Arc One: Awakening

Chapter 10: A Curious Find

In all his time as a Phoenix guard, Lysander could confidently say he had never witnessed a situation as unique as the one he found himself in. The walkers they'd been sent to take care of ambled listlessly, scores of them marching down the main road in a gradual procession. No one spoke. Only the soft sound of shuffling shoes and the guards quietly helping the lost creatures into the wagons echoed in the streets of the hill-base village.

Valaine, his second-in-command, stood close by, her short, shadowy hair blowing in the muted gusts as she took in the sight at the bottom of the damaged stairs. "They usually only approach towns and villages when they're hungry, and never like this," she mused. "Did the last supply drop not reach them?"

"It did," Lysander confirmed. "I was part of the delivery squad."

Two villagers attempted to near the lurching undead, only to be startled when one rumbled out a menacing growl and exposed its rotting teeth. Calling to his guards, he motioned them towards the villagers to make sure no one else would try to copy their antics.

"Should have let them get bitten," Valaine grumbled. "They would have thought twice before provoking a walker again."

"Ignorance should not be punished. It should be educated."

"With all due respect, sir, they're not ignorant; they are cruel and narrow-minded, and no amount of education will rid them of their arrogance. Do you not remember the incident last month?"

Lysander kept his thoughts to himself, knowing all too well her experience with walkers and her views on their treatment. Although he did not agree with her about permitting others to be harmed for their wrongdoings, he had seen an increase in the suffering of those already tormented souls. During the incident in question, he'd been called to resolve a dispute by the village officials when a group of drunks had snatched a lone walker from the swamps. After being reprimanded by the clan, they were placed in custody and the walker was returned his people. But the gap between the living and the dead increased, with more stories and more vicious crimes each month.

"I'm thinking of suggesting some new regulations to further protect the walkers on our lands," he said, his hands clasped behind his back and a watchful eye on the villagers. "They're only outlines at the moment, but I would appreciate your input. Your experience will enable a much more rounded solution."

"Does that include the punishments for such acts?"

"Yes, but within reason."

From the connecting street, a few returning scouts teamed up with the rest of the guards accompanying the walkers to the awaiting transport. Their head jogged to the pair watching over proceedings from the town hall steps. "Lord Davenport," he said, saluting. "Captain Valaine."

"It's good you're back, Marco," Lysander said. "Some locals have been testing the limits and I could do with more eyes on them." The scout nodded. "Did you find out why the walkers are so far from their territory?"

"By the looks of it, a fire broke out in a nearby Ustrover field and it spread pretty quick. It's unclear where it originated, but there is some evidence it may have been caused by someone close by. I wasn't sure where the walkers were heading when they fled, but looking at the maps, there are more fields beyond the village. This route seems to be the quickest way there."

"They find comfort in those flowers," Valaine uttered, fists clenched tight and the scar by her lip twitching. "What kind of monster would burn them?"

"There are some stragglers in a swamp to the north," Marco continued. "Looks like they strayed from the pack, but I don't know why. No signs of trouble or anything, so I figured it was best to leave them to it."