Don't Be Curious- A criminal who did the impossible

Chapter One

The story of a criminal who did the impossible.

Redemption.

Jaksa had always been independent. Ever since his village got raided he learned to fend for himself. Only 17, but he's been through some rough experiences. He came face to face with zombies when he was 14, and had to fight off raiders when he was 16. With only an axe, he has always managed to escape the terrors of the night.

Jaksa was packing up his makeshift camp, ready to continue his journey to the mountains. He didn't have much, it's hard to gain belongings when you are always on the run. Only a bed roll and some food and water and other essentials. He starts his walk. He didn't really know where he was going. He had lost his compass so now he was relying on the sun to guide him.

After a few hours of travelling, he sees a wooden roof in the distance. A small village comes into the boy's view. "More resources.." he mumbles to himself as he makes his way toward it. There he counted about 12 houses, all poorly made of stone. Hay Bales to the left, and a dying fire to the right. Unfortunately for the traveller, the village was empty. Cobwebs grew in every corner while the crops were old and dry. It was a ghost town. There weren't any stray cats or dogs left, most likely been picked off by the foxes. Jaksa looked through each house non the less, but he didn't find much. Only seeds and stale bread. He sighed in disappointment. Nothing useful here. Just as he was about to leave he spotted something in the corner of his eye. Or rather, someone.

A boy, no older than 15, sat alone gazing at the sky. The boy hadn't spotted Jaksa yet. He had blond hair that covered his forehead and a face littered with freckles. His clothes looked fairly clean, compared to Jaksas. The traveller debated on talking to the boy, but when the blondie snapped his head in his direction, he had to say something. "Hello?" he said, sounding more like a question. He wasn't sure if the boy even knew english for a moment. The boy's eyes widened at the sight of the traveller. "H-hi" the blond stammered. Jaksa found out that the boy's name is Kass, and that his village was too raided, killing most, making the rest flee. He stayed, having nowhere else to go. Jaksa asked Kass if he wanted to come with him to the mountains, where he'll be safe. The younger boy seemed unsure at first, but decided that it may be his one way of survival.

And so Jaksa and Kass went on the journey together. Jaksa was slightly nervous, he had been alone for so long, how will he support two people? Especially someone like Kass, who had no experience in the wild. Would the young blond make it through the harshness of winter? Jaksa shook his head. "Don't worry about the future, worry about today and now," he thought to himself. A few hours and a lot of questions later, the sun began to set beyond the trees. Jaksas worries grew. Monsters would start to appear soon. He was normally fine on his own, but now he has another life on the line. They needed to get out of the dark forest as soon as they could. He wasn't even sure if Kass knew the dangers of where they were. Jaksa decided it would be best if they stopped before it got dark, the fire would scare any threats away.

Not too far away, Jaksa spotted the perfect place to camp for the night. "Kass, we may need to spend the night here." he stated, unsure how to talk to the child.

"Why now?" Kass questioned.

"Because," he began. "the sooner we make a fire the better it will keep monsters away, plus we both need the rest." he says while setting out his bed roll. Kass tilts his head puzzled. "Mother said monsters ain't real." Kass stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, she lied. They're very real, and you better learn how to defend yourself from 'em."

Fear suddenly tainted Kass's face. "Are we gonna get eaten by monsters?!"

Jaksa felt slightly guilty and shook his head. "The fire keeps them away, they hate light."

Kass still didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything back. While Kass continued on his own bed roll, Jaksa started on the fire. A few zombie groans were heard in the distance, but none came close. The two settled down for sleep, and Kass was out like a light. The day was a lot for him and he needed rest. Jaksa sat staring at the stars, thinking. The gates to the mountains opened in a few years so they had plenty of time, but what if they didn't make it? If the gates closed before they got in, they would have to wait another 100 years before they opened again. Where would they go until then? Would he be stuck in a village or on the run for the rest of his life? Jaksa frowned. He didn't like the idea of that.

Living in a kingdom however. In a kingdom the knights would protect the people, and they never have to worry about monsters. They always had money and supplies, so people like him wouldn't exist in those conditions. At least, that's what he believed. Jaksa had only ever seen a kingdom once when he and an old friend, Sasha, broke into the Royal garden. He was 9 at the time. There he met a boy, who claimed to be the prince, around his age, brown hair and hazel eyes. The boy told Jaksa and Sasha everything there was to know about the kingdom. And Jaksa believed him, for the beautiful crown placed upon his head would sparkle in the moonlight whenever they met up at night. He made friends with the royal boy quite quickly, they spoke almost every day for months, until Jaksa was found by one of the guards and chased off. That was the last he ever saw of the royal boy, too scared to go back. The royal boy had tears streaming down as he watched his friend, his only friend, was taken out of his life as quickly as he joined. And with that last thought, he fell asleep. The sound of fire cracking and Kass snoring to accompany him.