Searing 36, 122 - Nearing sundown
Franky's wrinkled brow was dripping with sweat, his harsh eyes darting frantic, his breath ragged as his boots moved across the cobblestones. His left hand bore his shield, but his sword was belted on his hip. On his right shoulder, a young elf, almost an adult by their terms, crying and trying her best to stifle her pained screams. Her left leg was broken below the knee. Franky's right arm gripped her tight around the waist in this shoulder carry as he saw lumbering shapes up ahead. He dipped down a side alley, having to take a longer, less direct route to get back to the Gobbler. Franky looked to the skies, past the angry scar that shown above the blast zone, estimating he had maybe an hour until sundown.
He would not be caught out after nightfall. That would be an almost certain death sentence for anyone, of that Franky was certain. He ducked into a covered doorway in the alley, setting the lass down onto her good leg for a moment to catch his breath, a finger to his lips. She nodded, wiping away her tears on her sleeve. Franky had found her in one of the apartment buildings, pinned under rubble, a wall collapsed from one of the blasts that rocked the Knob. She'd been lucky to have not been eaten or ripped apart by the monsters. Franky had pressed his waterskin to her lips, and dug her out of the rubble.
Franky looked up and down the darkened alley. He didn't see any of the walking abominations now, but that meant nothing. Just earlier he'd been jumped by what he thought was a puddle, but took on a humanoid shape and attempted to drown him. Franky wasn't able to kill it but he'd at least been able to escape. These mists had transformed so many, some keeping their minds, others becoming monsters in full. Franky could tell the storm had lessened now that the rift was frozen overhead, he just hoped the mists would abate entirely soon. They'd need to purge out every monster and see who exactly was left.
He heard the familiar yipping and scraping over stone, and Franky shoved his shoulder into the door, snapping the mechanism. No time for subtlety. He hefted the girl back over his shoulder and darted inside, closing the door carefully behind them as a pack of what had been various dogs, now barely even resembling canines. It seemed even pets were not spared these horrors, but they found comfort in each other. And they hunted with a vicious brutality. Franky climbed the stairs slowly, trying to not make excess noise, until he pushed open the door to the roof. He set the girl down just inside the door, and drew his sword. He raised his shield, crouching low behind it, peering just over it, and stepped onto the roof. He quickly began to scan the area for hostiles or survivors.
On the opposite side of the roof, he could see a humanoid shape, couldn't make out if was a person or monster. He let loose a quick whistle between his teeth, one too sharp and quick to easily pinpoint its location. If they were still a person, maybe they'd indicate as such. Franky hoped they were. It had been a long day, and each survivor gave him more strength, but each monster, a person before, chipped away at him. Franky halved the distance between them, "You still a person?" in a hushed whisper.
