Dead World

by Shaun Jeffrey

  Ben shook his head and stepped away from the group. “I don’t believe you.”

  “We’ve all seen them come back with our own eyes. If they’re not Gods, what else could they be?” Lucy asked between sobs.

  Before Anna could answer, leaves rustled and she cocked her head; heard a branch snap. Movement caught her eye and a man lumbered through the trees towards them. His flesh was grey, what remained of his clothes ragged strips of cloth. Cuts and bites decorated his skin. Seeing Anna and her family, the man shambled towards them.

  “Mum!” Zeke shouted.

  Ben jumped to his feet, grinning. He stood still as the man lurched towards him, lifting his arms as if about to embrace him.

  Anna’s pulse increased, heart pounding inside her chest. She back peddled, almost tripping over a broken branch. She crouched down, picked it up and charged at the man, swinging the makeshift club. She struck the man in the face, felt the reverberations travel along her arm and winced at the pain. The man’s head twisted to the side, his skin puckered where the branch had struck. He continued his advance unperturbed.

  “No!” Ben screamed.

  Anna skipped out of reach and swung the club again. This time a smaller branch towards the tip of the club pierced the man’s skull. Anna released her hold and the man fell back and landed with a hollow thud on the ground, the branch impaled in his head.

  Anna backed away, waiting for him to stand back up. She struggled to draw breath.

  Ben stepped forwards and Anna grabbed his shoulder to hold him back.

  “Why’s he not coming back?” Ben asked.

  “Don’t go near it.”

  Zeke cautiously approached the man. “He’s not moving. Is he… dead?”

  Ben chuckled. “You can’t kill a God. That’s why they’re called Gods. Don’t you know anything?”

  “I get that dip shit. So if you’re so clever, why isn’t he moving?

  Ben pulled a quizzical frown.

  Anna released Ben and stepped towards the body and gingerly kicked its arm before scooting back. The man didn’t respond. She stepped forwards and tried again. The man didn’t move.

  “You killed a God,” Lucy whispered, hands clutched to her chest.

  Anna shook her head. “Look at him. Look. If he’s dead that means he’s not a God. The church has lied to us for all these years. I don’t know what they are, but they’re not Gods. Your grandmother was right. Now look. See the truth with your own eyes, all of you.”

  “Of course he’s a God,” Ben said. “He probably wasn’t ordained, that’s why he died.”

  “Listen to me, Ben. They’re not Gods. It’s just a man. A mortal man who’s now dead.”

  Lucy slumped to the ground and buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

  Ben stood with his arms folded across his chest, staring down at the man.

  “I don’t understand.” Zeke shook his head. “Why would they lie to us?”

  Anna crouched next to Lucy and put an arm around her shoulder, hugging her tightly. “I don’t know. But when all your Gods are dead, who do you pray to?”

  CHAPTER 7

  Isaiah knocked lightly on his mother’s door, then stepped inside without awaiting a reply. Mother Charles was seated in her usual spot underneath the window, rocking and mumbling under her breath. She gave her son a quick glance and turned away. Isaiah observed her for a moment and then sat on the edge of the bed, facing her. Their knees nearly touched, forcing the old woman to cease rocking and stare directly at him.

  “Mother, what you told Anna, the stuff about there only being one God; you’ve got to stop saying those things. Anna believed you… I think that’s why she ran away.” Isaiah looked down at the floor and swallowed. He turned back to his mother and took hold of her hand. Her wrinkled skin felt cold and made him shiver. “Now I’ve got to go bring her back. The Governor says she must be punished. Don’t you see? This is all because of what you’ve been saying.”

  Mother Charles snatched her hand back. “It’s you who must understand, my son. I’ve been alive on this Earth a long, long time. I’ve seen men’s evil, but the evil the Governor and his men are perpetrating here is beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed. I spoke the truth to Anna, Isaiah. I chose her over you because I knew she’d listen, whereas you had your head buried inside a book and grew blind to everything else around you. You don’t even know what’s going on with your wife, right underneath your very nose, do you?”

  Isaiah reared back. “What’s going on with my wife? What are you on about? I… I don’t understand.”

  Mother Charles didn’t reply. She sat back in her chair, pursed her lips, and turned away.

  Isaiah sighed. “This is just more of your ramblings, isn’t it? You’re obviously ill. When I return, I’ll try to find someone to help you. Maybe I’ll be able to find some information in one of my books. I think I remember reading—”

  Mother Charles sprang forwards in her chair, eyes wild. “To hell with your books, Isaiah! To hell with them, I say. There’s only one that matters. Do you remember? I gave it to you… long ago. Did you ever bother reading it? Or have you been too busy buying into the garbage they feed you? If you don’t wise up, you’re going to lose them, don’t you understand? You’ll lose Anna and the children, and you won’t have anyone to blame but yourself. You may tell yourself I’m ill, but that’s not going to make things easier for you. Open your eyes, boy! Go. Find your family, and take them as far away from here as you can get.”

  Isaiah sat in shocked silence, mouth hanging open, staring at his mother. After a moment he leaned forwards, kissed her weathered cheek and stood up.

  “Goodbye, Mother. Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.”

  Mother Charles had already shut him out and returned to her rocking and muttering under her breath, her gaze once again unfocused.

  Isaiah watched her for a moment more, sighed loudly, turned, and hurried from the room.

  Back in his cell, he started packing for the journey, placing a few clothes and necessities in a pack. When he finished he stood and stared at his bookshelves until he spotted the book his mother had given him many years ago. He pulled it out and flicked through the pages before stuffing the book in the backpack with the rest of his stuff.

  CHAPTER 8

  Isaiah tramped through the woods, eyes trained on the trees where the sunlight was fading and shadows crept in. Unused to the rough terrain he kept tripping and he felt vulnerable being outside the walls of Sanctuary, but he had to admit to a sense of peace. The flora and fauna were a sight to behold with verdant swathes of green and beautiful flowers, the likes of which he had never seen before.

  The only people who ever left Sanctuary and ventured into God’s country were the scavengers who sold or traded what they brought back in the market. Sometimes they returned with strange items, the purpose of which no one could fathom. Other times they returned with food. Meat was a rare and precious commodity and Isaiah and his family hardly ever ate any, but he had partaken of the odd rabbit and once or twice, he had sampled cow and pig, the rarest form of meat. He recalled the uproar one day when one of the scavengers herded a live cow through the gates and the animal stampeded around the courtyard before ending up in the garden where it started eating the produce before someone killed it.

  A couple of the scavengers were now leading the party, following signs and tracks that were invisible to Isaiah and everyone else, but which they said were made by Anna and the children. The scavengers wore chain mail beneath their clothes. From a book Isaiah had learned about the ancient form of protection used by men called knights. There were only three sets of chain mail in Sanctuary and they had been passed down from scavenger to scavenger. The chain mail protected the men from the Gods who the church said attacked because they were often angry that mortal man should venture into their domain.

  Aside from the two scavengers and Isaiah, the rest of the group was comprised of a couple of enforcers, Roman, and a couple of the brethren. T
he enforcers were tasked with protecting Sanctuary, because aside from Gods, the land was populated with Demons too. But that was the way. Where there was good, there was also evil. Yin and yang. Positive and negative. The Demons were marauders, bands of people who took what they wanted by force.

  The air smelled of pine and mulch, an aroma Isaiah found pleasant. Living in such close quarters in Sanctuary he had never experienced anything other than the odours of his neighbours, and they were not always particularly pleasant. He was saddened it had taken the fleeing of his wife and family for him to experience it.

  More shadows mingled with the foliage as the sun sank further below the tree line. Isaiah’s heart beat faster, due only partly to the exertion, which he was unused to. His legs ached from top to bottom. He didn’t know how long they had been walking, but when they started out the sun had been at its peak.

  One of the scavengers at the front held his hand up and everybody halted. Isaiah peered through the foliage to see a wooden structure about thirty feet square that looked as though it had been abandoned years ago. Broken glass lined the window frames and the roof had collapsed in one corner. A tree grew from where the roof had caved in and ivy covered the walls so it appeared almost to be a natural feature. Nature reclaiming its sovereignty.

  The remains of another building sat next to the first, but this one had collapsed completely. There seemed to be the evidence of wooden posts jutting from the ground like rotten teeth.

  “We need to rest. Night will fall soon and we can’t track them in the dark,” a scavenger said.

  Nobody complained and they all looked exhausted. One of the scavengers led the way towards the wooden structure. He pushed the door open. The squeal of wood made Isaiah wince.

  “It’s your fault we’re out here,” Roman said to Isaiah, “so you can lead the way.”

  “My fault? None of this is my fault.”

  “Of course it is. If you could control your family we wouldn’t be in this mess. Now get inside and check things out.”

  “But the scavenge—”

  “No buts.”

  Isaiah realised everyone was looking at him and his shoulders drooped. He stared through the open door but couldn’t see very far inside.

  “Get a move on,” Roman said.

  Isaiah held his breath then stepped inside. Although hard to make out clearly, the interior seemed as decayed as the outside. Broken plastic chairs were piled in one corner and a table that had collapsed sat in the middle of the room. Fungus and mushroom growths decorated its surface. Isaiah saw a glass covered board on the wall but it was coated by layers of dirt and grime. He stepped across and rubbed at the glass with his sleeve and could just distinguish the words ‘…mere Visit r Cen re’.

  As his eyes adapted to the lack of light he saw a couple of doors inside the room. One was closed; the other had fallen off its hinges.

  He walked towards the open doorway when he suddenly heard the creak of wood. He stopped dead, held his breath, straining to detect the origin of the noise. Seconds dragged by.

  “What’s taking so long?” Roman shouted.

  Isaiah swore under his breath and started to turn back towards the entrance when he glimpsed movement and a figure lunged through the open doorway, arms wavering, fingers clenched like claws.

  The figure grabbed Isaiah by the throat, its fingers deathly cold. He grabbed the figure’s wrists, which felt like twigs, and tried to wrestle free, stumbling backwards as he did so until he fell outside. In the failing sunlight he realised he was wrestling with a female God. Her skin sank in around the bones and looked like parchment, but despite her frail nature she was tenacious. Her teeth snapped towards his face.

  “Get her off me,” Isaiah screamed, but nobody moved to help. He noticed Roman backing away, hands at his breast and the rest of the brethren started praying, bowing in homage. The enforcers looked uncertain as they fell back, and the scavengers stood apart.

  “Someone help me!”

  Nobody moved.

  Isaiah rolled around on the ground, the woman’s ragged clothing falling off like autumn leaves as he pushed her away. Although not fast, the woman was persistent and she staggered to her feet and clawed at him again.

  Gasping for breath, Isaiah staggered back, and for the first time, the woman realised there were other people around too. She lurched towards Roman and Isaiah saw him blanch and start waving his arms.

  “Get her away,” Roman shouted and the enforcers stepped forwards and tried holding her at bay but she continued to snap her teeth. One of the scavengers approached, grabbed the woman from behind and lifted her off the ground. He started carrying her towards the wooden building. The woman sank her teeth into his arm but the chain mail protected him and Isaiah watched a couple of her teeth fall out.

  Isaiah followed the scavenger into the building and ran across to the closed door. He carefully opened it and peered around the edge to discover a small store cupboard that contained the remnants of cleaning implements such as mops and brushes that had virtually rotted away.

  “In here,” he shouted.

  The scavenger carried her across and Isaiah stepped aside as he dropped her in the room. As the scavenger exited, Isaiah ran forwards to shut the door, but the woman grabbed the frame. Isaiah slammed the door shut anyway, severing four of her fingers. The woman started clawing on the other side and Isaiah grabbed a plastic chair and propped it underneath the handle.

  “That should hold her,” he said, wiping sweat from his brow.

  Using his boot toe he gently kicked the severed fingers away and slumped on the ground.

  Roman stormed into the room. “You can’t lock her away. She’s a God and should be treated with respect.”

  Isaiah shook his head, still trying to catch his breath. “You want to let her out, feel free. You know only people chosen through the lottery become immortal, so if she bites you, then you’ll be damned to purgatory.”

  Roman looked anxious. He took a step back.

  “Did it bite you?”

  “No.”

  Roman tapped his fingers together and glanced towards the blocked door. “Well… is she safe?”

  “For now.”

  Roman narrowed his eyes and peered at Isaiah, and nodded, almost to himself. He looked at the enforcers, who stood watching the exchange, and cleared his throat. “The rest of you, make sure the area is secure, and that no other Gods are present.”

  The enforcers nodded and headed outside. Isaiah remained seated, leaning back against the wall.

  Roman looked around, fidgeting with his hands, and then focused his attention on Isaiah. “You’ve got the first shift tonight.” He turned on his heels and went and sat in the corner of the room with his brethren.

  Isaiah listened to the woman scratching on the door, then looked down at the severed stumps of finger.

  It was going to be a long night.

  CHAPTER 9

  Shadows spread through the woods as the sun sank. Anna knew they would have to rest soon but she wanted to find a spot that offered some protection. She now carried a large, heavy branch she’d broken off at the tip, creating a sharp point. The makeshift weapon made her feel a little more secure.

  Behind Anna, Lucy clung to Zeke while Ben kicked his heels at the rear.

  “Keep up, Benjamin. I don’t want you getting lost.”

  Ben snorted and closed the gap.

  “Mum, I’m hungry. When are we going to stop walking?” Lucy asked.

  Anna paused and reached into her satchel. She pulled out three apples. She handed one to Lucy and offered the others to Ben and Zeke. Zeke’s eyebrows arched.

  “Where did you get these?” he asked.

  Anna hesitated, and shrugged. “From the church.”

  Lucy grimaced, while Zeke grinned. He accepted the apple and took a bite.

  Ben recoiled as though he’d been offered poison. “You’re going to hell for that.”

  Anna looked at him sharply and was about to cont
radict him, but instead she sighed and stuffed the apple back in her bag before starting walking again.

  “Come on, we need to keep moving.”

  “I need to pee,” Ben said.

  Anna stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Now? Can’t you wait?”

  Ben shook his head.

  Anna glanced around at the trees and the darkening sky. “We need to find a safe spot to stop for the night. Can you wait just a little—”

  “I can’t hold it.”

  Anna pointed to a nearby tree. She motioned to Zeke. “Go with him. But don’t go far.”

  Ben frowned, his face dark; he turned on his heel and disappeared between the shadows of two trees. Zeke followed close behind.

  Zeke walked several steps behind Ben, crunching noisily on his apple.

  “You’re going to burn right along with mother for eating that.”

  Zeke studied the apple in his hand, pondered the idea, and took another bite. “Can’t be much worse than the situation we’re in now.” He continued chewing.

  They walked several more feet and Zeke tossed his apple core to the side, wiping his fingers on his trousers. “Come on, you’ve gone far enough. Piss already.”

  Ben slipped behind a tree and said, “Stay there! I don’t want you right next to me.”

  “I’m not going to argue about that.”

  Zeke leaned against a tree and folded his arms across his chest. He was still trying to get his head around what had happened; couldn’t quite believe they were outside of Sanctuary and that his mum had killed a God. They were supposed to be immortal. It didn’t make sense.

  He looked around, peering through the trees. The sky had grown dark, and much of the forest was bathed in blackness. The only light came from the half moon, illuminating the tree branches and shooting shafts of faint light on the ground.