Energy Eater

105 – Take your pick

Conrad took us outside first. It seemed like the place where he kept the records was not in the same room as the village chief was staying. Instead, we were taken to a smaller house that was also filled with people. A very different kind of people. Not that the ones who we saw in the chief's house were more clean or looking like they only worked indoors or anything of the sort. But the people in this particular house were more rugged. And all had the faces of seasoned veteran hunters.

There was a certain quality about them. Something in their eyes that showed they were always aware of their surroundings and ready to act if anything were to happen. It was a look that took me a long time to learn, but once I did, it became a natural part of me. And although they were wary about the presence of these strangers who just arrived and were carrying weapons, they also seemed to be not as on edge as one might expect.

To me, that made it clear that while these people were worried and careful, they were not dealing with anything that was too strange. The refugees were not causing problems in a sense of trying to attack people or rob anyone. And there were not any monsters that were actively attacking the village.

Conrad took us to an area to the side of this building. It didn't look like it was a house or anything of the sort. Instead, the area looked more like a gymnasium, but without the floor setup for people to play sports. Maybe this was once the gym before everything happened? It was hard to tell. Still, Conrad led us to a map of the city that was encased in resin on the side of the wall. It didn't look like it was something that existed here since forever, but instead something that someone brought to this area, as the elegant framing didn't really fit the vibe of the room.

On top of the resin, there were several pieces of writing and some drawings. Not particularly good drawings, but they conveyed the message. For instance, to the north of the city was a large tentacle monster covered in shadows, which I was assuming was an Eater. There were also red circles in a few areas and x's in others that seemed to signify areas people should go

"So far, I'm not going to. Conrad is a dick and I doubt anyone would be able to keep the System without giving a copy to him."

Michael stared at me for a moment before sighing. "Yeah, I suppose you do make a point. And I don't really think letting someone like him having it is really a good idea."

With that conversation over, Michael went back to the living room while Astrid and I just got ready for bed. In the morning we would have a long day getting ready to travel into Spokane to see what was the body of an Eater, the toad king, coyotes and maybe even ants. But more importantly, I wanted to see if I could find a building that was still standing up.