Kai’s Journey
A short excerpt
It was as far as I could go down the deserted road when I came to the town. I was dirty, exhausted and tired from my days travel. It was just like the rest of the towns and cities I had come across in my travels since this all started 10 years ago when the zombies were created. There were zombies walking around here and there in the town up ahead. But here where I now stood outside the town there had been a battle. Only this time it seemed different. It looked like some one or a group had fought back. There were some full of bullet holes and some all torn up. These were dead and they curiously weren’t getting back up. It looked like there had been two different battles. The bullet holed zombies were off in one area. I know that sometimes the military people liked to use them for target practice. They would shoot them in the head to kill them and then prop them up and use them for targets. Or they would make it more sporting by “tempting” them with food and winging them until they grew tired of their sport and shot them in the head. Curiously though there were others that had been cut up and torn who were a little way off to the left. The torn up ones looked to be a fresher battle.
Off in the distance I could hear this odd yet beautiful sound. Quickly I moved toward the sound to see where the danger might lie. I stayed in the shadows to keep from being seen by the other Zombies that might be lurking around in the darkened buildings of the town. The closer I got to the sound the more dead Zombies I found. The sound was now around the corner of the building that looked as if it might have once been a grocery store.
I paused to draw my sword and to peer around the corner into the alley. Slowly I peered around the corner of the building to find the most beautiful white dog I had ever seen, surrounded by Zombies. The animal was so beautiful I rushed to it’s aide not even thinking of the consequences. When it first spotted me it seemed to become more wary until I said
“Hold on, I came to help.”
I charged at the back of the group of Zombies hacking the first ones head off and stabbing the second one in the back of the head. By the time the third one fell that’s when they noticed me and turned toward me. The rest were still facing the dog. It was a desperate fight, I knew that any second the dog or I could be bitten by one of these things. I fought as hard and as fast as I could in hopes that the dog would be able to escape. That way this beautiful creature could live.
Finally I saw the last two fall. I turned to run but saw ten more come stumbling around the corner. That’s when something hard hit me in the head and I lost consciousness.
A throbbing headache woke me from my forced slumber. I reached up to rub my head when I noticed that my wrist’s were tied behind my back. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself in a cave like room.
Barren of any furniture or anything useful to cut the ropes that were currently binding my wrist’s. I looked up on a shelf that was above my head and saw my sword. I got to my knees and slouched till my knuckles touched the ground. I then slipped the rope under my feet so I could have my hands in front of me. Quickly I got to my feet and claimed my sword and released my hands. A sound at the doorway made me turn to face any danger that might be coming in. That is when I saw it. A pure white wolf slowly walking into the room and sat just in front of the doorway. She watched me as I lowered my sword to show no threat. As if satisfied to see that I was free she turned to leave.
“Wait, don’t go.” I called to the wolf.
She looked back as if she understood what I had just said. She then turned and walked out of the room. I belted my sword and I followed her.
We walked down a hall that curved and into another short hall. I saw her slip into a doggie door. I grabbed the door to open it but found that it was locked. I knocked to see if someone would answer the door. When no answer came I leaned in closer to the door to listen for any sound at all. I was thinking that maybe I could crawl through the doggie door too when I heard a loud crash coming from inside the room. I yelled, “I am coming in!” and slipped into the room through the same way the wolf had gone.
The room was sparsely furnished with a bed, table and a couple of chairs. As I was standing up I caught the sight of someone or something moving out of sight. Fearing someone was being attacked I moved forward to where I saw the person disappear. The door shut as I came closer. I had noticed that all the doors were very heavy wooden doors. Even this door seemed to be very heavy.
“Curious”. I said softly to myself. Softly I knocked on the door and asked if anyone inside was hurt. This time I got a reply.
“who are you and why did you come into my room?” It sounded like a woman.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. It’s just that I woke up in this place with my hands bound and my sword taken from me. I saw a beautiful white wolf in the doorway. After I had freed my hands the wolf left and I followed her here. Is the wolf in there with you?”
There was a pause as if she were looking around to see if the wolf was indeed in the room with her.
“No, its not in here with me.” She finally replied.
“Can you come out here please, Its been so long since I have talked to another.” I asked her hoping I hadn’t frightened her.
“Would you give me my robe please, its in there on the bed.” I walked over to the bed and picked up what looked to be the robe and took it to her.
I placed it next to the door and said.
“I’m putting it in front of the door and stepped across the room so she could retrieve it. Noticing a fire place and some wood stacked next to it I asked, “would you mind if I started a fire?”
“No, That would be fine. Thank you.” she said.
I heard her step into the room as I stood up from the fireplace. I turned to see the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and she looked about my age. She had beautiful white hair flowing down her back. She was about 5’6″ and graceful. Her eyes were the most incredible blue I had ever seen. They almost seemed to glow.
I had thought to ask her a question when I was making the fire. But when I saw her all thought left me. I knelt down to stoke the fire to get it going better. She came over to sit down next to me. She said,
“Well, I am here what do you want to talk about?” I thought a bit and then asked her,
“Why is your hair the same color as the wolf’s that I saw?” She gave a coy smile. She replied calmly, “Its merely a coincidence.” She said and walked towards her door,
“Now I think its time for you to go back to your room. Please don’t go anywhere and do not leave your room again. You were not supposed to leave it in the first place. We have left you with your sword because these are dangerous times and you never know when you will need it. But for your sake please leave it on the ledge. At least until we know we can trust you . ” Again she smiled that coy smile.
She told me to turn around. As she walked over to her dresser where she pulled open a squeaky cabinet door to get out her clothes. I heard the rustle of clothes hit the floor. I thought she might be done and started to turn when I saw her. I saw the back profile of a beautiful woman. Her hair fell down to the middle of her back. My eyes followed the flow of her hair down her back to her bare butt. That is when I saw it. I saw something different that I had never seen before. She had a miniature tail about 2 fingers wide and as long as 2 fingers. There were pure white hairs coming out of the end. I quickly turned back around so as to give her privacy. After a few more minutes she walked past me to unlock the door.
She led the way back down the hallway to my room.
“I will leave you here but I wanted to let you know what will happen tomorrow. Our leader will come to speak with you and ask you some questions. He will have some other tests for you too. The reason for the questions and test is to see if you can be trusted and are loyal. That is, if you would like to stay with us and travel with us.” she said while she stood by the door way of my new room. I looked around my sparse room and noticed that there was no bed or even a chair to sit in.
“What will I sleep on tonight?” I asked her, hundreds of other questions swarming in my mind but knowing that they would have to wait.
“I will look into getting a bed brought to you but for tonight you will have to make do with the floor.”
I laughed a dry laugh and told her, ” One more night on the ground won’t kill me. I have spent many a night on the ground.”
When she left I placed my sheathed sword back on the ledge. I looked around and saw a shallow patch of dust that looked soft. As I lay down to sleep I thought about what she had asked.
“Do I want to stay with these people and travel with them?” I thought to myself.
I had traveled alone for so long.
“Well, I have been led here, I might as well see what becomes of it.” I mumbled to myself before drifting off to sleep. I fell into a terrible nightmare.
I was running through a forest when this loud boom and a fierce gale wind hit my back. I went flying through the air to land on the moist grass wet with the morning dew. I landed heavily on my back. Then this loud powerful roar sounded all around me. The roar was that of the king of beasts would make the cowards and weak run. Then it rose into the air, a blood red dragon! I got to my feet as fast as I could. I looked at the dragon as it looked at me. At once it started after me. I ran as fast as I could through the underbrush and past the trees. The underbrush was tearing at my clothes as I scrambled frantically to get away. I could hear a thump, thump, thump.
At first I thought it was my heart trying to burst from my chest. Then I felt it in my ears and then my bones. It was then I realized that the air was pulsating with the beat of the dragons wings trying to keep its massive body aloft in the air. There was a loud boom and a crunching and snapping of trees in front of me as I ran through a bush. I slid to a stop in time to behold a massive sapphire dragon with deep emerald eyes and black horns landing in front of me, unleashing a mighty roar.
Suddenly I sat up wringing with sweat frantically looking around the darkened cave searching for the dragons.
The head counselor was standing there in front of me. It took a moment to see that there were others in the room too, standing back against the wall. The counselor with salt and pepper hair spoke to me . “Are you ready?” Still dazed and confused I looked around again to get my bearings. Again the counselor spoke,
“Are you ready for the test’s that Clover spoke of to you last night?”
I stood up fully awake now, the dream receding quickly to the back of my mind
Siefken Publications 