Hero's Conundrum /Chapter 8

Bloody and confused again. Where am I? You know what? I don’t even care anymore, why keep fighting? I always end up with more questions than answers. I don’t even know what time I am so I’ll wonder around, I’m hungry but I don’t want to eat. I decided to go back to the cabin, make it my retirement home. Fuck Bansao fuck Sammael, fuck my people and fuck everyone I just want peace, let them kill themselves. On my way I hear someone following me and I ignored him, it must be Bansao, he can kill me again for all I care. I kept walking and the steps I hear are closer then I heard a growl, when I looked it was a bear. I stood in front of him, closed my eyes and opened my arms, ready to die. Then I heard a loud gunshot, I opened my eyes and the bear was dying on the floor. I looked around and it was Joseph and Sarah pointing their guns at me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked them and Sarah said,

“We just buried you, what the hell is going on? Who are you?”

“You are asking the wrong person, I’ve been looking for answers for years.”

“Are you Marduk?” asked Joseph

“Ok I’ll tell you what I now, you make whatever you want of it. Apparently I died of the infection, came back to life and went back in time with my leg fixed. I thought the reason was to change the outcome, to beat Bansao, but I couldn’t change anything, everything I did was supposed to happen.”

They both looked at me confused and Joseph said “I believe you, I saw you die twice and I buried you just now” but Sarah was not convinced, hell I wouldn’t believe it either.

Joseph lowered his gun but not Sarah and she said

“It’s impossible, I was the one taking care of you when we had to cut your leg, I was the one trying to stop the infection, taking care of you. I told you I was going to eat and when I got back you were gone. Then you are here now, doing fine with both legs?”

“I’m as confused as you Sarah, you saw me moments ago but for me it was years since I saw you today” She lowered her gun and said that she was going back to tell everyone about me, but I told her not to bother, I wasn’t going back anyway. She left so I went to the cabin to get some rest and noticed that Joseph was still following me.

“What do you want Joseph?” I asked as I laid down on the bed.

“Don’t give up Marduk”

“I’m tired Joseph, nothing I do matters, Bansao is going to win, so you might as well join him, but leave me alone.” I turned away from him, then he said

“Don’t say that. I have never told you but I look up to you. I remember when we found you covered in blood I thought you were not going to make it, but you did. You even became the best leader we have, we need you. Why do you think we came looking for you? We got confused by Sammael, he was the one telling us the other you was an impostor. But I believe you, I believe everything you said.”

Wow I never expected him to say something like that, he may be right then its Samael’s fault.

“Thanks Joseph I needed to hear that, now go and tell them I’ll be back but I have to do something first” Joseph smiled and left. I waited for a while then followed him, I need to know if Joseph is the real deal. He is not the smartest guy I know but he is one of the strongest and if I’m to keep going I need to know that he is really on my side. But Sammael, what’s up with him? I really felt a connection with him and he has been acting really weird lately. I know he has the answers I’m looking for, he and Bansao have them and I’d hate to think they are working together. The whole way following Joseph, he doesn’t stop but before he got to the camp he saw Sammael and started questioning him. I need to hear and see what Sammael is really up to.

“Hey! We were burying Marduk’s impostor then we heard something. . .”

“Yeah, Sarah told me you found Marduk alive right after you buried him, that’s really confusing. But I’m sorry is my fault. I saw him and thought he was an impostor. Can you blame me?”

“No I guess I don’t.”

“Maybe the one you buried was really an impostor, John thought so too. I need to find the one you saw and convince him to come back, because Sarah told me he gave up and don’t want to come back”

“Don’t worry I talked to him and he is coming, I’m telling everyone. Sammael, I think Marduk sees you like a son, don’t disappoint him.”

“Don’t worry Joseph, everything I do is for him, believe me.”

Joseph left to the camp and I continued following him, but he headed somewhere else. I followed him to a small ranch almost in ruins and it smells horrible, then he removed some leaves and branch covering something. It was a body, a dead body I got closer quietly to try and see if I recognize the body. No, it can’t be, it’s Bansao, he grabbed the body from the foot and dragged him to the ranch. When he left I went to the ranch, trying to cope with the stench. When I opened the ranch I could not believe what I saw, it was full of decomposing Bansao corpses.

Who are you, Joseph?