THE EXTINCTION ERA - Chapter 10
1-10
Hundreds of years ago, when the old woman and the old man were not born in this world, people used to come to the mountains and rivers to hunt deer in a car near the bridge where they lived. But once the virus spread, something terrible happened. The mutants came here. It is said that the people who lived here were wiped out without leaving a single one. The tragedy of eating even a baby in a cradle next door has been obscured for years and forgotten in human history. Nobody knows where the old man and woman came from. When they first arrived, they were cautious, and when people and animals approached, the bell rang, and every time the alarm went off, they were startled and hid in a locked basement dug under the floor of their home. Because of his technical knowledge as a young man, he was able to travel to a nearby town without being seen and find surveillance cameras and solar panels, which helped them a lot. It has been many years since they continuously enter basement, watch the surroundings with a surveillance camera, and came out when it was safe.
This time the old man went fishing in the river and came back to find Esen, who was drowning. Old lady greeted him as she saw him hugged Esen in front of him wrapped in a shirt.
- Dear, look at this little guy. He seems to be thirteen or fourteen. I found I'm floating in the river.
-Is he still alive?
- Of course, he is alive. He is shaking from hypothermia. Let's go inside the house quickly and warm up.
They entered the house and began to light a fire. The boy was taken off his wet shirt, pants and shoes and covered with a thick, dry blanket. Esen's cheeks soon turned pinkish and his body temperature seemed to rise. The smell of mushrooms and meat-boiled soup on the fire pierced through his nose.
-Hello, little guy?
-H… Hello
-What's your name? How did you fall into the river?
-My name is Esen. A mutant was chasing me. He was right behind me, almost near to my calf. I could feel his breath on my neck. I can still hear the gnashing of teeth. So, I jumped from the shore into the river to escape. In the darkness, I remember hitting a rock as the water covered my head and swept away in a violent current. I don't remember anything after that.
- I found you, son. The danger is behind us. You are in a safe place.
-What a relief, thank you Grandpa.
-Where did you come from?
-I came from "the community" led by Shaman. They recently killed my brother. He was burned at the stake because he attempted to kill Shaman. I had no choice but to flee, and uncle Bochi helped me.
- "I've heard about Shaman," old man said while glancing at his wife.
-How do you know?
-Many years ago, an exiled and semi-insane man came from the Community. He was mad as hatter, so I only half understood him. In his words, we heard the words "Shaman" and "Shaman".
-What happened to that man?
The old man wanted to say something, but decided to close his mouth in the end. Old lady said,
-"Son, drink this soup" placing a nice smelling soup in front of Esen. He was so hungry that he drank the soup and chewed the meat like a horse.
-Eat this bread, my son. It is freshly made in the morning. She also took care of him, telling him to eat more when he finished the soup.
His empty stomach, which had not eaten for several days, seems like could even swallow a whole rabbit. Esen was sweating like a pig while enjoying the soup. Once he gets full, Esen looked curiously inside of house. The log house is warm and has clear windows, which has iron bars outside. A shotgun and an ax were hung on the wall so that they could be held close at hand. Next to it hung a deer's antlers. Bear and wolf skins hung on another wall. Their bed looks soft, comfortable and covered with animal fur. Handmade sturdy wooden tables and chairs are placed in the room. Dry wood burning in the fireplace gives pleasant feeling. The entrance is made of metal and looks very thick and durable. After digging through the box, she took out a piece of crunchy paper and handed it to the boy.
-What is it, Grandma?
-It is candy, dear. Go ahead, try it.
Esen quickly unwrapped the paper and began to chew what was inside in his mouth, a sweet taste he never experienced before overtaken him.
-What a delicious thing. This is the first time I've eaten such a delicious treat.
-It seems that your community lost contact with outside early. When we were young, every child knew and loved sweets. Is that Shaman a cruel person? Why do he commit atrocities, such as exiling and burning others?
-He was a leader, when I was born. People also believe that he has an ability to connect with other worlds or dimensions, and they are afraid of him. He has special privileges. Shaman has the right to sentence others to death and to be expelled from community. No one will oppose him. One who resists either dies or sets out on a journey through the Ephedra valley.
-How old is he?
-I think he is same age as you, Grandpa. Maybe a little younger. Because he had many wives, and he slept with every single of them each night, I have overheard people talk about him only sleeps with the same woman only twice a month.
-It sounds like he is a king with many queens. I wonder what happened to the mutant that chased you?
- The last time I saw him was when I got into the river. He was staring me at the shore. Must be very far away from here.
- "Still, I'm going to check the bells and alarms around me and inspect if is there something need to be fixed", said the old man.
- "I'll go with you," Esen said.
- If your body recovers, you can go. We will do this many times in the future anyways, so it is better to learn early.
When Esen got up, old lady brought him a pair of pants and a shirt that fits him.
-It belonged to my son. I believe it's your size, she smiled.
Together with Esen, old man inspected the area and checked the bells, cords, cans, and metal.
-Sometimes forest animals such as deer and rabbits touch the cords and ring the bells. However, the animals are easily identifiable. But the mutants are dangerous, the old man muttered.
- Did you have had a son?
-Yes, we had. Sadly, he didn't reach adulthood. My son was captured by a mutant. We didn't find any remnants from him. He went to the river alone to fish. On the way he got caught. But I caught the culprit mutant.
-What did you do to it?
- "I shot the mutant until it stopped twitching and with an axe, I cut off its head and limbs. Rest of its body had been taken away to the forest and buried." the old man replied.