"okay great now weregoing toputthatdown." he spoke quickly in a nervous mess. Taking the gun out of Vals hands as if it were an armed bomb.
"how many bullets does it have?" Val asked with excitement over the object.
"i don't know and rather not know. Lets just set it back in the water. It might just be misplaced with someone looking for it." Blake spoke nervously.
"let's take it. It'll come in handy." she suggested, trying to get a better look over the weapon. However, Blake wasn't allowing her to get anywhere near it.
"how, I can't handle this?! Can you?!" he questioned, keeping the weapon from her reach.
"no, but I was raised around guns. Templegate had many hunting rifles for a while. Till the bullets ran dry with no way to obtain more. Everyone was taught about them as tools. Used for hunting or putting a farm animal out of its misery." she answered.
"this gun is a lot different from a hunting rifle." Blake warned.
"how so?" she asked.
"um, these are not given to most people. … okay, but let me hold it." he stated. Finding no reason to get rid of it. All the reason he could come up with came down to laws in civilization. Which they were far from and fleeing for their lives to reach. He wanted to be the holder though for fear Val mite go playing with it.
"check its ammo." she suggested. Blake looking over it for where ever the opening was. He had worked with pistols for a day at the shooting range on a reporting job. Seeing other guns on the job gave him false confidence he could figure the weapon out. Finding not even a slot to load the ammo in.
"what's in there?" she asked over the large barrel attached underneath. Blake looking over it till he ended at a large latch. Popping it oven after applying a large amount of force. Revealing a long hidden coil filled with metal rings holding multiple slender bullets. Seeing a loading point toward the back popping the rings into the barrel.
"like a six shooter." Blake thought, counting the rings filled with bullets.
"no wonder it's so damn heavy. Each ring has 7 bullets, 10 rings. A few have been spent with a empty slot. 61 bullets left in the whole thing." he informed her as he looked over the thing.
"we need to go hunting with this." Val spoke with a grin.
"we should save the bullets." Blake suggested.
"we have to go hunting. We need food before we reach the mountains. Snows toward the tops along with lots of storms. Kill a few deer, get warm clothing, and smoke some meat to preserve. Make a large food stash to replace our lost one." Val talked him into it.
"okay, but I am keeping the gun at all times." he nodded. The idea of another food stash catching a big part of his interest.
"alright. This is a perfect time for hunting too. There beginning to go crazy for the upcoming rut. Markings, tracks, and loud calls should be everywhere." Val talked as she lead Blake off into the forest. Both following along thin streams coming down from the mountains ahead.
"look, already some marks!" Val spoke, heading up to a tree with multiple deep gouges into the trunk. Surrounded by hoof tracks at the roots.
"all these are fresh from a buck. Lots of meat to gather." she spoke quietly as she tracked the deer. Blake moving faster to get ahead of her in preparation for the shot if the deer was spotted. Crouching at the sight of movement ahead past a fallen tree. Feeling angry disappointment when he saw a pack of wolves tearing apart a deer carcass.
"cant even steal the meat." he mumbled. The idea of scaring the wolfs off being useless with the carcass already picked clean. Val looking over the tree to see what Blake was so disappointed over.
"this is even better." she whispered to him.
"how?" he asked.
"warm clothing, they all have fine coats. We could really use that for the snow. Wolf meat is just the same as deer meat." Val informed, gesturing to aim his gun.
"sure they're okay to eat?" Blake asked, watching the wolfs wheeze. Slight twitches happening just like the others he'd seen.
"their not nearly as poisoned as many i've seen. Meat or no meat we really must get the fur at least." she answered.
"how many should I try to get?" he asked.
"as many as you can. They might not run away with that gun being so quiet." she spoke.
"aim for the head, or just behind the arm bone. either of those will kill them quickly." she instructed, helping him set the gun against him and the fallen tree.
He took careful deep breaths to calm himself. Looking through the scope to carefully aim. Picking off one with no notice to the others fighting over the deers rib cage.
"silencer." Blake noted after a lack of bang. Picking off the wolves one by one till there were only three left. Blake pausing as he was afraid to continue. Losing the fear when he saw the remaining wolfs try to eat their own dead.
"very good, set up a smoke pit as I set the furs. We have to move quick before flies start to swarm." she hopped over the log to start moving the wolves to the side in a line. Telling Blake instructions, as she carved the wolves, on how to make a large smoke pit. By the time she was done carving he had finished setting the smoke pit. A slightly dug hole with wood carefully broken into chunks, dampened with water, for slow burning to gain smoke. Making a large tightly woven tent of sorts with layers of basket like areas to hold slabs of meats.
"help me set these in." she said, pointing at the other small slabs of carved meat. Both delicately setting the pieces tightly together on the basket sections. Val shutting the whole thing off with the final side of the smoke tent. Tightly packing it with layered leaves and ties till she was sure it was secured shut. Leaving only two small openings with one being toward the bottom to light the fire and one at the top the size of a quarter.
Val carefully lighting some moss to set over the damp wood chips. Creating a large amount of smoke as the moss burned over the chips. Val letting the pit do its work as she finished setting the furs. Trying to teach Blake how to tan the furs properly with a mixture. That mixture making him far too sick to try after seeing he'd have to mash the animals brains for it. However he did continue listening on the mixture instructions.
"after the meats done how long will it last?" he asked. Washing blood off in a deep puddle collecting by a tree.
"a week, but remember that's all for rationing. You sit and watch everything while I go catch us some rabbits for breakfast. … since you didn't catch it by the rocks." she teased.
"i could have if the gun hadn't stabbed me!" he whined while pointing to the small scratch on his leg. Watching Val till she disappeared from his sight between the trees.
He grew bored after waiting a few hours. Thinking about taking knoths book before a grave realization. All his possessions were soaked from the river.
"fuck, fuck, fuck!" he repeated to himself as he yanked the book out. Quickly flipping through it with a sinking heart. Realizing a bit of good news and bad news. Most the book was completely destroyed, however the pages toward the middle had not suffered as badly. The ink was smeared or blurred yet still readable for the most part.
He sat extremely close to the smoker to gather heat for the book. Hoping to dry it out further to save the pages from more damage. Starting to read a few pages of knoths strange rantings.
Final harvest of winter cabbage -
" how dare he! Biting the very hand who blessed him with mercy! Despite my commands he refuses to budge from that building of orphans. I keep telling him that it's a woman's job for child rearing. He had bigger responsibility then this to care for.
He would not listen to me, the very prophet of god. I warned him he would face god's wrath if he did not repent his words. Putting his very position on the line with threats to me over how he rather not follow the path of decon-ship any longer. Claiming that he was possibly the other sex when I reminded him of his past lies of gender. Speaking of false happiness gained as he cared for the abandoned spawn.
I warned him further with punishment over the sins he was suggesting. How many years of lying he had told me. The sin of him uprooting the churches standards for a job only man could handle. The heresy of abandoning the position under gods watch.
He dismissed my threats as hollow. Challenging me to let him go of the deacon position. Willing to accept whatever punishment I gave. Saying nothing could be as horrible after being underneath me. He shouted all this in front of the others. I had to regain control after hearing the whispers of doubts over me."
first day of new year-
"I gave him my permission for Val to stay with the children while being deacon. A decision I detest fully, but something to keep a hold of for a time. The people have been suffering the sin of envy. Watching Val with his children for the past few days. They have even begun going to him to talk over matters rather than me. I cannot allow this to go any further. I merely bought myself a few minutes giving Val my permission. Trying to keep a hold of my position over him, but even the people are seeing Vals leash slip free from my hands.
They do not realize they sacrifice eternal happiness for quick pleasure. I cannot demand Val to his post without glares of rejection from all the idiots! Marta does her best to help, the faithful soul, but culling the herd with no end bares no useful results. I cannot remove the children either without questioning while I have no reasons to give. I see now who the wolf is. The follower of our enemy is leading my flock to its den. I want to shout false prophets, but I fear i am too late. They follow the wolf with talks of abandoning the sacred land we settled so long ago."
7th day following the new year-
"I pray for them all, my poor flock that spreads the seeds of doubt of the lord. They're forming against me! I hear all they're whispers for blood to stain the slate. I see shadows following me from the far trees. God tells me not to worry of those shadows wandering the mountain sides. I have kept my faith and have nothing to fear.
I tell the lord I shall not fear, but I cannot help but worry over the wolf. He has taken so many to the side of disobedience I can no longer send out commands. If something is not done. I don't know what to do. Even now i am forced to send more lone children to Vals care."
8th day in the month of spring-
"I spoke with god alone on the mountain. The lord specifically requesting me to come past where the watching demonic shadows prowl. I went just as before when he asked for my eye in return for truth. Being cautious to avoid the mob speaking behind me.
The lords voice warning me of the wolf again that stocks my flock. Telling me he was a servant of the fallen in disguise and I had no way of knowing till now. He had to be punished with righteous fury rained down upon him. The wolf had to be revealed as to not have my flock stray any further. God watched them, heard them, speaking in whispers over my place. If I was true or that the wolfs honeyed words were.
threat of them losing faith with me had settled in their hearts. It was all Vals fault after the attack of my commands. He must be punished. He must relearn the wrath of god. I asked how I shall stop the wolf from bringing further worship to the red dragon of hell. Getting a message I shall follow till the sun dies. The flock wishes to run with the wolf to the outer world of sin.
The Antichrist comes to my flock in the flesh of an innocent. Even the ones already born could be a vessel. The wolf defends them as it is its duty to bring its master into the world. I was commanded to purge the evil seed of all those under 10 winters from birth. Commanded That I had to call the wolf forward to demand loyalty of it to the lord's name. To spill the blood of its master from the fiery depths. A suitable punishment for the heretic to learn the wrath of god."
"the children massacre." Blake swallowed, knowing where this lead. The books end not being far off from the page.
"could this have really changed people to his side? Did Val just give in without a fight?" he questioned in thought. Many more stacking to cause a migraine in his skull. He wanted to read more, but the rest had chicken scratch ramblings. The final quarter of the book destroyed from water.
"guess its for the best." Blake thought over the destruction of knoths words.
"if I want answers now, i'll have to ask for them." he thought, shoving the book away. He carefully tended to the small fire, adding more soaked chips or moss when needed. Shooing away any rodents sniffing at the furs. The sky growing full of colors as the sun set.
"so much for breakfast." Blake mumbled.
"sorry, I just kept catching them in one spot. I need the extra skins." Val apologized from behind. Showing him a large handful of rabbits when entering the light of the small fire.
"going to make gloves from them?" Blake joked, surprised over the bunch of rabbits.
"wolf fur would be better. Most of these are going to be made for threading the pieces together. The rest for some layering in the exposed areas like around the neck or a mask to keep your breath warm." she spoke, setting up a second fire. Quickly setting the meat to cook and furs out to set with the others.
"if its so bad, how exactly would we have made it by the mountains without the furs?" he questioned.
"there's a low and a high trail. The low was safe without gear, but went the long way around the whole side of the mountain. Many climbs up and down rocky areas. The top made weather survival difficult, but the walk was very clear. A long rocky trail left behind from a seasonal river. During fall and winter it's just rocks, in spring it turns to a flowing river from the melting snow. … there's another issue I must tell." Val spoke. After getting a concerning look from him she continued.
"past this lake I can only go from what i've been told. Never been to the mountains around here. Half the area around here I don't even really remember. We have to stick carefully to the marks of the trail from this point on." she spoke seriously about the matter.
"we've gotten this far." Blake spoke, moving a twig out of his way to sit by the bigger fire. Watching the smoke float up to disappear into the sky. Staring upwards to look over the stars before looking back toward Val.
"should we worry about the fire being spotted?" he asked.
"trees will hide it. Were also too out of the way for them to see us unless they trudge specifically this way." she spoke, turning over each of the cooking rabbits.
" … do you still have faith?" he asked her. Wanting to chip away at least a few of his building questions. She tensed at the question with a hard swallow. Looking over the lined rabbits as if they'd have an answer.
" … cannot say. I grow tired of god and his demons, but there is always worry for the end." she answered quietly.
"you must have some faith. You're always wearing that cross with beads around your neck. Even after you abandoned Knoth." Blake mentioned. Having Val grab at the hanging cross to hold.
"... it was my mothers." she spoke with a slight smile that soon disappeared.
"... it's really nice after being worn for so long." Blake complimented.
"thanks, took me a while to gather enough teeth to replace all the missing beads." Val mentioned of the memento, turning the rabbits over again in the fire. The dark mentioning having Blake go silent.
"... maybe I don't want to go down this rabbit hole of answers." he reconsidered in thought after the dark information. Awkwardly sitting there quietly before asking something else against his better judgment.
"why did you want to be knoths deacon?" he questioned.
" I was young, stupid, didn't know what I was getting into. I know now I should have stayed away. Far, far, away in the mountains. I bought all the lies and promises Knoth gave me." she answered with a tone leaning toward anger. Pulling the skewered rabbits from the fire. Leaving two out on a layered stack of leaves, the rest set into the smoker.
"those rabbits won't preserve like the rest of the meat, but won't spoil for a day. Breakfast will be ready when we wake." she informed.
"how'd your mother care for you?" he continued with the questions. Starting to pick at the rabbit he set in his lap.
"you're very interested in questions." Val pointed out, picking at her rabbit for a piece to eat.
"i am a reporter, it's my job to ask all the questions I can. Are questions not allowed?" he asked, realizing how this was beginning to sound like an interview.
"questions were not accepted. Asking things caused many to lose their tongues or be marked as a message to the rest." she answered with a imagined knife flicking gesture at her jaw hinge.
"ask your questions, I never found them threatening." she stated, eating a bite of meat without a care.
"your mom." he reminded her of the question. Chewing down a piece of leg.
"that's far in the past. I don't see the purpose in bringing it up." she stated. No longer eating the rabbit as she fiddled with a rib bone in hand. Blake thought about the next question to ask. He wanted to start at the beginning to work his way up. Now Val was pushing him to skip ahead.
"were you …. how did … how was it working under Knoth." he tried to carefully ask. Trying to see how she felt, but the answer was pretty obvious.
"hell." she stated, throwing the rib bone to the fire.
"were … were you depressed?" he outright asked. Swallowing down a barely chewed piece of meat.
"no, numb was more accurate." she spoke, taking another bite of meat.
"were you ever happy?" he asked. Val freezing up at the question with a blank stare down at her food.
"what's the purpose of these questions?" she asked coldly.
"figure out how things were like before. It sounds like -" Blake spoke, interrupted by Val with a confronting tone.
"your lying. What are you looking for?" she glared intently with suspicion.
"answers." he mumbled.
"to what?!" she snapped. Standing fast with enough anger to scare Blake to his feet.
" … you and Knoth had a power war for a time. Knoth was becoming afraid when you rejected him to take care of the kids. So he talked to god and … told you to kill them. Why-" Blake explained, stopping when Val aggressively stepped toward him.
"how do you know all this?!" she shouted with painful anger.
" I heard towns people talking-" he nervously started.
"liar!" she roared. Scaring Blake back with the bringing out of her knife.
"did Knoth tell you something?! Did you worship him?!" she questioned, walking close with her knife pointed toward him.
"n-no, no!" he repeated, arms held out defensively in front of him as he backed up.
"did he send you on a crusade to spread his gospel to the new world?!" she growled furiously.
"no! i-" he exclaimed, sucking in a breath of air as he fell over a large branch. Landing painfully on the uneven ground with a tree root digging into his spine. Getting the same breath forced out of him with a leg slamming into his chest. Pinning him to the floor with a knife shoved up against his side.
"val- Val please i-" Blake fearfully talked under her. Flinching his body away from the knife with little success.
"shut up!" she shouted down at him. Blake going quiet with eyes closing tightly with a wince as the knife slowly pierced his skin.
"where did you learn this?!" she demanded the answer.
"its written!" Blake answered, keeping his eyes shut.
"where?!" she shouted.
"my pocket, its knoths journal!" he quickly blurted out. Tensing as Val began searching all over him. Yanking out the leather bound book when she found it. Blake laying still under her as he watched her flip through the book. Her body slowly calming down as she scanned the pages.
"where'd you get this?!" she questioned again.
"knoths room, back in the town. It was hidden under the floorboards. I think he didn't want anybody to find it." Blake stated. Calming down as the knife was removed from his side.
"why do you have it?" she growled, yanking him to sit up by his shirt.
" something strange was going on. It didn't start as bad then suddenly things broke down. The strangers are from a company called Murkoff. I think they were messing with the town somehow. With those towers by that factory being a huge part of it. I wanted to try and figure out how long this had gone on. I also fully believe that "God" was something they set up from the factory. I thought it mite ... help when I get back, ... I guess." Blake admitted.
"help how?" she asked, releasing his shirt.
"murkoff was caught doing something similar at a secluded asylum in the mountains. They were ripped apart for a while, but government never caught the leaders. Only the small workers and doctors left at the facility. If I bring something as evidence back that marks Murkoffs involvement here. They'll take over the area. Burn it to the ground after ripping it apart for anything they could on what went on." he explained.
"i don't know if that book will work now. It's been ruined by the river." he spoke with defeat.
"hm." Val hummed before getting off him. Tossing the book back to him. Blake just managing to catch it in his lap when sitting back up.
"any private thoughts about me in there?" she asked in monotone, returning to her barely touched rabbit.
"after you left I don't think any of the private thoughts about you were private anymore." Blake answered honestly. Retrieving his rabbit from atop a rock it landed on.
"want to heat it up?" she asked, setting her own rabbit back on the fire. Setting Blakes rabbit after he handed it over with a nod.
"... sorry." she apologized with a gesture to where she almost stabbed him.
"i don't want knoths word getting out either. Last thing this world needs is more nutjobs popping up just like him. Maybe its for the best that most of this book was ruined." he shrugged a shoulder. Shoving the book back down into his bag.
"... you think they made the voice of god?" she asked after a pause.
"yes. They got more and more frequent after the "horns" followed by light. I've heard stories talking about radio waves messing with objects if the signal was strong enough. I think those towers were giving off a strong signal with the bright lights being a cover. Could try and bring that to attention." Blake explained.
" … do they bring visions?" she asked.
"if they can force a voice into someone's mind. I don't doubt that they could do imagery too." he nodded.
Wicker tapped his fingers along the medical bed rails impatiently. Arm in a sling with a chest cast keeping him locked in bed.
"sir, i've told you we cant let you go. You need to rest and heal." a doctor advised.
"fix me now!" wicker bared his teeth from the bed.
"yelling will not get you anywhere." the doctor spoke. Unaffected by wickers 50th threat on his life.
"murkoff has to have some medical thing in the back of this lab. What about that devil Armour Barker used. That shit reinforced his bones!" he shouted.
"it reinforced his bones against the suit! The support broke and crushed him in it like a juicer with a grape." the doctor pointed out the flaws.
"i know Murkoffs got work in everything. There has to be something laying around here!" he glared. The doctor sighing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"the same we used for your jaw. Metal fixture plates on the broken bones. It'll get you up on your feet. Make you a little more protected from attacks in only the broken places. You can't treat it like defensive Armour if I place it!" the doctor stated firmly on the ending notice.
"i'll take it!" wicker accepted.
"of course you will. Don't be dumb like Barker." the doctor stated.
"i'm not that insane freak!" wicker roared, throwing a food trey that just missed the doctor. Grabbing the radio by his bed.
"you idiots find where they are?" wicker spoke into the radio.
"no sir, but we have a pretty good guess of where there going to be. They're lined up with the marker town trail with the nearby mountains. If there trying to make it, that's the way they'll take." a man spoke into the radio.
"perfect. Get men hiking to the top and a helicopter scanning the lower parts. Hook everyone up with heat sensors. We can close them in at the top, bring them to the lab after. Ill be flying out there to meet up with you." he commanded.
"yes sir. We also have to report no one can get a hold of the CEO. Is the high tower being tested?" the man asked.
"yes. I'll worry about the CEO later, you just get moving." he lied over the tower.
"get moving! I want out of here in 5 minutes!" he shouted at the doctor with a glare. Getting a uncaring look in return.
The following morning Blake woke to the sun. greatly missing the use of curtains so he could sleep in. he looked around after seeing Val missing from her sleeping spot besides him. Standing up as he searched around him for her whereabouts.
"fires getting low." he thought at the notice of the smoke house being a bit low on smoke. He gathered a small bit of moss to toss into the small fire pit. Looking off toward the direction of the lake, wondering if that's where she head. He stepped forward to head toward the lake, stopping himself after going only a foot.
"the food." he thought, looking back at it.
"The supplies shouldn't be left alone." he thought, looking over to the prepared furs nearby.
" … i'll be back quickly. I'll just run to the lake and look, then head right back." he thought. Heading off to the lake.
He made it to the end of the treeline. Searching over the rocky shore he could see from where he was. Spotting Val leaning against a large tree. Calmly looking out over the vast wilderness in front of her.
"you okay?" he asked quietly, walking over to be at her side.
"yes, only thinking." she answered, unmoving without even a glance toward him.
"about what?" he asked.
"a few things. What will I do after we reach the town, being one." she answered. Blakes heart sinking into his stomach. He never thought of that question.
"there's no way she'll make it in regular society. It's like walking into another dimension compared to where she was raised. Having actual laws and standards. She doesn't even have the basics like a birth certificate. She technically doesn't exist to society." he thought. The world around them feeling silent for their thoughts. Then came the question of what he was going to do in town.
"get some money to flee with. Get in touch with the FBI to investigate this whole thing. … leave Val." he thought. Before they started this journey he didn't care what happened to her, but now.
"i can't be attached. I need to forget this." he thought with a thick swallow.
"… abandoning her at the step of a new world would be cruel though." a tiny voice in the back of his mind spoke sadly.
"... so what will you do?" he asked.
" head back to live in the mountains. A place i am more used to." she answered.
"..." He stood there wanting to say something, but there was nothing he could say.
"that would be safer for her." he thought.
" … but a lonely existence." the tiny voice talked again.
Val stood from the tree without another word to walk back to camp. Blake watching her from the ending tree line. Following her trail a little after she had gotten ahead.
"the meat should be ready by now. Leaving them in till I finish off the furs just to be sure." she told him as he arrived back. Handing him one of the smoked rabbits stored from the night. Him giving her a nod to show he heard as he took the rabbit. Twisting the stick, attached to the rabbit, around in his hands. Even now, despite the birds singing their morning songs, the world felt too quiet. There journey still had a long way to go. It bought time to think on some things.
Val looked over each fur with a rub against the dry underside. Biting pieces off her rabbit in between. Taking out her knife for making strips with the rabbit furs. Stopping at the sound of a helicopter approaching. Hearing the approaching sound Blake ran over to cover the smoker. Making sure the smoke quickly dissipated before rising too high. Both waited and listened to the chopping sound. Turning there heads as they followed the direction of the sound. When it slowly faded out, Blake uncovered the smoker. Going into a coughing fit as a smoke cloud rose into his face.
"its heading toward the mountain trail." Val stated, eating another bite of rabbit as she slowly went back to work.
"great." Blake sighed.
"is there anything I should do? Your working on the furs here. No use having me stand watch too." Blake asked.
"foraging would be good for you. Teach you how to identify things. Build up supplies while you learn." she spoke, looking into her bag to grab a small sample of a few herbs. Carefully describing how each of the full version plant looks. The rest of the day Val worked the furs with Blake hunting for plants around the lake edge. Toward later in the day Val had finished setting up warmer clothing.
"these are yours." she said, tossing a set of warm wolf clothing.
"wow." he spoke amazed as he looked over the clothing. Definitely didn't look like the waving puffy fashion coats in magazines. A thick ruffled collar at the top that extended into a hood. layers going around the shoulders. Small holes made usually for buttons, were now used with the removed fangs of wolves. strung to the other half of the jackets front. Different rings of fur to strap tightly across his legs. A string of rabbit furs to create a scarf. Along with a pair of wolf gloves, and a shoe like set made from rabbit fur.
"that fur goes inside your shoes, not out. Make sure they don't get wet either or your feet will suffer." she pointed to the shoe like set in his hands.
"are we moving to the mountain today or tomorrow? It'll be pretty late when we get there." he asked.
"today, we can hide in the dark from that flier. I assume it won't be the only thing searching there." she answered. gesturing for Blake to hand over the food bag with some smoked meat in hand. He handed it for her to fill, turning back to the clothing set to carefully pack into a traveling roll.
