Chapter 3: Popping Up
Since they didn't know how long they will have to stay at the old man's house, the old man tasked each of them to do various chores. The old man tasked Nathan and Michael to clean up the mess brought by the goblins, naturally, this included cleaning the bloodstains and disposing of the dead goblin bodies.
The other was tasked to patrol the walls and the gate of the house. They all quickly proceeded to do their jobs, Nathan and Michael's jobs are especially important as they won't be able to move freely if there are drops of blood and dead bodies littered around the house!
They prioritized disposing of the dead bodies of the goblins first, but they didn't know how to dispose of the body. Surely, they can't just burn the bodies as it may attract any other monsters besides the goblins if there is any.
Dumping the bodies outside was also ruled out of the options as it will expose them to a brief breach in their only defense from the goblins. They can't risk their lives just for these little bastards.
Then, the only option left is to bury them. And so, they proceeded to do the task. Michael took 2 spades from the shed in the backyard while Nathan dragged the 3 corpses of the goblins. While they were digging an appropriate hole for the goblins, the two talked to each other for a bit.
"What do you think is happening, Nathan?"
Michael asked as he lifted his spade to which Nathan snorted as if he found the question ridiculous.
"How should I know. All I can say is that this whole thing is surreal. Goblins are apparently real, maybe dragons are real too! Who knows what kind of monsters will pop up soon!"
"Goblins are often associated with stories about magics right? Or at least they existed in a world with magic. Then they are here now, so...it's not too far fetched to think that magics are possible now, right?"
Michael fell into deep contemplation as he thought of the possibility of using magic. He was so out of place that he forgot to continue his digging.
"Yeah, that will also mean the end of us! Just imagine a maniac having magic or a mass murderer getting a hold of this new power, what will they do with it? surely, not for the greater good. And please, don't stop digging"
Indeed. Nathan had a point. If ever magics are real now, then those psychopaths will become more creative with their crimes. Just thinking about it made Michael shiver. But he also thought that good people can fight the bad, just like in the movies. He shook his head and continued his digging.
Meanwhile, inside one of the house's rooms, the old man opened his closet. At first, it looked like just an ordinary closet filled with clothes, but looking further there is a small gap at the corner of the closet to the right.
The old man inserted his pinky finger on the small gap. He bent his pinky finger like a hook and slowly pulled it outwards. The small gap became bigger, soon the back of the closet separated from the closet, revealing a hidden compartment within the closet. The old man smiled as he saw his guns were still in there.
There were 3 handguns all of the same type, Glock 17 Gen 4. There was also one rifle, M16A1. And lastly, a Tac 17 shotgun also known as Remington shotgun. Of course, bullets for all of his guns were also included inside the hidden compartment.
The old man armed himself with a Glock 17 before going out of his room. Though he planned to distribute the guns among the people he gathered, he concluded that now was not the time to do that. It's not like he doesn't trust them though, he's just a really careful old man.
He checked on the kids who had already stopped crying after he gave them some food to snack on while the elderlies already made themselves comfortable on the sofa. They still have to relax their aching bodies after running for so long, after all.
He walked towards the kitchen and went outside through the backdoor, and saw the two kids digging graves for the disgusting creatures they killed.
Lastly, he looked at his front yard through a window and saw the sole patroller of his house. At this moment, the patroller was fending off the goblin that was trying to squeeze their way through the bars of the gate. Of course, they were unsuccessful as the patroller is doing a good job.
The patroller was fending off from the side of the gate while leaning on the wall to avoid the arrows that were shot at him.
But then, a goblin appeared beside the patroller. He didn't see it appeared and was clueless about what was about to happen to him next. The goblin shrugged its confusion away and then aimed its knife at the human in front of it. Just before the knife hit the man's back, the goblin was shot by the old man from inside the house.
BANG!
A single loud gunshot echoed throughout the house which quickly alerted all of them. The patroller was especially shocked when he heard the gunshot and heard something fall from behind him.
When he saw the dead goblin beside him, he almost jumped from fear. He looked at the old man staring at him from the window. He nodded at the old man as a form of thanking him.
Nathan and Michael ran to the source of the gunshot only to see another dead goblin laying on the ground. They just finished burying the three, and now there is still one added! The two rolled their eyes in unison.
"This won't probably be the last time those creatures appear inside, so you better be vigilant!"
The two nodded after they heard the hoarse but commanding voice of the old man. He sounded like someone who worked as a military.
"Get the extra machete and ax inside the shed after you two are done with your chores and start patrolling the perimeter, okay?"
The two nodded again, but in truth, they wanted to complain. Are we in military training right now? We are not your juniors! But of course, they can't say that out loud as they might be kicked out and be left to fend for themselves.
"Mister, I just wanna ask. How long are we going to stay here? are the rescuers still coming?"
Nathan asked the old man before he departed.
"That's what I'm going to find out. For now, just do your jobs, okay? I'll inform you later on"
Nathan felt mixed emotions at the answer of the old man. He was glad that they still have a way to communicate with others as they already tried contacting someone through their phones, but there was no signal. On the other hand, the old man looked and sounded like he wasn't sure that there's anyone he can communicate with which made Nathan worried.
The old man went back to his room, and Nathan and Michael got back to work. They then dragged the newly dead goblin to the backyard to dispose of it. But before they can even reach the backyard, another goblin popped up. This time it was an archer goblin.
Fortunately, the goblin hadn't seen them yet. They took cover in one of the containers laying around. The goblin was walking around the backyard and was sniffing something in the air. When it found its fellow goblin was buried, it became alerted and was visibly angry.
Nathan turned to Michael before saying something in a hushed tone.
"I'll distract the goblin while you run for the machete in the shed, okay?"
"What!? can't we just call the old man? He's got a gun right?"
"Dude, there's only one goblin right now so it will be a waste of bullet. Plus, he is trying to contact rescuers right now. We can't distract him. Are you ready? Go!"
Before Michael can even say a word, Nathan sprang up from his seat and rushed to the goblin archer.
"Hey! look at me you little shit!"
Nathan shouted at the goblin and gave it the finger. The archer was quick to react! It instantly draws its bow and aimed at Nathan. Of course, he didn't wait for the goblin to release the string, he quickly ducked and rushed to close the distance to the goblin.
Michael on the other hand rushed to the shed. It was a few meters away, so it took him a few seconds to reach the shed. But as soon as he opened the door, another goblin was already inside! Michael and the goblin were both startled, but the goblin was the first to recover.
It unsheathed its short sword! Yes, this time, the goblin is wielding a sword! Not only that, but it also wears metal armor. The goblin also possessed a lot of scars on its head and arms indicating that it was a seasoned warrior. This is really bad for Michael!
"NATHAN! There's a goblin here too!"
The goblin warrior swung its sword on the frozen human with a clear mastery over the sword. The sword attack almost got Michael on his chest, but the attack also made him fall to the ground.
The goblin didn't stop there as it raised its sword to its chest and thrust with great force behind it to the downed Michael! He didn't know what to do as his mind went completely blank at the sight of the pointy end of the sword coming at him.
BANG!
As soon as another gunshot echoed, the goblin died. But the momentum built up by the goblin wasn't completely lost! It still fell down towards Michael but with a lot less strength and accuracy. The sword struck Michael's left arm injuring him with a deep cut.
"ARGH!"
Michael can only yelp in pain as the goblin's body pinned him down causing its bloodstain his body. Meanwhile, Nathan was struggling to close the gap with the archer goblin as it kept shooting arrows at him at a rapid pace and run away from him.
The archer also seemed to be a veteran in using bow and arrows! Luckily, a momentary gap presented itself when the loud gunshot startled the goblin. It was too late when the goblin saw the flying kick came at it.
A clean hit to the face made the goblin lose its footing and fell to the ground. Nathan picked up an arrow and stabbed the goblin to its right eye socket with it. The goblin died within seconds.
Nathan and the old man ran to Michael as he lay unconscious on the ground. Blood kept pouring out of his wound, but the amount of blood indicates that no artery was hit. The two let out a sigh of relief.
"This is bad. The goblins keep popping out of nowhere! At this point, no place will be safe"
Nathan said as he tied up the wound with his own T-shirt to stop the bleeding. The old man was also concerned about this fact.
"I know. But we don't have a choice. We wouldn't even last for a day out there if leave now. Luckily for us, help is on its way. We just have to wait for a bit more time"
"Really! that's great news! So how long do we have to wait then?"
Nathan's voice and expression all showed hope and enthusiasm when he heard the great news. But what the old man said next made him lose hope once again.
"They weren't sure when can they rescue us. They are pretty far away from here, and we are certainly not the only ones they are going to rescue along the way"
"Well...shit! This is really bad! I don't know if I can still hold up any longer. With all the killings and the blood and..."
Nathan almost cried when he remembered all the gruesome scenes he just witnessed in the span of only 2 hours! The old man calmed him down when he was about to cry. He placed his rough hands on Nathan's shoulders.
"Kid, it's going to be okay. We still have each other to watch our backs. Now isn't the time to wallow in fear and give up, instead try your best to survive and protect someone"
The old man's voice soothed him somehow. He got up and carried Michael by placing his arm on the other's shoulder.
But then, yells and cries from inside the house echoed. The two looked at each other with the same thoughts on their minds.
"Goblins!"
"Little green bastards!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
NinonG1
NinonG1 Hello there! if you can read this then Thank you! if you liked the chapter leave a comment!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone