Zombies On Fire & Other Short Stories

Cursed Loot In Yokonagawa

Ren walked through the burning rubble of the once noble village that lay before him. His companions racing ahead of the flames to pillage and plunder the beautiful that still stood. But he wasn't in the mood. Something wasn't right here. He could sense it deep within.

While his friends whooped wildly and shouted gleefully, Ren continued to walk silently behind them through the smoke and ashes. He didn't like the way his commanding officers had handled the situation and set everything up.

It wasn't that Ren held any pity in his heart for the enemy. They deserved everything they had coming to them for the terrible things they had done to his people. This was war, and both sides did terrible things to each other that they felt deserved justice and revenge. A war that had raged back and forth for over a decade.

He paused to look up at the once tall building burning to the ground to his left. Ren cocked his head and crouched down for a better glimpse under the smoke. Not that it was much better. The thick smoke filled the air all around him.

Ren walked around the area analyzing everything. Trying to figure out what it was his instincts were telling him wasn't right here.

Something inside the building exploded with a dull roar and the flames lept even higher and burned hotter than that they had been before. Driving Ren back a dozen paces to keep from singing his hair and eyebrows.

Three men raced past him carrying bats of loot as they whooped and hollered all the way back to the boats they had left at the river. He watched until they disappeared before turning back to continue in the direction they had come from.

His feet burned and he jumped out of a pile of smoldering rubble and coal that he had been walking through. Ren stomped his feet a few times before the burning subsided.

As much as he wanted and even needed his share of loot to pay off his debts, he couldn't bring himself to go through with pillaging this village. They didn't deserve it. They were neutral in the war. In fact, they had once been allies.

But over the years, they had settled their strife and made a truce with their enemies. Withdrawing from the war had infuriated Ren's leaders who still had a bone to grind with their enemy. Their allies' withdrawal now meant that they no longer had the advantage.

After many meetings and long talks around the fire, they had grudgingly accepted the truce and promised to honor it even though they would continue their war.

So, this surprise attack was a low blow. Plundering their village for no good reason just didn't seem right. His commanding officers had used some lame excuses. Something about past offenses that hadn't been righted. But Ren sensed that there was more to it than that.

The war had left them in dire straights. The constant battles left the men little time to take care of their own homes and businesses and farms. The little crops that their wives and children grew were often ravaged and burned by their enemies who seemed to grow stronger and stronger over the years.

Ren feared that if things continued to go this way, they would no longer be able to hold back the onslaughts of the enemy armies that swept through from time to time.

Deep down, Ren sensed that attacking their unsuspecting allies was just a desperate attempt to raise the morale of the army while coming up with some supplies to keep them going.

But even worse, Ren felt that something was really off here. Even if their attack had been a complete surprise, they shouldn't have overrun the town this easily. Someone somewhere should have a put up a fight or formed some kind of resistance. They had once been fierce and formidable warriors themselves. A few years of peace wouldn't have left them this vulnerable and open to an attack.