Praesidium II

Previously -

Meanwhile, James was searching through his third house. He was proud of his hoard of supplies. He had found some new clothes for them ready for the approaching warmer weather. The first house had a whole supply of canned food. Some of the cupboards and the fridge were starting to grow their own eco systems from the moldy food but most of the cans were okay.

A scream pierced the silence.

James jumped in surprise from the noise. His heart leapt to his throat. As far as he knew, Isaac was the only other person in the area, so, logically, that scream could only be one person. Isaac. James quickly ditched his rucksack which was starting to weigh him down and grabbed his crowbar. He rushed out of the house.

James ran as fast as he could towards where the scream had come from. It was from the south side of Algarve Rise. He was still a few blocks away when the scream started anew. This scream sounded less scared but it was soaked in pain. He diverted slightly to the right, towards the shop that they were going to meet at. This made the pit in his stomach grow. Was it a coincidence that the scream was coming from the very area in which he had arranged to meet his brother.

James skids around the final corner to get to the shop and what he saw froze him, both on the outside and the inside. His blood felt like ice and his stomach dropped heavily.

There was blood everywhere. Lots of it. On the sidewalk, on the road, splashed up onto the shop window. On Isaac. All over Isaac. Isaac was lying on the ground. The beast stood over him aggressively, trying to get a good bite. This beast was different from the others. It was larger than any other beast that they had ever seen. It was almost grey in coloration rather than the usual pitch black color. It had no horns on its head but it had a row of spikes coming out of its back, possibly part of its spine. It also had a tail with a large bludger ball on the end. The ball was dripping in red,

Isaac was weakly struggling. He had both hands on his baseball bat, on either end. His baseball bat was the only thing that was separating the beast from chomping down on him. The beast was actively chomping on the bat, breaking it bit by bit until it finally snapped in two. The beast leapt forward, biting into Isaac’s neck.

'ISAAC! NO!' James screamed in devastation as the beast drew back sharply, brutally ripping through Isaac’s neck. Blood ran down Isaac’s throat in streams as he fell limply.

The beast turned towards James, who’s eyes were watering and tears were beginning to pour down his face. Ugly sobs were rippling through his throat but a growl from the beast quickly put a brief stop to them. Anger bubbled up in him. Anger at the beast in front of him. Anger at himself for asking them to split up. But most importantly, anger at the beast that was starting to stalk him, hoping for two for two.

As the beast pounced, James swung his crowbar. The force of the hit knocked the beast’s head to the side, but it didn’t penetrate like it had done when Isaac killed the last beast. In fact, this time, it seemed to bounce off the beast’s skin. Closer to the beast, the beast looked more like it had a leather hide than fur like the others. It looked thick. Like body armor.

James swung again, this time making sure that the pointed end of the crowbar would hit first, but again it just bounced off. While the blow, yet again, forced the beast’s head to move to the side, it didn’t harm it in any way. James wouldn’t be able to fight off this beast with just a crowbar, regardless of how much he wanted to kill it in revenge for his brother.

James glanced one last time to where Isaac was lying. Isaac would want him to survive. And with that, he turned and he ran. He ran for his life.

James used what little he knew about the area to keep running without trapping himself in a dead end. He could hear the growls and the thudding footsteps of the beast behind him. He saw one of the few apartment blocks in Algarve Rise and headed straight for it. He leapt up to reach the bottom rung of the fire escape. His hand gripped it firmly and he quickly swung his other arm up to the second step in the ladder. He began pulling himself up, step by step until his feet could reach the bottom step. The beast skidded below him, bellowing with rage.

James kept climbing till he reached the first floor metal grating. His feet landed firmly on the grating with a clang. James glanced down at the beast that was prowling and growling beneath him. James was pretty sure that these beasts couldn’t climb but he wasn’t about to wait around to find out. He quickly made his way up further. And further. The beast below was bellowing. Roaring. As James reached the roof, the roaring changed to low growling and it wasn’t long after that that the growling began fading completely. The growling vanished into silence.

James glanced over the side of the wall to see that the alley below was empty. The beast had left. James should have felt relieved but he didn’t. He didn’t feel relieved. He didn’t feel sad. He didn’t feel angry. He felt empty.

Isaac was gone.

James was alone.

Alone.

Alone.

Alone.

The word echoed in his head. His mind was not capable of thinking of anything else.

Alone.

Alone.

Alone.

The sun was setting when James finally moved. He moved slowly. Not because he was being cautious but because his mind was still taken up with the last image he had of his brother. He didn’t immediately go home. No. Instead he went to the shop. He wanted to say goodbye to his brother.

But his brother wasn’t there. There was no sign that anything had happened. There had been lots of blood but there was now nothing. Nothing at all. No Isaac. No beast. No blood. James couldn’t believe his eyes. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing but he so desperately wished it to be true. It didn’t happen?

James instantly spun and sprinted back to their home. Had he imagined it all? Was Isaac still alive and well, waiting for him with his usual sarcastic grin. His heart was beating out of his chest. He practically jumped up the metal fire escape and leapt through the window into the room.

The room was empty. No Isaac.

Everything was as it was when they had left that morning. The cans that they had been eating out of still lay where they had quickly discarded them. Last night's clothes were still strewn around the room. James collapsed onto his knees. That all consuming alone feeling was returning.

Alone.

He was alone. Isaac was not here.

James remained on the floor for a long time. He wasn’t sure just how long it was. If he looked outside he would find that it was the next morning. The morning sun was shining. James' stomach is what prompted his movement. James robotically ate some of the food that he had collected from the shop a few days ago and then proceeded to leave the apartment.

James retraced his steps from the day before and managed to pick up his rucksack from the house that he had raced out of. He continued scavenging through the houses that he was going to do the day before, before heading to the shop. His and Isaac’s meeting place. Isaac’s body and the blood were still gone. James looked to the shop and considered going back in there to get more supplies but eventually he decided to leave without going in. He doubted he would be able to eat anything he scavenged from there today, knowing what had happened right outside of it.

As James was walking back, along the path in the vines, he heard the tell tale rumbling sound of an engine. He had only ever encountered one group with vehicles. He had only ever encountered one group. He couldn’t remember their name but he could remember ‘look for the bear.’ The engine was coming from his right. He dashed through the vines, ripping them carelessly to allow himself through. He ran to the closest junction, but just as he reached the junction, the same black vehicle as before came rolling past. It’s black paint and tinted windows still as dark and intimidating as before. The face of a bear was painted in white on the side of the vehicle.

James remembered the last meeting with these people.

‘The beasts can’t get in there. It’s safe. It’s a good place for boys like you. There’s more boys there. And girls. We can train you, keep you safe.’ They had said. Safety. Company. He wouldn’t be alone and he would be safe.

They would have been safe. Why did Isaac have to say no? Why didn’t he allow them to take up their offer. Isaac would never have been around the shop in the first place. Isaac wouldn’t have come across that beast. Isaac wouldn’t have died. They would both be safe, in a safe place.

As the black vehicle continued to drive on, James ran out behind it. He was yelling, screaming, waving his arms. Anything to get their attention but the vehicle just kept going and disappeared around a corner and out of sight.

James’ shoulders visibly dropped as the vehicle disappeared. He had missed his chance.

‘We’re the big building with the bear head on the side. Just look for the bear’. James could remember the man shouting that to them after Isaac had rejected their offer. He had told James and Isaac where to find them. If only James could remember all of what they said. If only he could remember the instructions. His mind wasn’t working right. It seemed to move a mile a minute while also dragging its feet slower with every second that passed. His mind continuously ran through the events of the day before and sluggishly refused to move on. Until now. A new thought was stuck in his head.

James continued his journey back to the apartment alone and desolate, though at least he wasn’t stuck on Isaac’s death anymore. The beast. The blood. That image wasn’t rolling around in his head anymore. No, now he was trying to remember what that man had said. He was trying to remember where he needed to go to find them. P... Pres… something. Pres… something...dum. James shook his head. He couldn’t remember.

When he was back in the apartment, James moved to the only thing he had left of Isaac. And technically, also his parents, not that he knew them very well. The photo was old and was beginning to fade from age. He wasn’t ready to look at Isaac so he looked at the other faces in the picture. His parents looked happy. He had no real memories of his parents. Just this photo and memories told to him by Isaac. Memories of his father sitting at the window to smoke. Memories of his mother’s lullaby. He had stopped asking about them a long time ago but that didn’t mean that the mysteries weren’t still lingering around their image. Were they alive still? Were they taken? Were they lost? Or did they just not care for the two boys that they left behind?

James’ eyes finally drifted to Isaac’s youthful face. Isaac would have been three in the picture. His hair was blond then. It would darken as time went by to the dark hair that the brothers shared. His eyes were dark, like his older self. His eyes were as piercing as a child as they were as a young adult. James smiled slightly as he gently ran his thumb down Isaac’s face.

He was the last of their family. He had to survive. For them. For Isaac. And he couldn’t do that alone. Isaac had known that. He couldn’t survive alone. Without Isaac, he needed that group of men. He needed Praesidium. They had safety. They had security. They had numbers. That was what he needed.

A flash of a memory came to him.

‘Our camp is due North from here. Just keep going north and you’ll find us. We’re the big building with the bear head on the side. Just look for the bear.’

North. But how would James know which way was north. He didn’t have a map nor a compass. A spot of sunlight, or at least what was remaining of it, shined brightly right into James’ eye, making him wince. He lifted a hand to shade his eye from the sun. The light was coming from the small hole in the window coverings that Isaac had always used to check that it was clear to leave.

The sun!

Isaac had taught him a little about the sun and how to use it. When the batteries ran out, Isaac had had to learn and he had taught James a little. He had told James about how it rose in the east and set in the west. So if he woke in time to see the sun rise then he would know which way was east. After working out which way was East, he should be able to work out which way was North. He realized that he could do the same with the sunset and west.

The sun was setting at that moment so he moved to the window to see which direction it was setting in. It was setting to his right. That must be west, which meant that he was currently facing south from the window. North was in the other direction..

So, now he had a direction. He could go. He could find them.

James wanted as much sunlight as he could get to walk towards Praesidium so he knew he needed to be prepared to leave at first light. He needed things for the journey. Clothes, food, other supplies and… James’ eyes fell on the photograph. He would take that as well.

He packed his bag and then settled down for the night. He couldn’t help but look at the room with some sort of fondness, which was strange, because it was just a room. It was just a room but it was all he had ever known. He grew up here. He was raised here. Isaac had once told him that he was born here. Both of them had been. Before they were born, their parents had lived here. This room held memories. Cherished, loving memories of two boys surviving the large lonely world together. He decided to place the photograph in his jacket pocket, just in case he ever got separated from his rucksack. His supplies, he could live without, but this was his one and only photograph of his brother… and his parents.

X - X

The next morning, James left. Like a butterfly leaving its cocoon. Leaving all it had ever known for something new. Something unknown. Something that was potentially dangerous but will hopefully lead to a safe place for him. Something good. Something better.

The journey wasn’t as easy as James thought it would be. Even from the beginning. Due north the man had said. James hadn’t stopped to consider that that was a very vague description. He didn’t know how far north. Was it a walkable distance or would it be too far for him? Was it directly north from the particular spot that James and Isaac had been approached by them or just generally north? James didn’t know and he had no way of finding out.

But, he set off anyway. He took his pre-packed rucksack and put it on his back, tightening the straps so it sat comfortably on his shoulders. He placed his one photograph into his trouser pocket after glancing at it one more time. He opened the window of his apartment for the final time and stepped out.

James turned back to close the window. He didn’t know why he felt the need to. He wouldn’t be returning so the window didn’t need closing but he felt like he should. Maybe, it was instinctual. Maybe, it was because this room had been his home for the past sixteen years. He felt protective over it. He didn’t want it to be spoilt by the weather or intruders. Or maybe, it was because shutting the window on his home was shutting the door to this part of his life. He was moving on. This room and the life that he and Isaac had lived in it was gone and shutting the window was making it final.

He felt rather melancholy as he placed his hands on the windowpane, ready to push it down.

As he looked into the room he could see Isaac. He could see him counting the cans in the far left corner. He could see him looking at the photograph in the far right corner. He could see him building and then falling asleep by the fire. He could even see him standing tall with his hands on his hips, ready to give James another lecture. James knew that it was Isaac’s favorite pose as he made it so often.

Yes, closing this window was saying goodbye. Not just to the room but to his family. Most importantly, to Isaac.

James sighed and pushed the window down with a thud.

James made his way north, or at least, he made his way in what he thought was north. Whether it was or not was another matter. He hoped so. He walked through already established pathways through the vines. He cut through alleyways. He climbed fire escapes to walk straight over apartment buildings.

He tried to use the sun to judge the direction that he was walking. He kept in mind that the sun moved throughout the day, making it slightly harder to determine the correct direction. He backtracked a few times, after glancing up at the sky.

As he entered what used to be the centre of the town, the blocks made it easier to head in the same direction. He just followed one straight road. At midday, he broke into one of the abandoned apartments to stop to eat some food from his backpack before moving on.

His route took him towards Algarve Rise. He paused just inside of the neighborhood. This was where Isaac…. He didn’t want to think about that. But he couldn’t help it. It was in this neighborhood that Isaac had died. He didn’t want to go in but by his estimate, he needed to get to the other side. He could go around but he risked going in the wrong direction.

If James’ navigational skills were slightly better, he would have tried to go around but he didn’t have much of a choice. Straight through it would have to be. He just hoped his path wouldn’t take him to… that place. He would avoid that area, whether it risked him getting lost or not. He began walking, at a steady pace, observing the area, trying to remember where each turn would lead.

CRACK.... James spun to face the direction of the noise. THUMP. It came from the direction of the Mall. It was a gunshot. From the time between the crack of the bullets breaking the sound barrier and the thump of the round being fired, James released that it was within a few blocks from him.

CRACK… CRACK… CRACK… THUMP… CRACK. THUMP… THUMP… THUMP.

The gunshots increased rapidly until it started to become a single noise. So many gunshots. A loud roar pierced through the gunshots. Not just one roar. Multiple roars. The beasts. James’ heart raced from the noise. It was loud and painful. The noise struck through James like lightning, making his muscles tense in fear.

The increasing symphony continued and James’ fright reflex turned to flight. He turned and began running as far away from the noise as he could. North wasn’t a priority anymore. Fleeing was. Escaping the noise of the fighting was the priority.

James ran until he exited the neighborhood completely and the noise faded away. His backpack bounced against his back as he ran. He ran his way back to Torrington Estate. He didn’t intend to do so and he was pretty sure it was in the wrong direction.

The fog was especially heavy today.

He slowed as he recognized his surroundings. He glanced up but he couldn’t distinguish where the sun was in the sky in view of the thick fog. He knew where he was but he didn’t know which direction he had to go. He sighed and dropped down to sit on the closest curb.

There were light footsteps from behind him. James tensed and quickly spun around as he rose onto his feet. The fog was still very thick. He couldn’t see but he could hear. The footsteps were light. Too light to be a beast. Too heavy to be a small animal. A human. A light human but still a human.

James stared into the fog but just as a shadow in the fog formed, there was a growl behind him. The shadow sprung away in a run. It didn’t take long for James to follow after it. He’d rather face the shadow than another beast. The shadow disappeared into the fog. Light footed and fast. James kept running in the same direction until he reached a building. He slipped inside and moved to get through to the back of the house when a hand shot out and pulled him into a side room. The stranger pulled him back against them. A hand was placed over his mouth to stifle any noise. 'Shhhh!'

Thumb tap. Thump tAP. THUMP TAP. THUMP TAP! The beast didn’t even stop and just kept walking through the house from the front to the back. THUMP TAP! THUMP TAP. THUMP Tap. Thump tap.

As soon as the coast was clear, James relaxed and realized something interesting about the person that pulled him inside. The body behind him was shapely. It was a woman. James stepped away and turned around. It was indeed a woman, well, girl. She looked to be the same age as James. Her dark skin tone and dark frizzy hair were just noticeable in the shadows but her brown eyes reflected the sunlight that streamed in through the windows.

He didn’t have long to observe the girl before the sharp tip of a knife was pressed against his throat. He quickly backed away, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, 'Whoa, whoa.'

'Who are you?' Her deep voice questioned harshly. 'Why are you in our neighborhood?'

James continued to back away. 'Whoa, sorry. I didn’t know the area was claimed. I… I was just running… uh, exploring.'

'Scavenging' the girl corrected.

James shifted awkwardly and shook his head, 'No, actually. I… uh… I was making my way to… somewhere safe.'

The girl laughed harshly, 'Safe? There’s no such thing. Beast after beast come and go no matter where you move.'

The girl stepped forward. The knife was still pointing in James’ direction and he hastily stepped backwards to match her movement. He glanced at the sharp tip nervously. 'I’m not lying. A place called Praesidium. They’re armed. They’re secured. They even have vehicles. Cars.'

The knife lowered slightly but it was still slightly pointed in his direction so James didn’t allow himself to relax yet.

'You’ve been there?' The girl questioned, seemingly considering what he was saying.

'Uh, no.' James responded hesitantly, glancing at the knife again, 'Can you please stop pointing that at me?'

The girl glanced to the knife and then back at James. She scrutinized him but eventually took a step back and lowered the knife to her side. She didn’t put it away completely, though James couldn’t blame her for that. 'How do you know if they are safe if you’ve never been?'

'I met them and I spoke to them. I’m heading to their headquarters. They invited me to join them. You could come too.' James offered temptingly, trying to sooth the annoyed girl in front of him. Correction. The armed and annoyed girl in front of him.

The girl still looked annoyed and hesitant, but prepared to listen. 'Tell me about them.'

'Uh, I just know that there is a group of them with vehicles. They are armed. They said that there were others back at their headquarters. Other boys and girls. They said they’ll train me to fight the beasts and teach me self defense. They’ll do the same for you.' James told her.

'And my Dad?' the girl asked.

James paused but then nodded, 'Yeah. Him too. I don’t see why not.'

'You need to come with me to speak to my Dad.' The girl demanded. 'Tell him about this Pedium.'

'Praesidium.' James corrected but then regretted it when the girl turned her glare onto him.

'Whatever. You are coming.' The girl demanded again. She pointed her knife back at him and waved it towards the door. 'Go on.'

James nodded, his arms thrown up in the surrendering gesture again. He moved slowly towards the door out of the room. The girl followed behind. He occasionally glanced back so the girl could continue giving him directions. Well, the term ‘directions’ was used loosely. The girl simply waved her knife in the direction that she wanted him to walk, always remaining two steps behind him.

James glanced back at the girl, 'Can I at least know your name?'

The girl remained silent, giving James a new direction through the knife. They walked in silence through the fog. They walked past rundown building after rundown building. James had given up trying to talk.

The fog was dissipating as they reached the outskirts of the estate.

'Nixie.' The girl suddenly said.

James looked back to her in confusion, 'What?'

'My name. It’s Nixie.' The girl, Nixie, told him.

'James.' James said in reply.

'I don’t care. Keep moving.' Nixie said firmly, waving the knife forward.

James turned to face forward but he had a rather smug smile on his face that said that he didn’t believe her. It was in the way she said it. She doth protest too much, he thinks. He hummed in amusement.

Nixie led him to the tallest apartment block. James had never been inside of this particular building. The outside seemed to be locked up tighter than a prison. Isaac had commented on it once a few years ago. He had the same sort of reaction to this building as he had the shop. Either it was too good to be true and not worth the effort or it was a beast hot spot.

Nixie led him to the back door of the block. It was a large steel door. Nobody would be getting through the door in a hurry, not even a beast. Nixie waved for James to move to the side. He did. He stepped aside allowing Nixie to step forward. She had a key for the door. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. She then stepped aside to allow him to walk in first.

The inside was dark. All of the windows were covered with thick metal sheets melded onto the wall. Nixie pulled out a flashlight. James looked to it, almost in awe. Where did she get a flashlight? How did she keep it powered? Nixie spotted his look but didn’t explain.

'Follow me.' Nixie instructed, taking the lead for the first time since they met.

Nixie led him up to the top floor where there was another large steel door. Nixie unlocked and opened that door as well. She pushed it open and then nodded for him to enter. The room inside was bathed with artificial light to James’ amazement. How was Nixie and her father getting power?

'Nixie? Is that you?' A gruff voice called out from the corner of the room.

James glanced over to see a buff dark skinned gentleman sitting in a comfortable looking chair. He had scruffy long hair and a long scruffy beard. Both were primarily black but had whispers of grey hair at the roots. Age was beginning to take over the youthful appearance of the man.

'It’s me, Papa. I’ve brought a guest.' Nixie called as she shut the door and locked it with the key.

'So I see.' The man said, getting to his feet. He was tall. Very tall. He towered over James with his six foot six stature. He wore loose fitting clothes but it did nothing to hide how muscular the man was. The man stepped forward towards James while standing up straight to his full height and puffing out his chest, 'Who are you boy?'

'James.' James replied quietly, extremely intimidated by the large man.

'He was on the other side of town. He said he was making his way to a safe place and he could take us with him.' Nixie informed the man.

The man scrutinized James before dismissing him as a threat. The man returned to his seat. 'Tell me everything you know boy.'

James repeated to the man what he told Nixie before. He knew their name and what the guy from the Praesidium vehicle had told him. As he spoke he glanced between the man and Nixie nervously. The man was sitting in the chair with a relaxed air around him. Nixie, however, stood almost directly behind him. He was aware that her knife was still out. She was spinning it around in her hands. She seemed nonchalant but James was even more aware that she would be able to spring forward with her knife before he would be able to reach his crowbar.

As soon as he was finished he fell silent. James stood awkwardly in the silence, waiting. The man seemed to be scrutinizing him again. He was trying to work out how truthful James was being. He watched how James stood and how he shifted awkwardly. He watched the expression on James’ face as he talked. James had always been an open book. His expression always said what he was thinking. He spoke with honesty and sincerity behind his words and it was expressed clearly on his face.

'Due North?' the man finally asked.

James nodded. 'That’s what he said.'

The man hummed. 'Nixie and I are going to talk. You, sit over there.' The man pointed to James and then to the corner of the room where a single wooden chair was placed.

James glanced back to Nixie, who simply raised her eyebrow. James shifted awkwardly but did go and take a seat in the corner of the room on the wooden chair. James frowned as he took his seat. He felt like a child that had been sent to the naughty corner for time out. He was sure that he wasn’t supposed to be listening in on their conversation but it wasn’t like there was much else for him to listen to.

'So, what do you think?' Nixie asked the man.

'I don’t know. He’s being honest but we do not know how truthful his source was being. He could have lied to the boy and we’ll be walking into trouble.' The man argued, immediately reminding James of Isaac.

'Or we could be going somewhere safe. We wouldn’t have to keep looking over our shoulder. There would be other people. He said they have walls. Weapons. Food. Clothes. Can we really pass up on that?' Nixie questioned.

'Can we really risk trusting the word of a man we have never met? We have a secure setup here.' The man asked in return. He waved his hand out to gesture at the room they were in. 'The beasts can’t get up to us here. We are secure.'

'But the supplies are running out especially if you are adamant to avoid the shop.' Nixie commented.

James’ head spun to look at them. The shop? Were they speaking about the same shop that he had gone to, against Isaac’s instructions.

'I am.' The man said firmly. 'Those beasts prowl that shop like lions around a herd of wildebeest.'

'That’s true.' James called over, drawing their attention to him. 'There’s something wrong with that shop. I’ve been there. I’ve encountered a beast every time.'

Nixie glanced at him. His tone was monotonous, like he was trying to keep an emotion out of his voice. It suggested to her that there was more to that story than he was saying but that wasn’t her priority right now. 'Are you part of this conversation?' She asked before turning away from him dismissively. She turned her attention back to her Dad and said, 'We will run out of supplies soon. We will have to move on then anyway.'

The man was silent for one minute. Two. Three. And then finally nodded, 'Okay. We’ll join the young man on his journey to Presilian.'

'Praesidium.' James corrected.

'What sort of name is that? Pasidum.' Nixie commented with a snort.

'Praesidium.' James corrected yet again. 'And I don’t know. I didn’t name it.'

'Well it’s still a stupid name.' Nixie continued.

'Does the name really matter?' James questioned with a frown on his face.

'It does when it’s stupid. The people that named it might be stupid too. That’s extremely important.' Nixie argued with a smirk.

'Praesidium. It’s latin.' The man explained, cutting through the teenager's argument. 'It means ‘protection’. If it is as you say, then it is appropriately named.'

James looked to Nixie smugly, 'Not a stupid name then.'

'Only if they-' Nixie began to argue when the man cut Nixie off by speaking to James, 'We leave first thing in the morning. Rest for now. There are a few spare beds in the rooms in the hall. You can choose one.'

James nodded his thanks.

Nixie opened the door for him and held it open. He stood and walked through it, only pausing when Nixie said, 'You’ll need this. All of the locks are the same. Try and keep all of the doors closed and locked.'

Nixie had a ring of keys. All of the keys were identical. She pulled one of them off of the hoop and passed it over to him. He took it with a nod, and then accepted the torch that she offered to him. He nodded his head in thanks and left the room. Nixie closed the door behind him. He tried the first door he came to. That opened to an office. He sighed and locked it back up. The second door was more promising. It was a bedroom but judging by the items spread around the room, James assumed that the room was taken. Third time lucky. The next bedroom was bare except from the furniture. A bed, bedside table and a wardrobe. James looked at the bed strangely. He had never slept on a bed before. James and Isaac had always slept on the floor.

James stepped inside, slipping his bag off of his back. He placed it and his crowbar on the ground at the bottom of the bed. He slipped off his shoes. He didn’t know why but something inside of him said to keep his shoes off of the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed, bouncing slightly to test it. It was soft. Much softer than the floor at least. The sheet was dull and smelt dusty, but it seemed to be clean. The fabric was bobbled but it was much better than the floor. James turned, pulling his feet up onto the bed and lying down flat. James let out a content sigh. This was glorious. Luxury.

‘Try and keep the doors closed and locked.’ Nixie’s voice flooded James’ mind. He groaned and glanced down. His door was still wide open. He certainly couldn’t leave it open. James theorized that Nixie and her father kept the doors closed in the event that a beast does manage to get inside. But for James, the door would provide a second barrier of protection. He didn’t know Nixie and her father. Not really. Isaac had always been careful to avoid every other human left, not that there were many, and for good reason. With supplies dwindling, people were desperate and desperate people were dangerous people.

James could not assume that Nixie and her father were good people. He could not assume that their agreement to his plan and inviting him to stay in a room was anything more than an attempt to get the supplies that he had on him. He needed to close and lock the door. While the door and lock would not prevent Nixie and her father from gaining access considering they clearly have their own keys, the time it would take to unlock the door and the noise that it would make, would at least give James a bit of warning.

However, he was exceptionally comfortable. He’s not sure that he could move from his comfortable spot even if wanted to. But he had to. He didn’t survive this long and against several beasts to be taken out by a teenage girl and her father. He groaned and pulled his upper body up and twisted his hips. His feet touched the ground and he stood. He quickly moved to the door and closed it. He used the key to lock it and then placed the key on the desk.

James then returned to the bed. Before climbing back onto it, he stripped himself of his top and trousers. He climbed up and lay on his back, relaxed into the bed’s soft embrace. He reached out briefly to switch off the torch that Nixie had given him, plunging him into pitch black. A feeling of safety and comfort flooded James’ senses and he could feel himself drifting into unconsciousness, putting an end to a dreary and exhausting day.

X - X

It was a loud knocking that woke James up the next morning. James opened his eyes but the room was still pitch black. He reached out to the side where the bedside table was with the torch. His first attempt had him banging his elbow on the bedside table. His second attempt was more successful. He used touch to feel across the bedside table until his hand finally clasped around the flashlight. He clicked it on, briefly blinding himself.

He quickly pointed it away from himself and blinked rapidly to clear his vision of the spots in his vision.

'You alive in there?' Nixie’s voice called through the door.

James was rather appreciative that she hadn’t just used the key to open the door. He called out his reply, 'Yeah. I’ll be out in a second.'

There was no response. James assumed that Nixie had left. He quickly moved to his bag and pulled out a cleanish top and trousers. He quickly changed and stuffed his old clothes to the bottom of the bag. He grabbed his crowbar from the floor and slipped it into the bag so only the end was poking out of the top. He lifted the bag with one of the straps and flung it onto his back. He then moved to the desk and gently picked up the key. He unlocked the door and swung it open, only to jump back in shock.

Nixie stood immediately in front of the door. She had her hip popped out to the side and her hands on her hips. Her flashlight was pointing forward from the awkward position that it was in on her hip. 'You ready Princess, or do you need more preening time?'

James scowled grumpily at the teasing. He grumbled indistinguishably under his breath, much to Nixie’s amusement.

'Come on, you and I are making breakfast. I hope you have some nice food in that bag of yours.' Nixie said, quickly turning and leading the way back into the main room that he had met Nixie’s father in the night before.

The man was nowhere to be found. James assumed that he was still asleep or at least getting ready for the day. Nixie led the way to a small stove, similar to one that Isaac and James had had before they ran out fuel to power it. Nixie perched onto a small stool that was next to it. Seeing that there was not another one, James sat down on the ground opposite Nixie. He pulled his bag off of his back and pulled it to the side of him so he could search through it. He was sure that he had seen some canned rice somewhere in his bag. That was an acceptable breakfast, wasn’t it?

James and Isaac had never been fussy about what food they had eaten and when. They would just eat whatever they had available. There wasn’t really breakfast, lunch and dinner either. Just meal times, if they had food available, even if Isaac sometimes used the old time names like Nixie clearly did.

He gripped the can and pulled it out. He pulled out a second soon after. He offered both of them to Nixie who already had the stove burning. She took the cans and looked at them curiously.

'Canned rice? Where’d you get these?' Nixie asked.

'The shop.' James replied simply, knowing that Nixie would know which shop he had been referring to.

'So there is food there?' Nixie asked, her eyes gaining a cunning gleam.

'Yes. But there is something wrong with that shop. I went and if Is... Isaac hadn't been there I would have died.' James told her, stumbling over Isaac’s name. 'We completely trashed the shop while fighting the beast but the next time we saw it, it was fixed. Everything was fixed.' So, James wasn’t fully sure about that. That moment when he was in front of the shop after Isaac had di… after that had happened, he wasn’t really paying too much attention to the shop itself. But the blood and Isaac’s body were gone, only hours later. There was certainly something wrong there. Even James could admit it now.

Nixie passed one can over to James and opened her own. She poured the canned rice into the pot above the stove. James quickly opened his and did the same. Nixie then poured some of their bottled water into the pan to prevent the rice from burning. They were quiet for a moment as the stove began heating the water.

'Who’s Isaac?' Nixie questioned curiously.

At first, James didn’t answer and Nixie was left wondering if she had stepped over a silent line of no questioning. The hiss of the stove was the only noise in the room until finally James answered, as quiet as a mouse, 'My older brother.'

James didn’t need to say what had happened to him. His tone told Nixie just what fate had befallen Isaac. It was extremely common in this day and age to find that somebody had perished to the beasts. It was rarer to find a survivor.

'How long ago?' Nixie asked gently.

James didn’t hesitate this time and replied quickly, 'A few days. In front of the shop.'

'What was he like?' Nixie asked, again with a gentle tone that spoke of an understanding of the pain that James was going through.

'He was… clever. Funny. He used to say that he was the only responsible one. I used to get annoyed at him all of the time for telling me not to do something but he was right about the shop and he was probably right about everything else as well.' James answered her, his gaze drifting to the left of Nixie and completely out of reality. 'He used to tell me stories about our parents, or at least, what he could remember. It wasn’t much but it was more than I could.'

'You lost your parents as well?' Nixie asked softly.

James hummed an affirmative. 'Yeah. I was four. They left one day and never came back. We never found out what happened to them.'

'My mother was the same. She disappeared one day. She went out to get supplies and she never came back. Dad holds out some hope that she’ll just walk through the door one day. It’s why we’ve stayed in this one spot for so long. But I know the truth. She’s gone and she’s not coming back.' Nixie told him, her voice losing emotion as she continued to talk.

'I’m sorry about your mom.' James said softly. 'But you’ve still got your Dad, at least.'

Nixie nodded. 'Yeah, I don’t know what I would do without him.'

That was the moment that Nixie’s father walked in the door, 'Good morning. What’s for breakfast, Pixie Nixie.'

Nixie glared harshly at her father at the sound of the nickname. An amused smirk grew on James’ own face. The smirk soon dropped, however, when Nixie spotted it and turned her piercing glare onto him. Nixie glared at the stove as she used a spoon to separate the rice into three bowls. Nixie and her father, each had proper eating bowls and utensils. James was handed the bowl that was used to cook the rice in.

Nixie’s father sat on the same chair that he had been on when Nixie had introduced James to him. He was the first to finish his food and placed the dish aside. He instead pulled out a large map and a circular object that James had only heard about. A compass. James had never seen one before and he definitely didn’t know how to use one but the directional pointing were a clear indication to what it was. To be honest, James hadn’t seen a map before either. This map had clearly been used multiple times by Nixie and her father. They had drawn on it, crossing off large sections.

'Where did you find those?' James asked, glancing pointedly at the map and compass.

'I’ve always had them. They were my father’s before they were mine. Do you know what this is, boy?' Nixie’s father asked.

'James.' James corrected before answering the question. 'Yes. A compass.'

'Do you know how to use it, James?' The man questioned.

'No, sir.' James replied honestly.

The man scrutinized James before waving him over. James hesitantly approached and stood over the man as he displayed the compass in front of him. 'We can use the compass to follow a heading or set the map. But as all we know is ‘due north’ we will just use the compass for the heading. The first thing you want to do is point the direction of travel arrow straight in front of you.' The man pointed to the largest red arrow on the compass. He then pointed to a needle that protruded from the middle. The letter ‘N’ was at the tip. 'This here is the compass needle. Rotate the dial until the N on the dial is aligned with the needle. The direction that that needle is pointing is North. That is the direction that we want to walk. We need to try and keep the direction of travel arrow pointing in the same direction as the needle. Do you understand?'

'Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.' James thanked the man, genuinely thankful.

'Call me Noah.' Nixie’s father said, before he handed over the compass. 'Here. You can be in charge of directions. Keep us going North.'

Noah packed away the map into a bag beside his chair that James hadn’t taken note of before. He noticed that Nixie had an identical one. They were backpacks, much larger than his own. Nixie’s was over half her own height. They were packed fully, ready to go. James now noticed that the room held significantly less items than it had the night before.

Once their food was finished, Nixie packed away the stove. The flammable items went into Noah’s bag while the rest went into Nixie’s. And then, they were ready to go. James, once again, was setting off to find Praesidium and his new future. His destiny.

To be continued...

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Praesidium III: James has Common Sense