Perspective

PERSPECTIVE


"Svardson! Stop fucking daydreaming!"

     William Svardson looked up at the source of the barked command. It was Micheal Jorgenson, another guard, about 15 years his senior. The two of them were paired up on the west wall lookout for the evening to early morning shift. During their shift they were to patrol the top of the wall overlooking the Sea of Reeds to the west.

     William had recently joined the city guard, and after a brief training session they had given him some old armor, a crossbow, short sword and post. He had spent most of his first week at his post cleaning an polishing his gear. It was a better job then most, if you didn't have merchant contacts you usually ended up as a laborer, either for one of the various entrepreneurs around the city or for the Church; neither of which was an attractive perspective.

     He had originally applied for guardship shortly before asking Margaret to marry him. With a steady income, guaranteed growth, and opportunities to live in the barracks district neither she, nor her father had turned him down. They had gotten a nice apartment in the district and they could even afford for her to stay at home. Life was good, and it was just going to go up from here.

     William looked back down, over the edge or the parapet. He could see them milling around near the base of the 40 foot outer city wall. The Undead they were called, the reanimated bodies of people long since passed away forever doomed to mindlessly roam the world until their bodies rotted away.

     Looking at them his hand unconsciously moved up to his chest, just under the layers of  cloth and chain-mail was his Hearts Chest; a plain brass tubular container with a glass port hole on the front that contained his Smithed Heart. While he was reluctant to have had to undergone the procedure, because of the vile magicks required for it's creation, it would be solely responsible for ensuring that he would not end up like one of them. It was a recent operation for him, as he had never been privileged enough to have a family that could afford being Heart Smithed, nor was he Lucky enough to have even been included in any of the Church's vast inoculation campaigns.

     "Damnit, Svardson! Move your ass!" Called Jorgenson from further down the wall "If we don't check in on time they dock our pay, if they dock my pay, i'm going to take it out of your hide Boy!"

     William hesitantly turned away from the edge, hand rubbing the soreness in his chest as he started to make his way toward Jorgenson.

     "Boooohhhyyyyyy" came the a whisper upon the wind. William stopped dead in his tracks, he turned and looked at the edge of the wall.

     "Jo- Jorgenson... d-did you hear that?" said William, weakly over his shoulder.

     "What?" Called Jorgenson "Will you hurry the fuck up already!"

     William walked slowly back over the the edge of the wall and looked over. Can the Undead speak?, he wondered. There they were, shambling around, groaning, shuffling, smelling... but not talking. Maybe it was not what he heard, or an echo, or his mind playing tricks on him, he wasn't really sure. He was about to turn away again when he saw it. A darkness deep within the tall grass of the Sea of Reeds, it was different from the fading twilight of the evening, it was dark, cold, foreboding. Just looking at the darkness William got chills, deep inside his body, in a place he couldn't quite get rid of them.

     "Boooooooohhhhhyyyyy" Wheezed the voice. This time William was certain that the voice came out of the darkness.

     "J- Jorgenson, I think there's somebody down there, they keep calling to me..." William leaned further, squinting at the darkness, trying to get a glimpse of what was within that darkness so far below.

     He couldn't quite see the darkness from his point of view behind the parapets as it was directly beneath the edge of the wall. Frustrated, scared, and curious William placed his crossbow and pack down on the ground and pulled himself up on the parapet trying to get a better look. Holding on to the cold stone of the wall and he leaned over straining his neck to look down.

     Deep inside the darkness came a low growl, guttural, and hungering. At the sound William startled, losing his grip on the wall his foot slide out from under him. In his panic he flung his hands out, grasping at the stone parapets of the wall.

     He was able to catch himself, but just in time. William pulled himself back up on the parapet, and back onto the wall. Breathing hard William turned back to the edge to gaze back down at the darkness, Search as he might for that spot he had spied previously he was unable to find it again. As the seconds ticked by William's interest in the dark spot faded away.

     Like snapping out of a spell William roused and realized that he was late for checking in. He quickly retrieved his things and turned around eyes looking for Jorgenson, Why hadn't Jorgenson yelled at me again wondered William We wouldn't be late if he would have had said something. William spotted Jorgenson sitting down on a crate about 20 feet away waiting for him. Shouldering his crossbow William hustled over to Jorgenson.

     "It sure did get dark quickly didn't it Mike?" called William, trying to get Jorgenson's attention, hoping the senior office wouldn't cuff him when he caught up. Jorgenson stood up suddenly, slightly leaning to one side, his head cocked as if listening to something. Awkwardly Jorgenson turned towards William, what William saw made him stop abruptly.

     "Mike, are you Okay?" called William, in a half whisper, half shout that made his voice choke and cut off. Jorgenson's face was pale white, and his eyes trailed off, un-focusing.

     Jorgenson's eyes snapped to attention and glared directly into William's eye. "Why did you kill me boy...whhhhyyyyy Boooohhhhyyyyyy?" he said, with a hiss.

     "What!?!" cried William as his bladder voided into his leather breeches. Jorgenson lunged towards William, hands hooked and clawing towards his face.

     William stumbled back "W-What!?!" he sputtered, spittle spilling out onto his chin. William fell, smacking his head on the stone wall. Stars burst forth in his vision, his head swimming. He struggled to rise but try as he might his body wouldn't respond to his will. His vision was fading out as Jorgenson stumbled into his field of view, teeth gnashing hungrily.

     "w- what..." said William weakly. As everything faded into darkness he heard the voice call out one more time, as if far away... "boooohhhhyyyyyy" it said.