Excerp from my WIP - Chapter 1

Subject: Excerp from my WIP - Chapter 1 Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:45 pm

This is a project I've been working on for a while. Comments and suggestions welcome and wanted.

Chapter 1

The small square was rather empty in the mid afternoon sun. Only six people stood around a wagon, the wood creaking softly in the light breeze from the weight of its load. The three men in the group were off to the side, laughing and joking as they enjoyed their pipes while two of the women were looking through the various wares that were tied to the outside of the wagon.

After a few minutes, the men would join the women about the wagon. A rather plump man would wipe a bead of sweat from his balding head as he smiled, looking over the wagon. “My my, Tom. You did a great job with finding all of this. The boys are going to love it.”

Tom smiled and shrugged. “It was nothing. After all, Edith and I have done just as much for some of the other villages around here. Besides, this little town hasn’t had a lot to celebrate about lately.”

“Isn’t that the truth? But Sean will love these books you found for him. Tell me, what news of the rest of the area?” The red haired woman tucked her hands into the pockets of the cream colored apron she wore, waiting quietly for the newest rumors.

“Oh it’s simply awful Mary.” Edith replied. “Still so much struggle because of those rabble rousers in the border lands. Those..those… What are the called dear? The Returners or something like that?”

“Shh, Edith. It’s not as bad as it sounds.” Tom gently shushed his wife. “The Returners have been in the Borderlands for years. You really shouldn’t be scaring them with those wild rumors.”

“What wild rumors?” Mary clung to her husband Robert while the plump man just shook his head a little putting an arm around the woman.

“It’s nothing to worry about.” Tom smiled softly. “Don’t worry. Sodayio is too small for any of that to be a worry.”

“Exactly.” The third man nodded in agreement. “Let’s not cloud such a happy time with such foul thoughts.”

“Now see here George.” Mary gave little stamp of her foot. “I fail to see how you men can be so blind to what’s going on in the rest of the world.”

“Come now Mary. It’s not that we don’t care. But it is just when you consider that these fellows have been about for as long as most of us can remember, it seems rather unlikely that anything will happen.” Robert hugged his wife softly and softly kissed the top of her red head. “After all, the Borderlands are a lawless place. And these Returner blokes have been fighting with those Divine Warrior fellows. Why should we concern ourselves with the war masters that are typical of the Borderlands? Such things have happened before and nothing has come of it.”

“Robert’s right Mary.” Tina smiled softly at the woman before drawing closer to George.

“Of course he is.” Tom nodded again. “Oh George, Tina. Edith and I have to go away again on some business after the party.”

“So soon?” Tina looked a little sheepish as she interrupted. “But you just got back.”

“Yes, I know. I know. But business is business. Anyway, Edith and I were hoping that you could keep an eye on Rowena for us. And try and keep Patrick away from her. He’s a good boy, but he does have a bit of a reputation. Just like someone I seem to remember back in his youth.”

George chuckled softly and nodded. “Don’t worry Tom. We will. Besides, I do not think that Patrick will try anything with her. Especially considering some of the looks Sean tries to hide. Robert, I think your boy may have something for the lass.”

“Oh I hope so. Sean is such a good boy, so smart, so well mannered.” Edith nodded approvingly. “If only he would ask her out sometime.”

Mary laughed gently and gave a light shake of her head. “Yes, well my baby is a little shy when it comes to women. If only he was a little more like Patrick in that regards.”

“If only Patrick was a little more like Sean I wouldn’t have half the problems I do with the boy,” Tina scoffed. “But it’s starting to get late, and we still have a lot of work to do for the party. Thank you again Tom.” The women smiled and hugged each other in farewell before retreating to leave the men to begin unloading the wagon. The breeze still blew softly, rustling the leaves of the trees around the small town and the sun slowly began to dip down towards the horizon.

* * *

Patrick and Sean were like brothers. They had grown up together, played together, and got into trouble together. Sean, who was about five foot eight with a skinny, almost fragile look, was the brains of the two; whereas Patrick, who was six foot three with a muscular build, was the strength. This worked out very well for the two of them. Sean would evaluate a situation and Patrick would act. That was how it has always been and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

It was a pleasant spring evening and Patrick and Sean were celebrating their twenty-first birthday. They were born about a week apart, but they had always celebrated together. The clearing in the middle of the village had a merry light to it and was filled with music and laughter. The whole village had turned up to see their favorite pranksters become men. In the middle of the grassy village square, folks were dancing to the lively music the small band was playing. In one of the corners by the woods that surrounded the village, the young people who were not dancing had separated themselves into groups based more or less on age and were playing bean sack, a simple game whose only purpose was keep a small sack of beans in the air by kicking it.

Sean inhaled deeply and let out a joyful sigh of content. “It’s a beautiful evening, isn’t it,” he said, turning to Patrick.

“Oh yeah,” Patrick replied. “Speaking of beautiful, here comes Rowena.” Sean, choking on his drink, coughed and spluttered before taking a few deep breaths. “I’ve seen the way you look at her,” Patrick continued, suppressing a laugh. “Go ask her to dance.”

“But…” Sean began.

Patrick interrupted him by saying, “She won’t say no. It’s your night; she has to be nice to you. Now I don’t want any of your excuses. Go on, ask her.”

Sean still tried to voice his objections; however, Patrick shoved him towards her with a hard push to the back. Awkwardly, Sean walked over towards the girl and pulled up just a bit short. “Um, hi Rowena,” he stuttered nervously.

“Huh? Oh hi Sean,” she answered. Her brilliant emerald eyes fell upon Sean’s dull grays and he felt his heart skip a beat. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you. Um, Rowena? I was… I was…” Sean faltered, rubbing his arm nervously. He took a deep breath and started again. “I… I… Would you like to dance?” It all came out in a rush and Sean waited, holding his breath.

“Yes, I would love to dance,” she said and Sean let out a sigh of relief. Taking her hand in his, he led Rowena to the dance area as the band began to play a slow, romantic song.

“Thata boy,” muttered Patrick smiling as he watched the two dance for a minute. Humming to himself, Patrick stopped paying attention to Sean and turned his mind to more important matters, food. Swiftly he moved through the crowds towards the food tables. Rubbing his hands together in delight, he surveyed the tables. A marvelous feast greeted his eyes, everything from hams to stakes, potatoes and carrots cooked in every conceivable way. And then there were the desserts, a stunning display of confectionary masterpieces. Patrick reminded himself to thank the women who stayed up late into the night to prepare this wonderful spread. Practically drooling, he reached for a plate. Patrick was surprised though when, instead of feeling the cold, hard ceramic he was expecting, he felt something soft and silky smooth. Looking up, the young man discovered that his hand was holding someone else’s. His eyes followed up the delicate arm it was attached to and came to rest on a lovely face.

“Why hello Patrick,” she said.

“Hey Jessie, enjoying yourself?”

Picking his hand up, she spun herself so that his large arms were wrapped about her. “I am now,” she purred, smiling provocatively up at him.

His smile was just as alluring as hers as he charmingly flung out his arm to unwind her from him before letting go of her hand. Jessie stood there for a second feeling a little shocked and slightly dejected. After a moment, however, she gracefully glided back over towards Patrick, hips swaying smoothly with her steps. When she reached him, Jessie reached up and put a hand on the back of Patrick’s neck. She pulled him close and kissed him softly. “Happy birthday big boy,” she said just above a whisper and strode off across the clearing. Patrick just stared after her in bewilderment, his mouth hanging open as he watched her go. It took him several minutes to re-gather his senses and after that all he could do was shake his head slightly.

Eventually his wits returned to him, and Patrick was able to put his mind back onto food. Grabbing a plate and utensils, he quickly loaded it with several forms of meat, a few fruits and vegetables, and a healthy helping of pastries. He then took his food over to the bar, received a mug of ale, and went about the business of finding himself a seat. After much deliberation, he seated himself in a corner, which offered him a good view of Sean. Rowena had pulled him aside and was whispering in Sean’s ear, causing him to turn the brightest color red Patrick had ever seen. Setting his food down, Patrick watched laughing. Sean noticed Patrick and turned his back to Patrick and let his hand slide up behind his back to reveal a lone standing middle finger. Patrick couldn’t do anything else except fall into further fits of laughter.

Sean apologized to Rowena and began to back away. She stopped him by placing a hand on his arm. Leaning forward, Rowena placed a tiny kiss on his cheek before moving off to join her friends. Sean was left standing there a moment before he staggered over to Patrick and took the seat next to him. When the larger man looked at Sean, he couldn’t help but shake his head, chuckling at Sean’s big, cheesy grin. “You act like that was your first kiss.”

“It was,” Sean replied as he started to slip off of the emotional cloud he was on and return to his normal self.

“It couldn’t have been. I’ve seen more attractive girls with you then with me.”

“All those girls ever wanted was study help. None of them were interested in me. Besides you’re the ladies man here, not me.”

Subject: Chapter 1 - Part 2 Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:47 pm

“You seemed to be doing well with Rowena. What was she saying that made you turn so red?”

“Oh, she said that her parents needed to trade with a nearby village and would be gone for a couple of days. She wanted me to come over and do the nasty.”

At this Patrick broke out into another fit of laughs. “Do the nasty?” he said between gasps. “No one talks like that.”

“I know, well not anymore at least,” Sean replied. “But they used to. It’s amazing what our forefathers used to do. Did you know that they were able to go to villages on the other side of the world in a few days?”

“That’s just some old wife’s tale. I bet you’ll also try and convince me they could fly.”

“They could,” Sean continued enthusiastically. “There is proof of it. Books and ruins and remains. They were far more advanced then we are now, but something happened. I don’t know what. Just something that shook the earth to its foundations. I think they referred to it as the Catastrophe, or something like that. Something that made them go back, making things simple again. You know, back to nature. Keeping only the kind of technology to improve life.”

“Like plumbing?”

“Like medicine dumb ass,” Sean shot back. Slightly annoyed, he reached over and took a turkey leg from Patrick’s plate and began to eat.

“What the hell?” Patrick exclaimed. “The food’s over there. Get your own.”

“You know,” Sean explained between mouthfuls, “there’s a reason why I plan everything. You’re dumb and gullible. It’s easy to take advantage of you.”

“I suppose you’ll want some of my ale next?” Patrick asked sarcastically.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Sean replied reaching for the mug and taking a large drink.

“Hey! You lazy bastard. I don’t know why I put up with you and your crap.”

“Like I said, you’re dumb and gullible, and one of the best friends a guy could have. Happy birthday man.”

“Don’t think you’ll get on my good side like that. Furthermore, I’m not dumb, just slower than you. Besides you’re great at analyzing a situation and can always talk us out of trouble. Happy birthday Sean.” Patrick smiled and moved across the table and put Sean in a headlock, rubbing the captured scalp with his knuckles.

“What? Hey stop that. You dirty whore, cut it out.” Sean tried to sound upset, but he was laughing too hard to pull it off.

Their laughs were cut off however when a load noise erupted from the woods. Red flames and smoke leaped above the canopy of trees and a blast of heat was carried to them by the wind. Everyone in the clearing turned to look at it, their faces at collection of fear and excitement, wondering what this new surprise was. Patrick strained his eyes to try and see what was going on. Then it happened again, this time closer to the village. “Sean, do you know what it is?”

“No,” Sean said after a moment, a look of worry on his face. “But I doubt that it’s good.”

While they spoke, the ground began to rumble and the sound of falling trees could be heard throughout the clearing. They weren’t kept in suspense long because after a few minutes a large machine broke through the forest wall. Everyone ran to move out of its way as it moved towards the center of the clearing, running over the tables of food as well as the bar, their smashed, wooden remains left in shards on the ground. Finally it rolled to a stop and people began to gather around it. It stood taller than two houses and was almost thirty strides in length. Patrick started to move up to join the others around the mechanical monstrosity, but Sean held him back. “No, don’t. I don’t trust it.”

A hatch on top of the thing opened and a mist began to emanate from its depths. Soon a figure became silhouetted against that mist, its only discernable feature was a pair of glowing yellow eyes that couldn’t possibly be human. Slowly those eyes swept over the village and its inhabitants before disappearing back down into the bowels of the machine. Suddenly a hiss arose from it as a larger hatch at ground level opened up and about a thirty to forty men spilled forth firing strange weapons and grabbing nearby villagers, incapacitating them.

Then the floodgates of fear burst open. The village was filled with the sounds of terrified people running and screaming as well as the loud echoes of these odd new weapons and the thud of blunt objects against flesh and bone. Patrick and Sean turned and ran into the woods. Growing up they used to play in these woods, so they knew several places to hide. As they disappeared into the darkness, they heard the sounds of their homes being destroyed; the places where they grew up being mutilated. However they were not the only ones who ran. About twenty children and adults were following them. Behind them, Patrick heard a little girl fall down and he turned to go help her. Gathering her up into his arms, he carried her as he ran, her cries stifled by his shoulder. After several minutes of hard running, the group reached a large but shallow stream that was fed by a nearby waterfall.

“Every one, quick” Sean whispered. “Under the waterfall. There’s a large cave inside. We can hide there until morning.”

“And then what?” a voice in the back called.

“We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it, ok Tim.”

Tim fell silent and everyone quickly filled into the cave. It was not as large as Sean had made everyone to believe and it was a tight fit to get everyone seated; however, Patrick still held the little girl and several other children had crawled into the laps of adults. Sean stood at the edge of the cave starring out. Turning he began to yell over the roar of the cascading water, “Alright people. The important thing right now is to not panic. We’re alive and together, that’s good enough for right now. Now I need everyone to remain as quiet as possible. It’s going to be a long night, so we should get some sleep. I’ll keep watch. Don’t anyone worry right now.”

“What do you mean don’t worry right now? When in the eight hells should we worry?” It was Tim again. He was slightly older then the two and about a head shorter then Patrick. He was yelling from his crouch against the far wall. His black eyes were bloodshot from tears and his voice trembled as he spoke.

“Tim, I need you to be quiet. Look, we got lucky just getting out of the village alive. I will not have you screw it up by yelling and giving them a way to find us. You can worry when I tell you to worry.”

“And who made you our leader?” Tim demanded.

“Look if you want to take over, I’ll be happy to give you the job. So Tim, what should we do?”

Tim looked slightly embarrassed and quietly said, “I don’t know, get some sleep?”

“Great idea!” Sean exclaimed. “You do that and I’ll keep a watch to make sure no one comes.” Tim muttered to himself, but stayed silent. With that everyone but Sean began to close his or her eyes. A few people stayed up silently sobbing, but for the most part everyone was so exhausted that they were asleep within a few minutes.

Patrick lifted the girl from his lap and set her down against the wall. He silently stood and moved to join Sean leaning against the entrance to the cave. He made a hand gesture showing that he wanted to talk with Sean outside. Stealthily they slipped out and moved down a few feet from the fall so that they could talk. “That was a good thing you did calming everyone down like that, but keeping watch won’t work. There isn’t enough time to get people out if someone finds us”

“I know,” Sean sighed. “I just said that so they would feel protected.” He looked up and sighed once again. “It’s beautiful isn’t it? The sky I mean. Hard to believe that a few hours ago we hadn’t a care in the world. Amazing how fast things are shattered.”

Patrick was nodding in agreement. “Look over there,” he exclaimed. “Is that our home?”

“Yes,” Sean replied. Tears began to well up in his eyes and his heart nearly broke with anguish over the sight. Over in the distance, the sky was filled with the reddish-orange glow of fires. The smoke began to bellow up and reflect the light of their burning village, turning the sky into a hellish blood red. Occasionally a wind would blow from that direction and they could feel the heat of the flames. “Dear gods.”

“Man, I don’t think this is the time to call on some ancient superstitions,” Patrick said, trying to keep the agony out of his voice.

“There are those of us who still believe in the gods and their power.”

“Yeah, well where the hell was it tonight.” Patrick’s voice rose as he spoke. “There was nothing that could have saved our home, no supernatural power, no supreme force.” His voice cracked and he was over taken by his aguish. Patrick’s massive shoulders shook with the sobs that racked his body. Sean placed a hand on Patrick’s shoulder and watched him as tears silently streamed down his face as well. “You know,” Patrick said after a while, wiping the tears from his cheeks, “I admire your strength. The way you pulled everyone together like that.”

“That was nothing,” Sean responded. “You’re more of a leader than I am. I pulled them together for right now in a moment of crisis. They were willing to follow anyone who sounded like they knew what they were talking about. Now you, you’ll get them to follow you tomorrow and the day after because your able to lead people.”

“You think? They’ll follow you because you’re smart, hell you’re practically a lore master.”

“A lot of good knowing very little about everything about the past does, the information is practically useless.”

“Whatever man, it’s still knowledge not many have. But forget tomorrow. Who do you think did this to us?”

“Simple.” Sean said. “The Returners.”

“Damn.” Patrick stood silent for a moment before a familiar light shone in his eyes. It was the look he always got when he was up to something. “Hey Sean, let’s sneak over and see if we can get some more people out, maybe hurt a few of them.”

“Man, that is the most stupid plan I’ve ever heard. They just waltzed in and destroyed our town and you want to go back and try and fight a few. Man, they still use guns. Mankind gave up guns generations ago.”

“Guns?” Patrick looked confused for a second.

“You know those stick like things that echoed like thunder and shot out little balls that kill people.”

“Oh, screw their guns. We can still sneak in. If we can filch pies from Mrs. Abernakie’s window sill, we can get pass these guys.”

“You moron,” Sean exclaimed, pressing his hands to his temples. “Mrs. Abernakie liked us.”

“Yeah, but she would never let anyone get away with stealing her pies. Well at least not as often as we did it. Come on. Man, I have to know what happened to my parents. Besides, it’s like midnight; if their anything like men, they’ll be so drunk by now, they would barely be standing.”

Subject: Part 3 Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:48 pm

“Alright, we’ll try. Oh by the way, it’s about a half past one.”

“How do you know?” asked Patrick puzzled. “Can you tell it by the stars?”

“No, I saw the clock that hangs over the inn before we left. It’s only been about an hour, maybe an hour and a half since then.”

“Oh, I knew that. Whatever the time is, let’s go before it gets too much later.”

Silently they crept through the woods. Patrick was more use to hunting and sneaking about, so he quickly began to out distance Sean. Sean moved slower and feared that every rustling leaf would give him away. Finally he approached the village. Hardly daring to breathe, he moved cautiously towards the edge of the woods looking for Patrick. His feet lightly fell upon the ground; however, he couldn’t avoid stepping on a small branch, breaking it with a dull crack. Sean inhaled sharply and waited. He was just about to let out a sigh of relief when a pair of yellow eyes moved towards him.

“Who’s there?” the voice called out. “Who are you? How did you get out of the containment center?”

Sean froze with fear. “Um… um…” Sean stuttered. The eyes grew closer and Sean became aware that he had to act. But what to do. Frantically he searched the ground for a large rock or anything to help him. But before he could do anything, he heard the sickening sound of a large, blunt object upon bone. Looking up he found Patrick standing over the body with a large branch in his hands and a smile on his face. “It took you long enough,” complained Sean looking up at his friend.

“Better late than never. Hey does he, or it or whatever this bastard is, have anything we can use?”

“Let me check,” Sean said. Kneeling down besides the body, he took its head in his hands, turning it this way and that to examine it. “Hmmm,” he mused and placed his hand over the yellow eyes. Gently he lifted them and discovered that they slid off. Not only that, but Sean noticed that it was human eyes under the goggles. He began to feel around the neck and soon found the edge of the mask, lifting it up over the unconscious man’s head for now he could tell it was a man, just like Patrick and himself.

“They’re people, humans I mean,” Patrick exclaimed breathlessly.

“I know, now shh!” Sean said as he continued to remove the unconscious man’s clothing and gear. After separating the clothes and gear, Sean began to examine this newfound technology while Patrick kept watch. Lifting the goggles to his eyes, Sean discovered that they helped him to see in the darkness. Rifling through pockets and pouches he found several small items like a multi-function knife, compass, and a pair of dark sunglasses, all of which Sean took.

“Hey,” Patrick said. “Why do you get to keep all the stuff?”

“I’m not keeping it all,” Sean explained. “You get that stuff.” He pointed to a pile of metallic odds and ends.

“You mean you get some cool and practical stuff and all I get is a pile of bent metal in fancy canvas holders?”

“No I don’t.” Sean went on patiently. “That pile of ‘bent metal in fancy canvas holders’ is a pile of guns and ammo. The long one is called a rifle and the short one is a handgun. You load the rifle with the small shells, and the long rectangular-looking thing is called a magazine. That goes in the handgun.”

“And you were thinking that old knowledge was useless,” said Patrick moving towards the pile. He picked up the rifle and quickly loaded it. Bring it up to his shoulder, he loosely held it and took aim. He pulled the trigger and fell back as a sound like a thunderclap echoed through the silent night. Sean quickly dropped to the ground and covered his head with his hands. Looking up, he saw Patrick sitting and rubbing his shoulder. “Holy crap that hurt. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Yeah it’s called recoil. And what the hell is your problem!”

“Calm down, I hit my mark. Besides, no one heard us.”

After he said this, a loud clicking and beeping issued from the mask of the fallen soldier. “Unit 6, come in unit 6. What’s going on? Why did you fire your weapon?”

“Shit!” Sean quickly moved to pick up the mask.

“What was that 6?”

“Um… um…” Sean began. “Uh, sorry sir. We, I mean I got bored and took a shot at a bird.”

“A bird,” the voice yelled. “What the hell is your problem, you should be seriously reprimanded!”

“I know sir, I’m sorry sir,” Sean repeated.

“Alright,” the voice continued. “Don’t do it again. If you want a bird, use a knife.”

“Yes sir, thank you sir,” Sean exhaled. He threw down the mask and leaned back against a nearby trunk. “You ok Patrick?”

“Yeah, just a little sore,” he replied.

“Good.” Sean picked up a small rock and threw it at Patrick, hitting him in the head. “That’s for being a dumb ass.”

“Whatever,” Patrick shrugged. He stood up, buckled the handgun harness around his waist, slung the rifle over his shoulder, and deposited the rounds in his pockets. “Well, are we going to sit here all night?”

Sean sighed, stood, and began to follow Patrick towards the village. “Hey Patrick.”

“Yeah Sean.” Patrick stopped and turned around.

“Screw this on top of your handgun next time, it mutes the sound.” He tossed Patrick a cylindrical piece of metal.

“Why didn’t you give this to me before,” Patrick asked as he attached the silencer.

“I didn’t think you were to stupid enough to fire it. Besides I didn’t think you’d be able to shoot it on the first try.”

“Neither did I,” Patrick admitted with a chuckle. They approached the edge of the village and Patrick stopped, looking at Sean. They both wore tanned leather jackets over stained white shirts that were no longer tucked neatly into dark colored pants. Mud spattered their boots and Patrick was sure his hair was as askew as Sean’s. “Aren’t we a sight,” he commented.

“We’ll clean up when we get back.” Sean fell silent as they tiptoed through the forest into a dark corner of the village. “Damn, they must have burnt half the damn village.”

“Look over there.” Patrick pointed toward the far end of the square. A large cage had been set up to hold a group of people. Some were lying down, looking asleep, and others were pacing. “Look’s like that’s where they’re keeping our family and friends. Let’s get them out.”

“Wait. Hang on.” Sean had closed his eyes and was rubbing his temples.

“What’s the matter,” Patrick asked, a note of concern in his voice.

“I can’t do it, I… I… I just can’t.” Sean leaned against a nearby building and sank to his knees. He held his head in his hands and sat there silently weeping.

Patrick knelt at his side and placed an arm around Sean’s shoulders. “Come on man. Where’s that guy who led a group of scared people out of a violent situation, keep them safe, and comforted them.”

“Patrick,” Sean began, his voice breaking. “Tonight I finally entered society as a mature and respected adult, something I’ve dreamed of for years. And before I could fully realize that dream, I’ve been shot at, threatened, saw the place where I grew up burned, and my family killed. Now I see they might be alive, then again they might not. Man I can’t take any of this anymore.” With that Sean fell silent. He just stared off into the night sky, his eyes glazed over and moist.

“You think you’re the only one this affected Sean? Look, everyone lost something, some people lost everything. Now look damn it, you stepped up as a leader, so you better step up. I know you’re having some trouble with coping, everyone does at first. But you have people depending on you, and those people out there need help. If nothing I said helps, just do it for your family.”

“I…I just don’t know…”

“What do you need to know?” Patrick sighed and lightly smacked the back of his friend’s head. “I know that in that cage is all that remains of our friends and if we don’t do something, they may not make it past the end of the night.”

“Your right, your right Patrick, thanks.” Sean stood up and shook himself off. He wiped his eyes and checks off with the back of his hand. “So, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Patrick admitted. “That’s more of your department.”

“Great.” Sean sighed and took a deep breath. He looked over at the cage. “I suppose we could always storm it, but we’d likely get shot in the process. Hmmm.” His glazed eyes soon took on a light they always did when he had an idea. “How about this? We start some more fires there and there.” He indicated the positions by pointing to either side of the cage, along the few remaining buildings as well as drawing a small diagram in the sand. “Those should smoke up pretty good with all the trash and brush around there. Also I know where we can grab a can of oil. We’ll light that and toss it at their main center from like a rooftop. Now if we do this at the same time, they should need to take care of the fire by their… their… whatever that thing is. Then, in the smoke and confusion, we free our families and lead them towards the woods.” He beamed triumphantly as if they had already finished.

“Yeah, good.” Patrick processed the plan in his head, double-checking its reasonability. “But where do we take them? That small cave where everyone else is isn’t big enough.”

Sean’s smile faded and he slouched down thinking again. “Well,” he began slowly. “If we take them first to the waterfall, it should have given that first group enough time to rest. So if we gather everyone up, we can hide in a larger cave structure.”

“Hmmm.” Patrick considered it for a moment. “Where would we go afterwards?”

“Man, we’ll burn that bridge when we come to it.”

“Alright, fair enough. So, where’s this oil you were talking about?”

Subject: Part 4 Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:48 pm

Sean smiled and they quickly got to work. Sean explained where to find the oil and how to rig it. Patrick silently listened, nodding occasionally, before taking off. Soon he reappeared on top of a nearby roof, crouching down low against it. Sweat beaded his brow as he looked down towards the ground searching for Sean. He spotted him kneeling by some brush. “What the hell am I doing,” Patrick thought. He chuckled softly as he recalled his boyhood fantasies about being a hero. He looked back with longing for those simpler days of his youth when his biggest worry was to not get caught stealing a pie or how he would talk a kiss out of one the girls. He smiled at the recollections but shook his head to clear his thoughts. He looked back down and saw his best friend for years watching him expectantly. Patrick drew a deep breath. “Now or never,” he thought. After drawing a match from his pocket and lighting it, Patrick lit the rag dangling from the bottle he put the oil in. He brought back his arm, stood, and threw it as hard as he could towards the motorized menace that had ruined his life just hours ago. Patrick stood there, breathless, as he watched it arch through the air. The bottle struck the side of the vehicle, and the oil spread across the surrounding area, quickly catching fire. Meanwhile, down below Sean was lighting the brush and creating his smoke screen.

Patrick quickly clambered down from the roof and meet Sean behind the building. Quickly they moved towards the cage. Shouts arose behind them as well as the sound of men trying to subdue the first fire. The air around the makeshift prison was hazy and they had trouble seeing because of the smoke stinging their eyes. Twice they were startled by guards, and Patrick used the butt of his rifle to render them unconscious. After quickly disarming them of useful items such as rounds and goggles, they continued on their path. Finally they reach the cage. The people inside were coughing from the smoke and some were backing away from the silhouettes of the two rescuers. Sean shouted over the roar of the fires and commotion behind them. “Everyone stay calm, it’s Patrick and me. We’re here to get you out.” At the mention of their names, several people rushed forward and made joyous cries of relief. Meanwhile Patrick began looking for the door to the cage.

“Shit! Sean come here,” he yelled.

Sean approached him and asked, “What is it?”

“Do you have the key?”

“Key? What key? Why should I have known about a key? Just pick the lock.”

“Hey,” Patrick exclaimed, “You’re the smart one. Don’t tell me you thought they would have a cage but no lock. Besides, I can’t pick locks, otherwise this wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Don’t yell at me. You told me to come up with a distraction. And what the hell do you mean you can’t pick locks?”

“I mean I can’t pick locks,” Patrick yelled.

“Alright, alright. Calm down. We’ll figure this out.”

“Screw you and your damn figuring.” With this Patrick drew one of the handguns he picked up and pointed at the lock. “Stand back,” he roared. Patrick pulled the trigger. The noise of the shot was lost in the sounds of the all the chaos that was going on. However, after the smoke of the gun cleared, they found the lock split open.

“That works,” Sean said surprised.

“Ok everyone, this way please,” cried Patrick waving his arm over his head as he led them off towards the woods at a quick pace. They stealthily avoided the enemy soldiers as they snuck off towards the small waterfall cave. Soon they were approaching the waterfall where the first group was still hiding. Patrick motioned for everyone to stop and he made his way to the opening behind the small waterfall. As he got closer, he heard Tim’s voice. “… Left us. Where are our protectors now? I knew we should never have trusted them. We should have kept on going. They’ve probably told those monsters where we are by now.”

“Tim, I thought I told you to shut the hell up already.” Patrick stepped into view and looked around. “Look, yeah we left, but it was to try and save some more of our families. And they’re right outside. But that’s not what is important right now. Right now we need to move again.” A few groans arose from some people, but soon everyone was on their feet and moving outside. Several people began to cry and ran to embrace someone from the second group. Patrick moved besides Tim. “Hey Tim?”

“Yeah, what do you want,” he asked, not hiding his anger.

“Look, I need your help,” Patrick began. “We can’t be having you try to screw up morale. It’s low enough as it is, all right? Also, you know caves around here better then Sean or myself, I need you to find one large enough for all of us to hide in for the rest of the night, maybe tomorrow as well. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Thanks.” Soon everyone was gathered up and Tim led them off while Patrick and Sean brought up the rear. They all traveled in silence, stopping occasionally. In a little while Tim stopped in front of a small opening. However, it led to a large, deep cavern, big enough for everyone to rest comfortably in. After most people began to settle, Patrick and Tim went out to go collect some firewood, while Sean and Jacob, another friend of Sean’s, went out to find some type of food and herbs. As he was out, Patrick came upon a dear drinking at the river. Quietly he set down his bundle and pulled out his handgun. He took aim, and with the silencer on, the shot was not heard. He returned with his kill and began to skin, gut, and clean it. Tim returned several times with large bundles of wood and he began to start several fires inside. Jacob returned with several fish, and Sean came back with some mushrooms, roots, and herbs. When Patrick was finished, he brought the meat in to cook along with the fish and mushrooms. Soon the aroma of cooking meat permeated the cave and spirits were lifted slightly at the faint reminder of their homes after a hunting party.

The horror and shock of the evening soon began to wear off and a few had dozed off into a fitful sleep. Most of the others, however, had moved into little groups to try and get some news of their missing friends. Patrick and Sean were quietly talking in a corner near the back of the cave.

“Now what,” Patrick asked.

“I don’t know, we’ll sleep today and tomorrow, rest up a bit. But after that.” Sean fell silent, looking at the ground. “The only thing I know is that Sodayio is south of here. Also if we follow the river north, we’ll eventually reach Metiga.”

“How long is eventually?”

“A few days, maybe. Probably a week and a half though, considering our size and mood.”

Patrick placed his chin in his hand, rubbing it thoughtfully. “What do you think happened to the others?” He stared aimlessly at a nearby wall, the light from his blue eyes dull and distant.

“I don’t know,” Sean said. He looked up and noticed Jacob nearby. “Hey Jake. What happened to everyone else?”

Jacob looked over towards them, tears welling in his eyes. “They… they were loaded in that big thing. The only thing we heard was their screams, and those monsters laughing and telling us we’re next.” His voice broke and he trailed off. Sean closed his eyes to try and escape the image of what could have happened while Patrick gasped in horror.

“Our families. Our friends. There were what, a hundred of us, one fifty? Now only thirty.” Sean’s voice rose slightly in anguish. Sean dropped his head, his brown hair moving forward enough to cover his eyes. He heard movement all around him and felt a hand placed on his shoulder. Thinking it was Patrick, he shrugged it off saying, “Thanks man, but I’ll be all right.”

A soft voice behind him asked, “Well, then would you comfort me?”

Sean turned and saw Rowena. His eyes lit up and he wore the first genuine smile since the attack. “Yeah, sure. I’m sorry. I thought you were Patrick. Please, sit.” He indicated the rock next to himself. She took it and leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. Sean gasped and stopped breathing for second. Rowena pulled back and looked at him, her faced lined with worry. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Sean said, breathing shallowly. “It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Well, no girl has ever done that to me before. Sorry, I panicked.”

“You’ve never had a girl lay her head on your shoulder?” Rowena looked slightly amused.

“No. I was always the stay inside and read type of guy when it came to night activities. Patrick was always the one who went out with girls.”

Rowena chuckled softly. “Then I’m guessing I was also the first girl you’ve ever danced with.” He nodded, looking embarrassed. “It’s okay, don’t look so embarrassed about it. You know, I always did have a small crush on you.”

With that Sean’s face turned a bright red. “Really, I always thought girls like you liked guys like Patrick or Tim.”

“No, those kind of crushes fade fast. But the one I had for you stayed. I accidentally said something in front of my parents about it and they said they hoped you would ask me out. They liked you a lot. You never got in trouble like the other boys.” She stopped, the tears building in her eyes. She turned her head slightly. “I wish they were here to see this. They probably would say something about how un-lady like it was for me to bring it up or make the first move.” The tears began to stream down her face and her shoulders shook with her silent sobs. Sean was uncertain as to what to do, so he did the first thing that came to mind. Slowly and timidly he placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. She followed and tucked her head under his chin, softly weeping on his shoulder. Sean placed his other arm about Rowena and quietly reassured her.

“There, there,” he said. “I know nothing I say really makes a difference, but I doubt your parents would be anything but proud. I mean you’re a wonderful girl. You’re smart, funny, pretty.” He took a breath and was about to start rambling again when she looked up at him.

“Just pretty?” She sounded almost hurt as she spoke. Her lips still trembled and Sean stared at their crimson glory a moment before getting lost in her emerald orbs.

“Well, what I meant was…” He began to stutter and she placed a finger on his lips to silence him.

“I know.” She spoke softly, her eyes never leaving his. “And I know my parents would want me to pursue my happiness. Especially now.” She dropped her head a moment then looked back up at Sean. “Thank you.”

“For what,” he asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“For being you, for being there when I needed someone.”

“I’ll always be there for you Rowena.”

“Always?” She looked deep into his eyes and Sean could not tell if she was asking or pleading.

“Always,” he repeated.

Rowena leaned up and kissed him softly. “Thank you,” she whispered. Sean blushed and smiled boyishly.

From across the cave Patrick watched them, a small smile on his face. “Thata boy Sean,” he said softly, a single tear streaking his cheek. He watched them talk for a moment longer before turning his attention towards the other people in the cave. Many of them were asleep by now, but the few who were still up were talking with each other. At the moment Patrick was the only one still awake who was alone. For a long time he just sat and thought. He thought about how he would never see his parents again, about what he would do next. He wondered if Sean would stay with him or run off with Rowena. He thought of many things during the night. However he soon grew tired of thinking. Most of the fires had burned down to embers and he was one of the last people still awake. Patrick arose and looked about the cave once more. Finding a nice little spot by one of the fires he laid down.
Patrick thought of only one last thing before falling asleep. What to do next?

» ~*~ Lydia ~*~ A Vampire Tale
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