Fantasy Flash Fiction: Those Who Are Dead But Cannot Die (Flee)
“You mean the fact I don’t believe you or the fact there isn’t a body anywhere to be found in the Gulley?”
“I’m telling you, it was right here. Look, you can see the frozen blood on the ground over there.”
Wulfred nodded as he slid down the small incline. He walked across the frozen stream and examined the bloodstain on the ground. He removed the large sword form the sheath and poked at it with the dragon tongue etched tip. He heard the metal scraping off the frozen gore and scowled as he returned the weapon to the sheath. “You weren’t lying; that is a man’s blood. There is no denying it. What I don’t like is not knowing where the bodies are.”
Hrandikar lowered his hand and looked at the guard captain in awe as he swallowed his fear down hard. “You think there are more than Fal – that guy around?”
“You did leave your friends to die out here; it wouldn’t surprise me if they are one of them as well.”
The boy stamped the ground as his body shook in rage. The words strangled him as he tried to speak. “I didn’t leave them out here to die. I wanted them to come with me. It wasn’t my fault they ran the opposite direction!”
“That remains to be seen. You could have killed them and buried their bodies in this gully. I have heard about your jealous rage; I know you don’t have a family here in Grundistad. Faldakar and his sister have loving parents. They came from a fine stalk of Winterites that immigrated from the Court. Heck, for all we know, they could be dragons in disguise.”
“Don’t make me laugh. Faldakar couldn’t be a dragon. They are supposed to be cunning and quick. Faldie was an oaf! Besides, there is only one dragon in this town and that’s the lord’s pet. He calls him his son, but everyone knows that is a pet name for that overgrown white lizard.”
Wulfred shook his head as he walked toward the edge of the gully. He motioned for Hrandikar to approach him. The boy shook his head and took a step away, but Wulfred kept his icy glare on the boy as he continued to crook his finger. The boy relented and walked over to the guard captain with his head hung low. The captain patted him on the arm as he climbed out from the gully. “You should know better than to talk about the lord’s son, whether or not it is a pet’s name. There are more dragons in the Sawteeth than any other area in the world. You cannot discount the fact the ones you know might indeed be a dragon.”
“The lord said that if dragons appeared inside the town, he would know and have them killed if they didn’t leave. He said he would keep us safe from the Winter Tyranny.”
Wulfred ruffled the boy’s head and gave a gentle laugh as his eyes scanned the horizon. The guards he sent off were nowhere to be seen. “I was there for many promises the man has made to us all. He is a good lord. He comes through with most of them. There are a few he cannot keep and fewer still he will never be able to keep. He is merely a man; he cannot stand against a dragon no matter the size. He wants us to feel safe, this is why he says the things he does.”
Hrandikar chewed his bottom lip as he looked at Wulfred. “Why would our lord lie to us? He has taken in everyone who has run away. He even took me in, he said I would be special one day.”
“I wouldn’t’ say it is a lie, I would say it is a half-promise. Have no fear; when a fire is lit under the lord’s backside, he will do whatever it takes to make sure dragons never infest our town.”
Before Hrandikar could refute the statement, they were cut off by screams of terror from two of the guards who wandered toward the west. One raced toward them. His arms cut and bruised. Wulfred stepped forward and grabbed the man by the arms and shook him. “Calm down and tell me what’s wrong. What happened to you? Why do you have cuts on your body?”
The guard panted as he looked at his captain with terror in his eyes and shortness in breath. “I – It’s them, sir. The ones that are dead, but cannot die. I saw them. I saw many of them. They shamble around as if they are looking for something. We could hear them asking questions and acting as if they were normal people. When Arastikar approached them, he panicked and started to swing his sword at them. The things attacked him with fearlessness and ruthless aggression. I tried to fight my way toward him, but it was to no avail.”
“Did you see any sign of the children?” Wulfred asked.
“No sir, there were no children from our village. There were many dead children from other villages. It was hard to tell with the group that was walking this way.”
“Wait, those things are coming this way?” Hrandikar asked.
Wulfred nodded as he released his grip on the guard. He turned to the boy and grabbed him by the arm as they started to run toward the gates. “They sense the living. Some of them are too confused by their death to understand they are no longer alive. They have a way to sniff out the ones who still draw breath. If we are fortunate, we will be able to avoid any more contact, and they might forget we were here.”
“Wait, what about Faldakar and his sister? We should find them; we can’t leave them.”
“They were as good as dead as soon as you left them. Our duty is to tell the lord and let him decide what he wants to do. We have no time to waste; we must return to Grundistad.”
