“What do you mean?”, said Colin, “It’s absurd”;

“Remain here”, said Alice, dropping him on the ground, with the back against the stone bed. When her gaze shiften to the dead boy, her eyes widened, “Why?”;

“That’s what I thought”, he said, “Maybe I should give it a closer look”;

“It’s already dead, Felix, what do you hope to find?”. A clue about the cause of death would be a starter. He raised the sheet only to find it unmovable, “He’s been tied on it”. He pulled it, but it didn’t move of an inch.

“Maybe I should use the knife”. Her hand smacked on his cheek, leaving a burning sensation, “What are you doing!?”;

“Do you think you have a right to disrespect the dead? If he was your brother, would you want strangers sticking their nose around his body? Do you?”;

He won’t take orders from a high school girl. “This is none of your business”, he said, and raised his knife, “Stay back”.

She made a step forward, “You don’t scare me”, she said, staring in his eyes and with closed fists. She was tougher than he expected;

“I don’t care”, he said, “Let me do my job and nobody will get hurt”. Has she realized that he was the one holding the knife?

“I won’t let you”, she said, “What are you going to do? Stab me?”. Colin groaned, but both of them ignored him.

“If you don't stop behaving like a fool, yes, I might”. He was just trying to scare her. The whole situation was starting to get dumber and dumber.

“Please”, said a grating voice, “I’m sure that you two can find a compromise”, and he ended the sentence with a laugh. Felix turned to a small bald man, with an even smaller head, wearing rags and holding a stick. His yellow eyes, hidden by many wrinkles and sagging skin, were darting from Felix to Alice.

“Who are you?”, said Felix;

“Just a humble servant. Call me the Keeper”, he showed a wide grin with small and pointy teeth, “As you can see, it’s not very common to see living people around these parts”;

“Did you make all of this?”;

“It’s my job after all”, he said, “But it’s no good talking outside at this hour, especially when one of your friends is ill”. Colin wasn’t his friend, “Follow me, and I’ll answer all of your questions. My abode isn’t far off”. He might be the first native person he found; maybe he could tell something him about this world

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“Fine. Show me the way”.

“With pleasure”. It was strange that people still talked his language after five hundred years, but it was something he’ll have to think about later.

As he walked, he found that the dead people weren’t going to stop; instead, their number rose, and sometimes there was a bed occupied by two or three of them. The old man's house was in a small oasis, with three palms growing around a small stretch of water, on which the sun was gleaming. A canal poured its waters to the near garden behind the tent, made of strips of small plants.

When he talked about his ‘abode’, he didn’t image it was a tent made with sheets stitched together and sticks reinforcing the walls at the corners. He had to crouch to get inside, and Alice dropped Colin on a stool. On a corner, there was a rack full of rolled scrolls; one of which had been opened over a stool, with a quiver and a small bottle of black ink.

The Keeper lit the colored candles around the clay statue in the middle of the tent, which one half had long hair and large breasts, and the other one a beard. He kneeled in front of it and closed his eyes.

“That statue looks weird”, said Felix;

“Hush, don’t you see he’s praying”, said Alice, nudging him with her elbow.

“What’s that statue about?”, he said

“You shouldn’t…”, Alice nudged him again. The Keeper turned towards them, “It’s not a problem, I’m open to everyone who wants to know about the faith”, he said, “But I’m not a priest, so I can’t tell you much about the One and Only”;

“What are you praying for?”, said Felix, and Alice furrowed her eyebrows towards him.

“I pray for better times, for the ones who left us and for your ill friend”;

“That will sure make me feel better”, said Colin, and coughed, “That’s stupid”, he whispered, avoiding from being heard by the Keeper, but Alice sighed, “Don’t say that, please”.

“Is there something like a civilization beyond this desert?”, said Felix;

“Plenty”, he said, “But are you worthy of it?”;

“I don’t understand”;

“You’ll need to go beyond the wall to find other people, but I don’t know much about them anymore”, he sighed, “I have banished sixty years ago”;

“You must feel alone”, said Alice;

“It’s better this way. Some people don’t deserve to live with the others, but sometimes an adventurer might want to buy something from me”.

Colin groaned in pain, gripping his stomach, “I’m freezing”, he said;

“I may have something that can be useful”, said the Keeper, but Colin turned his back to him, “It doesn’t matter”, he said, “I’m OK”;

“You aren’t”, said Alice, “What can he do wrong?”;

“Is he a doctor?”, he said, covering himself, “He’s no use to me. I’m fine, really”. Alice bit his lip, and lowered her gaze, “Ok, then”. It wasn’t Felix’s business.

“Are you really sure, young boy?”;

“I am, leave me be”. The Keeper sighed, “Well, I can’t do anything if you’re not willing”. Alice was shaking her head, “Do you have an idea what might his illness be?”;

“Have you been bitten by a worm, boy?”;

“Maybe”. The Keeper lowered his gaze, “If that’s what I’m thinking of, and he survived the first hours, then he will make it”;

“For real?”, said Alice, taking Colin’s hand between hers, “He said you’re going to make it”. Colin answered with a grunt, while she was wiping some tears from her eyes, giving her back to the old man. The Keeper shook his head, “Poor boy”, he said, and his gaze fixed on Felix. His long nail drew around his neck, “Kill him”, his lips said.