My Dear Savior

Episode 2

Though snow blanketed the woods, creating a natural calm stillness in my surroundings, I could still faintly hear the yells and clamor of swords from the nearby battle now and then as I walked out the front door. It was early morning, the light from the sun just barely painting the visible sky through the trees and I could barely make out my breath puffing in small, delicate clouds around my face.

I pulled my cloak tighter around my neck and hiked the large basket up my arm. I hated the cold, but I was determined to find the berries my mother requested that I collect before she left to help tend to the injured at the battle.

I hummed a song she used to sing to me about peace and prosperity for our people as I set about my task. I loved this song, especially the lyrics that hinted at the poignantly sweet hope that good times would last forever. I don’t know where she heard this song or who its author was, as every member of my society had been raised on the lullabies of war: the cries of dying men and the clanging of swords.

I didn’t realize how far from the house I had walked until I heard a branch snap. My head shot up from examining the winter berries in my hand, and I glanced all around for the source of the sound. My adrenaline spiked when I could no longer see the house through the sparse trees.

I set aside the basket and walked a few feet farther into the woods, noting with a wry smirk that this was probably not the smartest thing for me to do.

At first my eyes didn’t register what I was seeing as I took my last step. I thought perhaps I was seeing the berries I had been collecting spilled on the ground, but that wasn’t possible since the basket was tucked safely away at the foot of the tree behind me.

When my mind registered that I was seeing blood- and a lot of it- a small shudder of fear passed from the tip of my head to my toes. It suddenly felt like the temperature dropped ten degrees though I could feel stress sweat at my temples.

As I followed the trail for a few hundred more steps, I began to realize that I was very likely about to find a dead body at the end of it. And all the hairs on my body stood on end when my line of sight landed on a pair of heavily booted feet.