"So you are afraid then?" Coal asked.
He rolled back his shoulders and stared the King down, a clear challenge in his gaze. The Creeper glanced around, taking in the looks he was getting from his followers.
"No," he snarled, tightening his grip on Alicia so that she was stretched up into the air then pushing her back downwards where she slumped with her legs curled beneath her.
"I'll give you a fair fight," Coal said, emptying the rounds of bullets from his guns and tossing them all into the dirt. He spun slowly on the spot to show that he had no more weapons. The King surveyed him with a scowl.
My hand shook as I held my pistol aimed at the King. I drew in a ragged breath and steadied my aim.
I glanced at Alicia. Her head was down and it looked like she was crying. She pulled her knees up underneath her and trembled.
None of the Creepers were paying any attention to her now, all of their gazes were locked on Coal, but the sight of Alicia breaking down caught my attention. If there was anything I knew about her it was that if she was going down, she would go down fighting.
As if on cue, Alicia's hand slid down her leg to her boot, her fingers just skimming the top of it. She took another shuddering breath and, as the King shook her by the hair again, she snatched a concealed knife from her boot and swept it up towards him.
I gasped at the sight of the machete still pressed to her neck but Alicia didn't swing for the Creeper. She twisted the knife around above her head and sheared through her hair just below the Creeper's grasp. In the same movement she spun backwards away from the machete and kicked up a circle of mud around her before stopping in a crouch with the knife held out to one side.
Alicia's cut hair fell in a tumble of curls as the barbarian let out a howl of frustration and flung them aside but Coal was already moving, running towards the King as fast as he could.
His boots sent mud flying in huge clumps as he pounded across the short distance between them. Coal leapt into the air with his arm drawn back and his hand curled into a fist. The King turned back just in time to see Coal's fist connect with his face and a sickening crunch signalled what must have been his nose breaking.
The machete fell from his grasp as he stumbled backwards, blood pouring down his face. Coal followed, his fist raised again and he swung in, closing the gap between them and gave three sharp jabs to the King's stomach.
Alicia jumped into action, flinging her knife at a Creeper who was darting across the clearing towards the dropped machete. He took it in the chest and fell backwards in a heap.
Alicia dove forwards, skidded on her knees through the mud and scooped the machete into her grasp. The force of her movement slid her towards another Creeper who met the sharp end of the huge knife with a scream.
Coal's opponent had gotten past his initial shock and was swinging fists like hammers with an inhuman rage. Coal moved quickly, darting under the swings and aiming punches to the King's abdomen and face.
The fires around the clearing blazed and gushed smoke with equal determination.
The sound of a gunshot brought me to my senses as a Creeper on the outskirts of the group collapsed. Laurie was already aiming at another before I realised I was supposed to be helping too.
Something clicked into place in my mind as I let my training take over. I pushed my emotions aside and selected a target with cold detachment.
My aim was true and I hit a stumpy Creeper with enough force to send him skittering into the bushes, out of sight.
Alicia was like a shining light amongst a throng of dirty Creepers, her knife slicing to and fro as she spun this way and that, avoiding their grabbing hands and gnarled fingernails. Her beautiful hair whipped about her head, still long enough to fan out around her, sometimes brushing a Creeper who had gotten close but none could land a grasp on her.
I took out as many of the Creepers who were pouring towards Alicia as I could, so long as they were far enough back to give me a clear shot.
My pistol clicked with the sound of the empty chamber. I was out of ammo. I shoved it back into the holster before starting with my knives.
I moved from branch to branch taking aim at any Creeper I could and hitting more times than I missed. Laurie was throwing knives too, her face pulled into a mask of concentration. Some of the Creepers were starting to look up at our tree and made their way towards the hulking trunk.
Coal and the Creeper King were locked in an embrace of fists, knees and elbows. There was blood flying in every direction and I couldn't tell how much of it belonged to either of them. Coal tripped the King who stumbled aside but swung his massive elbow backwards into Coal's face and sent him sprawling to the ground.
I threw a knife at him and it plunged squarely into his thigh. The King let out an enraged howl but ran forwards without removing the blade and jumped on top of Coal, fists flying.
Coal had his arms up to cover his face but the sheer force and weight of the massive Creeper was preventing him from doing much else.
The crack of a branch behind me announced the arrival of the Creepers to our canopy hiding place and I turned as Laurie released a torrent of bullets at the emerging heads.
"Time to go." She smiled fiercely as more Creepers took the place of those who had fallen. Laurie grabbed a vine and swung down into the clearing below us.
Coal, his face bloody, got his knees up and launched the King backwards off of him. He was on his feet a second later and threw himself on top of the bigger man, pinning the King's arms down with his legs and punching again and again at the grotesque face.
The fires crackled around the clearing, slowly forming a wall around the fighting beneath me. Smoke billowed up into the tre