SWY 117

As the door of one of the houses swung open, a man leaned out and waved frantically for them to hurry. Without a moment to wonder who he was, Sharhan and Lestel sprinted in his direction.

When the man saw how many corpses were chasing them, he clicked his tongue and disappeared back inside the house. A moment later, he returned with several objects that looked like traps in his hands.

Stepping forward in a crouch, he hurled one of the contraptions to the ground, it spun in the air and landed with a clatter. It was, indeed, a trap.

“Don’t step on them!”

They hadn’t planned to. Sharhan and Lestel kicked the traps backward toward the corpses. The mindless things ran headlong without slowing and staggered as they triggered the traps.

But with no sense of pain, the corpses just kept charging, rotten flesh sloughing off to expose pale bone. Still, it bought them a little time.

“Hurry! Inside!”

The man darted back into the house. Sharhan and Lestel followed him in, and the door slammed shut behind them.

Thud! Thud-thud!

Infuriated by the fresh prey escaping, the corpses rammed into the door and walls in a frenzy.

“Help me with this!”

The man pointed at a sofa. Sharhan and Lestel immediately caught on and helped drag it in front of the door. Even that wasn’t enough, they all pressed their weight against it.

The rattling and banging sounded like the door would burst open at any moment, but after a long while, it finally went still. Only then did the three of them step away from the door and exhale. They’d been through this before, but every time it made their hearts seize.

There were likely still dozens of corpses wandering outside, but that could wait. Sharhan quickly looked Lestel over, no bites, no scratches. Safe.

Lestel grabbed Sharhan’s hand tightly.

“Your hand’s all clammy.”

“I was a little tense.”

Sharhan twisted free and wiped his sweaty hand on his clothes. Lestel frowned, clearly displeased, while the man, finally relaxed, dropped heavily onto the cold floor with a long sigh.

“You alright? No one got bitten, right?”

“No.”

It was hard to guess his exact age under the untrimmed beard, but he seemed under forty. His clear blue eyes were gentle, and he was solidly built.

Still sitting, he looked up at the two warily standing figures and held out a hand.

“Name’s Samson.”

“I’m Sharhan, and this is Lestel.”

They didn’t shake hands, but Samson shrugged like he didn’t mind.

“Hunter?”

At Lestel’s question, Samson winced dramatically and said, “You’re both so tall, my neck’s starting to hurt. Mind if I sit for this?” Then he answered,

“I hunted, foraged, farmed, a little of everything that brought in money. You two came from the Lahan side, didn’t you? Are you from Lahan?”

“I’m from Katun, Lestel’s from Serman. We were away and just got back.”

“Must’ve been rough getting this far.”

“Yeah… it wasn’t easy. What about you, Samson? Where are you from?”

“Lahan. Came to Serman with some companions looking for someone… and, well, now I’m the only one left.”

“Those corpses out there…”

“Used to be my companions. We thought the road was clear and let our guard down. Turns out those bastards were hiding in the houses. One of my buddies made a sound, and they came pouring out. We were surrounded in an instant. I only made it out by sheer luck.”

His face darkened. A heavy silence fell over the room until Samson broke it.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to kill the mood. Want some of this?”

He fumbled through his bag and pulled out some jerky.

“…”

“…”

Sharhan and Lestel hesitated, not reaching out. Samson took a piece and popped it into his mouth to prove it was safe.

“Go ahead. It’s venison I hunted and dried back in autumn.”

“Thanks.”

The temptation was too strong to resist. Sharhan accepted the jerky, broke it in half, and gave one piece to Lestel. The salty, cured flavor filled his mouth. He chewed it slowly, savoring every bite to feel more full.

“This is good.”

Samson beamed with pride at Sharhan’s praise, clearly pleased.

“Right? I’m pretty good at making jerky. The villagers always gave me whatever meat was left over.”

“You definitely have a talent for it.”

“Thank you. Want some more?”

Despite their polite refusals, Samson stuffed another piece into each of their hands.

“Who are you looking for in Serman?”

Lestel suddenly asked, still chewing.

“My nephew.”

“Your nephew?”

“Not just him. Three other kids from the village disappeared, all at once.”

Only five families had remained in the village, helping each other after the others left or died. But while the adults were out scavenging or tending to things, the kids vanished without a trace.

“My brother and two villagers went looking for them. When they didn’t come back after ten days, I set out. Luckily, my brother used to be a tracker and left signs in case something happened, so I was able to follow.”

“And the trail led to Serman?”

“Yeah.”

Sharhan and Lestel looked at each other. They recalled what Ardelle had said about people abducting children.

“We’ve heard rumors… that kids are being taken.”

“Really? Do you know anything else? Where were they taken? I figured it had to be kidnapping, if those things had eaten them, there’d be bones or something. But there was nothing.”

Samson’s voice trembled with desperation. Avoiding his pleading eyes, Sharhan slowly shook his head.

“Sorry. That’s all we know.”

“I see…”

Samson’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.

“Are you going to keep tracking them on your own?”

“I have to. My brother and nephew are the only family I have left. But first, we’ve got to do something about those things outside.”

Judging by the sun, it was around noon. Spending another night here would be a waste. Sharhan looked around, finishing his jerky, and spotted a back door. Unlike most houses, both the front and back doors were intact.

As Sharhan rose to check it, Lestel grabbed his wrist.

“Where are you going?”

“I want to crack the back door open a little.”

“Why?”

“If there aren’t any corpses back there, maybe we can lure them around. Got any more traps? We could place them by the back door and buy ourselves some time.”

“Not many, but I’ve got a few left.”

Samson pulled out five remaining traps from his bag. It wasn’t a lot, but it would have to do. Sharhan decided to check the back door first, Lestel following close like a shadow.

He eased the door open just a sliver. Silence.

“Hear anything?”

Sharhan whispered. Lestel listened intently and shook his head.

Sharhan opened the door a little wider. Still nothing. He opened it enough to peek outside, no sign of movement. The corpses must all be gathered at the front.

They closed the door and devised a more detailed plan. They’d set the five traps near the back, and Samson would take on the role of making noise to draw the monsters.

He had volunteered for it. Once enough had gathered at the back, Sharhan and Lestel would burst through the front and finish the rest.

The three quietly moved the sofa back to its original place, gathered their gear, and took their positions. Samson by the back door, Sharhan and Lestel at the front.

“Ready?”

Sharhan asked. Samson swallowed hard and nodded. Sharhan returned the nod, tightened his grip on his spear, and watched as Samson threw open the back door.

“Over here! Come and get me, you rotten bastards!”

He stomped on the wall to make as much noise as possible.

Grrr! Screeee!

The corpses were provoked. Their rapid, clattering footsteps came rushing toward the back.

Samson gripped the door handle tightly. His palms were instantly soaked with sweat, and his heart pounded like it would burst.

Clang! One corpse triggered the first trap and fell. But the others trampled it, rushing forward in a swarm. Chunks of rotting flesh flew as they stepped on their fallen comrade.

“You want a bite? Come and get me, you stinking freaks!”

Seeing Samson half-exposed outside, the corpses became even more frenzied.

“Ahhh! Should I–should I close it?!”

Samson shrieked, trembling as the nearest corpse almost touched him.

“Now!”

Sharhan shouted. Samson kicked the monster in the chest and slammed the back door shut. At the same moment, Lestel threw the front door wide open.