《survival》


 The liche and the living.

    It was cold wet and ugly. The sky was not threatening to rain, but raining as hard as it could.  The wind was cold with a dampness that sunk into your bones and stayed with you.  This was the kind of weather the old man would have called bringing sickness.  I stayed down in the grass looking through my range finder scope.  Two undead, but I felt that shiver, the little edge that told me there was more.  Might even be a Liche.  The undead never roamed to far from their masters. The masters never left the undead''s company.  Brains and brawn, a symbiotic relationship.


    It all began when magic happened. One day things just stopped working, technology just quit, on earth anyways.  The moon base still showed signs of life, at least in the early days.  Reflections and flares, whatever they could do to let us know that they were up there alive.  Soon we were too busy down here to pay attention to them.


    Most of the people just woke up sick, we had all thought it was another virus; we had been so conditioned by the zika virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome, middle east respiratory syndrome, the bird flu, nipah virus, hendra virus and all the others that seemed to come along every third year. Soon all the doctors were overwhelmed and hospitals overcrowded with the dying.  Most of the people just stayed home and then they died.  Then the ones in the hospitals all died and this made room for more patients. Modern medicine, it even kept the dying undead alive a little longer.  This continued on for about a month.  All over the world society was falling apart during this time.


    The things that made the world a better place to live, electricity, natural gas, the internet.  Store bought food all disappeared.  The good things that society had developed all ended as people died.  Some survivalists did pretty good, already living in the middle of nowhere.  They were used to living rough and ready and they thrived in this crazy world. Then the dead came back.


    It was not like the movies with fast Zombies chasing you around, one bite and you changed.


    That was all bullshit, and did not happen.  Turns out the undead do not see that well and it gets worse in any kind of light.  Their primary sense is audio.  They are not slow, but not really fast, a person can usually run far enough to escape their agro range.


    We killed so many of them at first, it was almost sad it was so easy.  Headshot, or remove the head. It is over for them at that point.  Then the damn Liches showed up, undead with a brain.  They also used magic, which really fucked us up at first.  No one knows what the Liches want, or why they have congregated into several of the large cities.  At first we tried to find out why but they made it became clear the living were not welcome.


    Us humans began to go rural, building compounds and what amounted to castles and keeps.  There was safety there, if you accepted the new feudal society.  The land of the free became a place of peasants and serfs.  I have heard that down south the Mexicans call the commoners peons again.  In this new climate the new royalty demanded all the perks.  You were better off being a man, than to spend your life as an attractive bed warmer for those in charge.  In most keeps anyway, there were rumors of a few keeps where the pretty boys became the boy toys.


    Sitting isolated were a few neutral towns, villages really.  Nasty shitholes full of nasty people, but at least they were still free.  A few of us independents still roamed the land, trading, healing, and doing whatever we could.  Being a blacksmith was a real money maker now, same with having the bowyer skill. Everyone picked up some skills and abilities.  You learnt how to do things or you died. Then you came back.  Undead.


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    Somehow, we also all received some magic.  It was the kids who demonstrated it first, nothing to o.p.  The ability to light a fire, the ability to put one out.  That sort of thing.  The people with any healing abilities were always welcome.  Anywhere.  The funny thing was people stopped getting sick, cancer, heart problems, gout.  It all seemed to disappear, lots of b.s. theorycraft spent on the why of it, but no one really knows.


    Broken bones, food poisoning, cuts, contusions and pregnancies were the most common medical concerns in the new world.  Thankfully there were not to many gunshots.  All the millions of rounds maybe billions that had been stockpiled up had been shot off.  There were probably caches of guns and rounds still out there, but they were hidden or lost.


    Carefully moving backwards I crept to the bottom of the hill and then off through a copse of trees.  Slowly I circled the hill and then stopped, there the bastard was.  I hate Liches; they are smart, cruel and seem to hate the living. As I stared at him he began to slowly turn his head around.


    Some people believe that they had an extra sense, I was undecided.


    I focused my eyes on his head and then reached into his head with my mind and went boom.


    This was my talent, my magical ability. To make a small pop, a little explosion, like a firecracker.  It had taken me a while to figure it all out.  Dad had worked in a hospital and had trained to be a nurse.  He had charts and posters of skeletons, of the nervous system, the digestive system, you name it he had it.


    One day I had wondered how delicate a brain is.  Mainly fat I was told and very delicate.  That is why it is surrounded by your skull.  Natural armor.  The next time I was out hunting I had a chance to see if my theory would work.  It did and that gave me a small edge over the undead.


    I practiced and practiced until I could use my little magic as easily as snapping a finger.


    One down and two left, I slowly made my way to the Liche, I had good cover and I could hear the two undead as they thrashed their way back to the Liche.  They always returned once a lich was dead, and then would just aimlessly wander around.  Looking up at them I made two small gestures and pop pop two more undead in their final rest.  I waited for an hour, patience is a virtue, and it has kept me alive.


    After scouting around the trees and hills I went back to the undead.  Nothing would touch them, not even crows.  It was the magic, it was an unnatural thing and animals seemed to sense that.


    I arrived and looked down at the three beings that had once walked, talked and loved.  They had all been someone''s baby at one time.  Living human beings.  Not any more. The Liche had a small bag on a strap around his neck.


    Opening the bag showed two small blue gems, and a large red one all glowing.  It smelled of magic, I put them back in the bag and put the bag in my pouch.  Time to head home, I had a cabin up a gully about five miles from here.  I had managed to build a wall of trees across the twelve foot entrance.  It opened up to a hidden valley, complete with a small lake and a deep stream.  It even had deer running free in there.  It was as safe as I could make it in this new world that I lived in.


    I

 the girl

    I walked slowly using my bush craft to not leave a trail.  It was wet and cold, and not the kind of weather that a normal person would be out in. Liches and undead not included, they were not normal, and not people.  Not anymore.


    Traveling slowly I made my way west towards the range of hills that became the mountains.  It was an rough land, a place not easy to survive in but a safe place.  Or it had been.  My mind kept returning to the undead. What were they doing here; we were miles away from anything. The nearest Keep was about 150 miles away.  I was on friendly terms with the Lord there.  The nearest free town was about the same distance once you made it past the Keep.


    The nearest old world town was about 75 miles east of me, and was not one of the major centers for the Undead.  I was puzzled and that worried me.  In the old world if something happened Dad had always told me just follow the money trail.  It was good advice back in the old world, but in this new world problems were not so easy to track down.


    I froze; I had seen something move on the peripheral of my vision.  Looking all around and not letting my eyes focus on any one thing I saw the subtle movement again.  Deer, and of a nice size.  I like Deer, and I really like Jerky.  It made great pemmican, and was tasty in broths.  I wanted that Deer.


    Want however, is not the same as need, so I held still and waited.  In this kind of weather that Deer should be bedded down under a tree somewhere. Not walking along the tree edge.  Something had spooked the animal and that was enough to have me wait.  Looking down the tree line I saw them, two figures slowly walking near the edge of the forest.


    One fell and the other tried to help.  Slowly they stood, and continued on.  Something told me that one of those people would not be long in this world. No worries, the dead would come back, if the head was not removed, or the brain damaged.  I silently followed the figures, until they could go no more.


    When they finally stopped they grouped together under a tree, wrapping themselves in a blanket and huddling for warmth.  It would be surprising if both of them made it through the night.


    My decision to help had already been made.  The problem was waiting for the weak one to die.


    By showing up now I would have to make an attempt to keep someone alive, which was beyond my skills.


    It is better that the weak one dies and then change.  No one objected to killing the undead.  Morning came with the dawns prelight softly opening up the darkness.  The shadows and the mist that arose from the ground covered the hills and whirled around the trees.  The rain had stopped and it felt like a change in the weather had arrived.


    The scream rang out across the forest and the hills.  It¡¯s shrill and high pitched tone revealed shock and fear.  Probably a young boy or a girl, which probably meant a parent, was the other person.


    I glided through the trees arriving at the camp.  Sitting up on a large bough was the girl, and below her was the other woman. Now undead, but still fresh.  It was apparent that she had been a looker.  Her body was slender but curvaceous and her breast heavy and round.  Her hair was fine and thick with blonde highlights.  With high cheeks, and full lips, she would have been a bed warmer in any Keep.


    Above her the girl looked down with shock and horror.  The same fine features, the full breasts, and lithe body. Her hair was more auburn with red streaks.  She was the most attractive girl I had ever seen.  I immediately knew what had happened and why they were here.


    I slowly walked into the small clearing, unnoticed by the Undead or the girl in the tree.


    Waiting for a few minutes, I noted that the girl had finally stopped crying, but was softly whispering ¡°Mom.¡±  Looking at the undead it was apparent that she was fixated on the girl.  I had seen this before; the first living person that an Undead saw was the first person they attempted to kill.  They would ignore the other living nearby; fixated on that first person they had seen.


    I slowly walked into the clearing, until the girl noted me standing near the trees.  Staring at me, I could see the emotions flash across her face, hope, anger, fear, and finally sadness.


    We looked at one another for a minute, and then I pointed at the Undead.  ¡°Close your eyes¡± I spoke softly, sure that the Undead would ignore me but ever cautious.


    The girl looked startled but then closed her eyes, and without hesitation I focused on the Undead and made the magic happen.  She stood there for a brief second, and then slowly turning to face me she collapsed to the ground.  I stood there looking at this woman who had sacrificed her life for her daughter.  I honored her memory for a moment then turned and looked at the tree.


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    ¡°You can come down; the Undead will not bother you.¡±  Looking at me with fear in her eyes she glanced down at the still figure of her mother and began to cry.  I backed up a few feet to give her space.  If she was what I suspected then she would not enjoy being too close to a man.  She slowly walked towards the dead Undead, stopping a few feet away from the body.


    After several minutes of tears, she turned to me and spoke, ¡°Thank you, she would never have wanted to exist as an Undead.¡±  I nodded; I was not used to speaking much, and from what I had seen in this world most people spoke bullshit.  The woman looked at me curiously, and asked, ¡°What are you doing here, in the middle of the abandoned lands?¡±


    I hesitated; I was not sure how much I wanted to tell her about myself, knowledge is power over people.  I remembered a quote from the old days.  ¡°Loose lips sink ships.¡±  ¡°I am a freeman, a traveler.¡±  The girl nodded at that and then looking around stated, ¡°We made some distance.  I wonder if we lost them.¡±


    I thought for a moment and then responded.  ¡°You ladies were obviously fleeing from someone, and not prepared for the wild, I would guess that you left in a hurry.  You talk of being followed, which means that someone has placed a degree of value on you.  In this world the only value that attractive women have it that of being a concubine to one of the new lords or their favorite followers.¡±  My face had gone blank as I spoke, and I hoped that she would not detect the anger I felt at this way of life so many people found themselves in.


    Looking at me in surprise the girl spoke, ¡°Yes, how did you know.  My mother was the favorite chamber maid of Lord Stephen.  I am his daughter.  We were favored and had our own room at the keep.  I worked in the laundry and kitchens, until that pig found me.  I had disguised myself as best I could with ashes from the hearth and wrapping my body with old rags for the kitchen work.


    In the Laundry there is no disguise, you stripped down to just a loose shift, and that would get wet within minutes of being in there.  One day the pig came to the laundry and saw me, I was wet from bringing the clothes from the large tub.  He stared at me and asked who I was, I told him I was his daughter, and he laughed.¡±  ¡°I have many children here at the keep; almost every family has one of my bastards. Who is your mother?¡±


    ¡°When I told him he smiled and then grabbing me, he forced himself on me right there, with me bent over the tub and all the other girls still working. When he was finished, he ordered me to tell my mother I was to take her place from now on.  Then he left the laundry as he adjusted his robe. Like raping a 17 year old girl in front of other people is nothing. The pig.¡±


    I nodded, this was not the first tale of woe I have heard and would not be the last.  ¡°Girl what do you want to do?¡±  I waited for her to respond as I casually scanned the woods and hills.  The thought that some scumbag lord would follow these ladies out here to the abandoned area did not surprise me.  They were women of uncommon beauty, and it was whispered amongst the free men that the lords would trade or sell the bed warmers once the novelty of nice young fresh flesh wore off.


    I focused on the girl and nodded still waiting.  ¡°I don¡¯t know, I am lost and have no idea what to do.  Mom she had a plan, she thought that we could make it to a free town and then find some work.¡±  Here the girl stopped, it was clear she knew what work her mother would have been offered at the local tavern.


    ¡°Help me,¡± the girl spoke softly, ¡°I have no one and I know I won¡¯t survive, between the undead and the living.  I can¡¯t pay you anything that you could not take for free it you wanted.  I promise I will do whatever you want, but please help me.¡±


    Staring at the girl, I reflected on the fact that life is full of surprises.  I knew I would help her, not for her beauty, not for her ripe body, but because someone had loved her enough to sacrifice all they had to try to save her.  That meant something to me.


    ¡°If I bring you, you must do exactly what I say, when I say it.  There are no second chances in my world.  Can you agree to that?¡±  Watching her I saw her swallow and nod.  Her expression of relief was tempered by a fear of what I might ask.  ¡°Worry not, I not a rapist and do not force myself on women.  What is your name girl?¡±  ¡°Sonia, my name is Sonia.¡±


    ¡°We must go, if they are still hunting you those screams this morning would have carried in these hills.  Do you have anything to take?  Grab it and then follow me, try to walk as I walk at the speed I walk at, and when I stop you stop.  Understand that now my life is as dependent on you as your life is to mine.¡±


    ¡°What is your name, she asked.  ¡°Levi.¡±

 kisses

    Slowly we walked farther into the trees, walking on the hill would highlight us to anyone watching.  I moved softly and watched Sonia, she tried but it was evident that she had no bush skills.  We kept going until mid afternoon.  She had not complained and did not try to talk.  I appreciated that, I did not have much to say and to be honest; her being female had me on edge.  I just did not know how to talk to a girl.


    I had already decided that we would not be approaching the entrance to my valley.  Not with the possibility of being followed.  The party chasing Sonia had a tracker, which is how they managed to follow them.  I gestured to a large pine with overhanging branches, and then I crawled under the branches and shook out my bedroll.


    Sonia joined me and sat down a couple feet away from me she looked around and then asked. ¡°Is this where we will shelter tonight?¡±  I stared at here as she waited for my reply.  Reaching into my belt bag I pulled out a large chunk of jerky, ripping it in half I held out the larger piece to Sonia.  Taking a bite I spoke, ¡°Chew it slowly, it is hard but tasty.  Yes this is where we will sleep.¡±  I tried to smile at her, to reassure her but I just did not know how.


    ¡°We will rest here and wait, I want to see how close the men following you are to us and how long they will stay looking for you.  You need some rest to recover from your run from the keep.¡±  Here I hesitated for a moment then spoke again. ¡°I am sorry, I do not know how to talk to a girl, I barely talk at all, so please don¡¯t think I am rude.¡±


    Sonia looked up at me and nodded, ¡°I understand." she said,¡± then she looked away and spoke again.  ¡°I am very cold, I would lay next to my mother for warmth, would you mind if I lie down beside you?¡±  I noted that she was blushing as she spoke.  I nodded my head and spread the cloak on the ground and then sat on the edge.


    I patted the ground next to me, and when she came over I spread her blanket over her and then spread mine over both of us.  I was sleeping in minutes, the sound of her softly crying the last thing I remembered.


    Awakening, I felt her head cradled on my shoulder and her body cuddled up to me.  I stared down at her face, looking peaceful in sleep.  I was not sure what I was doing this was unfamiliar territory to me.  When I looked at her I felt something, perhaps loneliness.  I was not sure what I was feeling but staring at her I knew I wanted to be near her.


    She awoke suddenly and looked up at me.  We stared at each other for a few minutes then I smiled.  Speaking softly I asked, ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±  She continued to stare at me and finally smiled.   Nodding her head she whispered, ¡°I slept well, first time I felt safe I think.¡±  I nodded and tried to sit up and give her some room.  ¡°No¡± she said, ¡°Just a few more minutes of feeling safe, please.  I just want to feel safe and warm if you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    Pretty hard to say no as I held her and felt the warmth of her breasts and smelled her scent.  She smelled of ash and sweat and fear.  But she also had a scent that only women have, and it was something I could smell.  It smelled nice.


    After several minutes I whispered to her, ¡°Sonia I am going to check the perimeter, once I am back I will show you where you can take care of what you need to do before bed, alright?¡±  Telling her to stay there I slipped out from under the thick branches and rose in the shadows.  I made me way in ever increasing circles, for three hundred feet, stopping often and sniffing the air.


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    Once I was sure no one was close to us I returned to the tree.  I sled under the heavy branches until I saw Sonia sitting with her back to the tree.  ¡°Come¡± I said, ¡°let¡¯s do what we need to; there will be no getting up at night for a pee break.¡±


    Leading the way I walked deeper into the trees till we came to a small stream, ¡°Here, pee into the water, and if you have to do other business, pull up a rock from the shore and do it in the hole, then put the rock back.  Wash up in the stream when you are done.¡±  I then turned my back and went downstream, to do my business.


    I gave her five minutes to finish up and then returned, nodding I said, ¡°Time to go back to the tree, go upstream a few feet and fill up your water skin and we will head back.¡±  I had filled mine earlier when I was scouting so I waited for her and when she was done we headed back.  Once we were snug under the branches and the blankets, I closed my eyes.


    Suddenly I felt her fingers gently rubbing my forehead, opening my eyes I looked at her.  Smiling shyly, she said, ¡°Thank you for all that you have done.¡±  Then she kissed me holding my head for a minute.  When she backed up her face was flushed and her breathing was a little heavy.  I smiled and rapped my arms around her and put my head back down, and closing my eyes drifted off.


    I awoke early in the morning to find Sonia was half on top of me with her arm across my chest and her leg entwined in mine.  She awoke as I moved and lifting herself on her arms, she said ¡°I slept well, no wonder using you as a pillow.¡±  I smiled and nodded and then she leaned forward and kissed me again.


    ¡°I can get used to that,¡± I said as we held one another.  ¡°But before we go any further, I think we should make sure they have given up on tracking you and then head to my home.¡±  She looked at me and nodded, then spoke, ¡°What do you use for a toothbrush here, I would give anything to brush my teeth.  One of the things I forgot.¡±


    I knew exactly what she meant; dental hygiene can be life and death in this new world.  Putting my hand in my bag, I pulled out a Reach toothbrush, still in the original package.  ¡°Occasionally I go to some of the smaller towns and scout for supplies that others have missed, amazing how many people ignore the toothbrushes, all they look for are medicine and guns.¡±


    Seeing the brand new toothbrush, Sonia kissed me again and then wet the brush down and began to slowly brush her teeth, up and down over and over.  I nodded, that kind of care would insure healthy teeth and gums.  Reaching into my bag I grabbed my own toothbrush and wetting it began to brush my own teeth.


    I damn sure was not going to die because of bleeding infected gums, or rotten teeth.  Besides, it is always better to kiss with a clean mouth I thought.