‘We’ll be at their home soon.’ Alex shivered as thought about Auntie Helena. She was a hunter and a Peak Vigil, a stage above her husband. Something about that clearly made her mad, as she was always strangely aggressive, although rarely towards him or his siblings.
‘Poor Uncle Sam.’ Soon enough, they arrived at his apartment. After a quick check with the guard, Alex was knocking on Uncle Sam's door. Before long, a hand reached out of the door and grabbed him. Already prepared for what was about to happen, he resigned himself to his fate as he was dragged into a tight hug. His lungs felt like bursting from Helena’s strength.
“Alex! How’s my boy doing?”
“I ame dooin gweath, Mrs-” Alex gasped as Helena finally released him.
“Sorry, did I hug you too hard?”
“No no, nothing like that! I’m perfectly fine, Mrs Lane.” Helena continued to look at Alex sceptically for a second.
“Well, if you say so. But remember, call me Auntie Helena, not Mrs Lane.” Helena said disapprovingly.
“Yes, of course, Auntie Helena!” Alex cursed himself. He always panics when he sees her, and all thoughts run out of his brain. It ends up making him forget nearly every time. For such an old woman, she looked younger than her years and was still very strong. Her hair was red and only went up to her shoulder. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald green. And her skin was tanned from all the time she spent outside.
“Archie, Zara, come here and greet your Auntie!” The two nervously stepped up and also got hugged torturously.
“Well come in, standing outside will do you no good.”
Alex entered the house, taking off his shoes. Compared to his own home, Uncle Sam’s house was pretty cosy and warm. A delicious aroma filled the home with its scent, and Archie seemed ready to start flying towards its source.
“Hold your horses.” Alex whispered to Archie before he shot off.
“Come on children, let me lead you to the dining table.” The four approached the table, where Uncle Sam was already sitting down, watching the news on a floating screen.
“Nice for all of you to join us tonight.” The older man looked away from the screen, which blinked into non-existence.
“Thank you, Uncle Sam.” Alex replied first.
Meanwhile, Helena broke out into a rant.
“Sam, why are always so lazy? Can’t even get up for a second to greet them at the door.” Helena complained loudly.
“Uncle Sam!” Archie ran straight into the old man’s open arms. Zara followed behind him and shyly bowed. Sam scooped Archie up and acknowledged Zara back.
“That’s the little Archie I know.” The old man tickled Archie’s stomach, earning a chorus of laughter.
“Well the food will be ready soon, I’ll do the finishing touches.” Helena said as she headed off to the kitchen. Small flames rose from her fingers and gently brushed the food as it cooked.
The circular table was small, but they barely managed to squeeze 5 chairs together around it. Soon enough, lots of dishes containing all sorts of meat were laid out. Without a moment of hesitation, Archie was already digging in. The Thorns were not used to having meat, having lived off stale bread and tasteless soup for the majority of their days. Most meat they did have was generously donated by Auntie Helena.
“This is so nice!” Zara exclaimed after a few bites. And Alex wholeheartedly agreed. Everything from the taste to the texture to the smell and looks complemented each other. The herbs and sauces adorned on the meat gave it an otherworldly taste. Well for someone like Alex anyway.
“So much!” Archie barely spoke through his full mouth.
“Yesterday’s harvest was particularly good. There were way more prey than usual.” Helena explained. Auntie Helena hunted at the edge of Forest Arbor. It was just a little way off Inops City, to the north west. If you headed past the Inops Mountains and then headed north, you would reach its edge. While the outer perimeter was relatively safe, and only had a few 1st tier monsters, it extended far deeper. Many even said it was the largest forest on the continent.
As the dinner drew on, the 5 talked amongst each other, a jovial atmosphere filling the house.
Eventually, Sam got up and beckoned Alex to come with him. Confused, he got up and followed him to another room. At first, the elder was silent, staring at his junior as if contemplating his words. Then, with conviction in his eyes, he spoke up.
“Alex, listen. I know of your struggles.” Sam said out of nowhere. Alex was caught off guard, but just as he was about to deny it, Uncle Sam cut him off.
“Please Alex, we both know the truth.”
The boy fell silent, before speaking up.
"What are you getting at Uncle?"
“Your high school entrance exams are coming up, right? Not to mention your awakening.”
Alex couldn't deny it, as this was true of all people his age.
"You must understand its importance. Your entire future life's trajectory will depend on this." Uncle Sam continued. "That's why I sent you to Inops Court, even though it's in the Inner West Sector. Every little helps in the examination."
'I know all this.' The youngling thought.
"Thus, I've brought you some 1st tier armour. It's not the best among its rank, but I tried my best." The older man finished. Alex gasped. It was the lowest tier of armour that had magic, but it was still prohibitively expensive.
“What, really?” Everything was coming at Alex too quickly, the information overwhelming him. "No, I can't accept that."
Even before the words escaped his mouth, he already knew the sneaky tactics that the old man would use again. Uncle Sam was gloating, knowing the same thing.
"Well, it doesn't matter if you don't want it, as Zara and Archie need you to succeed."
'Old man, can't you be original for once.' With a sigh, Alex accepted his fate.
"It just needs a few finishing touches, meet me here on Sunday." Uncle Sam continued. "I nearly forgot to mention, Helena thinks you are old enough now. She's going to take you to Forest Arbor for some survival training."
Survival and navigation formed most of the practical side of the examination. It seemed a bit old fashioned, but a major belief among humans and other races is that you must be able to survive outside the walls with next to no tools. Especially if you intended to be a mage. While mages contributed to lots of different fields, battle mages constituted the largest proportion. How that played out in reality was a different story.
"I will be there."
"Good lad." The older man looked like he was done with what he had to say.
“Uncle Sam, I won’t ever forget this kindness.” Alex suddenly said, just before Uncle Sam left the room.
“Alex, you are making me embarrassed.” Uncle Sam was taken aback by Alex’s sincerity.
‘All these adversaries that he has faced… It’s caused him to mature far beyond his age.’
“Let’s return to the dining table, they must be waiting for us.” Sam said.
The 2 headed back. The food was already turning cold, but they already had their fill. Everyone continued talking. It was as if the conversation they just had, had never happened. Once it was getting really late, Alex bid the couple goodbye. Any longer, and certain streets would start to become dangerous. Helena volunteered to walk them to their house, but Alex rejected.
After saying their farewells, the 3 siblings were back on the street, heading back home.
“That was so yummy! I want more of Uncle Sam’s food!” Archie spoke as he hopped around.
“Archie, we won’t be coming back so quickly. Be patient.” Zara reprimanded.
“Come on you two, stop dallying.” Alex said, and they sped up towards their apartment. Before long, they were inside, changing into clothing suitable for sleep.
“It’s a Saturday tomorrow, but you two better still go to sleep quickly.”
“Yes, bossy man.” Zara giggled. Archie complained loudly as they all headed off to their room to sleep. Slowly, the house plunged into silence, only some noise from outside permeating.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
***
Rain endlessly fell from the dark sky. A gentle pattering sound could be heard against the roof. The wind whistled as if annoyed it couldn’t reach inside the house. A thunder strike shook Alex awake.
‘Why did I have to wake up at such an ungodly hour?’
As usual, Alex had work tomorrow. Or today, considering the time now. Then as suddenly as the thunder had awakened him, another change occurred in his surroundings. The rain faded away into nothing, and the wind quietened. A chill spread throughout Alex’s entire body. Suddenly wide awake, he looked to his left.
‘Zara, Archie, where are they?!’ He immediately jumped up, his eyes bloodshot. Hoping it was just some cruel prank, he quickly looked under the beds. Nothing. The wardrobe? Nothing. He rushed out of the bedroom into the living room. And then he stopped.
It was hard to make out, due to the darkness, but slowly Alex’s eyes adjusted. Two figures stood in front of him, completely inanimate. No, it was more accurate to describe them as corpses. Too large to be his siblings. Their half decomposed faces bore into Alex. He took a step back. He wanted nothing more than to scream his lungs out.
‘What is happening? For Lumen’s sake, what-’ Just as he was about to sprint around them, he suddenly froze. From the deep fragments of his memories, a suppressed feeling rose up.
“Mum? Dad?” He whispered.
The male corpse in front of him finally moved, a guttural growl escaping its mouth.
“What happened to you?”
Against his better judgment, Alex moved towards the creatures. His hand started to stretch out.
“I’ve missed you so much, please come back.”
And then he halted his movements.
‘No, these aren’t my parents. I must find Zara and Archie!’
“Zara, Archie! Are you in here?” He shouted while his hand reached out to the object next to him.
‘No response. They are unlikely to be in the house. I must gamble and head out.’
Immediately, he grabbed a chair. Strength that he didn't know he even had erupted from his hands., as he threw the chair at the abominations. As the furniture hit them, the two corpses were momentarily thrown back. The male corpse received most of the impact from the chair.
‘Their reactions seem to be slow. As expected of corpses.’
Wasting no time, Alex sprinted for the entrance. He managed to run past them.
‘What even is this? Some twisted necromancer magic? But it’s forbidden.’
The female corpse recovered first. It suddenly screeched and launched at him. Alex quickly stepped left, his reaction barely saving him. The creature flew past him and crashed into the door. Miraculously, the door held strong.
‘Shit, my exit is blocked now. I can’t afford to waste time here.’
Alex was worried. He was just a normal human and stood no chance against creatures of magical origin. Not to mention their existence implied the existence of something behind them.
‘A mage, and a highly ranked one at that. They probably took Alex and Zara.’
If such a mage targeted him and his family, their destruction was all but assured.
‘No, I can’t get distracted. I must save them regardless.’
He rapidly looked around his house. He needed to find an escape route. But outside of the door's entrance, there wasn't really any other choice. So he needed to get the female corpse away from the entrance. What could he utilise?
'Think Alex, think!' His mind went into overdrive, considering as many possibilities as he could. Faced with the prospect of death, each cell in his body was invigorated to their maximum potential.
There, the windows! Like the rest of this apartment, their quality was subpar too. Compared to those monsters, they were easily broken and fragile.
Alex heard another growling sound as the male corpse began facing him. Its lifeless eyes seemed to glow with indignation.
Alex immediately ran straight at the window. The monster followed behind. Jumping up, the boy seemingly braced for impact. The monster lunged.
Smash! The sound of glass shattering filled the otherwise silent atmosphere. Alex was relieved, watching the monster fall into the depths of the city. In his panic, he didn't notice the abnormal emptiness of the streets below.
He timed his jump so he landed gently against the window, his light weight barely affecting it, and then immediately jumped to the side. It was risky, going for the same trick twice. Yet it seemed the corpses weren't exactly great at learning. He turned around, the other creature getting up at the same time.
'I just have to get past it. I need a distraction.'
He picked up a pillow from the sofa, watching as the corpse's claw stretched towards him. He threw it and immediately stepped back. The monster shrieked, disappointed in striking nothing but fluff.
As Alex watched the fluff fill the room, an idea formed in his mind. He needed something to obscure its vision. He slowly stepped back, the monster busily ripping the distasteful pillow into pieces. He doubted it was distracted enough for him to sneak around it.
For once, the boy was glad the kitchen was attached to the living room. Opening a cabinet, he got out a bag of flour, some leftover ingredients from before. The female corpse looked back at him, the cabinet's squeaky hinge alerting it. It went on all fours, running at Alex at full speed.
'It's an undead. Will flour on its eyes have the same effect as on a human?' Alex realised at the last second. Oh well, it was too late. He threw the entire bag at the creature, flour erupting out. It got everywhere, including the monster's eyes.
Thankfully, it seemed to work. The monster clawed at its eyes, and Alex took the opportunity to run past it.
'Despite being a corpse, it seemed its eyes still function closely enough to a living human's.' Alex thought. However, he had no further time to contemplate the anatomy of an undead as he approached the apartment's door.
Thrusting it open, he ran through without a second thought.
‘Soil?'
He then took notice of his surroundings. Forest! Trees as far as the eye could see in all directions. The square block that was his home was all that differed in this repeating pattern of trees.
‘No, this doesn’t make any sense. This doesn’t make any sense!’
Not giving Alex any time to relax, the female corpse seemed to recover from its temporary blindness too.
“You monster! What have you done!” Alex screamed as he ran towards it. His hand punched out, yet what looked like the remains of his mothers barely attempted to defend itself. Due to the monster's tough skin, his hand was the only thing that was damaged. But he drove through the pain, his mind losing all sense of rationality. His hand collided again with the zombie’s face.
A strange sensation graced his hand. Mushy yet hard, it was very peculiar. The monster barely flinched. And then it lashed out, its sharp claws scratching at Alex.
‘Shit, I’ve got to calm down.’
Alex, realising his foolishness, stepped back. But it was already too late. His right hand was already limping weakly beside him.
‘No, no, no! Why is this happening?’
Another screech was heard as the male corpse appeared through the window. It looked to be barely functioning, yet it still moved.
‘I can’t fight them, and I have no idea where Zara and Archie are. I should just try to get away.’
Alex turned around and attempted to sprint into the forest.
‘I can’t help them if I’m dead. I must stay aliv-’
Before he could process another thought, a hand grabbed his ankle. Losing his balance, Alex stumbled forward, his face planting into the ground. And in that instance, the zombies were on him, chewing away at his body. The pain was indescribable. Alex screamed out until his throat was hoarse.
‘No, how could it end this way! I have so much to do, so much to prove!’
Alex could feel his life sipping away. He lay in a pool of his own warm blood. He had attempted to struggle, but it was futile. The monster’s strength greatly exceeded that of his own.
‘I failed you two. Forgive me.’
The male corpse turned to look at his face. It grinned maliciously and spoke its first words.
“Wake up!”
It then launched at his face, and everything turned dark.
Gasping, Alex shot up. Two worried little faces were staring at him.
“Brother?” Zara whispered. Fear coloured her eyes.
‘Was it just a dream?’
Alex hugged his siblings and started crying. They started to sob back, their salty tears covering his shirt. For a few moments, that’s all the siblings did, letting loose all the feelings they had bottled. As the eldest, Alex regained his composure first. Wiping his eyes, he questioned softly.
“Zara, what happened?”
“You were screaming. Archie and I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn’t respond.” She spoke quietly, as if afraid Alex would get mad.
“I’m sorry, I just had a bad dream.” Alex gently consoled.
‘Is it coming back? I thought I had finally gotten over their deaths, but I was wrong.’
He placed one hand each on their shoulders.
“As long as you two are here with me, everything is fine.”
Alex calmed them down, and they finally started to relax.
“I am so sleepy!” Archie yawned loudly, and rested his head against Alex, falling asleep instantly. Alex didn’t bother moving him, glad of his presence. Before long, Zara also fell asleep beside him, her hand tightly gripping his. In the darkness, his eyes shone determinedly.