by R. Malak
~ * ~
“This is our chance, let’s grab our stuff and go,” whispered Lucy, who was already poking through the dead bodies for anything useful.
Rollo feeling queasy from the smell of the corpses and the sight of so much blood was still trying to come to grips with what he had just seen. This man had killed six heavily armed fighters single handedly, while wounded. He had no idea he was capable of so much violence. Maybe, it was a good idea to leave him behind. And strangely enough he felt a great sadness wash over him at that thought. A part of him had hoped they would become friends. But he couldn’t be friends with a killer? Could he? For as long as they have been alive, his sister had only ever fired her gun once and that was drive off a group of baby hobs that had wandered away from their parents. After that incident, they only ever travelled in the morning and were always discreet.
Lucy finished picking through their pockets stood up and stretched her back. “I am going to head outside and see if any of the others have anything on them, watch him and be careful.” She came over and handed him one of the rifles. “Keep it aimed at him and the safety off. We can’t trust him.”
With that final word of warning, she left through the front door. Minutes passed by and Rollo paced around the room with the rifle on his shoulder.
When the man on the couch suddenly yawned and sat up rubbing his eyes.
Caught by surprise he accidentally discharged the rifle into the roof, spraying his hair with cement.
“Watch it kid! It’s not a toy!”
Face reddening, Rollo huffed out, “I am not a kid.”
The man held back a laugh and stood up. “Where’s your sister?”
Rollo nodded his head in the direction of the door. “She went out to look for….”
The door slammed open and Lucy charged in waving her gun. “Get the fuck away from my brother, Killer!”
The man held his arms up, his face saddening at the last word.
Rollo surprised by the display of raw emotion stepped in front of his sister. “Easy sis, it was me, I accidentally shot the roof.”
Lucy shot him an exasperated look. “Rolly, seriously? What the fuck? You’re going to get us both killed one of these days.”
The man sat back down on the couch, his head in his hands. “I had no choice,” he whispered, “I had no choice.” He looked up at them with watery eyes. “Those men would have killed us, regardless of whether or not we gave them our stuff.”
Lucy raised a skeptical eyebrow and asked, “That’s not the first time you’ve killed someone.”
The man shook his head sadly. “No, it’s not the first time.”
Rollo, who had never needed to resort to violence, couldn’t help but feel pity for the man.
“Why didn’t you run away?”
The man shrugged his shoulders. Lucy looked at Rollo with a worried expression. “Listen, once we reach the settlement, we must part ways.”
The man looked up at Rollo in surprise. “You’re not leaving me behind.”
Lucy gave him a venomous look. “Yes, why aren’t we leaving him behind?”
“Because he saved our lives.”
Lucy tossed her hands in the air. “Fine, but if he kills us in our sleep, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
~ * ~
Cora awoke with a splitting headache, inside a tiny metal tube with bunk beds to either side of her. Groaning she sat up and winced from the pain in her side. She peeled back her plain white singlet and found the spear shaft had been removed and her stomach bandaged up. Relieved her wound had been taken care of; she got out of the bunk bed and pulled on the brown cloak folded on the bed across from her. Then pushed open the metal door, and stepped lightly into the hallway. Rangers roamed the hallways whispering and glancing worriedly above them. She could still hear the thumping sounds of explosions hitting the building. She tapped the nearest ranger a solid woman with long flowing golden hair on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, can you tell me what’s happened?”
The ranger swung round to face her with a quizzical look. “You haven’t heard? Jess didn’t make it into the tunnel.”
Cora’s face went pale with shock and she would have fallen if not for the woman’s strong arms wrapping around her waist.
“You okay?”
Cora found her footing. “I’m fine.”
The words sounded hollow coming from her lips, but the woman released her.
Cora stumbled off. Her sister couldn’t be dead, she couldn’t be. They had only just been reunited for so long. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“She can’t be dead.”
Eyes blurry, she walked straight into something solid and bounced back nearly falling again.
“Whoa, there missy, guess you’ve heard the news too.”
Cora nodded her head dumbly, still unable to comprehend what had happened.
“She was a good woman and the finest leader I have ever had the pleasure of serving under.”
Cora wiped her cheeks and looked up into the man’s face and recognized Joseph. Jess’s second in command.
“Did anyone see it happen?”
Joseph’s face darkened and he nodded his head. “I was the last one inside.”
She took hold of his shoulders in a tight grip. “Are you certain she is dead? Did you see her die?”
Joseph confused by the strange questions stepped back and pulled her arms off of him. “The ceiling collapsed right on top of her, I doubt anyone could have survived that, not even someone as strong as her.”
Hope bloomed inside her chest. “But you didn’t see her die?”
Joseph after a second shook his head “Why all the questions?”
Cora tried to calm down and think. She needed a weapon and ammunition. She would also need explosives to blast through the rubble.
She looked up at Joseph. “I need to get back out there, Jess could be still alive.”
Joseph shook his shaggy head. “I can’t do that ma’am. My main concern is the safety of these men here.”
The rangers who had been eavesdropping on the unusual conversation quickly piped in.
“If there is a chance Jess is alive, we have to save her.”
“Aye, we can’t leave her out there for the green bastards to pick clean, it ain’t right.”
“Damn straight, she would never abandon one of us, and we sure as fuck won’t abandon her.”
Cheers and shouts for action rolled up and down the narrow corridor.
Joseph smiled proudly at his men. “Well, what are we waiting for boys? Let’s go give those green turds a good old-fashioned thrashing.”
The rangers whooped and slapped fists to chests. Cora gazed up at the ceiling, hoping and praying her sister was still alive.
~ * ~
Hundreds of filthy half breeds in rusted armor sifted through the rubble that was the police station, searching for survivors. The tank that had been used to destroy the building sat dormant on the side of the road with human slaves tending to the weapon. Kozan bare-chested with battle rings circling each arm, stood there watching from the hilltop, a sneer upon his lips. Beside him an old and wrinkled shaman in grey robes, with the hem of his robes soaked in blood. Kozan spat in disgust at the pitiful sight of the freaks delving into the earth for any surviving humans.
“This is not the way of the Orc,” he growled, “Our hunger has not been sated and there is no blood upon our lips.” He swung around to face the shaman his fists clenched at his side. “Togran Ka has weakened us!”
The shaman’s claw like fingers tightened around his black wooden staff and with a voice that sounded like stones grating against each other he spoke, “Togran Ka is WarLord, chosen by Sezrath.”
Kozan snarled and almost lashed out at the old shaman in anger. Taking short breaths to calm his simmering rage he pointed at the creatures below him. “He is no longer fit to lead our clan! Look! Look at what he has done to our people!”
Berzook tapped his staff against
Kozan’s cheek, his fever red eyes staring deep into his. “Unless you are willing to challenge him, you cannot speak of him so.”
Drawn in by the shaman’s hypnotic gaze, he did not see or feel the blade slice open his chest to reveal his innards. The shaman turned his gaze away, breaking the spell. Kozan groaned in agony at the pain welling up in his stomach.
“I… did not mean… to besmirch… the god’s chosen,” he gasped out between surges of pain.
The shaman nodded and the pain faded away leaving Kozan shivering.
Berzook stared thoughtfully up into the cloudless sky, before whispering, “You may be right about Togran Ka, many of his decisions have displeased us. But nothing can be done about it without Lord Sezrath’s approval.” He looked down at Kozan. “You must first challenge him to Duerza, and shame him in front of clan.”
Kozan flinched back and rubbed his stomach, where the cut had been. Togran was a great warrior and was close to achieving Iron skin, he would not be an easy opponent to defeat in combat. But since there was no other way to receive the shaman’s support he nodded his head in agreement. He would become the clan’s WarLord one way or another.
~ * ~
The Orc clans spread out to the west and east had orders to converge upon the settlement. Togran had thought it prudent, considering that so many clans despised each other and would rather fight amongst each other. The convoy carrying supplies for his warriors ran for miles behind him, far into the distance. He led the way north, riding atop one of the last remaining Borels, a creature similar to a bear with no fur and fangs the size of horse legs. The creature was covered in green scales with large round white eyes that glowed like lights. Ahead of him marched his vanguard three thousand half breeds in ragged ranks to be used a fodder. To either side of him were Takil and Lorika gliding along the road with long easy strides. The pair were busy discussing information their spies had gathered, when they suddenly looked up at him.
Takil speaking in her usual mocking tone, “There are whispers among the camp that Kozan has been speaking with the other WarChiefs behind your back. It seems he means to take your place.”
Togran growled and patted his war axe, “Let him try, I have never been defeated in battle.” Takil tittered with laughter annoying Togran. “Is something funny?”
“You forget WarLord, it is not skill alone that wins a Duerza battle, if you do not have Sezrath’s favor you will die.”
Lorika nodded her head solemnly, her raven black hair falling into her eyes and added, “Without his blessing, it won’t matter how skilled you are.”
Togran frowned and gazed up into the gloomy sky pondering their words.
He had never much liked listening to the shamans and their musings about Lord Sezrath, Master of Death. He had always felt that by shedding blood, he had pleased his lord in his own way. But was it enough? Did Sezrath still favor him? It was no secret the shamans despised him, and would like nothing more than to be rid of him. Still, they were forbidden from taking sides. His thoughts drifted to the one person he could speak to about his faith, his mother. A brave and wise woman, she had died fighting the elves, and with her gone there was no one else to confide in. If he spoke to his sisters, he had no doubt they would use this information to harm him. His death would mean one of them would marry the new WarLord and be elevated above all Orcas.
Takil seeing her words had landed smiled wistfully and winked at Lorika who laughed.
Togran rolled his eyes, and turned his head to search for his son. “Where is Ka-gan?”
Lorika waved her hands behind her. “Probably with his human friends.”
Togran snarled at the comment, and almost reached for his war axe to chop off her head. But his sisters would probably enjoy seeing him embarrass himself in front of the clan. Both of them knew how much he despised his son for spending time with the humans, and would keep using it against him, if he did not find a way to ignore it. Releasing his pent-up rage, he scanned the horizon.
“How far did Grul Han say the settlement was?”
Lorika annoyed her barb hadn’t stung him shrugged her shoulders petulantly and wandered off.
Takil sighed and pulled out her knives and began playing with them. “Three days.”
Three days, that would mean at least a week for the entire war host. He wondered how many humans, were left alive? Would there be enough for him to become Iron skin? If so, he might not need Sezrath’s blessing for his fight with Kozan.
SEVEN
“Oh my sweet boy, I hope you are well and safe. Things are not going so well at home. The military have cut rations by half and having begun enforcing strict new laws. Gunderson, not sure if you remember him. He was the farmer out west, who visited town sometimes. Anyway, Gunderson tried to reason with the Captain about lifting restrictions on leaving town, but they refused to listen him, and broke his arm. Mayor Conroy is furious over the unprovoked assault. I honestly have never seen the sweet old man so mad in his life. It’s a sad day, when we see the nicest man lose his temper…Stay safe Tally.”
“Sorry, the person you are calling right now is unavailable, please call back later or leave a ten second message after the beep……beeeep”
…..Ten day later…..
“… I can’t talk too long. The damn military are confiscating phones for some reason. I’m going to have to be more careful. News has come in of battles being waged in Sheffield, Albany and Oakland. The General keeps appearing online to reassure us of victory, but I am not so sure. Captain Dansin isn’t too happy about the news and is taking it out on the townsfolk. Each day he devises new ways to humiliate those who disobey him. Last week he had the mayor clean the sewers barehanded. All because he spoke out against the Captain and requested he be transferred. I honestly think the cowardly little twerp would like nothing better than to stay here till the war was over…Sorry Sweetie, I didn’t mean to go on such a long rant, it’s times like these I wish your father was here. He had way of making everything seem fine. I miss you, my sweet boy. Be safe.”
“Sorry, the person you are calling right now is unavailable, please call back later or leave a ten second message after the beep……beeeep”
~ * ~
Location: Amboy, Year 2061
After the incident with the raiders, Lucy became a lot more cautious, avoiding the main road and sticking to secluded areas, whenever they could. Talmen’s injuries healed quickly and he was finally able to keep pace with the siblings, who had no trouble marching for miles on end. It was on the road that he found out that Lucy was a much better tracker than he was, and had the ability to detect where creatures were hidden from miles away. A skill that was quite useful in helping them to avoid the strange creatures and their lairs. They were two days out of town, from where they had first found him unconscious, when Lucy stopped and grinned. To his amazement Talmen found himself admiring her. Lucy in her own rough sort of way was pretty, well not pretty exactly, maybe good looking? Completely distracted with his thoughts, he didn’t see her point down into the valley.
“There it is, the Spire.”
He squinted into the distance, shading his eyes with his hands to get a better view.
In the valley below him was a sprawling shanty town filled with tents and shacks, set up all around a massive white stone tower. The tower stood an impressive ten feet tall with a round balcony up top, where he assumed snipers would be watching the road. Encircling the settlement/refugee camp were barbed wire fences and rolls of thick metal wire. The encampment had long lines of trenches dug in around the settlement flooded with water and sharpened stakes. A little further out from the encampment spread out to either side of the road were eight stationary Humvees with machine gun turrets. Most of the vehicles looked old and disused. A few had missing wheels and claws marks on the sides.
Seeing no sign of the guards he asked, “Where is everybody? I don’t see anyone?”
Lucy shrugged her thin shoulders. “Probably hidden.”
Rollo,
who had been busy peeing behind a bush, came over to join them, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Well, let’s go.”
Lucy stepped away from Rollo and pinched her nose. “God Rolly, what the fuck did you do back there?”
Rollo laughed and slapped his stomach. “Just releasing some natural gasses back into nature.”
Talmen snorted and walked away, his thoughts returning to their imminent separation. He was going to miss Rollo’s sense of humor and cheerfulness. He’d probably miss Lucy too, having the pair of siblings around had almost made him feel whole again. Not that they could ever replace his family, but it felt nice having them around.
The three companions made their way down into the valley’s mouth and towards the huge metal gates.
Talmen eager to see the town, sped up his pace, when Lucy called out to him, “Be careful, the guards have set up mine fields and caltrops in the area as a safeguard.”
Talmen paused, well shit! She could have mentioned that to him earlier. He scanned the ground in front him and carefully picked his way forward, avoiding any bumps in the surface and skipping over any jagged pieces of metal strewn upon the ground. Lucy and Rollo followed close behind him, with Lucy keeping a watchful gaze upon her younger clumsier brother.
After hours of painstakingly making their way down the valley, they at last managed to leave the minefield behind them. Releasing the pent up air he had been holding inside of him, he took a deep breath and almost vomited from the revolting stench wafting up from the trenches in front of him. Floating inside the putrid green water were hundreds of dead bodies, of goblins, Orcs, and other creatures he had never seen before. There was even a creature that faintly resembled a human with a small stout body gigantic beard and round pitch-black eyes. Shivering uncontrollably, he ripped his gaze away from the bloated corpses and lifted his gaze to look up at the fence.