Lefty

   "If we don't kill it now it ain't gonna stop! We got the torches, we got the guns, and we got the men. Now saddle up and let's ride!" The group of villagers, armed with an array of weapons, mounted their horses and mules as the drudged through The Dead Forest. As they waded through the muddy ground, the atmosphere shifted. The horses became weary, almost halting. The men didn't know why, until the ground beneath them started to move. And almost as if the Gods had commanded it, the hands of the undead bursted through the dirt. They grabbed and scratched at the horse's ankles, trying to pull them back down. The men were frantic, whipping and screaming at the horses. But it wasn't enough. The animals were brought to the ground as more hands and undead bodies rose. So, in a daze of fear and confusion, they grabbed their weapons and abandoned the horses, leaving them to the mob of body parts that slowly started to arise.

"He's here, somewhere." The leader of the group encouraged his entourage to follow him deeper into the haunted forest. They were shaking, begging to turn back to the village. But, they continued through the spindly trees and darkened ground. That is, until they came across a small clearing. It was clear; the necromancer had been here. Graves were thrown up, coffins were bashed open. Bottles of empty poison and deadly medicines were strew about. The hunters stood cautiously in a circle, afraid to move. The leader was the first to step away, making his way towards the broken coffin. As he gently touched the splintered wood, a ghostly voice appeared.

"I wouldn't touch that. Great Aunt Marie wouldn't like you disrupting her grave." They all jumped, surely startled. Their eyes darted around, until in a collective group, they fell onto the face of the undead monster. Or, more accurately, the creator of undead monsters. His skin was more grey than the sky above. The only light part was the skull-like tattoo that covered his face. His eyes were calm and unmoving.

"You! Necromancer! Come out here and fight me like a real man." The creature emerged, his white horns hitting the branches above. The Necromancer wasn't alone, though. Behind him were horrific monsters, covered in blood and missing various limbs. And even they weren't alone. From the ground, ghosts rose.

"Oh Lord, is it really those hunters again? Some men just don't learn, do they Lefty?" An old ghost said as she floated next to the Necromancer.

"Did- did they just touch my grave?" The ghost said, her expression changing into a more sinister one.

"Well, Great Aunt Marie, I only have one word for them: Welcome to your graves." The hunters completely gave up. They threw their weapons and torches on the ground as they scrambled away from Lefty and his small army.

"What in the Devil's name is going on?" Sam asked as he wandered deeper into the forest. All he wanted was a stupid flower for his friend, Prele. But now he was lost in The Dead Forest, with no clear way out. He didn't see much wrong with the place, until he heard the faint screaming of people. It wasn't the best idea, but he continued into the clearing of trees. He could almost make out footprints in the mud.

"Really, Another one? Lefty, hon, get rid of him. I don't want another one touching my coffin."

Sam barely reacted to the ghost in front of him. He'd seen weirder.

"Ma'am, or whoever you are, I'm sorry. I'm here lookin' for a flower. I never meant to disrupt your grave." She looked stunned. Mouth agape, she made floated back into the woods, where whispering could be heard.

"Lefty! Look! A person!"

"So? We get hunters all the time. I'll get him-"

"No, no! He's polite! And quiet! And he has a pulse!" The necromancer looked up at his dead relative, his eyes begging.

"Please don't make me talk to him."

"You're going to talk to that damn man or so help em Lefty, I will drag you into the underworld and make you watch your cousins for a week." He couldn't argue with her. As the ghost woman went back out to chat with the stranger, Lefty waited in the shadows.

"Hello! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Marie, but most of the other dead fellas' around here probably refer to em as 'Aunt' or 'Auntie.'" She told him. Sam could see the strange being hiding in the shadows behind her.

"I- I understand this is quite odd, but back there-" She pointed to Lefty.

"Is my great grand nephew, Lefty. He's- he's an odd necromancer. And really, he doesn't want to hurt you. Or scare you. He's just a 'lil shy."

"And why should I talk to him? He did send those men a' screamin'."

"Well, you see- he hasn't really talked to another non-murderous human in what, eighty-five years? Give or take?" Sam could still see him crouching behind the bush. He could see the horns and the face tattoos, along with the decorative noose through the dead shrubbery.

"Well, Lefty, get out here! Say hello!" She asked him.

"Uh- hi. Names uh- Lefty." He said as he carefully approached Sam. He could tell he was afraid of humans, especially up close.

"So, I want one answer: Who are you?"

"I'm- I'm a necromancer. Like, those undead witches. Or witches who raise the undead. Or both." Lefty was rambling and he knew it. Talking to someone as scary as Sam wasn't on that day's to-do list. He felt trapped by his stature.

"Well, I'm Sam. I'm just here looking for a flower. I never meant to-"

"No, no. It's ok. As long- as long as you get what you need and leave, I won't have to kill-"

Lefty was cut off by his great aunt smacking him on the side of the head.

"Oh, hush! You be nice! He's a sweet man, really. Lord, Lefty. Try and make him feel comfortable or he won't want to come back." Lefty still wasn't sure. Having a human, of all creatures near him was a surefire way to give him anxiety.

"Look- I'll show you where the flowers are so you can leave, ok?" He was frustrated at how silent the man was towards him. His eyes were almost dead; cold and unmoving like a hawk's.

Lefty had just found the one human who wasn't afraid of a necromancer.