Faytes of the Otherworld: Fayted

“Just at the top of this hill.” Evan pointed into the distance. The sun was now a blazing red orb on the horizon and the sky was a swirl of violet and ruby.

Dani’s legs were screaming at her. She tried to keep herself in fit condition, but when she and Nissa were driven into the tubes, she hadn’t gotten around as much.

“I’m so out of fucking shape.” She huffed, lifting the anvils that were her feet as she trudged up the hill.

“Don’t get out much?” Pete chuckled as he nudged her with his elbow.

“Not after they drove us underground. The slaughter I saw; we didn’t stand a chance if we stayed and I wasn’t going to end up like the others.” Dani just shook her head as she focused her gaze on her heavy feet.

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” Evan queried as he carefully gripped her arm when she stumbled over a rather large rock protruding from the ground.

“We had just arrived in that town—trying to find a safe place to squat and plan out our next move. We stayed in some places longer than others, but we could never stay anywhere for extended periods of time.

Not long after we entered the city, we ran into a group of people; mostly older men and a few twenty-somethings. It was just an odd assortment. They were kind enough to take us in at the town inn where they had taken up residence. They had been there for years, driven from London into a more rural area. They stayed because of the resources and the intimate nature; figured the town was not as much of a magnet as London and they were right.

Anyway, I digress—Nissa and I had been in their company for a week when things started to get a bit iffy. Some of the men became a tad too touchy with me, too disrespectful. After that, things began to get downright aggressive. After a week and a half, I plotted my exit from their little community and planned to get the hell out of any city.

I had no sooner stepped outside the inn to finally leave when over half the men swarmed me. They had clearly gone mad; why I didn’t see it before, I don’t know. I wasn’t sure if I could take all of them—“

“Of course not.” Pete scoffed and Dani cast him an icy glare. Evan jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow before urging her to go on.

“Like I said, I wasn’t sure if I could take them and when I was calculating how best to survive the ordeal, they came.” Dani’s voice trailed off.

“Who came?” Evan was particularly interested in other people’s experiences with the so-called demons.

“I’m sure you’ve encountered them before. They look more like humans than most, over four meters tall: hairy, stinky, and stupid.” Dani sneered with the last word.

“The Giants,” Evan commented; he recognized what she described.

“Yeah. The Giants.” She responded; he wasn’t necessarily wrong, “A whole bunch of Giants. Maybe ten, possibly a few more. I couldn’t tell you where they came from, but the ground started reverberating and some of the men cried earthquake while others toppled to the ground. I knew better; I could smell them.

There was no hesitation; they crashed the party and laid waste to the lot of them. I stood there, frozen, trying to comprehend what I was seeing. I mean, I’ve encountered some horrors the past seven years, but something about this was particularly gruesome. After a few minutes of staring at the carnage with my mouth agape, Nissa and I fled. We knew about the abandoned tube and the men had mentioned something about the hatch that would take us out here. So we hid down in the tunnels, only coming up to forage and find petrol. After living in the dark for almost a year, I just couldn’t stand it anymore so we packed up and left. I am kind of regretting that decision now.” Dani finished her story and went silent.

Evan wasn’t sure what to say to comfort her. He knew that she was lamenting over leaving her cat behind. She must have really been attached to that feline.

Pete diffused the situation by calling out, “There she is; home sweet home.”

They had finally come up the hill and the ground leveled out to reveal a giant wall made out of old limestone that stretched far in either direction. Dani couldn’t even tell how far to the west it actually went. A large gate, made from what she could only assume to be iron, loomed in front of them. Two well-made guard towers flanked either side of the entrance.

“This is the commune?” Dani was kind of shocked at the size of it all.

“Yeah. It’s grown a bit.” Evan laughed, stopping several meters from the gate. He whistled.

“Evan?” A baritone voice rang out from one of the towers.

“What am I, chopped liver?” Pete piped in and Dani heard the baritone chuckle.

The gate began to crank open.

“Quickly. We try not to open it too wide for fear of letting things in.” Evan scooted Dani in front of him and through the doorway. Once inside, the gates creaked closed behind them.

“Aye! Can someone please notify Liam that we have a new-comer?” Evan hollered to a man that was coming across the lawn. The inside of this section of the commune was vast. A towering Oak tree hovered above them, leaves swaying in the warm evening air. A wooden stage of sorts was erected around it, mimicking a town square. To her left were rows of make shift tents and huts and even further off in the distance she could see small hand-built shacks, old cars, and ancient motor homes.

“This is incredible,” Dani whispered under her breath, taking it all in.

“Isn’t it? Seven years in the making. Maybe more.” Evan was now standing rather close to her and she could smell where he had been: petrol, freshly turned earth, wood smoke, and a hint of something familiar—amber maybe?

The man returned shortly with, what Dani could only assume, was Liam.

“Well, who do we have here?” Liam smiled; his tone like that of an adult to a child. He was tall, taller than Evan or Pete, with broad shoulders and a tapered waist. His hair was flaxen and his deep-set eyes were the color of the tides. When he smiled, he flashed a perfect set of pearly white teeth.

“Don’t patronize me.” For some reason, Dani became instantly defensive.

“Whoa now, I do apologize. I wasn’t trying to patronize you.” Liam’s face was genuine.

Dani softened at his response. “Dani. My name is Dani.”

“I’m Liam. Welcome to the Hedgerow: a safe haven for everyone, regardless of who they were before the end of the world. There is no judgement here, only acceptance.” Liam sounded like he was giving a sales pitch to her on why she should stay at his fancy hostel.

“You don’t have to put on an act for me. I know about your little test; don’t coddle me.” Dani stepped forward a bit as to be closer to Liam. She didn’t like bullshit before all this started, and wasn’t going to waste her time with any now.

“Wow, you’re quite rude—anyone ever tell you that before?” Liam completely dropped the speech and arched his brow.

“I—I,” Dani was caught off guard by his bluntness. “I’m not rude just—I haven’t had any human interaction in years and—and I just don’t know how to relate anymore, I guess.” Dani just word-vomited. Her face instantly flushed pink as she felt all eyes hot upon her.

“Hey, it’s alright. I completely understand. I’ve been out here in the woods longer than most. I was here before all of this started.” Liam explained. “When I first started taking people in I was a tad bit awkward myself.”

“Yeah. I’m just not with it right now.” Dani tried to smile but it came off more like a grimace.

“She lost her cat—er, best mate.” Pete scrunched up his nose. For some reason, he thought it funny that she was so attached to a pet. If he only knew…

“Her companion. A feline companion.” Evan tried to make it sound less silly, but she figured the damage had already been done.

“You had a cat with you? How compassionate of you to take care of an animal in these hard times.” Liam inquired, trying to sound sympathetic.

“Yes, I had a goddamned cat. You don’t have to make it seem like I am a crazy person.” Dani shot daggers in Pete’s direction, “She has sentimental value too, nostalgia. And yes, I lost her, running away from what you call Moss Slingers. My companion and the only friend I had left in this world.” Dani was deadly serious and the tone of her voice made Pete gulp. She was incensed.

“If this conversation is going to keep heading in this direction, I suggest we take it to my cottage so we don’t make a big scene.” Liam curled his lips, backing up towards the Oak tree.

“Let’s do that.” Dani spat as she followed him, Pete and Evan lagging behind.

(*)

“Sit.” Liam gestured to a nice wooden chair. There were at least six around the rectangular table that was covered in an old tablecloth. The cottage definitely stood out in the commune; seemingly the largest building inside the walls of the Hedgerow, it looked as if it had been here prior to everyone moving in.

It had had a lot of work done to it too. A makeshift bedroom sat in the back left corner, a thick curtain hung as a divider between the room and the rest of the cottage. The kitchen was wide open, a small wood burning stove and ice box accompanied the table and chairs. A fireplace was nestled nearer the bedroom and the living area was sparse: just a worn sofa, small table, and a few under stuffed chairs. Dani could see a hallway adjacent to the living room which she assumed led to a back door.

She hesitantly took a seat on the other side of the table opposite of Liam while Evan and Pete huddled together near him and waited for someone to speak.

“I really don’t think we need to waste our time here. I know that you are going to test to see if I am human. If I’m not, then…” Dani drug her thumb across her throat.

“Whoa, alright.” Liam stood from his chair and came over to Dani as he perched on the lip of the table, “It’s nothing personal. I’m sure you’re a great person and most likely not a demon, but it’s something we have to do. We have to keep our people safe.” Liam narrowed his eyes at her; he needed her to understand.

“I can appreciate that. Test away.” Dani scooted her chair back, hands out.

“Well, that was much simpler than I anticipated.” Liam rounded the table once more and pulled a large wooden box from atop the ice chest. He laid it on the table, popped the locks, and lifted the lid.

He then turned the box around so everyone could see what was in there: some sort of crude blade and a handful of dried, crimson colored berries.

“An iron dagger and Rowan berries.” Liam grabbed the blade and a few of the berries and walked back over to Dani.

“We discovered that these creatures have an aversion to iron. Most can’t come into the commune because of this allergy; they just simply can’t cross the threshold because of the ‘Castle Walls’ as we call them. Other’s aren’t as sensitive to the metal in that way but have to physically be harmed by it. Thus the reason for the iron blade.” Liam set it down on the table in front of Dani.

“So, you want to cut me, or shall I?” Her eyes were blank; nothing shone behind them.

“If you can do it, that’s preferred. I don’t really like to cut people.” Liam had perched back on the edge of the table.

Dani exhaled loudly, reached out, and picked up the dagger. Everyone waited with bated breath when she didn’t seem to have an aversion to the metal by simply touching it. She hovered the blade over her forearm for a minute before quickly dragging it across the skin. Deep red blood began to run freely down her pale flesh and on to the table. There was no searing, no weird reaction. Just a normal, bleeding wound.

“Good. You’re normal—so far.” Liam took the dagger back and tossed it in the wash tub before returning with a clean towel for her arm.

“Thank you. Now, what’s next?” Dani bound her arm tightly. She didn’t want anything to smell her any more than they already had.

“Now these,” Liam held up three little red berries in between each finger. “These are Rowan berries. For some really strange reason, these little things are like Kryptonite to the creatures. They act pretty much like iron. We’ve witnessed some not so smart critters eat them. Convulsing ensued followed by death. Even if they weren’t directly adverse to the berries, they are still highly poisonous to them.”

“So, you want me to eat them?” Dani figured that was where he was going.

“Just three and they’re cooked so they are no danger to humans.” Liam pinched the berries between the tips of his fingers and held his hand out for Dani to take them. She breathed steadily, let Liam drop them into her hand, and quickly popped them in her mouth. She chewed for a second before gulping them down.

“A bit bitter.” She remarked, wiping the corner of her mouth.

Everyone waited, staring intently at Dani.

“Can you not? Makes a girl a wee bit uncomfortable.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. Several minutes passed and nothing happened. Dani just sat there, waiting to be excused.

“Good enough for me.” Liam finally exclaimed.

“And now.” Dani stood from her seat, ready to be done with today, “I’m going to go—“

“Go where?” Liam asked, crossing his arms over his chest. For a split second, Dani started to panic thinking that maybe she somehow hadn’t passed their little test.

“That sounded off; I mean where are you going to go? Are you going to leave us?” Liam’s face held an expression of apprehension.

Dani wasn’t sure how to answer. Clearly, they found her to be no threat; Liam’s only concern seemed to be her safety.

“Stay. We can have a tent up for you shortly. Dinner is getting ready to be served and it will be completely dark out in less than an hour. At least stay the night.” Liam’s eyes were pleading.

Dani thought about it.

“At least for tonight?” Liam nudged her a bit further.

“I guess if Nissa somehow makes her way out here, I should wait so she can find me.” Dani’s voice drifted off. She was making herself sound nutty before anyone even knew her.

“I’ll send Pete to get some people and set up a tent up for you. Meanwhile, let’s get out of here and get something to eat.” Liam ushered everyone out the door.

Dani hadn’t noticed on their walk to the cottage that it sat right in front of an outdoor mess hall. Stalls were set up to the east where residents of the commune assisted in feeding their neighbors.

“Eat; we have plenty. Our harvest has been quite good this year.” Liam pointed at the first stall that was loaded with all sorts of raw and cooked vegetables. Giant gourds, ears of corn, bright orange carrots, and luscious greens.

“That is incredible.” Dani was in disbelief that they were able to cultivate all of this.

“Thank you. We had seven years to get it right. We do well, actually. Everyone that lives here brings something to the table.” Liam handed Dani a wooden plate and then took one for himself.

“Normally you’d have to wash up before dinner, but I will make an exception this time.” Liam tapped Pete’s hand with the handle of his fork as he reached barehanded for an apple. Liam handed it to him instead and everything else he and Evan needed. Dani shyly speared bits and pieces of things till she had a small pile of fruits and vegetables and three sweet rolls.

Liam then showed her where she could get something to drink. She greedily gulped down two glasses of water before finally getting her third and followed him and the boys over to a secluded table.

“Evan!” A very blonde girl came running up, dressed in a patchwork dress, throwing her arms around his neck.

“Hey.” He smiled, reaching up to caress her thick, golden hair. She then planted a kiss on his neck and he closed his eyes as she whispered something in his ear.

“Hello, Anessa.” Liam greeted her between bites of grilled chicken.

“Liam. Petey.” Anessa ruffled Pete’s hair and he cast her a sideways glance. Clearly, he didn’t like it.

“Oh, Pete. Shannon is looking for you. I told her you were probably down here.” Anessa commented.

Dani just sat awkwardly, looking from person to person, not touching her plate.

“Hello.” Anessa finally noticed her as she kicked her legs over the bench next to Evan, “I’m Anessa.” She flashed a smile that seemed disingenuous before looping her arm through Evan’s as he worked on a sweet roll.

“Dani,” Dani responded almost a little too quietly. The girl made her feel a bit unsettled.

“I’m Evan’s girlfriend.” She continued to smile, snuggling in closer to her boyfriend.

Dani just nodded and picked at her carrots.

“How did the assignment go?” Anessa snapped her attention from Dani back to Evan.

“Three days out and all we came back with was a few litres of petrol, but it may not be any good.” Pete rolled his eyes while munching on his food.

“Like I said, better than nothing.” Evan jabbed Pete with his fork.

“Ow! You’re a fuck, you know that?” Pete spoke through the mush in his mouth.

“I wasn’t aware.” Evan sneered, shrugging his shoulders. He looked up from his plate long enough to see Dani listening intently without paying any real attention. He was just about to ask her how her food was when a piercing sound rang out through the Hedgerow.

“The siren.” Pete’s eyes were wide as his fork clanged to his plate.

“What does that mean?” Dani’s ears were perked and she noticed that everyone around her had started to get up.

“Something’s coming.” Evan pulled himself from Anessa’s grip and stood, “Get back to the caravan.” He pointed back in the direction of all the tents.

Liam was already out of his seat and barking orders for civilians to get back to their dwellings and for those willing to fight, to arm themselves.

Dani wasted no time in slipping past the mild chaos of everyone milling about trying to figure out where to go. The commune was simple enough and she had no problem finding her way back to the front gates.

“Do you see that?” Dani heard a man call from atop one of the guard towers. He was pointing out into the field. She pressed her face against the bars and panned her eyes around the field. In the distance, at least fifty meters out was a black shape galloping through the tall grass.

“Nissa.” Dani breathed. As the figure came closer, she could see that it indeed was Nissa, running for her life. Not far behind her was a Moss Slinger: the very one that they had been battling all day.