The Easiest Day

"Have you heard of the new survivor?"

"Who?"

"He arrived yesterday. Don't tell me you haven't heard?"

"How do you know its yesterday? And uh... well that's unusual I guess."

"Are you a fool!"

"What, why?"

"It means he survived two years outside!"

"Oh? Incredible. Maybe he learnt the runes somehow."

"And he doesn't know the 'r' of runes!"

"Truly unusual. I think I already know him though."

Sort of frustrated at his bored expressions, Esya stood up from her seat as Aiden refocused on his work.

---

Oisin was brought to the main hall of their camp yesterday which was really just the field outside but given a fancy name. In the camp, there were around forty survivors, as he was informed. And all of them were greatly taken aback by the news of his arrival.

The last survivor that took refuge in their camps arrived one and a half years ago. So he was truly an anomaly.

In the field, the leader of those survivors who was a man in his late twenties, sharp-eyed and looked notably strong, interrogated him.

"What's your name?" his voice was rather deeper than he anticipated though.

"I'm Oisin,"

"Age?"

"Sixteen."

"Now that's young." he let out a comfortable smile.

Many survivors were watching those two at the moment. So Oisin felt awkward naturally.

"Uh.. mind I ask something?" asked he.

"Sure."

"What is this... white... structure..?" he asked, refering to what he once thought to be a tower.

"We don't know that well ourselves. Its a structure made of runes. Ah, do you know what rune is, yet?"

"Runes? No."

"It will take time to explain then... come at my hall tonight... after a couple of hours, I mean."

Oisin nodded at that, not satisfied at all by that hideous reply. 'What the heck is a rune?'

On the second moment his thought changed into: 'Now are they going to tell me a new super power awoke in this world?'

"Ah you don't look satisfied. Let me just tell you this, a runes are an internal magical power, it seems."

'Seriously...'

The situation was rather comical. But the very fact that phantoms came to existence out of nowhere, why can't some magical powers now?

"I get it... " replied Oisin. At that point, he realized how many if not most of the survivor's eyes were fixated on him only. That made him feel even more weird.

"So... now that you spent years outside, as you say. Did you find those monsters, with grave body and physi-"

"Yes. Four of them, to be exact. I even found a swarm once, but I quickly escaped from the entire city. I call them phantoms. You know, they are like ghosts afterall." replied Oisin, not letting him finish his sentence.

The man was silenced at his response. After a while he replied though, "I see, terrifying."

He looks to his sides and called someone. "Show him his camp. We have four slots left right?"

"Two broken, Cap. Alright, come." a young man of similar age replied to his request.

"My name's not cap by the way. He just calls me that. I am Nahn. See you then, take rest."

Oisin kept quiet and obliged to him. 'Oh, things went just fine. How bizarre.'

The young man moved, so Oisin stood up from his seat as well. Bidding a bye, he left from the main hall, escaping the dozens of gazes.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Oisin."

"Ah. I'm Aiden."

They were thus walking through a large area, not too large, however. Actually Oisin noticed how large their area encompassed. The camp was as large as the point until which the 'white tower-like rune thing's light spread, the fences were put right there with much calculation.

The halls, as he saw were built of stones, some plain soil and others different metals. It was quiet relieving, to see not some absolutely crushed or burnt to ashed houses again. As they moved though, an awkward silence bothered him. He was used to silence, but now that an actual living human was in front, the past 'you have to say something' instincts kicked in for Oisin.

"How long are you here?"

"One week after the apocalypse."

"Oh."

'Huh. He had it so easy.' thought Oisin.

"In fact, around thirty of us entered within the first month."

"Oh."

'All of them had it easy!'

Suddenly Aiden stopped his movement.

"And here's your hall. Enjoy. I'll call you when its time for dinner. Not lunch because dinner sounds better, bye."

'That was rather quick.'

"Oh.... ah.. and thanks!" Oisin remembered that he was supposed to thank people after they help him.

Aiden's sight swiftly vanished as he entered somewhere else. So Oisin was left alone again. He had so many questions. Perhaps he had to catch Aiden again, sometimes later.

'Oh wait I forgot...'

Oisin regretted.

'I was already hella hungry... hey...'

In any case, bearing it just a few hours more, Oisin was used to that. So he took a large breathe and entered his earthen house instead, first.

The door wasn't locked. Why would it be? Who would steal from each other after the world has been shattered? Well, some people might. But Oisin was satisfied enough to have a proper shelter again.

It was a two room hall. A bedroom, and a... what even was that? He forgot. 'Extra room for why not purposes, best!'

Oisin even smiled, satisfied. And jumped onto his bed, after removing the old black robe from his shoulders. To his misfortune, the bed wasn't soft and was built out of stone.

He hit his forehead and nose. The knees weren't hurt as much but he felt like his nose had just broken. Groaning out of pure pain for a while, he shut up and laid his body straight on that bed. The 'pillow' was a dumb mix of leaves that grow everywhere. But at least that was comfortable to lay the head on.

And so he did, within a one minute or just two he fell asleep.

---

It was time to begin a new day!

To Oisin every time he woke up it was a new day for him in this era of eternal dawn. Staring up and down, he discovered a dish in front of him, served in a stone table.

Nobody was there, though. Perhaps Aiden wanted to let him sleep.

Happy, by his gesture, he sat up and opened the dish.

What could possibly lie within? He used to eat burnt abominations, bare leaves or stole what was left in markets until now. Not to mention, nothing in the past two years, tasted good.

With all anticipation for something new, better, more delicious, he opened the dish. And to his surprise! It was no surprise...

Few grass leaves and some worm fries.

Even in his worst days, he didn't consider eating insects, why would he now?

'Ew!' he exclaimed.

And proceeded to eat the grass leaves. They were munchy, at least. This specie of grass never existed before the apocalypse. Not that it grew everywhere though.

And then, he was near to finishing his dinner, as Aiden said, with a whole glass of water.

'They really got me a whole glass of water!'

Usually he would spend two days procuring this much of water. Who cares, he was in paradise then. Well, not really.

Last, he let out a long breathe. Satisfied and whole-hearted. This was his easiest day in two years.

Suddenly somebody shut open the door, to his surprise.

"Ah, you have woken up." it was Nahn.

'Isn't this commendable for him to visit me as the leader of the camp? Well not that the population is alot...'

"I have. Finished the dinner too."

"Aha Aiden made you call that dinner too? He is the only one who calls it dinner here. Its breakfast, of course. Its a dawn," Nahn laughed.

"Breakfast because its a dawn? I did rather call it dinner then." said Oisin, his face grim all of a sudden.

Nahn didn't take the little joke any further and proceeded to the main topic seeing how Oisin didn't like it, "Well, I am guessing you have had your rest."

"Yeah."

"Come with me, I'll explain you... that what the hell is happening."

"Just what I want, I guess." he stood up and wore that old robe back. "Let's go."

Through that symmetrically lined up halls again, they walked until they reached the one nearest to the 'white-tower rune thing'

"This one's my hall. Feel free to visit anytime."

Oisin kept quiet and followed him only.

The hall inside was darker than it should have been. Almost as though light was getting consumed inside considering that many windows were clearly open.

'Weird architecture...'

There were many rooms in his hall. Oisin counted seven of them. But breaking his heart, Nahn led him to an eighth room in the second floor.

The hall was big, like a Castle to say.

"Here we are. Now then... let's answer you."

---

"Come on now! Nahn called us."

"Cap? Why?"

"I don't know. Its something about the new survivor."

"Oh. I just went to his house a few minutes ago though."

"You did!? Why didn't you call me?"

"Why would I? It was to send him his dinner."

"Ugh. Come now!"

"Even the apocalypse couldn't lower your rage..."

---