Adam had them drop down to the floor before crawling to the window. Sarah swallowed hard and pulled Alfred close, crawling underneath a table just in case. "What's going on?" she asked quietly. There was more screaming, this time more voices in the mix. Alfred froze when he heard the whoops of one of his siblings echo through the air. "...Roanoke...He's here. I know him. I can go talk to him and ask him what's going on. He must be afraid. We have to tell the others not to hurt him!" hissed Alfred.
Sarah slapped a hand over Alfred's mouth when she spotted a Native American on a hourse pass by their window. She shook. "Adam...What do we do? What do we do? We don't have enough ammo to fight a war. Even if we rationed the town's supply," she whimpered. Adam crawled over to them. "It's fine. It's going to be okay. I'm going to get you two to the Church. I'm sure that's where they're going to keep the women and children. Then I'm going to find Jefferson and the other men," he said.
"No. No you are not going out there and you are not risking your life. Maybe if we just stay put...they'll go away and leave us alone. We can pretend to be dead. Something. We are not going on a suicide mission. The others will have to learn to hold their own. We'll find a way to survive until the next boat. They'll be coming for us soon. I know they will," she said, begging Adam not to go into the bloodbath they could hear taking place. Alfred squrimed. "I-I can talk to them. Just let me try. I promise they won't hurt me," he said.
"No!" both of them shouted a little too loudly. They froze when they heard someone kick down their door. Sarah clutched Alfred and Adam's arm, panicking. They heard someone speak in a strange language before walking into the house. Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and clung to Alfred. Adam wrapped his arms around the two of them. The footsteps stopped before the table went flying and a man covered in paints and feathers glowered at them. Sarah started crying, holding her two men close.
Alfred looked at his adopted parents before finally pulling out of Sarah's arms. "Stop. These are my people. I demand to speak to your leader," he said in the man's language. The man paused before raising an eyebrow. "You may speak my language but you are merely a child. Step aside and we might spare you," he responded. Sarah had started crying. "Alfred, Alfred please get back. Don't try talking him down. Please," she said. Adam looked lost and unsure of what to do.
Alfred lifted his chin up stubbornly. "Take me to the Shaman's son. I am his brother. If you hurt these people, you will suffer his wrath," he growled. The man frowned. "How do you know of the Shaman's son. You are not our kind. You are different. You cannot be brothers," he said. "I can assure you I know him. He does not age. Does not get sick. He looks like he's about ten years old and has for the past hundred years. He has eyes that looked like he has seen great wars. He is my brother and I am his. Take me to him. I must explain that this is a mistake," he said.
The man laughed. "I suppose I will. We're supposed to bring the people we find into the square anyways. Makes taking care of you easier when it's all at once," he grinned. Alfred blinked and took a good look at the man, the first time doing so. He paled at the sight of blood splattered on him. The man's grin widened. "Some of your people put up a bit of a fight. I was ordered to...dispose of any opposers. Tell your parents to come quietly or feel the bite of my blade," he said.
Alfred hesitated. "You swear to Mother Earth to bring me to my brother?" he asked. The man nodded, hand on the weapon at his side. Alfred turned to Adam and Sarah, who were shaking and watching the interaction with fear and panic in their eyes. Adam had his arm wrapped tightly around Sarah, who had tears silently streaming down her face. "You won't hurt them. You must promise not to hurt them," he said, turning back to the man. "Don't push it. I'm already giving one too many favors," he said before hearding the family out.
Alfred told Adam and Sarah what was going on and did his best to keep them calm. Adam suddenly grabbed Alfred when they passed a red puddle with something behind it… "Shh Alfred. How far do you think it will be to the square?" asked Adam, turning Alfred's face away as he held him to his chest. Alfred was confused but let them, figuring it was helping him feel better. Alfred looked up when they reached the square, frowning at the small amount of cowarding people in the square. Where were the rest of them?
"Sir, this boy asks to see you. He claims to be a brother. Goes by the name of Dyami. Does he speak the truth or shall I cut his tongue out?" asked the man that was their guide. Alfred spotted a boy, who looked around before scowling at him. "You. What are you doing here? I thought I told you to never come to my lands again. I want you out of here. Now," growled the boy. "What are you doing to my people? You've..you've hurt so many people. You're scaring them. Please stop," he whimpered.
"You sent that man to kill our chief's son. This is revenge. Even if I wanted to, I could do nothing to quell my boss's anger. You brought this on yourself," said Roanoke. "M-Mr. McGregor...It was an old man that attacked, wasn't it?" asked Alfred. "A man of nothing but mere skin and bones. A walking skeleton. My men thought he was the beginning form of a Wendigo. He came in howling, speaking in tongues. He was demanding something. The chief's son went to calm him...and he killed him. We killed him on the spot," said Roanoke.
"What is he saying?" asked Jefferson, looking as if he had been put through a blender. "He said that Mr. McGregor came into their tribe acting strange. He said that they tried to calm him down, the chief's son tried to calm him down. Mr. McGregor...killed him. They're acting in revenge. We provoked them…" muttered Alfred. Jeffereson's eyes widened. "H-Haven't you already done enough damage though, Roanoke. You've killed most of my people...I-I've never felt so much pain and suffering before. T-They were already starving. Chowanoke was going to help us. P-Please...Have some mercy. We'll do anything," he begged.
Roanoke couldn't meet his eyes. "I'm sorry. My leader has already demanded that everyone die...Including you. B-But...You'll come back. I'm sure you will. T-These aren't quite your people. They still have alliances to their old land. But when your real people come...you'll be stronger for this. I'm so sorry Dyami. I'll tell Chowanoke what happened...Please forgive me," he said before waving his hand. A flock of arrows flew into the people around Alfred. He started gasping, doubling over despite no arrow hitting him. When the last person fell, an arrow struck his heart and the world went black.
When Alfred came to, he was in a pile of ash, bunnies licking his hands in a despearte attempt to wake him up. He groaned, headaching and cold. But what was worse was how weak he felt. His stomach ached as if he hadn't eaten for months. He tried to get up but whimpered. The ground underneath him seemed to shift, supporting him into a seated position. "You poor child...I haven't seen anything that brutal since the fall of Rome, but if you ask me Rome was starting to get a bit cocky. Are you okay child?" asked what sounded like an older lady's voice.
Alfred looked around, seeing nothing. "Down here dearie. And don't freak out! I scared the schist out of Iroquis last time I pulled this trick on her. How's your head dear? You hit it quite hard when you fell over. Ooh, and before you try to look, know that I'm not a hallucination or ghost or any of that. I'm your grandmother. Grandmother Earth. You can call me grandma if you like," she said. Alfred looked down and yelped when he spotted a puddle of water with sticks floating in it, forming a face. Alfred scrambled back in fear, but the bunnied nuzzled him forward.
"What happened? Where am I? Why do I feel so icky?" asked Alfred. Earth sighed. "Well..your people are gone. The settler at least. You died when the majority of them died. One or two of them survived the attack...but starved to death not much longer after. I'm afraid you're just now starting to feel the effects of the starvation they had suffered for so long. Sometimes, when connecting to a people that isn't wholly yours. I'm sorry you weren't able to enjoy them for very long…" she said.
Alfred frowned. "What happened…?" he asked, scooting back before feeling something beneath his hand snap. He pulled his hand away, eyes widening when he spotted a broken bone beneath it. In fact, he was surrounded by scortched bones and pieces of burnt cloths. All the blood drained from his face. "A-Adam and Sarah...Where are they? Are they okay? Did they make it out alive?" he asked, begging for information. "I'm sorry...no one made it out. There's no one left," said Earth. Alfred looked around, not recognizing any of what was left of the settlement. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Yes lad…"
Alfred's eyes teared up. "...B-But my magic. I can see them anyways can't I? They're never really gone….They always come back to say goodbye," he said. Earth sighed. "I don't know child. Death isn't my domain. I just control nature..the plants and dirt part. You can see if you can find someone but I must warn you, you should not attempt to force them to talk to you nor bring them back. That can not only put you in danger but it can also hurt them. If they don't come to see you, it means they've moved on. That's a good thing," she said.
Alfred nodded tearfully. "G-Georgie? Sarah...Adam? Are you there? I-I'm sorry for what happened...I'm sorry for not telling you two what I was...P-Please forgive me. I only wanted to protect you.." he whimpered. He blinked when the family appeared, their images flickering. "...Don't apologize. You did everything you could to try to help us. We know… we are still loyal to your, erm, father but...you were our home. That is more important than any motherland. You took us in, you comforted us, and you provided for us. Thank you," said Adam before disappearing.
"Thank you for being the son I needed so desperately at the time...I'm sorry I didn't have much of a long time with either of you before I died. I know you'll always remember us...and now I have the rest of eternity with my son. Take care of yourself Alfred," said Sarah before disappearing. Georgie smiled. "Thanks for taking care of them. They were kinda lost without me, so I'm glad that there was someone around to pick up the slack. ...Try not to get yourself in other life-threatening situations, okay?" he asked before disappearing. Alfred smiled before turning to the puddle.
"...Where do I go now? I know that there aren't any other people like me here...not yet anyways," he said. "They'll come. They know you exist now. To them, you hold many unexplored and unimagined lands and resources. They'll come. But, I suggest you leave this place. It holds nothing but death and dismay. If someone were to come, and found out what you were, I'm afraid that they may try to blame you for this. Besides, the ground has been scarred. No one will settle here, not while many of the spirits of those passed wander the earth in search of their homes," she said.
"...I guess you're right...I'm going to look through the houses. I'm going to see what's left. A lot of the houses away from the square haven't been burnt, so there may still be useful things or thigns I can use to remember them by better. Like the bracelet my mama left Mattie and me. I should visit Chowanoke and let her know we won't be needing her help anymore… and that I'm okay. I wouldn't want her to worry about me," he said, standing up while carefully avoiding standing on anyone's remains.
The puddle rippled. "My dear boy, I don't believe that is the wisest decision...or it won't be in the future. Sometimes, it is better to let those around you let you go. I fear that if you do tell her, Roanoke would find out and try to come after you. His chief was very insistant that there be no survivors. It is better this way. Try to put some distance between you and them for a bit of time. Find a new home, continue looking for your place in this world. I feel that your father will be coming very soon, so you need to be ready for that," said Earth.
Alfred perked up. "You think my dad is coming soon?" he asked. The earth hummed as affirming that. Alfred grinned and ran to his cabin, hopscotching through the remains. He came back holding his knife and ran up to a tree. "What are you doing child?" asked Earth. "I want to let my father know where I'm going to be. Can I carve in the tree?" he asked. Earth looked at him carefully before saying that he could. "C-R-O-A-T-O-A-N. There. Now he'll know I'll be in the islands that way. He'll send someone to look for me. It'll be a game. I'll leave him clues about where I'm going to be," he said.
Earth chuckled. "Well you certainly are a clever little thing. I'll stay by your side until the islands. Not that I can really stand the ash and dust right now. It keeps getting in my nose. Grab your things, child, so we can go," she said. Alfred nodded and started to leave before stopping. "I don't know...I can't just leave them here like this. They were my people. I can't leave them in the dust, not after how they took me in. Besides, I think some of the ghosts will be mad if I do," he said.
"I don't know child...that would leave behind proof that someone survived," said Earth. Alfred shook his head. "I'll use magic. It won't leave a trace and clean up the land but would also let them rest in peace. I don't have a way of marking their graves but...it's the only thing I can do to try to help them now that they're gone," he said. Earth sighed. "If you must boy, but that scale of magic could be dangerous. Do not overextend yourself," she said. Alfred nodded and kicked off his shoes before running into the middle of the town square.
Alfred dug his toes into the ground and lifted up his hands, channeling his abilities while focusing on having the ground open up to receive and separate the bones into individual grave pits. He started sweating and shaking but continued to do the best, hearing various voices breeze by his ears as they passed onto the next world. "Thank you," whispered the settlers, all gone when Alfred opened his eyes. He looked at his handiwork. He had not only buried the bones, but he had also swept away the ash and dust.
He let out a shakey sigh and slowly made his way to Adam and Sarah's old house, finding his little satchel of stuff laying underneath the bed. He picked them up and looked around their house for what little food was left over from Chowanoke's gift. Alfred looked through the other houses as well but wasn't able to find anything else. He simply walked over to the colony's edge and found a canoe, got into it, and paddled his way to Croatoan.
Funny things happened when Alfred moved to the Croatoan Islands. It first started as small things, strange noises, strange shadows. But, over the next day or two of burying everyone and leaving Roanoke, it escalated to things nearly hitting him in the head. One time, a knife had mysteriously fallen out of a tree and nicked his arm. Alfred had yelped and dodged a second knife that had flown at him from seemingly nowhere. "W-What's going on?" he yelped, throughly freaked out.
He heard someone snicker, chasing his bunny friends off. "C-Cinnabun don't leave me by myself," he hissed, jumping when he heard the snickering again. "W-Who's there? Roanoke? Chowanoke? Iroqois?" he asked, looking around. The snickering turned into a growl. "Don't recognize me boy?" said a familiar voice from his left. Alfred felt his blood drain and his soul practically left his body. "M-Mister McGregor?" he whimpered. "That's right boy. The others may have accepted what you are, but I don't. You're too knees and elbows with those savages. They took my boy and killed me. They're still keep ing us apart," said McGregor, voice coming from the right.
Alfred eeped and ran to hide behind a tree, a childish move he knew but this entire thing was freaking him out bad. There was laughter, seemingly coming from all sides. "You really think that will keep you away from me? You and me boy, we have some unfinished buisness. You are going to figure out a way to get my son and I reunited and quick. I have the rest of eternity to mess with you, and don't think I won't enjoy using that time to torment you," threatened McGregor.
"I-I don't know how to help you. H-He probably already passed on to whatever comes next...you need to let go in order to be with him. O-Or at least just leave me alone," muttered Alfred. He yelped as he was immediately pelted with rocks. "Run child, he's an angered spirit. He won't rest until he has hurt you," muttered Earth from the tree. Alfred swallowed and started running like crazy, covering his head as best as he could with his hands.
"YOU CAN'T RUN YOU DEMON! YOU CAN'T OUTRUN ME, I CAN AND WILL WALK THIS EARTH FOREVER IF IT'S TO GET TO YOU! I'LL KILL YOU LIKE YOUR OWN SIBLING DID. YOU CAN'T EVER STOP ME!" screamed McGregor. Alfred cried and tried to run to the little lean-to he had managed to make before. Rocks continued to pelt him from behind. Once he got to his makeshift shelter, thing seemed to calm down. After a minute or two, he poked his head out to find that McGregor had disappeared.
He sagged against a tree, relieved. The cuts, bumps, and bruises from the rocks had already begun to heal to his relief. He whimpered when he started to wonder how he was going to get rid of McGregor. "G-Grandma...is he going to follow me for the rest of my life?" he asked the tree. The tree didn't answer. He tried to fall asleep, tossing and turning badly once he finally manged to.
He woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of something tearing his lean-to apart. The bloodied face of Mr. McGregor appeared in the hole that was being formed. Alfred let out a terrified scream and tried to run away before a ghostly hand grabbed his ankle and dragged him back. "If I go boy, the way I see it is that you go too. You get to meet my son, apologize to his face for getting the two of us killed. Apologize to my wife for making her last moments less than content," he hissed.
Alfred let out another terrified scream, not enjoying the aura that was forming around the spirit. "We're going boy! I can hear them calling me!" shouted McGregor. "Grandma! Mama! M-Mattie! S-Somebody help!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping that someone, anyone, would hear him and stop by. He wasn't sure what ability Mr. McGregor had to actually hurt him or do anything to him, but Alfred was terrifed of the angry ghost.
"No one is going to save you boy. No one would want to," chuckled McGregor, gaining a better grip on Alfred's ankle. "E-Etsi...ETSI! ETSI HELP! ETSI I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" he screeched, squeezing his eyes shut and wishing frantically to be anywhere but there. He heard a rustle, his own eyes shooting open. "Help!" he shouted. McGregor growled. "Another stupid sa-" The newcomer muttered a spell and a bright light appeared, forcing Alfred to squeeze his eyes shut again.
When he opened his eyes, McGregor was gone along with most of Alfred's lean-to, as if they had been sucked away. He sat up to find Aiyanna standing over him. "Child, I thought I taught you better than that. Don't you remember your lessons about how to chase away angered spirits of those who passed?" he asked. Alfred tearfully shook his head. "I-I couldn't remember anything. I-I got so scared," he whimpered. Aiyanna sighed and looked him over, nodding satisfactedly when she saw that he wasn't hurt anything too bad.
"Where's your brother? Do I have to worry about spirits chasing after him as well?" she spoke. Alfred shook his head. "M-Mattie's gone. He's been gone for a while. He said he didn't want me with him anymore. I think he's alright. I haven't felt anything bad from him in a while," he said. Aiyanna nodded. "Where's your people? Chowanoke was telling me your kind was here," he said. Alfred shook his head. "Dead...Most of them had starved off when I got there...Roanoke had the rest of them killed…" he trailed. Aiyanna nodded. "I'm guessing his people tried to kill you too?" she asked. He sighed and nodded.
Aiyanna sighed. "I'll talk to the boy. I'm sure he has a reason. He'd been told not to attack unless he had been provoked. Did you provoke him?" asked Aiyanna. "I-I didn't but one of my people wanted revenge for when one of his people killed his son. Roanoke's chief launched a full on attack on my people a-and killed them all," he said. Aiyanna frowned. "And the spirit I just got rid of, was he that man?" she asked. Alfred nodded hesitantly. "Yes...his name was Mr. McGregor. H-He was terrifying," he whimpered.
Aiyanna rolled her eyes. "Child, this was meant to toughen you up. Hopefully next time, you won't forget the spell to get rid of them. Though, helping them find peace requires a lot less energy. Are there any more ghosts I need to take care of for you?" she asked. Alfred frowned. "N-No…" he said. North American nodded. "Good. I need to go. I felt something start shifting on this coast. I don't think I'll be back for a good while. It seems...sinister almost," she muttered before leaving.
Alfred watched her go, sitting in the remains of what was left of his lean-to. "N-No more ghosts are going to come and hurt me, are there?" he whimpered. There wasn't any answer. Cinnabun and the other bunnies slowly came out of their hiding places and curled up next to him. "...Will you guys stay with me? You're kinda all I have," he whimpered to them. The rabbits twitched their nose and scooted in closer to him as a 'yes'. He smiled. "You guys are great," he said before curling up and falling asleep.
Sorry for the absence! Turns out taking four summer classes was a bit more than I could chew, but I'm back! And lazier than ever! Thanks to all the people who kept reading and reviewing during the hiatus, this one is for you guys. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have continued the story if I hadn't found that people were still into the story, so all reviews appreciated!