Book of the Undead

Chapter 01: My Life as a Squirrel

I sat on the limb of a tree while the commotion continued down below. Ever since the slow ones had started showing up, the humans were not around as much, but when they encountered the slow ones, there was always a lot of noise. The humans would point metal things and make thunder, and the slow ones would fall like the leaves when they changed colors. The noise only stopped when either the humans or slow ones would lay on the ground.

The human nests were empty these days. Any human food not spoiled was usually claimed by other humans passing through the area. Metal boulders sat motionless in the middle of the dry riverbeds the humans made everywhere they settled. Trees were growing thick, some even breaking through the human riverbeds to push aside the boulders. Because no one interfered with the natural growth slowly overtaking lands, I tended to ignore the human nests and focus on the nuts and seeds in the trees and thick grasses around them.

I knew one of the humans, but I couldn't say her name as human names were impossible to pronounce. She'd always left acorns in the back yard for me. When the slow ones came, she took me with her as she traveled the world. After an encounter with some slow ones two winters ago, she wasn't as fast as she used to be, but she always got up after a fight. Nothing could stop her.

The disturbance on the street below was coming to an end, returning quiet and tranquility to the surrounding area. Deciding it was safe to come down, I got a good bite on the acorn I'd found and scurried down the tree to meet my friend. The five humans we'd met yesterday lay on the ground with the slow ones, but as expected, mine was still standing, victorious again. She smiled when she saw me coming.

She held motionless while I climbed the outside of her wooden leg to the hole above where her knee would've been if she'd still had one on the left side. After her battle with the slow ones two winters ago, she'd exchanged her leg for a sturdy post, boring a hole in it for me. I climbed inside and checked to be sure the seeds and nuts I'd placed there before hadn't fallen out because of the commotion with the slow ones. Everything was in place, so I deposited the acorn with my stash of food.

Resting my paws on the edge of the opening, I stuck my face out of the hole in my human's wooden leg, and she reached down to scratch the top of my head. She paused to gather a few items from the fallen before hobbling down the street. I watched the world move slowly past. My human and I were the best of friends, and I knew we'd always be together.