Story Time!

"Braaaaains"

"You have got to be kidding me!" I thought to myself as I sprinted out the door. "Really? Zombies? I mean, really?"

At 6'2", 185 pounds, dirty blond hair, and blue eyes, I really didn't consider myself "fit" so much as "not out of shape." However, I was never much of a sprinter, although running for my life gave me a little boost of stamina. Luckily, just like the movies, these zombies were slow. I counted four or five of them. This is what I get for working over spring break! At least the campus was empty. With the regular state of affairs on campus, a zombie outbreak would probably spread like wildfire. As it was, there was a handful of zombies chasing me, but no one else. After I put a few hundred feet between us, I began slowing, looking around for any resources.

I wasn't sure I wanted to go back for my bike - I had parked it in front of the Student Center and that's where we came from. I was carrying my Gerber multi-tool so that was +1 for me. I was also wearing my running shoes instead of sandals. But with more than one zombie, I was going to need something to increase my range... I almost tripped over it - a rock about the size of a baseball in the middle of alumni circle.

Turning back to the small cluster of zombies, I thought to myself I still can't believe it. Hefting the rock, I readied myself to throw. I'd let them get within about 50 ft, then let it rip.

"ThWUNK-SPLATT!", it sounded like an overly ripe watermelon. As its head burst open, the other zombies paused, sniffing around the air. Unfortunately I was down wind, and they smelled aweful. It's really to describe the stench of rotting flesh without using the term "rotting flesh". And boy was it pungent. I turned and ran, trying to get a breath of fresh air so I wouldn't puke my guts out. After about a hundred more feet I looked back, and was surprised at what I saw. They're not following me... I wasn't sure why until I realized - I'm downwind... and... Ewwww! I guess zombie brains taste good enough! They were scooping up handfuls of mush off the ground, slurping it up. After weighing my options I decided that I really needed my bike, so I started to circle around, keeping my eye out for more rocks... and more zombies.

The wind had stopped, and those zombies were still feeding when I reached my bike and unlocked it, wrapping the cable up, thinking I might have a use for it soon. That's when I felt my pants vibrate. If I were trying to look brave, I'd tell you that nothing happened, but I was so high strung that I practically jumped out of my shorts before I realized it was my cell phone - it was my wife calling. The tone seemed to echo across the empty campus before I could answer. "Hello?" I asked nervously and a bit too quiet. "Are you OK, honey?" my wife asked. "I'm okay, are you okay??" I asked, almost shouting. Then I noticed the zombies had started moving in my direction... not with purpose, it seemed, but more curiosity. "I'm fine," She replied, sounding a little confused, "What's going on?"

"Zombies," I replied as I jumped on my bike and started pedaling towards home. "I know it sounds crazy, and you probably think I'm joking," I said, cutting her off, "But I'm serious. About five of them came after me... I'm pretty sure I killed one of them. I threw a rock and hit his head. At least I think it was a he. I've gotta swing by the house to grab the car and some quick supplies." Doing some quick mental calculations I asked, "Will you be alright for 10 minutes at the day care? Or should I come pick you up first? I'm not sure what to do about the kids... Should I pick up the girls on my way to get you?"

I tried to ride a little slower while I was talking to eliminate wind. I took off when I was done talking, pumping as hard as I could while I listened. I thought that I had a good tactical mind, I thought as she explained her plan, but my goodness that woman has a mind!. I listened in admiration. She would bar the windows and doors, and get the big knives from the kitchen in easy reach while I grabbed the car and some quick supplies and picked up the girls. "I'll call you as soon as I'm home, honey. If I don't call in 5, call me back!" "Be careful, I love you!" "I love you too."

As I focused on my ride I was struck by the thought: It's too quiet... eerie even! Not a car on the road.

It only took a few minutes to make it to our house, and I called her back. A sense of dread filled my stomach with each extra second the phone rang. Tears pricked at my eyes as I got off my bike and pulled out my knife.

To be continued!

Saje, part III

"What do I think about what?", Saje asked. She was feeling a little more confident. He doesn't seem to mean us any harm, she thought, But he does seem a little... crazy.

William exploded into laughter, falling out of the chair he was sitting in. "Ohoho!" He hooted, "You're quite right you know!" Ah yes he can read my thoughts! Saje remembered. "Yes, my dear, and when you're thinking of me I don't even have to pry... you tend to shout out your thoughts." Wiping away his tears he stood, dusting himself off. Still grinning, he continued, "I apologize... you two must be hungry. Feel free to dig in!"

"Now, I believe I haven't properly introduced myself. Well, properly in my sort of way. Though they call me William here in Ralenby, but that's not the name I prefer... my personal belief is that Shadow suits me." As he finished talking, he stepped back towards the wall. There was just the barest shadow there, but he seemed to completely vanish. Stepping back out he bowed. "Oh, no applause necessary!"

"Now, I know who you are, though you might not yet... but what is your name?" he asked Saje.

"Who I am? My name?" Saje was more than just a little confused. "Well... my name is Saje". She really didn't know what to do, and all of the sudden felt rather self conscious. Saje was dressed in some dirty rags - whatever scraps she could find in the trash, fashioned into a sort of loose tunic and breeches. That made it easier for her to pretend she was a male - they got bothered less. That's one thing this Curse... did he , call it Talent? is good for... Saje had found out that she could take the small scraps of fabric, put the edges together, and then do what she had done with the chair in her childhood. The threads would then weave into each other, making a piece of fabric with no seam.

"Saje," he rolled her name, testing it as one might test a fine wine. For some reason, that made her blush furiously, and she hid behind her bangs. Nodding, as if in approval, he sat down again. "Please, be seated."

The young boy who had been silent the whole time climbed up on a chair and yelled, "Food!" Then he began eating in earnest. Saje sat down, still blushing, and timidly reached for a piece of bread, which she began to nibble on.

Shadow stroked his chin and simply watched her, as he thoughtfully chewed on a piece of bread dipped in gravy. "Pin," he said. The child and Saje both stopped eating and looked at him. "What pin?" Saje asked. Dramatically extending a finger, he pointed at the child. In a deep voice he intoned, "Henceforth shall thy name be Pin, for thou art skinny as a pin! Eat child!"

With that he burst into laughter, and before long they were all laughing, it was so infectious.

After calming down, they ate in silence for some time. With a sigh, Shadow lifted himself from the table. "I have rooms for the both of you upstairs. Saje, yours is the first one on the right, Pin, yours is the first on the left." At the hallway he paused. "Any questions?"

"Yeah!" piped up Pin, "Waz my left?"

With a laugh, Shadow said, "I'm sure Saje can tell you... when you go up to bed, take the lamp from the table. Goodnight!" And with that, he disappeared into the shadows of the hall.

Saje turned to Pin, "Well, how does Pin suit you? Mr. Shadow didn't seem to care what you thought of it?"

Pin shrugged and took another bite of turkey. "Seemz ta fit me well 'nuf. En he did ask."

"Oh really? I didn't hear him."
"Course not, hezonly spoke in my head," he replied with a look as if Saje were the child.

"Oh," She said simply. Pin was still eating like it was his last meal. It may be his first meal, she thought to herself. She wasn't terribly hungry, but she was extremely curious. Standing up she stretched and began to look closer at her surroundings. Most buildings in Central had no windows, and if they did they were little more than holes in the wall. This room was one of the former. With a start she realized that she couldn't hear any noise from the square. Moving towards the front of the room she put her ear against the wall. Nothing! That was rather odd.

Looking around the room some more she realized that she couldn't see the door they came in. Well, he did say it was a secret door... but still! She looked around where she remembered coming in, but nothing. That's frustrating.

It was then that Pin yawned. Turning around she noticed his head was hanging low and his eyes were shut. Smiling softly she lifted him over her shoulder and grabbed the lamp. "I never took nofin!" Pin mumbled, "He gave all that food to me!"

Rubbing his back, Saje softly said, "Oh, of course... sleep well, little Pin."

It was unfamiliar being inside, and the lamplight sent shadows flickering in odd shapes against the wall. Making it to the next room, she saw a rough-hewn door to her right, barred tightly. That must lead outside. To the left was a staircase, and the rest of the room had plain walls, with nothing to see, so she began climbing the stairs. At the top of the stairs, she found Pin's room, and opened the door.

The sight was amazing to her. It was a room almost as large as her entire home had been. At the side of the room was a large bed with several soft blankets and real sheets. She lay Pin down under the covers and quietly left the room, leaving his door cracked. Stepping back outside she looked down the hall. There were four more doors on each side, and a door at the end of the hall. Saje was torn between exploring more and going to bed. Well, it should still be here tomorrow, She thought to herself, and opened the door to her room.

To Saje, it was like a dream. The room was larger than any room she had ever been in, possibly twice the size of the room Pin was in. There was a basin on a table with a pitcher of water, and an amazingly large bed. She was afraid to touch it, that if she did, she would wake up in a garbage pile and find out this was all a dream. There was a metal disc on her bed, about the thickness of her finger and about the size of her hand. Reaching out, she touched it, and she had the sensation of something metal roll up her arm to the back of her neck. It's quite alright, came Shadow's voice in her mind. It's called a thought-recorder. One can leave a thought recording in it that will play upon touch. You will be able to touch it again without the thought playing, but if you'd like to hear this again, simply think my name. I hope the room suits you, and Pin is comfortable as well. I doubt if you've ever had a bath, but if you'd like to try one out, just open the door there across from your bed, and you'll find another thought-recorder.

Saje thought the idea of a bath sounded interesting, so she opened the door and went in. This room was almost half the size of the bedroom. The room was covered with tile, and soft lamps gave off a dim glow. On one side was a large round basin filled with water. On the edge there were two knobs, and another thought recorder. On the other side of the room was a counter the full length of the room with several large fluffy towels, and a few pieces of fabric. There was also a large surface on the wall that Saje recognized as a mirror. Her eyes widened in fascination. One that large must have cost a fortune. Again she wondered what this dream was, and hoped she wouldn't ever wake up.

Touching the thought recorder, it gave her directions on how to use the bath. Take off your clothes, and climb in. Lift up on the red knob and it gets hotter. Lift up on the blue knob and it gets colder. Use the washcloth to scrub the dirt off. What a strange concept. Saje thought. She had never worried about the dirt before, after all, she slept in the garbage piles. Oh well! It's something new to try I suppose.

And with that she disrobed and climbed in.

---

And that's where we must end for now! Perhaps more sometime later this week...

More Story

So... I want to write a book/story/whatever.

So I'm going to post random bits & pieces of story and writing and things here for those of you who deign to read it.

And we begin...

----

A pair of dark green eyes peered out of the narrow alleyway. They belonged to a figure crouched in the shadows. As dusk fell over the town, the alley was a safe place to hide. Mud and garbage from the street oozed into the alley, clogging it with the stench of rotting vegetables, horse dung, and a thousand other offensive smells. It didn't matter to the form huddled there behind a pile of broken barrels.

The town of Ralenby sprawled out like a small spot of cancer on the green countryside. At first sight, the casual observer would think there had been little or no planning to the layout of the town. Those few who actually visited knew there had been no planning. Ralenby had no central government, the only semblance was the well to-do families on the outskirts of town. They owned the land on the outskirts Ralenby and had enough money and land to hire guards to keep the rabble towards the center of town. That's where the filth and scum lived and played, as well as those who were unlucky enough to be born there. When the lower class began to swell outwards, like a dead spot in a rotting flesh, the outside of town would grow to get away from them. The effect was not unlike a ring, growing larger with every passing year, as families tried to move outward away from the ever growing population from the center.

The young female crouched in the alley was a Central. At least that's what the Outers called those unlucky souls from the inside of town. She had been born the youngest of six children in a poor family near the center of Ralenby. Her father worked at a tavern there, and would often come home raging drunk.

Her mother was a rather unattractive, partially overweight wench who sold her body during the day. In the center of Ralenby you could find escapes however you took them. The drugs her mother took to keep her "clients" from seeding her had the side effect of making her extra fertile after they wore off when she came home. That created the unpleasantly large family she was born into. Her parents were rarely home, which turned out to be a good thing for Saje. Born with Talent, she began displaying signs when she was three years old. The bed she shared with the three other girls broke one day, and fearing their father's wrath, the older girls began to cry. Saje calmly touched the bed, and the broken wood reached out and began to twine itself back together. Her sisters wouldn't look at her for a week and she didn't know why.

Saje was five years old when her parents found out she had Talent. Her mother had come home and tripped over a small shoe that one of her sisters left in the doorway. Landing on a chair, her mother broke one of the legs. Raising in a fury she started for Saje's sister. Again, Saje calmly walked over and touched the chair.

When the chair repaired itself like the bed had, her mother yelled at the other girls, "GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW!" Wheeling on Saje, her mother grabbing her by the hair, and pulled Saje face to face. Tears stung Saje's eyes as her mother's sour breath burned Saje's nose, "You think that's a pretty trick, don't you?" Her mother hissed, "Well I won't have any Curse in my house! Get out of here and NEVER COME BACK, CURSED WENCH!" As her mother finished her tirade, Saje felt herself flung across the narrow street, landing in a crumpled heap. With tears pouring from her eyes, Saje pulled herself up to her knees. Through her tears she didn't see her mother fling the chair. It hit her in the forehead, knocking Saje to the dusty street. Crying out in pain, she tried rolled over and tried to lift herself up. Saje collapsed to her side in pain, her left eye swollen with a cut above her eyebrow pouring blood down the side of her face. In a mixture of sadness and pain, Saje looked at the only home she had known. The small face of her sister disappear behind the dirty rag that served as a curtain. Hearing the wails of her sister, and with the loud smack of wood on flesh, Saje passed out.

Waking with a start, Saje realized she had that nightmare again. It happened to her every now and then. She would doze off, only to be awakened by the sound of Alainaa's screams. Absentmindedly touching the scar above her left eye, Saje thought back to those times. She had heard of the Curse before, as her sisters took her to one of the market. Those who had it were beaten or spit upon, or more often, both. She didn't know what it was or why, but she knew there would be no mercy for her if people knew. So that horrible night so long ago, she pulled herself into an alley and curled up behind a pile of garbage and fell asleep. She didn't even startle the rats that were feeding there. It became a pattern for her life, those past nine years. She would hide in an ally for a few days, venturing out only for a few hours at night, when it was busy enough that she could hide among the crowds. Sometimes she was able to steal a bite of good food to eat, or some scraps of food that someone dropped. But more often than not she didn't have anything to eat.

Stretching out she looked down at herself, Then why am I not skinny at all? She wondered as she did most every day. With a rare bite to eat, I should be wasting away... still I suppose I'm alive. I guess that counts for something. Looking around she noticed that the lamps were out and people had congregated on the streets.

The crowds were so much thicker at night. Crouching in the shadows by the mouth of the alley, she watched the crowds. She had learned little more about this Curse in the last nine years. She had learned if you showed you had this Curse, it might get you killed. She had seen at least three people killed in the last month, and at least twice more beaten to a pulp. The one thing she did know about this curse, whatever it was - she was able to heal broken bones and some cuts. Whenever she saw someone beaten, as soon as they were left alone she would drag them into an alley, if they were alive. Then she would press her hands to their bones or flesh and the would would weave itself back together.

Snapping back to the present, Saje saw her opening and quickly slipped out of the alley into the crowd of people. Mingling with the crowd, she paused to look around. The sun had set and the darkness in the square was pierced by the shifting lamplights. She marveled at the variety of people, there were folks dressed in rags begging on street corners, folks juggling or performing tricks for small coin. There were folks selling their bodies, men, women, and children alike. Saje never looked too close at those people...

"Hey it's a Cursed!" Someone shouted. Tensing, Saje turned. It seemed as though the entire crowd had stopped, and turned to look at her. It was a sea of eyes, shining red, reflecting the lamp light. How did they know? The thought raced through her mind. She hadn't done anything!

Someone in the front of the crowd stepped towards her, his red, glowing eyes set in a chiseled mask of anger.

---

To be continued!

A Short Story.

"Chinmoku-Chan", he said softly, "I... I'm not quite sure what it is that I'm trying to say." At a loss for words, Risou could only look at her.

It was a chilly fall afternoon, and the sun was low in the sky, the naked trees casting long shadows across the park where they met. Chinmoku was standing a few steps away from Risou, arms across her chest. Her eyes were brimmed with tears, and she said nothing, hugging herself against the cold.

Beautiful. For some reason the thought struck him as Risou looked at her in the light of the setting sun. A wry smile twisted his lips, Not that she looks any less beautiful at any time. Baka! Your head keeps running away like that, she probably thinks you're laughing at her or something! He thought to himself.

Softening his expression, Risou again spoke quietly. "Of course I care about you! Would I continue these efforts if I didn't? If I didn't care, I would walk away right now... but I can't ever walk away." Risou began blinking back the tears. "Baka! I can't ever talk about these things!"

Chinmoku tried her hardest not to smile. It was so hard because he was so darn cute when he got flustered.

Rubbing his eyes, Risou sighed and began again. "If you could only see how I felt about you, Moku-Chan!" Shaking his head, "But I just don't have the words. I don't think you're stupid... although you do some things I think are... not very bright." Chinmoku raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. "Ahh... I do too... do dumb things that is." Sighing again and dropping his head, Risou said, "Look... you have a boyfriend already... I don't want to get in the way. Besides... I don't think I want a girl who would drop her boyfriend for the next best thing to come along... after all - what happens when the best thing comes along after me?"

Chinmoku looked thoughtfully at Risou, who looked questioningly back at her.

THE END!

I hope you enjoyed it...