No! Quickly Alannah backed away from the warrior who had turned to his companion.  There was a terrible evil in the warriors eyes as he said "Brains" again.  He advanced.

His companion spared not one second.  With his sword he quickly thrust and took off his once friend's head.  Blood that was red but tinged with black splattered all over Alannah.  

"Many of my Elven friends in this past battle turned into those monstrosities during battle when they had been bitten or clawed."  The warrior said, moving quickly.  He went among the elvish dead picking up quiver after quiver and handing them to Alannah.  Then he took the friend he had just killed's sword and handed that to her as well.

"Take care of your little brother. I don't think I have much time left.  The burning sensation that he mentioned... I am starting to feel too.  When I change, kill me quickly.  Go to the ... Brains!"

Alannah backed away, but the elf she had just been talking too advanced upon her, she held the sword he had given to her out in front of her, but the elf didn't pay any attention.  Alannah began to cast her only fire spell.  As the elf just kept walking towards her.  

"Brains" it said as it the blade slid through its chest.  "Brains" it said as it continued to make its way slowly up the blade, as it emerged through its stomach and out its back. It reached out to grab Alannah, but her spell was cast first, and the once elf's clothes and then body burst into flames.  

Alannah backed away quickly as it flailed in the crackling roaring inferno it had once been.  

500 xp.  You still have unassigned stat points.

Part of her was in shock.  Another part of her wanted to fall down and cry, to curl up into a little ball and just quiver and ball and hope this terrible dream would just go away.  Yet another part of her brain noticed that she was still holding on to the sword the elf she had just killed had given her.  

The her little brother ran up to her and held her.  "Alannah!" he said.

"We need to make it to the caves" she said. "That's where the survivors went."

Taking her brother, hand in hand they ran through the forest.  They didn't see any of the monstrous figures, but they took no chances.  Alannah had her bow at the ready as she ran, and she had her brother carry some dried grass she'd gathered, twisted tightly into a kind of torch, and then lit on fire.  

When they got to the cave, there were 10 of the terrifying figures standing around the mouth.  This cave had been used for centuries, as a place to keep supplies like grains and certain tubers cool and safe.  As a place to age wine and to grow mushrooms.  Sometimes in the big rain storms that swept the continent every dozen years or so the Elves would take to these caves for safety.  Or when Dragons were seen overhead, or when the rumors of human mercenaries and armies were passing through the forest.  Long ago someone had installed secure doors that were firmly shut, keeping Alanah and the terrible beings out.  

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

There were only ten of them though, and that was worth a risk.  Moving backwards a distance, Alannah turned to her brother.  "Can you climb this tree and stay very quiet until I come back for you."

"Don't go Alannah," Timmus said.

"Shush.  Be very quiet.  It is very dangerous.  I go away for just a few minutes.  I promise will come back for you though.  But only if you climb this tree and stay very quiet and only come down if someone you know asks you to come down."

"Please Alannah, let me go with you."

It tore her up inside seeing her brother this scared.  But Alannah knew what she had to do.  

"Timmus, go up the Tree now.  And stay up there.  I am older than you and this is a command little warrior.  See, i have the sword and arrows and you do not.  That makes me a warrior and in times of war, warriors command little boys.  You wouldn't want me to tell the king that you didn't obey a command from a superior officer would you?"

Her brother looked at her in shock "You would tell on me.  To the king?'

"Yes.  He takes disobedience very seriously.  He might even lock you in a dungeon.  All because you wouldn't follow commands and climb this tree and stay silent."

With wide eyes and fear, the little boy climbed up the tree far up into the branches then he stopped moving and had Alannah not already known he was there she wouldn't have been able to see him at all.  

Quietly, Alannah crept back to the edge of the forest near the cave.  She too found a tree that she could climb.  Getting to a thick branch about 10 meters up she found an empty birds nest.  Dried twigs and banches and mud.  She straddled the branch and then hung her quiver in a branch near where her bow drawing hand would naturally rest when she released the string.  

Concentrating she lit the bird's nest on fire.  She sighted the menacing figures still clawing at the door to the cave.  She recognised some of these as being elves she'd grown up knowng.  Wasn't that elder... it didn't matter.  

Lighting her first arrow she released it from her bow.  Not even looking to see if it struck, she released a second and a third and a fourth arrow.  All of her arrows were on fire.  The mass of figures had turned to the new source of motion and were heading her way.  

Alannah shot again, and again, and again, and again.  Now the the two last beings stood beneath her tree and the words "Brains!" "Brains" drifted up to her from below.  Breathing deeply and shooting downward she shot once and then twice.  Both of these zombies were in flames below her tree, and then the base of the tall oak she had been hiding in itself caught fire.

900 xp. Level up x2! Please assign your stat points.