"Finally back in Innistrad. I wonder if that bastard who took my life is here." I whispered, brushing some dust from the shoulders of my cloak. When I heard a loud piercing whistle I froze, listening. After peering into the fog I couldn't make out a thing and I sighed, wondering which way lead into town. After a minute I started to walk having given up on seeing anything in the fog that swept over the ground I'd planeswalked to.
It wasn't long until I began to shiver so I pulled the cloak Jace had given me tighter around my shoulders as I walked through the grey fog, the cold feeling like it was seeping into my bones. I soon heard the whistle again, even closer this time and I frowned wondering where it was coming from.
"Who in their right mind would be out in this cold? Other than me of course. I can barely see an inch in front of my face!" I yelped as I tripped over something lying directly beneath my feet. Landing heavily on my knees I groaned, my knees instantly stinging from whatever I had smacked them on. Shaking my head I stumbled to my feet to find something standing over me, a woman with wild black hair in a torn gown and the creepiest smile on her face.
"A villager going for a walk?" She whispered and I took a step back as something lurched into view beside her, groaning as it faced me. "Too bad for you and my dear brother. Looks like I have a new playmate."
"Excuse me? Who are you and..." The rest of my words were cut off as something placed a cold hand on my shoulder. I barely had time to turn my head before I felt a sharp blow to the back of it, the fog spreading through my mind as I pitched forward.
Sometime later...
"What did you raise this time, Gisa? I thought one of the rules we agreed upon was no luring and murdering of bystanders?" Geralf sighed, looking briefly at his sister before his attention turned back to the body lying on the metal slab beside him.
"Don't take that tone with me, brother. Besides I didn't raise it. It was already wandering around the graveyard when I found it so someone else must have gotten there first. But they abandoned it so it's mine now." Gisa told him, one of the zombies she had raised standing at the entrance to Geralf's lab. Shaking his head at his sister, Geralf picked up a scalpel from a nearby table.
But as he set his hand on one side of the zombie's head he frowned, hearing a faint noise. "Hmm?" Geralf whispered and Gisa just giggled, skipping around his lab. "Gisa, where exactly did you find it?"
From the body lying on the slab came a faint groan. "Not...an 'it'."
"Pardon? What did it say?" Geralf asked and this time the body stirred, eyes opening and the stitcher found a pair of bright blue eyes watching him.
"I'm...a she, not an...it." I groaned, closing my eyes against the headache pounding at my temple. "My name...is Ailis and I don't like being called a zombie."
"It speaks? Must have been Lili who raised it. She can raise zombies that talk." Gisa replied and Geralf shook his head, looking back at the zombie lying on the slab again.
"Gisa, do be quiet. Now...Ailis, was it? Did Liliana raise you? What kind of zombie are you?" Geralf asked and I sighed, opening my eyes again to find a wickedly sharp-looking scalpel inches from my forehead. With a startled scream, which caused the man staring at me to drop it, I tried to move only to find I was strapped down.
Laughing the black-haired woman stepped over to me as I tried to shift away from the man with the strange eyewear standing over me. "Stop that. It's very loud." Geralf scolded as he bent to retrieve the scalpel.
"Let me go!" I shouted the moment he straightened and he cringed, immediately setting the scalpel down. "You have no right to keep me here." I growled, trying not to let them see me shaking.
"I've never met a zombie that could talk before. Other than Mikaeus but Lili raised him so I don't know if that counts." Gisa commented and I stared at her, forgetting all about her brother who was peering at me.
"Why did you kidnap me? What possible use am I to you?" I asked in a quieter voice, silently wondering what they had planned. Geralf reached for the straps holding me down and I flinched, expecting him to pull something sharp from the table near the slab I was lying on.
Before he could do anything I reached for the strap and, grasping it in one hand, I yanked on the strap as hard as I could. Without any effort I tore it free and both Gisa and Geralf stared as I did the same on the other two straps holding me down. I leapt free as one of the zombies standing in the room took a stumbling step towards me, groaning softly.
"I won't let you hurt me!" I snarled, leaping away from its outstretched, rotting hands. To my surprise Gisa just giggled, clearly enjoying my bid for freedom. When neither human tried to stop me from escaping I rushed for the door only to see something blocking the doorway.
It looked like a winged zombie, mismatched body parts stitched together to make one weird looking monster. I stared at it and it just stared back not making a move to stop me until I stepped towards the door. Then it blocked my path, moving quicker than me to grasp me by my throat. Gasping I clawed at its hands and it tightened its grip, cutting off my breathing.
I started to see spots and when my eyes started to flutter closed I heard a voice call out. "Release her. I still need her alive...it was a figure of speech." Geralf sighed as his sister burst into laugher, watching as the creature dropped me to the floor. Gasping I clutched at my own throat, not noticing both siblings watching me. Once I could breathe again I climbed to my feet and Geralf moved towards me only stopping when I lashed out, grasping the creature that had nearly strangled me by one wing.
Eyes narrowed I threw it at the man, whose one visible eye widened before the monster knocked him to the floor. Using that distraction I raced back towards the door, clearing it only to smack straight into the zombie standing in the next room.
Ending up on the ground for the second time I lay there breathing heavily until I heard a faint groan from the other side of the room. "Now that was entertaining." Gisa grinned as Geralf raised himself from the cold floor, wincing a little before he fixed his gaze on me. Noting the narrowed eye he turned my way I tensed waiting for him to set his creature on me, I guessed it was his anyway, until his lips curled into a tiny smile.
"Sister, it seems you brought back a very interesting zombie." Geralf commented, rubbing the left side of his ribs and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"I'm much more than a zombie, Geralf. If you keep calling me that I might just have to throw you into a wall. Repeatedly." I warned and he raised an eyebrow, the other hidden behind his goggles.
"You were right to bring her back, sister." Gerlaf spoke and I snorted, straightening my dress before I raised an eyebrow at him. "Our game just became a lot more interesting."
"What game? Besides who says I'm interested in playing?" I shot back, quickly glancing around the room. After a quick search I saw a set of double doors set into the far wall but when I took a single step towards them Geralf shook his head at me, Gisa giving me that same cold smile. "Oh hell." I muttered, turning as something wandered into the room. The winged monster watched me from the edge of the open door, its multiple eyes fixed on my face alone.
At its side I saw Geralf, the scientist with his arms crossed as he waited for me to make a move. I glanced back at the closed doorway, gauging how long I had to open it before the monster caught me and after a few seconds I let out a sigh. Swallowing I made a move towards the siblings and Gisa snorted, giving me a tiny when I edged away from the door.
"Looks like she's smarter than you, dear brother." Gisa said and Geralf shook his head, his teeth clenched. When I saw his one visible eye narrowing at his sister I managed a weak smile, now realizing that maybe there was a chance for me to escape. If I can use their animosity against them I can escape while they're fighting with each other.
It's worth a shot anyway...
"So what do you want with me anyway? I'm not a mindless zombie so you can't control me, Gisa." I pointed out, feeling a little more confident when she glared at me.
At least it's not as creepy as that smile of hers.
"Ailis raises a good point sister. Maybe you would like to assist me in my labratory?" Geralf suggsted and I paused, wondering just who I should listen to. In the end I followed the necromancer back into the labrotory, not even sparing the ghoulcaller a second glance.
It didn't take me very long until I found myself back in his lab, trying very hard to grimace when he turned his attention from me to a jar sitting on a table. It was even harder not to gag when he unscrewed the lid, his hand slipping inside to remove a pink and very fresh looking brain.
He turned to me and I clamped a hand over my mouth, the fingers on my free hand keeping my nose pinched closed as he lifted the brain towards me. Hearing me coughing he raised an eyebrow at me.
"Is there something wrong, Ailis?" Geralf asked and I shook my head, keeping my gaze away from the brain sitting on his outstretched hand. "Is this bothering you?" He asked, just about shoving the brain under my nose. Unable to help it I raced from the room, gagging and he sighed to himself. "You would think she's never seen a brain this fresh before." He muttered, setting it back into the jar with a wet plop.
It took me a few minutes of heavy breathing, most through my nose, before I could return to the labratory. Thankfully the brain was nowhere in sight but just seeing the darkened stains on Geralf's labcoat did nothing to settle my already queasy stomach.
Geralf barely even looked at me, too intent on the multiple armed thing lying on the slab I had woken up on. As Geralf worked with a needle and thread stitching mismatched body parts together, some reasonably fresh and some looking a tad on the green side, that brought a tiny grin to my face.
At least I don't smell like that.
A few minutes after I re-entered the lab I had made the mistake at taking a deep breath. Once I caught a whiff of the mostly decayed thing on the slab I decided to give the creature a wide berth.
