Memories Lost - First of Apocalyptic Hell Series

Preparing

    We snuck out the back door of the store, Vivaldi stood calmly finally getting a rest from all the riding we’ve done in these past few days. We slipped along the edges of the buildings, trying to stay in the shadows as best as possible. As we went from store to store, we hit the large grocery store last and by then it was already growing dark giving us the advantage. We slipped in through the loading dock and thankfully for the generators running on solar power it kept most of the food from spoiling. 

    “With this being the main place people are going to raid, stay close to me, we will work through each aisle slowly. Be on alert and listen closely to everything around you, remember to keep things organized as you put supplies into the satchels. We don’t want to put raw food in with non perishables and it ends up rotting. When we get to the pharmacy we will have to be fast, I’ll send you in alone after I’m certain it’s clear and will stand guard while you take everything possible. Understand?” I grabbed his arm to hold him back while giving him instructions. I didn’t want to see him put in harm's way while we gathered these supplies, supermarkets and any places that held food in them were always the worst places to run into trouble. 

    “Let's do this, we’ve made it this far in just one day.” I could see the hope and determination in his eyes. I let him go and walked in first. 

    I scanned around, holding my bow at the ready with an arrow notched ready to fly at the first sight of trouble. I listened for any sounds of extra movements aside from our own. Given that he was with me, there was a lot of noise coming from him alone. Thankfully after a few minutes I felt that we were in the clear and there were no signs of anyone being here with us. We were completely alone in this building. We made quick work of gathering everything as we worked our way through the isles. Most of the fresh produce had already begun to spoil and rot, most of the meat was still good and of course all the frozen food. We even took the pet supplies, may not need it, but could easily use it for something. 

    Once we picked every shelf clean it was time to tackle the pharmacy. Most of the shelves that held medical supplies had been cleaned out, we were able to take what was left behind. The pharmacy looked as though someone had tried to break into it, but gave up rather quickly. I made quick work of the locked door before pulling Asar in with me. I listened to see if there were any threats then gave him the medical satchel and let him take everything. As I stood guard I thought to myself that this was the easiest and most uneventful raid I’ve ever done. 

    “I think that is everything,” I heard Asar from the back of the pharmacy, “it is incredible at how much these satchels can truly hold. Magic is truly amazing!” He exclaimed. 

    “It is a powerful force and can do a lot of good in the right hands. Now let us return to your store and bed down for the night. Lilith’s spawn will be on the move soon; we don’t want to be caught out after dark.” I watched as my words darkened the aura around Asar. He nodded solemnly before following me out of the pharmacy. 

    That night while we bedded down in the back room of the store, Vivaldi had a soft bed of hay to lay on and was able to relax. I prepared a filling meal of venison, vegetables, bone broth, warm bread and wine. Asar was practically drooling by the time I finished preparing the meal. I stared at him while he tore into his food like a ravenous wolf that had been starved for weeks. Even Vivaldi looked at him in shock and slight disgust, even snorted in distaste. I rolled my eyes at how much he hated poor manners.

    “You do know there is plenty to go around,” my words broke him out of his feeding like frenzie. He paused to look up at me in shock with his cheeks puffed out from the food he had stuffed in, making him look like a chipmunk. “I’ll make certain that you are full before you rest tonight.” He looked down at his plate briefly before looking back up at me. He sheepishly did his best to chew and swallow what he had in his mouth as he wiped his mouth.

    “Sorry,” he said, his voice filled with embarrassment, “I just haven’t eaten this good in, well before the world went to hell.” He paused as he gestured with his plate. “This is very delicious by the way, you should’ve become a chef.” I chuckled at his complement. 

    “Well I’ll certainly consider it after we survive this. For now let us focus on surviving and getting you to Eindenia.” As I tucked into my supper I felt him watching me. He tried to be inconspicuous while I tried to enjoy my meal in peace. I sighed as I set my plate on my lap. “You have questions,” I looked up at him, he quickly looked down at his food, “I can tell and for now, you can ask three.” He looked back up at me before chuckling. 

    “I almost feel like I’m back home with my grandmother the way you said that.” he sighed, pausing for a moment as he thought long and hard on his first question, “What happened to you? I don’t mean to pry on this matter, but when I knew you from before, you weren’t this hardcore warrioress that brandished a sword with great ability. What happened to you to change you in such a manner? Even your eyes look as if they have lost that sparkle they once had.” This question was one I had not expected him to ask, I sat there for a moment thinking of what to say. 

    “Well, war changes a person. I fought alongside Lucifer, the archangels and the angels of heaven, the hunters and every soldier the queen could spare. I watched as Lilith slayed many, even Lucifer lost to her after a long and grueling battle. When the Great Battle had been lost, I was trying to survive in a new world, a cruel and dangerous one. No one could be trusted and I found myself in an encampment of survivors. One that I thought was one of the good people, I could tell that not all of them were good, but the person who found me I thought was one of the good ones. I was terribly mistaken.” I had to pause a moment to compose myself, I refused to talk about what happened to me in that forsaken place. “Thankfully one of the men that had found his way into that place wasn’t as horrible as the rest were and stepped in, he took me away from that place. All I will say is that I lost many pieces of myself, some I will never regain.” He looked at me, there was a deep sadness in his eyes and pity. “Don’t,” I gave him a stern look, “I do not need anyone’s pity. Not when there are people out there who deserve it more than me, who have lost more than I.” He flinched at my words, quickly looked down to focus on his food. I felt guilty for snapping at him, he didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. “Sorry,” he looked up for a moment, “for snapping that is.” He waved my apology off.  

    “No need to apologize, I asked the prying question.” He grew quiet as he took another bite of food, getting lost in thought for a moment. “How long will it take us to get to Eindenia?” I arched an eyebrow at him questioningly for how quick he was to forgive. 

    “It took me a few months to reach this far down into the country from Alaska. I stayed mostly in the forests to stay hidden from Lilith’s forces that patrolled the skies. I made several stops to gather supplies and rest, had a few encounters with some of her forces. Luckily I was able to either scare them off with this,” gesturing to the necklace that held the queen’s blood, “or I fought them off. It wasn’t easy and it’ll take even longer for us, but the journey home will take longer.” I watched as he thought this all over and could see he was thinking of the next question.

    “This may be a redundant question considering you can use magic and all, but how are we to travel that far if you only have one horse? I don’t think your horse would enjoy carrying two people at once.” He glanced at Vivaldi and he slowly turned his head to look at Asar. I started laughing at the look Vivaldi gave him. 

    “All I need from you is a lock of your hair wrapped around this,” I handed him a small wooden carving of a horse, “then I will prick your finger to draw some blood and you will smear it on the carving. From there I will bring this to life, this horse will bond to you and only you. If for whatever reason the horse dies it will go back to the wood carving and will burst into flame. No trace of your attachment will be left for anyone to use it to track you or hex you.” He nodded, but I could see in his eyes it was confusing for him. “Let me break it down a little further, take Vivaldi for instance. I can call upon him using my feelings or thoughts. That is how the bond works, I can even communicate with him and he with I by telepathic means. He is a real horse, through and through, but the magic is what gives him life. He can do things a normal or otherwise living horse found in your realm can’t do. If I had a need for him to have the ability to fly I would take these,” pulling two black feathers from my side satchel, “and thrust them into his shoulders. They will turn into a giant pair of wings and he will have the skill to take flight. The spell allows us to make golems when needed in emergencies. Does that break it down easier for you?” He nodded again but I wasn’t sure if he truly grasped the concept of how the magic worked. He took his time thinking of the next question to ask. 

    We sat in silence the rest of the night and when it was time to bed down I cast protection spells around us so we would be able to rest in peace knowing that we would be safe. Come morning we would finish raiding this plaza and then head on to the next one and so on and so forth until we had picked this city clean, then we would move on to the next one. My main mission is to find my friends. I refused to leave them in this hell, nor any others who were barely surviving. Knowing that I’d be safe for the night, I was able to slip into a dreamless sleep.