Sanctuary

Chapter 13

"Did you discuss what happened at the farm?" Eben asked Tim and the others.

"Yes, we did. Olaf there says they are demons possessing human bodies. Dead ones."

"Demons they are. The once people you see, are long dead. Their blood has long since drained by all inflected wounds. Their hearts do not beat anymore. Nor do their lungs. Only electrical impulses sent along the spine to every muscle in the body. So you need to interrupt that flow, either by cracking their skull open or a hard blow in the back, severing their spine. The second option will not kill them, but they will not be able to stand, walk or run anymore, buying you time to dispose of them. So have no mercy when confronted with them. It's either you, or them. I do not know for sure what you prefer, but I will pick myself every god damn time. So if we should get overrun like that witch of yours says, I demand that you untie me and hand me my crossbow over!" Olaf concluded

"Nice try, smartass!" Nina said laughing. Compared to the last time they argued, she seemed more relaxed, at least Eben saw it that way. Was it for real this time? Was she really letting her armor slip, or was it just Eben's impression, like last time? He could not come to a resolution. It also was no time for pondering on it anymore.

"Truth is, we really do not know what they are, but for certain they do not seem to be alive. No pain, no blood whatsoever. And Olaf was right, only a hard blow to the head brought them to a stop. I am no Christian, so I do not really believe in God, angels and demons, but Emilia's theory is also kind of unbelievable." Jan said

"Same here" Eben said. Not a Christian, at least not in belief. I was baptized, but my belief has nothing to do with God and the evil. I always resonated with nature, life itself, no matter its forms. Kind of like old pagans, close to the nature, believing in the soul and wondering if reincarnation is real or not. So I am more inclined to believe Emilia's tale. Especially considering..." He did not finish the last sentence.

"Considering?" It was Tim who broke the silence. "Are you sure? Or are you blinded by ... Love maybe? Look Eben, we all saw how you act around her. And we are not blaming, but evil spirits? Where is the difference between demons and spirits? And what if it's something completely different, a kind of disease? We need to act one way or another. We cannot run from it, and we need to tell someone about it. So staying here is not an option in the long run. We need to do something."

"And we will. We will discuss further plans in the morning. Let's get over the night first. We could all need some food and some rest. Last night neither of us got some decent sleep. Let's hope this night is as quiet as the last one and we can rest." Eben halted for a moment, then he turned towards Maja "How is the stew, Maja?"

"It needs to boil once more and then to cool a bit of so we can enjoy it. I would say 30 to 45 more minutes before we can serve it."

"Ok, call me when it's ready. Also Laura, please wake up Jasmin and bring her here for dinner. I'll be...around here...somewhere. Need some time alone." Eben stood up, turned and faded into the shadows. It was almost dark by now. He wandered aimlessly around the trailers, reached a big oak and sat down, eyes wide open, staring at the rising moon. It was a full moon. His eyes had already adapted to the darkness after he left the fire, so the moon displayed the forest and the trailers in a beautiful golden light. "What is going on? What are those creatures? How far has all this madness spread already? What were they supposed to do? And why did anyone expect him to lead them? As far as they were aware, it could be that the life they knew before was gone, which meant no company to run, no boss, so no employees. And still they regarded him as their leader. Strange, he never felt like a leader. And what about his strange feelings for Emilia, the woman he had only met, but which felt so close and familiar, he could swear he loved her his entire life?" Eben closed his tired eyes. "I need clarity and wisdom if we are to get out alive of this bitter nightmare."