Simplicity is nice. It allows people to feel safe. When things are simple it's easy to feel in control. But nothing is ever simple, at least not if you really look at it. I used to believe otherwise. Then I died. My name is Frank. I chose it myself because Will taught me that when you live forever you want to be able to live with choices that you made yourself, not ones that were made for you. So I changed my name to Frank. But before I get too far ahead of myself let me begin the way any story should be told, with the beginning.

The year was 1868, I was 20. I was living in Tennessee with my wife and daughter. There was beautiful forest surrounding the house I'd made for my family. We had a small farmstead that we worked on which made us fairly self sufficient, and whatever we couldn't do ourselves we would trade for with our neighbors or with merchants and people in town just a little ways away. I'd only returned from what had been Confederate service a few years ago; having left for the war as soon as I could convince the recruiters I was old enough. I joined because my state was under attack, and indirectly my family as well. When I returned I realized I hadn't trained in any specific trade or skill, so I was resigned to helping others where I could for small amounts of pay or goods.

We'd never been a well to do family so when President Lincoln's ban on slavery affected many, we were left in the exact same position as before. Laura didn't care though. She took care of what she could. We'd been sweethearts before the war started and as soon as I'd returned we got married. Not surprisingly we had a child roughly nine months later, my daughter Susan. I could have been beaten down and spit on everyday and still have returned to my ladies with a smile. Everything was very simple, and life was good.

The girls and I went into town the day things first began to get complicated. "We need flour, cloth, some nails, a new shovel since you broke the last one, we're fine on food for now but we should probably see when some new food stocks come in. We should also probably talk to John about making a larger crib and when we'll need a bed for Susie since he's already had 3 of his own kids," Laura reminded me.

"I agree, though I think we should probably hold out on the bed a little longer since I'm still working for the piece of roof that tree took out during the last storm. I can talk to Will about the shovel and see if I can work some of it off as well as pay for at least part of it. I can trust that you can find the rest of the items over at the general store," I replied. Will was the resident blacksmith, but he was a fair ways out from town. He did work for other towns not too far away as well. He was a terrific blacksmith, and luckily he was kind enough that even if he didn't need too much assistance he was always willing to let me work off payments.

"Then while you go over to Will's, we'll go get everything else. I expect you home by nightfall because that's when I'll have dinner ready," she told me. "And ask Will if he'll join us for dinner, it's the least we could do for all that he's done for us."

"I'll ask him, but don't expect him to accept. He's refused every time we've asked already."

"I know. But all the same, ask him anyway." I kissed her farewell and started the journey to Will's forge.

I made good time getting there, arriving a little after noon. I could see the smoke coming from the forge next to his house. Nobody had understood why he decided to risk the fire hazard of having a forge right alongside his house, but he was good enough that nobody had worried when he moved in about 8 years ago. The door was open as I wandered up, so I knocked on the frame and loudly announced my arrival to make sure he could hear me over the din of the hammer blows. A few moments later his figure appeared in the doorway. He was wearing the black goggles that protected his eyes, his blacksmith apron, and some trousers. He was a good looking man, with an immense frame that filled the doorway. He had long red hair braided into a ponytail and a beard that had been plaited. He was pale beyond comparison, except for the soot that covered him. And whenever I had shaken hands with the man it was like touching ice. The other men I'd talked to about him had said it was probably because he stayed inside all day working and his body had become so accustomed to the heat it had stopped producing its own. Only men had ever seen him at his house, because husbands and fathers refused to let him even try and tempt our wives and daughters with his looks.

"Welcome back Francis, I was just working on some shoes Tavish's horse needed after the animal threw his, as well as a few specialty parts for another town. Needing anything in particular or just looking for work?" Will remained in the shadow of the doorway, which made him look oddly menacing.

"A bit of both actually, I broke the shovel the other day. It ended up splitting down the middle partway so if you feel it can be saved I would be grateful. As usual I can always pay you back with work and I even saved up a little bit so I can pay at least partially with money."

"That's fine, and if it's split in half like that I can probably save it. If you want to go ahead and get a head start on the work I could use your help for the next few hours."

"That'll be fine, as long as I get back before it gets too dark or Laura will skin me alive. Speaking of which, Laura wanted me to extend an invitation to dinner. "

"Well, we wouldn't want you to get killed, would we? So I'll make sure you get home before then. And I'll go with you to get the shovel, though I'm not sure about the dinner. I might run into some acquaintances that recently started coming through the area." He moved aside and I entered his forge to begin going to work. "If you hadn't been such a quick learner, I probably wouldn't have ever agreed to let you work here."

"And a thank you for letting me work here anyway," I replied. For the next 4 hours or so we were hard at work, first making horse shoes and then a few other items I'd never seen before. "Parts," Will told me, apparently for some machine that was getting built in the next town over. Will was the best in the area so it was no surprise others had come to ask for his expertise.

"Alright," said Will, after quenching the last piece we'd worked on, "I think it's about time we started heading out. It'll get dark if we're not careful and I doubt that Laura will be forgiving to you even if I try to help explain."

"Agreed" I said and made my way to the water pump to begin cleaning myself off a little before heading home. I washed the sweat and sooty grime of the forge off my arms and face. I looked up when I'd finished and noticed it had gotten quite cloudy. Will came up from behind and handed me a cloth to dry off. I took it, but not before I noticed that he'd already cleaned himself up and apparently dried off. "Is there another pump around here?" I asked.

"None that I know of," he said, pausing. "…But there's a wash basin in the house that I used, which is where I got the towel for you as well."

"Oh, well thank you," I said leaving the subject alone and slightly worried I'd offended him. He'd apparently changed clothes as well. Then I noticed he'd removed his goggles and I could see his eyes. They were reddish gold. It was slightly alarming, but I did my best not to stare.

"Well then, we'd best start moving before the night washes over us," said Will, turning and starting to walk towards my home. I put the towel on the water pump and jogged up to his side. Almost all the way there, we never talked except for the occasional comment about nothing in particular.

Eventually we were almost to the house, only needing to crest a small hill to see it, when Will suddenly stopped. I took 2 steps before I realized what he'd done and turned around to look at him. He was standing completely motionless; his eyes appeared to be looking far away. "What is it?" I asked, slightly worried by the sudden change. "I know it's a little dark but Laura will understand."

"You should stay here for a moment," he replied and ran in the direction of the house. That worried me enough that I began running forward as well, though he outstripped me quickly at his pace. As I came over the hill, I saw my house. As soon as I did I wish I'd just listened to Will. The door had been broken down, which would have been difficult for anything but a bear except I didn't see any claw marks around the frame or on the door itself.

I started to carefully approach the house, afraid of what I would see inside, when I began to hear voices. They were yelling at each other, but going so fast I had no idea what was being said. Then suddenly the noise stopped and I heard a gasp from what sounded like Will. Fearing the worst, I began to rush forward until a stench so horrendous filled my nostrils and stopped me in my tracks. It smelled of blood. It smelled of Death. I gagged for a moment, forcing the stench and the feeling of dread to pass before continuing on. My steps were measured as I slowly approached the door. The smell was stronger and when I looked inside I quickly found out why.

By one wall Will was on a knee breathing heavily and grimacing. There were two others dressed in very fine and rich clothes, and just as pale as Will, standing near the opposite wall just staring at him with smiles on their faces. Between the two of them lay Laura and Susan. They were unmoving, and I could see blood stains beneath both of them. There was a scream of fury and pain that pierced the air and forced the two strangers to look at me. I didn't realize I was on my knees until I cried out the second time. There were flashes in front of me and I could just barely make out the forms of Will and the two strangers before I was knocked away. It was so impossibly fast that even as I landed on the ground I was still registering the hit to my chest.

My body informed me of two things. The first was that my back felt funny. The second was that the pain in my chest was quickly spreading. I looked down to see blood coming out in a crescent shaped bite just above my heart. The pain was spreading outward and deeper, picking up pace more and more quickly. It found its way to my heart, and immediately my body became the embodiment of pain.

I'd watched men beside me tear apart as hot lead entered their bodies and began twisting through their insides. I'd seen doctors drunkenly cut off limbs from boys younger than me and men much older. I'd witnessed tar traps set fire to Union and Confederate soldiers alike and cringed at their cries of suffering. Back then I'd hoped that something like that would never happen to me, but now I only envied them that there pain was something less and that it at least had an ending where they would most always get their wish. I screamed into the growing night, dimly aware of arms carrying me deeper into the woods. I screamed for days, and months, and years, and centuries, and millennia. I screamed silently when my voice died, and loudly when it came back. I cried every tear out of my body. And then my pain lessened. It was the equivalent of spitting on a forest fire, but it was less. The pain slowly crept out of my limbs leaving them feeling cool. The pain retreated to my heart and throat. My heart had picked up speed, it was like listening to a thousand horses galloping. It went faster and faster and I knew what was coming next. It stopped. And all I felt for the moment was my throat with a subdued burning feeling.

"Get up," I heard a voice say above me. I opened my eyes and saw Will towering over me. He didn't look happy.

A/N

This is my first story, so I'm sure that it needs some work. Leave comments (good or bad) to let me know how to make it better.