don't think we have long before we get rained on. Come on let's go"
She picked up the toddlers putting one on each hip taking off at a brisk walk towards Patricia.
Suzie followed close behind speeding up to walk next to her mom. "How do you know where Tricia is mom? And what was that red bubble stuff. I had a bunch of floating screens Infront of me when I woke up saying all kinds of weird stuff about our world being changed."
Alice glanced at Suzie then back strait ahead. "As far as I can tell everyone of those messages was telling the truth sweety. It looks like the world has changed. For now we'll just have to take it one day at a time."
As they made their way through the jungle, Suzie asked dozens more questions that Alice didn't have answers to. But she did her best to sooth Suzie's worries. As they got closer, Alice could feel the connection to her oldest start to tug upwards. She followed it untill she came to a tree, the connection going strait up. She couldn't see all the way up the tree because of all the leaves and branches, but she was sure Patricia was up there.
"Patricia! Mommy's here honey. We found you, come down."
Thunder boomed again before a curtain of heavy rain washed over them soaking Alice to the core in moments. She tried yelling several more times before she was able to see movement maybe 30 meters up. After a moment she could make her out. It was Patricia making her way back down the tree. It was hard to look up and watch Patricia's progress with all the rain hitting her in the face but she managed to keep an eye on her.
Patricia was about 20 meters from the bottom when she went to reach down, with her foot, for the next branch and slipped. Alice activated mother's devotion and tendrils shot out wrapping all of her daughters in scarlet bubbles. She used her will to softly bring Patricia down to the ground with her sisters before letting the ability deactivate.
Patricia ran over to her mom crying. "I woke up on the ground in a jungle. Then I saw scary monsters walking around and climbed high in the tree to stay away from them. I'm sorry mom."
Alice gently ran her hand over Patricias head. "You don't have anything to be sorry about sweetie. Mommy found you. Your safe now."
After a few moments of holding all her children, Alice convinced them to search for some kind of shelter with her. Alice carried the toddlers barely even noticing their weight anymore. They wandered for a couple hours looking for any kind of shelter. They were attacked by several more undead but Alice dispatched them all, before they came across a cave entrance along the side of a hill.
Alice activated mother's devotion, pulling out her sword. She instructed the girls to wait outside, then wearily entered the mouth of the cave peering as deep into the darkness as possible. She couldn't see anything but darkness at first, so she slowly walked in further to see if she could make out any dangers. After 25 meters or so she found the back wall of the cave. Confirming that it was empty with no other tunnels she came back out gesturing for the girls to enter. It wasn't a 5 star hotel but it was better than standing out in the rain.
Taking a moment to breath, she realized her arm that just a few hours ago had giant gashes on it, was complete healed and probably had been for some time. She marveled at the magic of it, before deciding that it probably wasn't the most amazing thing she'd seen that day. Alice sat there a few feet from the entrance holding her girls while looking out at the downpour. Sitting there in an alien jungle with 4 girls depending on her to save them, her thoughts drifted to Dean.
"Where are you my love." She wispered to the heavens as thunder rolled across the sky.
So we've spent some time exploring things from Alice's POV this chapter. Next chapter we'll be shifting back to Dean's perspective. Would you like to see more Alice POV chapters in the future?
