THE RUINS

Chapter 9- The Warning.

It was an abismal night in the latter days of November. The rain smashed against the soft fabric of the tents as the moon gazed at the dreary campsite below it. A small fire raged in a pit hidden from the rain. The flames danced a beautiful recital of orange and red. On top sat 3 small rabbits, behind sat Travis poking at the burning creatures. It hadn't taken him more than a few days to realise that the depraved and ravenous nature of The Compound under Victor's rule was not worth the prominent risk of death. So, after the first week, he ventured out to join Joseph's group. It had been a few weeks since Joseph had led his group outside of the compound and into the deep unknown of the wilderness. The people had to quickly adjust to hunting for food and sleeping in tents. Needless to say that Travis was repulsed by the abrupt change of life he had endured.

They had settled in a small clearing, resting along the wastelands. They could often hear the grutning of the monstrous remnants lurking in the dark. Although they posed no threat as they couldn't leave the wastelands without dying from the change in temperature alone. The clearing was surrounded by ghastly trees and furious boulders equipped with jagged edges.

Joseph was very rarely seen. He would spend most of his time on the mountain looking towards the sky. Praying to whatever God decided to bring them out to here Travis would often say. Joseph only really associated with his immediate family. His restless toils involved in sustaining the camp had faded him down to a gaunt creature, a shadow of the man he was when they had left.

Not much was heard about New America nor Victor, it was assumed that they had been forgotten, until one night after supper.

Travis had been feeling severely ill most of the day and had no choice but to run from the camp to find a small area to vomit from what he suspected was food poisoning. The small droplets of rain smashed hard onto his bomber jacket and altered his tattered blue jeans with a black pokadot pattern.

After he had relieved himself he caught a glimpse of something...out of the corner of his eye. If he had been tired he would have passed it off as the illusion of a weary mind. However his fever and sickly stomach had made him fully awake and he could not mistake the beam of bright orange light illuminating an area behind the trees. He slowly and carefully proceeded forward. "What the hell?" He muttered under his breath.

He pulled back the branches to reveal a sight so shocking that he fell to his knees and vomited on his jeans below him.

The body before him was so horribly mutilated that it was something not even a mind like Edgar Allen Poe could have dreamt up. He screamed and alerted his other campmates. They rushed to him bringing small firey torches with them. The figure was even more horrifying in full light.

It was a desecrated carcass. Almost unrecognizable as a human save for the proportions. It was slung up on a cross with its eyes, lower jaw and nose missing. It's chest ripped open with no internal organs left. Slung around the body's neck was a large wooden sign with a small envelope nailed to it. The sign read as such:

"MY NAME WAS MONTY...I WAS A COWARD AND FAILED MY MASTER AND I AM WHERE I BELONG. HEED MY WARNING ALL YE WHO WITNESS MY PUNISHMENT."

Joseph, trembling in disgust tore the envelope from the sign and opened it. It was a short letter. Reading...

"Joseph. My son. I am writing to inform you that no matter where you go or how safe you assume you are. I am always watching. I am always listening. I hear everything. That is how I found your wretched little camp and why I left my old comrades corpse as a warning. Run. Before nightfall dissipates and morning comes in a fortnights time. I will send a search party out to locate you. If we find you, this punishment will seem like mercy compared to what will happen to your friends and family. As for you, priest. I have something special in mind for you. Yes despite your best efforts to trick your feeble minds into perceiving me as a human and my acts as moral evil... I am something much more...advanced. You have a fortnight to leave your trenches.

Sincerely

Victor Crandall."

"What the FUCK are we gonna do now eh Joe? You got us into this how do we get out??" Travis cried in outrage.

Joseph merely gazed upon him. "Travis I know what to do. But I cannot tell You now. We need to get rid of this body. Now." And with that short sentence he left. Joseph retreated back into his tent alone. Leaving a crowd of horrified onlookers to dispose of the corpse.