The Remains
Sereen led the rest of the Ma'iingan back to Riverway and even before their arrival to the town, the stench caught the children's nose and they began to feel ill.
Jerell has been working really hard in learning the language and the culture of the Ma'iingan, and I believe Mooji's followers are really taking a big liking to him more than he knows it.
Mooji and the elders decided it was best they all stayed behind at the borders of the small town while Giken, a few of his strongest followers, along with Jerell and Sereen surveyed the town.
The hot July sun heated the remnants of the decomposing corpse laying all over the place. Some bodies were missing limbs and or a head, most likely carried away by critters. The foul smell reeked noisily like a mirage mirroring the heat, ricocheting from the Earth like heat waves.
I cover my nose, trying not to throw up. The lingering smell reminded me of London, of my past with mother and the black plague.
I made my way towards the storage shed and peeked inside. All along the walls were black mold, but as I surveyed the shed it looked as if someone had kept the place neat and clean. The food was jarred up properly and there was no dust in place. Jerell walks towards me saying loudly, "There is no one here. Everyone is dead. Everyone."
I bring a finger up to gesture for him to shut up then I close my eyes so that another eye may open.
All around me, the souls of the deceased surrounded me. Voices begging and pleading with me from one spirit to another.
"Lady, my lady…"
"Please cremate me so I may join my family in heaven."
"Lady Sereen, thank you for coming back for us."
"I'm so hungry, please feed me something."
"I am cold. It's so cold here."
Jerell's voice called to me, "Buddy…"
"It's very noisy here, so I need you to shut up a bit, Jerelly." I snipped at him.
I looked at the souls around us and I said to them, "I will cremate you all. I will set you free from this hunger, this cold, then lonely place so that you may enter the light and be renewed and reunited with all that you love. For now, I need your help. I know there is someone here, please help me find them so that I can help them."
They all quiet down, but then one by one they pointed to the storage shed. "In there…a lone survivor. One with a good heart. One that was tortured, remained hidden from all view." One of the spirits announced.
Jerell looks as confused as ever watching me speak to no one.
"Thank you." I said to the spirit and walked into the shed. Jerell followed me closely and tried to pull me out of the shed by grabbing my arm after he saw the mold.
"Those are going to make you sick! We need to leave!" He yelled, tugging at my arm. I pulled my arm away from his grasp and shrinked my eyes at him in a glare.
I brushed around the floor, looking for any loose ground until I found a trap door. I pulled out its small handle and pulled it upward and it popped out nicely. Jerell stared at me.
"We've all forgotten about the fermentation cellar." I said and smiled. "Go down please, Jerelly. I'm afraid that if I enter, I won't be able to climb back out."
Jerell took a deep breath and nodded. "Anything for you, love."
Once Jerell entered the cellar, it sounded like he had an altercation with some shelves and the glass jars. Soon after, another voice cried out in pain. Jerell popped out of the cellar pulling a man out by its collar as he kicked and tried to pull away.
"Clint?" I gasped and ran up to embrace him. "What happened to you?" I said very slowly and very seriously, "Last I saw you were in a vision… In another shed, one with an actual bed. You were sitting behind Niiganii." I closed my eyes and let a word slip out, "grandma…" I whispered.
Clint immediately became compliant and calm and his whole demeanor changed.
I stared at Clint as he stared back at me. Tears pooled in his eyes and snot began to drip off the tip of his nose.
"Ey hush eye ong." was the only thing he said.
I threw a look at Jerell and hugged Clint.
"I'm so so sorry that happened to you, Clint. None of this is any of your fault. You did not deserve this…no one does. Do you know what happened here?" I asked Clint.
He nods.
"I know you have a good heart. Come with us, please. You can't survive here forever. One day these foods will run out. Come with me and Jerell."
He nods again and we walk out of the shed altogether.
Jerell whispers to me, "What happened to him?"
"I'm sure it was Bjork's doing. They cut his tongue out." I answered.
"He's barbaric. I don't wish death on others, but I did on him many times." Jerell said. "One less person to worry about now."
"Yorsh ish yed?" Clint asked.
"Yes, Bjork is no longer alive nor is he amongst the dead. I made sure to rob him of his physical and spiritual being." I loathingly said with great grudging hate.
Clint nods and for a millisecond, I thought I saw a small smirk.
We are joined by Giken and his followers at the outskirts of the small town.
"Another pale skin savage?" Giken said jokingly.
"No, this is Clint." I replied.
"Hah? Another Clint? Englishmen need to work on naming their people." Giken chuckled.
"Another Clint? This is the only Clint I know." I said, confused at his remark.
"The man that was eaten by your lightning dragon. That man said his name was Clint too."
"That man was a pale skin savage. He lied. His name was Bjork and he was the main cause of some of my most horrific trauma." I explained.
"Good thing he is dead then. Ma'iingan could smell his ill fate. We forced him away from the camp." Giken said.
"Let's not talk about him. He is a bad omen. Let's work on bringing Clint to Mooji."
Giken and his followers suddenly transform into wolves as a small gray wolf pops out of the woods nearby. Jerell covers me and two wolves cover me from the side and rear.
It limped in front of us and was covered in blood. Giken growled at the infiltrator and it laid down onto the ground transforming into its human form.
I pushed Jerell out of the way and forced my way towards the woman that was now laying bloodied on the ground.
"She's hurt!" I yelled while running. Giken blocked my path and transformed back. He glared at me.
"Alpha, should not make rash decisions. Send your men to check. Do not risk your life so easily." he said.
"An alpha leads the way and guides her people so that they can feel empathy and love, even if the situation risks her life!" I retorted and shoved him to the side.
I crouched down to the woman and with the remaining breaths she had left she struggled to say, "Manji-manidoo, Niiganii…they are killing everyone that tries to leave. Ishkwaase… the end is coming. Ma'iingan will all die because of them. We should have stayed. We should have…" she chokes on her blood.
I hold onto her. "What's your name?" I asked.
"Awi" she said and continued to cough on her own blood.
I examined her neck, it was like someone attempted to bite her neck off. The open gash was clotted with thick black blood. Blood poisoning was probably killing her.
"Awi, you are safe here. You are in the right place. Now rest. I will not let the Ma'iingan come to an end. Ma'iingan ishkwaase will never happen." I whispered to her.
Her limp body now spasms as she expels the remaining air out of her body and becomes still. Pain floods out of my heart and I cry.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and her voice whispered something into my ear and then ended her speech with, "Thank you, my Alpha." right before he spirit lifted away.
Clint walks up next to the dead body and brushes his fingers downward at her eyelids to close them. Then he took off his hat and closed his eyes to pray.
"Did you pray for everyone here too?" Jerell asked Clint and he nodded, yes, in a reply.
Jerell then walks up to me to help me stand. "Burn all the dead bodies here. We will move the Ma'iingan here where there is abundant food and water resources. For now, we clean up this place and free these souls from the Earth that is chaining them down."
"Then what?" Giken asked. "We just remain here? Wait for ishkwaase?"
"NO! We will try to reunite the rest of the Ma'iingan. I will have Gimtimi go west from here and retrieve something for me, a secret she had held for way too long. They will give us hope to bring down Manji-Manidoo and Niiganii."
"And you know what Gimtimi's secret is?" Giken asked again.
"Giken, Awi… you knew her. Who did she follow before Ma'iingan broke apart?" I rhetorically asked.
"Gimtimi." He answered.
"You know I can see the departed souls…" I added a little attitude into my speech.
"And?" I watched as he connected the dots. "OH….Awi told you about Gimtimi…"
"Yes, that was where she was headed before Jeko, Manji-Manidoo's henchman, tried to break her neck." Everyone closed in on me and watched me closely as I gave the command again. "Burn the bodies. Burn the remnants of the broken down sheds. Clint, Giken and I will retrieve the rest of our pact from the outskirts of this town."
A loud, "Na!" was shouted in unison, and the men quickly went to work.