Guardian's Redemption

Chapter Three

The last of the stumbling customers went falling out of the tavern. No one eager to help the man has he collapsed on the front porch. It was jumble of swears as he hit the old wooden porch floor that were soon drowned out by the snores of his person.
  
Ashley was quick to lock the door behind the man, leaving no chance for anyone to enter the establishment. She gave a sigh of relief as she always did at the end of the night. With the arrival of the stranger Ashley had noticed the Rose's disappearance from the tables and the Element's goons. She didn't care to ask, it wasn't her business; but Rose did come back with a visage of relief.

Same as every night, cleaning the tables and dishes. Once everything was removed, the stools and chairs were flipped up onto the tables so that one of them could sweep the floor and mop. It was true insanity doing the same routine over every day, but it gave them a purpose in this world.

After an hour and a half the three parted at the top of the staircase to their own rooms. Ashley waiting by her door until she heard the others enter their rooms. She didn't go into hers. Instead the woman slowly slipped down stairs, wincing when the floor boards threatened to reveal her presence. The woman went through the kitchen and out the backdoor, while softly closing the door behind her. The air was unnaturally refreshing. Usually she could smell the death and decay, but today it was different. There seem to be a bit more moisture in the air. They hadn't had rain in months and yet her nostrils were telling her that rain was coming.

She sat down next to the door, wrapping her arms around her folding knees. Her body in a ball the woman began to softly weep. She wanted to stop living. It was no longer the pain of the world around her, but now the pain of not knowing.

The traveler that had entered the tavern today was someone she had known. There was no doubt about it in her mind. The mind only pulls up Deja Vue when the interaction had only occurred once before. His eyes were so familiar. Those sky blue eyes had recognition in them when they saw her, but the man had kept quiet. Why? Was this truly the world now? Her mind went screaming. She didn't make a sound, for to do so would reveal her to the hounds of humanity that were patrolling the town.

She could barely remember what her parents had looked like, but she didn't know if she had siblings or any other members to the family. Her finance was a silhouette in her mind though her heart knew he was real. She grasped at her chest, clothing the ruby necklace beneath her clothes. Ashley never took the jewelry off. There had just been a knot in her stomach when she had done so before.

Ashley slowly rose. She didn't want to be in the building anymore, so she went for a walk in the dangerous night. The woman kept close to the few buildings there were. Those brown eyes darting in the moonlit town until her mind became so focused on negative thoughts that she almost didn't her the shuffle behind her when walking between two of the buildings. She looked back quickly. Her eyes scanning for anything, that thundering in her chest was the fear that the creatures of the night were ready to take her.

There was nothing. She stood there for a long moment staring into the night to see any kind of movement. None of her muscles dare even the tiniest twitch incase that movement alert whatever was there. If it was real, it was gone now. She slowly continued her route, taking care to be slow and quiet. She was doing nothing more than circling the town buildings just on the inside of the barrier. Her mind always having a way back to the tavern and small shoddy sanctuary.

She saw a flicker of light in a couple of buildings from the tavern's back door. The sudden spawn raising the hair on her neck. Curiosity was a serious illness for in the world for it was most likely going to get you killed. Ashley slowly went to the source of that light and when she came to the edge of a building, with the source on the other side, Ashley peeked around the corner.