5 – The Murderer (OLD)

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The likeness of Michael Kramer is used in this project through AI-generated technology. Please note that Michael Kramer did not record any audio for this content, and his voice is not being used for any monetary gain. The rights to Michael Kramer’s voice and likeness do not belong to Redmatter Creations. Furthermore, the voice and likeness of Michael Kramer will not be used in the final product.

They gave each passing it’s own name and named each section of the planet after them.

From the Journal of Azura Seren. -Turseno section, 28th rotation

Oberon yells again, this time in shock, his back arching. The arrow didn’t seem to impale deep enough to cause any real damage. I think his thick coat stopped most of it. My crossbow unhooks easily from my belt and I raise it up to my face, looking around for the attacker. Oberon does the same, not bothering with removing the arrow from his back.

If there is just one attacker, we could probably handle it, but if there is a large group, we might be in a tough situation. I’ve never killed anyone before, but in this moment, I feel like I could. An arrow to the heart—not much different from hunting.

I search frantically and don’t see anything. The hair on the back on my neck stands up. The only sounds I hear are my breathing and heartbeat.

A creature on all fours bounds from behind a house and leaps onto Oberon. He’s knocked to the ground and I hear a snap. Oberon screams. The creature’s fur is long and dangles against the concrete below. I’ve never seen anything like it before.

A bolt looses from my crossbow and finds a home in the creatures head. The creature goes limp on top of Oberon and he rolls over, pushing it off of him. It is over as soon as it started.

“You okay?” I ask, rushing over to Oberon to help him up. Next to him on the ground is the back half of the arrow. That’s what had made that snap sound. 

“I’m fine.” He says, “Just freaked.” He takes a deep breath before pushing the body on its back with his foot. The lifeless bloodshot eyes stare blankly into the sky. They seem uncanny, human, even. It’s face is also human, covered in mud or face paint.

It’s fur isn’t actually fur, but some kind of suit to provide camouflage in a forest. Oberon and I exchange glances, we both think the same thing because we start to remove the camouflage suit from the attacker. Inside is a normal-looking man.

“Raiders? Already?” Oberon asks, flustered. “We just got here.”

I stare into the lifeless man’s eyes and see the pain and anger. The bolt—my bolt, sticks out from both ends of his skull, blood dripping down his ears. I feel numb. This man lived a whole life and I ended it in a split-second. Did he feel pain when he died? Was killing him the best thing I could have done? Couldn’t we have just taken him hostage and let Hadrian decide what to do? He makes the hard decisions no one else can.

What if that was me on the ground, staring into the sky? I imagine myself being shot in the head by other people invading my home. My life fleeting away as my heart beat slows to a halt. If I died now, I would have lived a life of no accomplishments. No one to love, no one to care for. No children or grandchildren of my own. Is this how Hadrian feels? Alone?

Hadrian has The Brightest. At least that is his accomplishment. They look up to him. They need him. The last thing I want to be is someone like Hadrian. Running a group and making hard decisions is not something I could do. I wouldn’t be able to love, lest they get in the way of my leadership. A group wouldn’t want to follow me anyway. They require someone strong. How could I be strong if I can’t even handle killing someone trying to hurt me and my loved ones?

“Come on, we should head back.” Oberon says, “Hadrian will wanna see this.” I snap out of my trance and Oberon has the stringy suit over his shoulder. He looks me in the eyes. “You good man?” He notices my pain. 

“I just—” I stammer. “I never—” The words have a hard time leaving my lips.

“Hey, it’s alright. He tried killing us.” He reassures. “If you didn’t do what you did. I may be dead.”

“Did I have to take a life to save a life?”

“Sometimes you do.” He says, “We take the lives of deer to save our own. We squish poisonous bugs to protect our kids.”

He means venomous, but I don’t correct him. But he’s right. How is this much different than killing an animal for food? It felt different though. Like it took something from me.

“Let’s go.” Oberon begins walking back to the camp. I follow closely behind, holding my crossbow in my hand, still unable to shake the feeling of unease.

***

When we return, we seek out Hadrian, but I’d rather just lay in bed. When we approach his wagon, he sticks his head out of the curtains, as if he knew we were going to be there.

“Oh its you two,” Hadrian says climbing out. “What did you guys find?”

Oberon slings the suit off of his shoulder and onto the ground. “Looks like raiders are scouting the area.” I say.

“Really?” He asks incredulously. “We’ve only been here a day.”

“Yep, this one leaped onto Oberon and was wearing this.”

“Ah, a ghillie suit.” Hadrian stares at the pile of strings on the ground. It looks like moss. “Well, seems like you guys handled it well.”

Oberon and I exchange glances. We both suffered from this encounter and it feels like Hadrian doesn’t care.

“Well, Father. Actually—” Oberon begins to speak before someone behind us cuts him off.

“Oberon John Winters!” It’s Dolora. “What in the name of the Light happened to you? And what is this?” The arrow tip is still lodged into his back. He cries out in pain when she pokes it. He is going to need that surgically removed. Brena isn’t with her. Perhaps she is asleep.

Dolora’s cheeks are red-hot and she moves her hands to her hips.

“It’s nothing,” he blurts out. “Just a little injury.”

“Just an injury? You two disappear without telling us and return with an arrow sticking out of your back.” She scolds, “What would have happened if you were killed? Don’t you ever think about me and your daughter? You’re lucky Mattias told me you two were heading off somewhere. I don’t even want to know what you were doing.”

“Dolora, I—”

She turns on me and shoves her index finger into my chest. “And as for you. Aren’t you supposed to be protecting him? You guys go out with crossbows all the time. Surely you know how to use them by now, right?”

I feel my face becoming heated now. She doesn’t realize that I did protect him. I saved his life. If it weren’t for me, Oberon would be dead. But I can’t say that, because it would just make the problem worse for them. It’s odd because she’s never acted like this. Something is different. Although this is between Oberon and Dolora. I do not want to get wrapped up in it.

Hadrian watches these events unfold before him, but he does not intervene. Behind him I see Mattias smirking. That bastard. Light damn him.

Dolora flips around, nearly hitting me with her hair, and stomps off to her house. Oberon sighs deeply, putting his hands against his face. “Well, I should probably get this removed,” He says finally. “Doc Stella will not be happy to see my face again after that incident with my ingrown toenail.” 

According to Oberon, he had an ingrown toenail so bad, that when our caravan’s doctor, Stella, tried to remove it, she vomited on his foot. I didn’t know how truthful that event was since Oberon tends to exaggerate quite a bit. Although I do believe that certain parts of Oberon are enough to make someone throw up.

He leaves dejectedly toward the tent Doctor Stella set up. I feel bad for him. First, he gets teased by Mattias, shot in the back, pounced on by a feral human, and yelled at by his wife. 

Something doesn’t add up. “Thanks for bringing this to my attention,” Hadrian says at last, bending down to pick up the ghillie suit. Before he can grab it, I pick it up from the ground first and shake it violently. Its tassels bounce around.

Nothing falls out from hiding and the suit doesn’t seem weighted unnaturally. My hands feel around for something, hard plastic, wood, steel. Unfortunately, I feel nothing but cloth.

Who shot Oberon?

“Father, I don’t think that’s the only raider living in our town at the moment,” I say meeting his wide eyes. I know that look. He’s afraid.

“I’ll station Lew, Reyus, and Efram. They’ll each do eight-hour shifts watching our community for attackers. You guys are good with crossbows so I’ll have you two as a second line of defense.” His hand brushes up against the hilt of his rapier as if reminding himself that it is still there.

“Father, I—” I stammer. “I’m not—a killer.”

“Yes, Caelius, you are.”