Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Five years later
In the small farming village of Melona, the people lived their day to day lives in relative peace. The villagers were out early this morning, setting up their carts and makeshift tables for any outsiders who wish to barter for their crops and wares. The village had a reputation for having plentiful fruits and vegetables to choose from in the region. Traders quickly spread the word, mainly because not many in the area had the abundance of foods year round. Fruits and vegetables were their main staple, but they also had several wells and a small creek that ran through the village that yielded a steady flow of fish, turtles, crawfish, snakes, and frogs so travelers could barter for different meats or water.
Melona was founded by Rose Macready, an outspoken sorceress who has a strong connection to nature and was able to use her vast knowledge and powers to make the village thrive. She led by example by using both compassion and tough love but if anyone tried to question her authority or take over, Rose stood her ground with a pack of wolves backing her, ready to take out any threats. There were whispers that she could “see the future” because Rose was able to know when a bad weather or a freeze was coming within a three day span, which helped her people save their crops while others around them faltered.
The landscape of the world had dramatically changed since the days that the firestorms rained down on the entire world. No one could give an explanation on how it started or where it came from, but those who survived it knew it wasn’t man made. Cities and rural towns were razed, nothing could withstand the impact of those fireballs. The land was scorched and nothing but ash, twisted metal, concrete chunks were left as a permanent skeletal remains of what civilization once was long ago.
Many fled to the subways systems for cover but those proved to be fatal for most. The subways became tombs as the tunnels collapsed, either killing or burying many people alive. There were stories or rumors of a being that roamed the Earth during the firestorm, bringing famine by releasing a powdery substance which caused a lot of crops and regions to wither, making the landscape barren and uninhabitable. As time went on, many trees and vegetation grew back but not everything in nature recovered.
The oceans boiled to the point that there was more land that water. Only the deep trenches and abysses contain the last remnants of water in some parts of the world. The ocean floors resembled a vast marshland and was treacherous to cross because most areas was like quicksand. One wrong step and a person would be swallowed. Water everywhere has become scarce and is worth its weight in gold. Those who had their own personal wells or water sources kept it protected and secret so no one would try to kill them for it.
Over the years, the world slowly recovered but humanity never did. Small villages popped up everywhere out of necessity and survival. Barter was the new form of currency which was for basic staples for survival: food, water, clothing, hand tools, and weapons. If a person had a skill, they were coveted by the village leaders that were lacking and they tended to go out of their way to keep them happy so that skilled person would stay. Every village that could survive had one thing in common: Walls. They were put up quickly to keep out marauders and the ghouls that rose up from their graves shortly after the firestorms finished.
The ghouls came in all shapes and sizes and wanted nothing more than to kill and eat the flesh off anything living. People were over-confident in their assessment of the ghoul threat in the early days, due to all the zombie movies. Kill the brain, kill the zombie was the myth but bullets didn’t faze them so people started to refer to them as ghouls instead.
The only way that they could be killed was discovered after a lot of trial and many fatal errors. Beheading was the only way and getting that close to a ghoul was dangerous because they traveled in small packs of a dozen or more. The worst part was that they could coordinate and speak to each other.
The walls surrounding the village was built using stones from a nearby quarry and embedded in the mortar was razor wiring to make scaling or climbing the walls treacherous for invaders. The top of the walls was wide enough for a walkway so the villagers who volunteered to perform guard duty could watch the perimeter. The watch could alert the other villagers of any impending attacks, which came often because of the Melona’s reputation and resources.
Rose looked to the sky and noticed storm clouds rolling in from the west, already the flashes of lightning colored the horizon. Storms from the west weren’t as severe as the ones coming from the east which brought tornadoes and acid rains that burned on contact. The climate changes caused by the firestorms made any storm severe and deadly.
As Rose walked by the merchants, her voice boomed as thunder rumble in the distance, “Trade well my friends but do be prepared to close up quickly. A storm’s a coming and I have no good or bad feelings from it. Be safe and be well!”
Everyone smiled but an uneasy feeling thickened the air as the merchants kept looking over their respective shoulders. Several people were murmuring about pulling their carts over to the storage building, which was a dozen posts in the ground with a tin roof on top, and call it a day. Whether anything got traded this morning or not didn’t bother Rose.
She was more concerned that with a possible nasty storm on the horizon, what it will bring to her little village. People looking for shelter or bad individuals looking to take away her people’s homes. Of course with more people coming out of the wood work, that could bring more ghouls to their doorstep. That wasn’t good for business, especially for the traders who would be in danger of being eaten.
Rose strolled over to a wooden ladder that leaned against the wall. She climbed up the rungs to the top of the wall so she could survey the land and get a better view of the dirt roads heading in towards her village. I got to prepare for the possibility of housing more people because of the storm, she thought as she paused at the end of the ladder. If need be, the storage building can provide shelter albeit not the warmest or coziest if we run out of lodging. Rose was snapped back to reality by a loud crash of thunder and a gloved hand in her face.
“I’m quite capable of getting up here on my own, Duncan.” Rose said as she jutted her chin up at him.
“True but I love it when you get all indignant and get your panties in a bunch.” Duncan replied with sly grin.
Rose smacked his hand away as she bulled her way up to the top of the wall and stalked passed Duncan. He followed behind her chuckling with his hands clasped behind his back. She glared at Duncan over her shoulder as she stalked over to the north corner of the wall that gave the best view of the main road.
“Is the lovely sorceress expecting trouble or a new shipment of clothes?”
“No to both but with that storm coming, anything could happen.” Rose narrowed her eyes and added, “Why do you assume that’s all I want? More stuff like I’m a rich woman.”
Duncan looked Rose up and down. She was wearing a long turquoise dress that had puffy shoulder padding and it clung to her body tightly, accentuated all her female parts. Rose wore several gold necklaces but one had the Earth Goddess pendant attached to it. The gloves she wore was made from silk and rode up to her elbow as well as calf high leather boots.
“The shoe fits, Miss Macready. I’ve seen on more than one occasion where you’ve given much to have the finer things in this world. Though I must say, you could do better with more things that have a functional purpose, like work clothes or -”
“What I do with my barter goods is of no concern of your!” Rose snapped, “I have to look presentable and memorable to those who come through here so they will come back and hopefully bring in more traders.”
“And the fact that we have plenty of goodies that everyone wants isn’t memorable enough that you have to dress like an aristocrat?” Duncan motioned his hand at her.
“I’m a woman and I can wear whatever the hell I want! If I want to wear luxurious materials, I have every right to it! You have no business nor any right to tell me what I can or can’t wear, which I do have functional clothes for doing other things! I’m not your wife!”
“Thank the Gods for that!” Duncan snorted, “I’d be in the poor house if you were mine.”
“Is this how you treated her before she vanished? If I were her, I’d be grateful to be gone and no longer under your suffocating tight-wad ass control!” Rose answered as she turned her gaze back to the road.
Duncan abruptly ceased laughing and moved next to Rose. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. Duncan was inches away from her face with murder in his eyes, all amusement had melt away from his face.
“Rose you should know better than to poke at me like that!” Duncan said coldly, “My scars run deep for a reason and you blatantly cut at it, splitting it open once more. Trust me when I say I always remember those who hurt me and I always make them pay.”
“Unhand me or I will give you some new scars to whine about!” Rose moved her hands to show Duncan the magic that was pulsating in her hands, ready to strike.
Duncan pushed her away roughly and said, “With what you said has already scarred me, so no need for your crap magic! I will remember your words and one day, they shall come back to haunt you.”
“This crap magic is what’s kept you living comfortably while you live here and food in your belly too so mind your tongue, warrior. You can be replaced by some other thick-headed buffoon than can wield a sword.”
Duncan stood silently. He was glaring at Rose but she could see was thinking, which could mean anything. He was a stubborn and strong willed but a good man. Rose knew not to bring up the memory of his wife who was one of the one that got “reaped”, which is what everyone was calling it, when all hell broke lose all over the world.
She didn’t like him prodding on about her looks. Pride dictated that she had to say it to save face, but Rose also felt bad for hurting him too so she changed the subject, “Any problems on your hunt last night?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle with one arm behind my back,” Duncan replied, his anger ebbing slightly, “but there’s more Chouls out and about, more so than usual.”
“Chouls?” Rose blinked, “Don’t you mean ghouls?”
“Same thing Miss Macready. I’ve come to the conclusion that since this was the Christian’s apocalypse, that all the dead who were brought back to life were actually dead Christians.”
“And you believe this why?”
“Go to any graveyard around here and you will see that not all the dead came back. If the living ones were snatched by some unseen force, then who’s to say that same force also went after the deceased followers of their Christ?”
“You have a point Duncan, but I’m still going to call them ghouls. Any ideas on why there’s more of them?”
Duncan shook his head, “None but something’s got them stirred up. I got a bad feeling about this. You feel worried about that storm coming from the west?” When Rose nodded, he added, “Well I sense a different kind of storm coming.” Duncan nodded his head to the road, “I see the first of the traders are coming, you better head on down and be all presentable.”
Rose nodded as she walked past Duncan towards the ladder. She knew he was a smart man and has great fighting instincts as well as intuition. She did her best to nurture it because it was good skill to have around. Rose was having difficulty divining what it was about Duncan Morgan that made his so special.
His reasoning that the dead were of Christian origins were spot on. Those who were either spiritual, pagan, atheist, or non-Christian denomination were untouched by the reaping. That didn’t mean they were exempt from the firestorms or the human danger element. For some strange reason that made no sense to her was why there were still Christians left behind in the world. Weren’t they all supposed to be in Heaven?
Once she got to the ground, Rose tugged and adjusted her dress as she walked towards the main gate. It was two massive wooden doors made from fallen trees,bolted together, and was locked in place using three thick planks of plywood. As Rose got closer to the gate, she called out, “If there’s no ghouls around, open the gate so the trading caravans can enter.”
One of the watch guards on the wall gave the “All’s clear” thumbs up to the gate masters who then proceeded to remove the wooden planks from the gate. The metal hinges creaked as the massive doors were pushed open. The first of the horse drawn carriages crossed the threshold of the village.
Most of the caravans that came to the village consisted of people walking with large backpacks. Others took old flatbed trailers and retro-fitted them to be pulled by horse, mule, or even cattle. The savvier traders that had time or resources tended to ride in style, usually having gypsy-like carts big enough to live comfortably in and could travel and store their trade wares better.
Today it was more walkers than carts. Only four flatbed trailers and two green gypsy carts, but one that was bringing up the rear was different than the rest. It was flashy with gold trim everywhere and its décor consisted of angels and crosses. Rose muscles tensed as she shook her head, “Christians. Great, just what we needed today.”
She felt torn because she knew that not all the Christian followers got taken away during the firestorms. Those that stayed behind almost always preached about repenting and joining them so that they could be worthy to be taken away to their “Promise Land”. In the past, Rose would let them get on their little soapbox and speak to the villagers but one group came out brandishing machetes and torches.
The villagers either hid or stood their ground, trying to fend the group off but the leader of the zealous group kept whipping them up into a frenzy. One of the traders grew tired of the hatred so he strolled up and beheading the man in mid rant. That was the day Rose met Duncan Morgan. He went so far as to pick up the leader’s severed head and threw it at his followers and coldly stated, “He wanted to cleanse this place of good people, I’d say he got in way over his head. Anyone else wish to join him? Step right up and I will send you to your Heaven, minus a head of course.”
The missionary quickly dropped their weapons and torches and fled out of the village as Duncan charged at them with murder in his cobalt eyes and ever since that day, he chose to live in Melona to help keep the peace. Rose knew there was something different about him but she couldn’t quite place it. She felt that if Duncan stayed here long enough then she could gleam the truth one day.
“Duncan!” Rose pointed as she called out, “Your presence is needed down here!”
Duncan looked towards the road and let out an oath in disgust, which made Rose wonder if his hatred for what he referred to as the“Bible-thumping hypocrites” left on Earth had anything to do with his wife. He was a private man that seldom liked to talk about his past which Rose suspected was a form of defense to keep from getting hurt. Can’t add to the scars if you don’t open yourself to another’s blade was Duncan’s go-to reasoning for not trusting anyone, even Rose.
Not wanting to waste any time, Duncan straddled the sides of the ladder and slid down. He maneuvered between the oncoming traders and squeezing past the one of the passing flatbed trailers. As Duncan got to Rose, the Christian cart was making its way through the main gate and to their surprise, nothing was pulling the cart.
Nothing that they could see. Duncan gripped the hilt of his sword as he anticipated a fight. Rose looked at Duncan and asked, “How is that cart moving? I don’t hear a motor.”
“And you wouldn’t. All the fuel in the world is gone, as far as I know. Unless they hoarded it and now wish to flaunt it for everyone to see this monstrosity. I’d say it’s being powered by something else and whatever it is, it’s making me uneasy.”
“Hmm, I agree Duncan.” Rose replied as her gaze was torn away from Duncan and back to the cart. A side door opened and out stepped a man who looked to be in his fifties and wearing a dirt stained dress shirt and slacks. He beamed a fake smile at Rose that made her believe that the man could’ve been a politician at one time in his life.
“My sweet sister, is this Melona?” the man asked.
“It is and my name is Rose Macready,” she stated as she elbowed Duncan, who was hiding a snicker and failing, “I am the one who runs this village and I’m far from being a sister to you.”
“Definitely not sweet either.” Duncan muttered under his breath, making Rose quickly glare at him but never losing her composure.
“What business do you have here for my village…mister?” Rose asked.
“The name is Sully and I’m here to do what I’ve always done my whole life.”
Rose tensed, “And what might that be, Sully?”
“To spread the good Lord’s word and help absolve others of their sins so that they may -”
“Blah, blah, blah!” Duncan blurted out, “These are good people who have their own spiritual beliefs and have no need in the crap you’re peddling!”
“It’s not crap!” Sully answered back, his face reddening with anger, “How dare you say such things about the word of God! His word is law and it’s my calling to bring as many of his wayward sheep back into His flock, heathen!”
Duncan smirked as he goaded the man,“Your one God has already done that or have you forgotten? What happened on that day, did you miss the bus to Heaven or not answer the door? Why did He see it fit to leave you behind?”
Sully stammered, trying to control his temper, “H..how should I know! It’s not my place to question God’s will and nor should you, especially if you ever want to go to the Promise Land and see your loved ones! Why He should spare all the pagan heathens of this world is beyond me.”
“Maybe your God believed that OUR kind should inherit the Earth instead of the meek. Makes sense to me since many wars and atrocities have been done in your Christian God’s name.”
“Your people should’ve been exterminated long ago!” Sully snapped, “Christ has returned and will clear the world of your filth!”
Duncan snarled as he moved forward but Rose put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Okay that’s enough dick sword fighting. Sully, you can use the proclamation platform and say your peace. We don’t want any trouble here so if you get any notions of starting a lynch mob, Duncan here will be well within his rights to kill you. Is that clear?”
Sully’s anger seemed to ebb but he never took his gaze from Duncan as he took a deep breath and said, “That’s an acceptable proposal Mrs. Macready. Just keep that brute away from me and I promise that I won’t cause any trouble here.” Rose nodded and added, “Miss Macready, but do call me Rose.”
Sully slowly nodded as he leered at her with a lustful gaze before heading back into his cart. Duncan turned to walk away so Rose followed along beside him, trying to keep up with his brisk pace. She could tell that Duncan was ready to explode and was worried that he might do something rash.
“Did you really need to goad the man?” Rose asked.
“Yes.” Duncan curtly replied.
“Hmm, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were hoping to take his head off just for the hell of it.”
No response.
“That wasn’t what I had in mind when I asked you to greet the man. I wanted to keep things civil and peaceful so my villagers could go about their business and feel safe.”
Still no response.
“Gods Duncan, would you say something. I’m getting tired of having a one-way conversation here.”
“I learned long ago to keep my mouth shut when a woman is ranting and your behavior definitely qualifies.” Duncan said with a smirk.
Rose fumed as she jumped in front of Duncan, stopping him in his tracks. She pointed her finger in his face as she growled, “Oh no you don’t! I’m letting you get off that easy. I demand you tell me why you provoked the man in the first place! You tell me now or I shall follow around until you do!”
Duncan sighed as he slumped his shoulders in defeat, “I was testing him is all, nothing wrong with that. I wanted to see where his thoughts were going in case someone challenged him and his beliefs, just to make certain he would be peaceful about it.”
“That wasn’t a test, you were out to start a fight?”
“Yes I know but,” Duncan paused for a moment as Sully walked passed the two of them, “I don’t trust him is all.”
Rose furrowed her brow, “Why? What has he done other than arrive in a cross covered cart that is being operated by something other than an animal or a machine that we can’t see?”
Duncan pinched the bridge of his nose, “Just forget it. Forget I ever said anything about this.” Rose put her hands on her hips, giving him a firm look. Duncan rolled his eyes and tried to move past her but Rose block his path with each step he took.
“I can do this all day Duncan.” Rose sternly spoke, “If there’s something you know about that man or have heard things during your long time on the road then I must know so I can protect my flock.” Before he could bull past her, Rose took Duncan’s hand and softly added, “You can tell me anything.”
Duncan shifted from foot to foot, “The problem with that is that I don’t know fully understand it myself. It’s difficult for me to discuss something that I have no clue of what’s going on inside me.”
“Like a gut feeling or instinct?” Rose asked with a quizzical look.
“No this is completely different. I know exactly what those things are but this has plagued me my whole life and ever since the firestorms, it’s only gotten worse. It’s like something’s in me, you know, and it’s screaming DON’T TRUST HIM or BAD and when that happens, that person tends to do something terrible.”
“And what is it screaming when you see Sully?” Rose asked with trepidation.
Duncan looked past Rose and saw Sully up on the proclamation platform, spewing his moral beliefs and preaching about repenting and redemption to those who walked by. There was a small cluster of people listening to what Sully was saying but none of the villagers seemed enthralled or got caught up in his passionate chatter, which only gave him more fuel to keep going.
Rose noticed that Duncan’s hand had slithered around the hilt of his sword. The muscles in his face tensed and the muscles in his jaw ticked. Even Duncan’s cobalt eyes appeared to grow darker.
“Duncan, what do hear?” Rose asked as she squeezed his hand.
“Death. That’s what I hear every time I look at him. So rest assured that while I’m on wall duty, I’ll be keeping a close eye on our guest. Now if you’re done interrogating me, I’ve got a job to do and it appears I shall be watching two fronts.”
Duncan pulled his hand free from Rose’s grip and walked past her towards the wall, turning his head to glare at Sully. She watch Duncan go for a moment longer before walking towards the area of the village known as “trader alley”. She sauntered between the traders and villagers, greeting each person and making sure that the men took notice of her with some flirtatious talk and movements.
Rose was a sorceress after all and what better way to get trade items for nothing, especially if the men were showering her with gifts to show their affection? Rose often wondered if it would be worth it to go skyclad during peak trading days. Just imagine how many of these poor saps would give away everything they owned just to have a glimpse of me.
It was a cruel thought because that would be all they would get from her, look but no touching, but men are men and always will be. Men helped destroy the world long before the Christian apocalypse came along and men still haven’t learned since then, so why not take advantage of those stupid enough to fall for my feminine wiles?
As the first few raindrop started to fall, Rose started to ponder what was going on inside Duncan’s head. This was the first time he had ever spoke about himself in terms of having any supernatural abilities like she had and now She wanted to know more. Duncan was a man but also a puzzle to figure out too and Rose did enjoy putting puzzles together. Once you set the right piece in its proper place, all shall be revealed, Rose thought with a mental cackle. If he had supernatural abilities, other than a warning voice, Duncan never let on that he had them. This got the sorceress to thinking: What if Duncan doesn’t know what he is or what his true origins were.
He didn’t talk about his past or family ties, but all Rose knew about was that he did have a wife and she had been reaped but there were more layers to that relationship. If that were the case, then it would be in my best interest to discover what Duncan was but how do I start, Rose pondered?
She looked in the direction where a roll of wooden huts that the villagers used as their shelter. They were just big enough to house three people if needed and was furnished with a small dining table, chairs, several cots, and a fire pit for cooking. The rest of the huts were decorated and outfitted by the occupants to suit their needs.
Being the founder of this village, Rose took pride in her extra-large place and lavished it with an actual queen size bed with black satin bed set, several dressers, two armories filled with her favorite elegant dresses, a free-standing jewelry cabinet with a vanity mirror, two fire pits: one for cooking and one for brewing potions or herbal remedies.
Why rough it when one could live in style was Rose’s mantra. She made it clear to everyone that they could have whatever they wanted as long as it didn’t create problems within the village. If someone wanted a bigger place, they had to build it just like everyone else. Off in the corner of the village was the smallest of all the wooden huts.
It was built by Duncan shortly after Rose convinced him to stay. The sorceress glanced up at the wall as she walked, keeping a trained eye on Duncan. He was sitting sideways on an old wooden fruit box so he could watch the surrounding area outside of the walls and discreetly keep an eye on Sully.
Duncan saw her and gave Rose a two-finger salute before glaring at Sully who was stomping around on the proclamation platform, dramatically waving weather-worn copy of the Bible. Sully was wearing a bright yellow rain poncho now and gold trim bifocals and was crying out, “Heed my warning, good people of Melona! There’s little time left for any of us in these dark days! Turn away from the sins of this world and come with me as I spread the teachings of the one and only God!”
“One and only God you say?” someone in the audience asked.
“That’s correct! There’s only one true God and He will lead us all to salvation!”
“What’s His name?” a young lady asked.
Sully cheeks flushed, stammering he replied, “He has no other name than God or our Lord and Savior, why would you ask me this?”
“Because I know the names of all the Gods AND Goddesses I pay tribute to, so I was curious to know the name of your God. Does anyone know His name?”
Laughter and more questions like “Does He come down and talk to you personally?” and “How does He feel about all the atrocities done in His name?” came at Sully. His face reddening with anger and contempt. Rose passed by quietly, having a difficult time holding back her own laughter. Sully barked out, “There’s no hope for you godless heathens! Your days of fun and ignorance will come to an awful end sooner than your realize!”
“Godless? I know many deities and we are like this!” a young man crossed his index over his middle finger, “You say heathen like it’s a bad thing? If you wish to live a ridged life from a dogmatic, religious point of view then that’s wonderful because that means more fun for the rest of us!”
Tendrils of lightning streaked across the sky above and with it, the rain started to come down in a sudden downpour. Sully marched off the platform, muttering under his breath as the small crowd started dancing around in circles with their arms in the air. Several people started taking their wet clothes off as well, making Sully even more uncomfortable as he fled back to his cart.
Rose maneuvered past some of the villagers running for their huts. She glanced over her shoulder one last time at Duncan. He was still sitting on the old wooden fruit box, despite the downpour, and keeping a watchful eye everywhere but on her. Rose grabbed the handle on the hut door and she hurried into Duncan’s hut.