I thrashed and slayed beasts and men and women who continued to launch themselves at me. The hags of Ontiveros, the three women covered in black shadow. They approached as if to attack, but when they came close they stopped fighting as my blade swept down into them, splitting great gushes of putrid, stale blood as I cut them down one after another. A lit the corner of my vision and I spun and reached for my pistol. It wasn’t there, I raised my shield and charged with my blade leveled to stab out. I saw the finger close around the trigger as the barrel lit. I wasn’t going to make it. My throat constricted as breath refused to enter my lungs.
Then I woke up.
An attack! I scanned the room to get a feel on what the hell was going on, but there was… nothing. Also I could breathe just fine.
Not going back to sleep, I rinsed my night-sweating body off in a quick shower and dressed as I tried to shift my mood toward basking in the feeling of an uninterrupted morning. I pulled the drapes open and took in the predawn light which was just starting to touch the sky.
Positioning my sword-belt and holster around my waist, I moved aside the detritus and opened the door to the hallway. Peeking up and down the corridor, I saw nothing and no one. Nice.
I found myself pacing down hallways and through corridors with no real destination in mind. I also took in my surroundings in more detail. There was a real gothic look to the whole place, the arched passageways and ornate stone jarred somewhat-severely with the modern style that had been imposed on it since its original construction.
Maybe I’d do these morning walks more often, it was really quite nice.
As the sun approached its duty for the day, I found my feet naturally pulling me toward a place where I could watch it. I turned a corner and saw the spot it would occupy a split second before it did. I stood there, on the side of the winery, grape trees spread out in long wild rows before me and felt… peace.
It was different from ‘safe’, ‘relaxed’, or even ‘peaceful’. I was truly at Peace. The sun warmed my haggard face and I closed my eyes to soak it fully in. After a handful of seconds of that, to not miss the beauty of the sun spreading across the incredibly overgrown vineyard, I met the sun directly with my eyes.
I am energized. The light poured into me through my eyes, a dark mood that had been creeping into me over the last couple of days burnt itself away. It combined with the world’s most powerful cup of coffee… No. If you’ve ever had pure liquid cacao, it was something like that but even cleaner and much, much stronger. Stronger than anything, a dump of endorphins and serotonin and whatever else goes on in the brain, a smooth energy that left me full up.
The deep sense of right only lasted as long as it took the sun to fully occupy its dutiful position. When it did, the feeling smoothed out and sank deep inside me. I loosely made my way back to my room, almost riding a high but smoother than anything I’d ever experienced.
I realized how… clouded my head had been, only noticing it now in contrast as I could feel the edges of my mind once again. Time to hop back on the salty water wagon.
I was caught off guard by an awfully lifelike gargoyle sculpture that seemed to jump out of the wall. I studied it, incredibly intricate, creepy and nearly lifelike. If I owned the place I would have taken an axe to it, ISIS-statue style. I didn’t care how old it was, it creeped me out.
There was a series of sniffling huffs that accompanied a weak scratch on a door.
That’s right. “Hey Pookie.”
The door vibrated half-heartedly.
“I can’t chat with another guest?”
A growl, deep and thrumming. A sweep of anxiety rushed into me as I was transported to the remote campsite I had begun all of this in. No prickling sense of anxiety resting uncomfortably on the back of my neck. Aka no nemesis. That fact brought me out of it, only an elevated heart rate and a bit of new sweat still accompanied the faded memory.
“No, not going to attack you. How can you tell I’m nervous? Wait, why did you say you recognized me?”
“You can tell that all with your nose?
I guess I could. Dogs were annoyingly perceptive. Had they just been creepy watching us for thousands of years, taking it all in? I guess they were our main survival buddies for long enough to have some pretty unique insight into how we think. I just wished they weren’t so philosophical about it all.
“Do you smell lots of people coming by?”
I pulled out a half-eaten bag of beef jerky from my bag and fed a piece under the door.
“Nothing like that, I was thinking we might work together.”
“You sound like you have a good sniffer, so you know it’s safe to eat.”
I slid another piece under the door, “Who else have you smelled coming by this door?”
He didn’t answer so I slid another piece under.
Promiscuous? Temptress? I didn’t take Pookie for such a prude.
“Vivi?”
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“Wait, what does that mean?”
Well… That was fucking creepy. Thank God for Duck.
“How about the night before last?”
“The first night you smelled me.”
There was a pause, I slipped another piece of jerky under the door which vibrated intensely as Pookie slammed his head against the wall to snatch it up.
I didn’t bother to correct Pookie that we don’t call our females that word, it’d probably be lost on him.
“Yes! Yes, what else can you tell me?”
That wasn’t a lot of information, I wasn’t quite sure why he couldn’t get more information by the scent. Vivi’s description had been much more detailed.
“You can’t tell more?”
“What is my scent like?”
“You can smell ‘good’ and ‘bad’?” He was pulling my chain.
Damn. I hated being mentally dunked on by dogs, I mean, I really disliked it. It had only happened twice so far but it was also only like two weeks into the apocalypse. ‘Only twice’ was already twice more than I had allotted for my entire life. The thought definitely chapped my ass. Still, I’d give it to him.
“Fair point.”
Pookie hated everyone here. Considering that it was full of Humans and he was trapped in a room, that much was obvious. I was also the only person, currently alive, who could talk to animals around here. Pookie had killed the last one that could.
I felt the insurance salesman spidey-sense. The tingling-rush that any salesman worth his salt was well familiar with. There was a deal to be made here.
“Do you want to get out of there?”
The door rattled and I slipped another chunk of jerky under the door. This bag was running out and I wasn’t going to be opening my last bag. It was time to make a deal.
“Well, do you? I’m not going to keep coming by to feed you.”
Another word that should have been entirely too long for a trapped dog to know. They must have been spying on us.
“When I get you out of there, you help me in whatever I need to do.”
I rolled my eyes, “In exchange for your freedom, you will provide, for the length of a full-24-hour-day starting from the moment of your freedom, your utmost effort to assist myself, Sir Doubting Thomas, in whatever manner I need or request, in both word and spirit.”
A huff
“It’s called an Oath, it just makes sure that we both do what we promise. Relax into it and think of what you want.”
I heard the dog lay down
Oh? He added some changes, a little Oath-Negotiation, very interesting Pooks.
“I hear your Oath and would accept it, provided the compact of non-hostilities will last the full-day, regardless of either of our presences in this Land or another. My needs will not be directed toward causing you direct, intentional harm, but you will not shy from risk or danger in pursuit of my directives. So offered and accepted, my Word is my Bond.”
“So accepted, my Word is my Bond.”
I felt the Oath compact settle between us and lock. These were… very interesting. I wondered what the penalties were for breaking them. A niggling feeling also tickled somewhere deep in my mind, these were too useful and too powerful to not have some sort of downside. There had to be some sort of Monkey’s Paw type shit, even though I hadn’t found one so far. I was curious if there were limitations to them, but again, so far, I hadn’t come across any of those either.
I slid my last, and largest chunk of jerky under the door.
*Chomp chomp chomp*
“That comes when you’re released. You already have my Oath. Keep a nose out for scents.”
Though, technically, I guess I maybe wouldn’t need to release him from the room? He owed me for 24-hours when I released him, the timeframe of starting that period hadn’t been established.
An agreeable huff came from inside the door.
I stood up and turned the last few turns and empty hallways to find Vivi with her ear pressed against my door.
“What’s up Vivi?”
She shrieked and jumped. To be fair, I did wait until I was nearly behind her. After all, it wouldn’t do to disassociate myself from the ‘mysterious killer’-vibe. At least, not yet. Not around this unhinged, sexy maniac.
We walked in silence, at least on my part and made it to the dining hall with its gorgeous elevated view of the overgrown vineyard. The room was full of chatter and only the closest few tables quieted down to look me over. I couldn’t wait to get out of here.
“Where’s Morrigan?”
“He, uh, had stuff he had to do. An inventory, I think.”
“Huh.” He didn’t really strike me as the hands-on, responsible leader type. Still, I’d been wrong on that kind of stuff before.
I spied… “Who’s that?” I had recognized the guy as one of Morrigan’s ‘people’, but I really hadn’t seen him much at all.
“Jon?”
That’s right, suspenders dude. He wasn’t wearing them, I looked closer. Actually he was, they were just released and hanging under his arms.
“What does he do around here?”
“He’s basically Jeremy’s shadow, well, kind of anyway. He handles most of the secondary stuff around here.”
“Shouldn’t he be doing the, uh, inventory with Morrigan?”
She nodded slowly, thinking, “Maybe he stopped to grab a bite to eat?”
Sure, whatever. I grabbed a plate and filled it up with… What was I putting on it? Fucking pancakes, again.
She nodded and I headed over before loudly dropping my plate on the table and dropping myself heavily into the seat next to him, “Morning.”
He jumped and then scowled at me.
Why was he scowling at me?
“Did I offend you in some way?”
I mean, I was used to scowls, but I at least usually earn them in some way.
He shook his head, “Sincerest apologies. No, I’m just stressed about some of our supplies.”
I nodded and cut out a wedge of pancake then chewed. Before I finished my bite, “Worker or visitor?”
He gave me a questioning eyebrow. I had already talked to him and already knew he worked here, but it was good to get a baseline response from someone. I might have also been trying to poke at him a bit, see what he was made of. Or, at least, what he might be hiding.
“Before the apocalypse, did you work here or were you visiting?”
“I… I worked here. For Master Morrigan.”
I nodded and he continued, “Are you also helping Master Morrigan with something in particular? Something I can assist you with?”
I nodded, then realizing how he was interpreting my nod, I shook my head, “Nah, I got it handled. Thanks though. Beautiful day hu-”
He stood up in a rush, “Sincerest apologies, but there are some things I must take care of. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
I waved him off and watched him leave the room. Vivi said something but I wasn’t listening.
Sincerest apologies huh?