Memories of pain

[Vastgoten]

SEB UN-NEFER

The darkness crept closer as he came to a stop in the middle of the room. He was alone in the dry back room. Few ever came here and when they did he usually knew about it.
For now, he would be undisturbed.

The single torch that cast a flickering light made a sinister dance as he slowly, almost ritualistic, removed piece by piece of his heavy golden armor. Seb Un-Nefer appeared a stoic warrior, a relentless guardian of the temple and its surrounding village. Yet almost naked, and kneeling on the cold stone floor he felt nothing like a champion of light.

In front of him stood the box. He opened it slowly, as if enjoying postponing the inevitable. The small handle inside teased him, asking him to pick it up. And as he did, the nine leather strings attached to it became visible in the light. Small knots and hooks of bronze decorating them as they rattled in a dance of excitement to soon be allowed to do their gruesome work.

His hand tightened the grip of the whip and he lowered his head in mental preparation.
......

- Seb! Come on Seb.... catch me! the girl giggled and ran on bare feet over the hot sand.
- You just wait till I get you! a young boy replied, his voice filled with excitement, irritation and Joy. A symbiosis often recognised as the two siblings played with each other. She had outwitted him again, and this time he had ended up with his soup bowl poured over his head. Oh... she was gonna get it for sure!
The two children ran out into the busy bazaar street of Muhar, shouting, laughing and making swift turns making not a few annoyed merchants change their standardised sellouts into grown up voices trying to discipline the children. It did not help.
Seb and his sister Hala, made their chase through the street and up unto the nearby hill. Catching her breath Hala turned around and held up her hands...

- Alright Seb... I give up... you are the fastest. she smiled.

.....

CRACK! The first strike was always one of the fiercest. It was necessary to break the weakness that held his mind and hand. Three of the hooks found flesh and tore small canyons of flesh, a few inches long. He swallowed the pain clenching his  jaws tight.
He felt the warm sensation of his own blood trickle down his spine.
Taking a deep breath he let the whip fall forward and lashed it across his other shoulder. He moaned in pain.

The torch had seized its dance and merely watched in fascination. Would there be more?

He had been so wrong. So weak. So flawed. His mistakes had lead nowhere but to his own downfall and those he cared for to be cast into more chaos.

Weak!

CRACK!

....

- Seb? she whispered. Her voice was always so soft. So comforting to him.
- Sleep little sister. he hushed. It was late and they should not be awake at this hour.

There was a moment of silence, but Seb knew she would continue. He placed his hands behind his neck and stared to the ceiling.

- Will they come into the village? Will they come for us?
Seb Un-Nefer, only 10 years old, had no idea what to answer. He knew who ”they” were. They had seen one of the walkers one time. Having stayed out too late one evening, ignoring the strict rules about heading inside before the last rays of Ra had left the roof tops. They regretted it of course. The creature they had seen made their blood freeze, and had it not been for Seb’s resolve at that time who know what would have happened. But he had snapped out of the terrible paralyzation. Screaming and pulling his sister away they had barely survived that horrify night.

(tbc)

[Vastgoten]

The horror spread like an infection throughout the village. Guards darted past the many villagers panicked attempts to flee the terror that awaited those in the outskirts of Muhar.

Seb stood as frozen as the body of walkers breached the silent evening and flooded the air with screams and death.

- they are coming inside... she wept beside him.

A guard rushed past them, most likely saving them from a dreadful fate, combating the creature with great courage. He was soon joined by fellow guards and some of the local clergy.

- Come now! his fathers stern voice ordered his son.
Looking around him Seb realised his father had picked up his sister and made a brisk escape toward their house. Seb was still frozen. He tried to shout for his father to wait for him but nothing but a small gasp escaped his lips.

....

Crack!

Seb let out a muffled groan as the lash cut open new wounds, crossing the former ones in a pattern of straight lines.

- Foreigners... he mumbled as sweat broke from his forehead. He flung the whip once more.

...

The small group of soldiers and clergy had done this before. They knew how to defend against the creatures. But why were they inside the village? He heard the clergy curse over recent group of foreigners that ventured out into the sand. It must have been them disturbing the dead. After getting their prize they had fled back through Muhar and drawn a horde of walkers with them. That was the conclusion. Seb remembers little from the reasoning but somehow that stuck to his mind as he slowly broke free from his frozen state and started to make his way forward, toward their home. The soldiers and priests were winning, Muhar would be safe soon.

His feet worked faster and faster, he should be catching up shortly. Turning around the corner of a house he saw his father. He saw his sister. And he saw the stray walker.

- SEB! her screams were terrified.
He froze again.

The creature threw itself against his father who stood little chance. With a brutal yanking movement something from the mans throat was torn from the flesh. The old mans dead body fell down, partly covering the young girl who pushed and screamed to rid herself from the heavy weight, but in vain. The walkers hollow eyes stared first at Seb, frozen several yards away, and then the little girl stuck under her father. Seb almost felt as if the creature tried to say something at that moment. A short second he felt something, imagined or not. But he could swear he was given a choice. He chose life and the creature turned against the girl, gripping her arms and biting into her neck.

All went silent. Seb tried to scream again. Nothing. He could barely breath.

The creature turned back at him, blood dripping from its face. The blood of his father and sister.

Something rushed past him. A temple guard.

[Vastgoten]

The sword brushed the side of his helmet. A light touch, yet it made him spin around, struggling for balance.
The situation was chaotic. The patrol had been successful during almost the entire duration of their assignment - the routine patrol around Muhars borders during night time.
Temple guardians accompanied with a priest or two often managed well against smaller groups of stray walkers. This time however, something had stirred in the desert and it had awaken a slumbering evil for them to face. The power of the walkers had taken the patrol by surprise and despite valiant efforts the losses were soon heavy.
Seb Un_Nefer found himself cut off, or maybe even as a lone survivor after a few minutes of intense fighting.
The creature before him prepared a second swing with his ancient blade. In just the right time he regained his balance and managed to lower his stance. The attacking desert walker swung its blade over Seb’s head. And there, Seb saw his opportunity and lunged forth his sword, piercing the abominations belly. Twisting and pulling back caused his blade to bring back a short cascade of dried up entrails from the creature. It stood a short second, staring at Seb as if not understanding why this was done before it collapsed.

Seb panted. Was that the last one of them? he prayed. He saw little and the patrol he had came with was either dead or had been forced to relocate elsewhere. Maybe they had retreated and assumed him dead. In the distance he saw the lights from Muhar, all seemed still now.

- ”you said, they would not come inside...” the young voice of a girl etched its way through the stillness of the night. Sebs very blood froze to ice.

A small shape rose to his right and clawed at him. The creatures fingernails dug into his right thigh, just where the armor left his skin to breath.
He screamed, not so much in pain as of terror as he witnessed the face of a young girl materialise in the dark.



- ”No! It cant be.. not you!” he sobbed.
Seemingly mindless the creature swung another clawed hand toward him. He staggered back to avoid the hit.

- ”You said we were safe...” the voice echoed in his mind. Terror clasped his heart.
- ”Stop it! Go away! You are not her!” his voice filled with panic and dread.

The creature continued toward him. He took another step away but came to a stop. He had stepped inside a small ruined building and had his back against a wall. The bump with the material woke something inside him and he raised his sword.

- ”You lied... you said you would protect me...” it continued.
- ”NO! You are not her!” he roared and the sword came down on the body of his long lost sister.

...

CRACK!
The lash sent vibrant echoes through the dark moist chamber where the scarred man performed his gruesome task.

A grim reminder of all his faults flashed through his mind The whip dripped with his blood by now. He never seemed to reach what he sought for though. He just felt numb... he needed more... please, he needed to feel more pain....

Fin

[Vastgoten]

OOC - feel free to give feedback or input on the write up. I am used to other writers posting frequently in active threads and just now read there was a rule against it unless the writer gave permission. Well, permission granted.