Chapter 4

“Anya...”

A girl was seated in front of a large table constructed from welded scraps of metal. The surface proved to be uneven and rough, however, it served its purpose. Behind her, stood an old grandfather clock still in functioning condition. The pendulum created a ticking sound with each oscillation. The girl had seen the clock from somewhere before, but she could not remember where.

Tick…Tick…Tick…Tick…Tick…

“Aaaaanyaaaaa….”

The calming fire radiated warmth meanwhile illuminated the discolored tile floor and the stone wall that encased it.

“Anya!”

“Huh?” Anya was broken from her daze, her eyes drifted towards the origin of the sound. A woman with silky smooth black hair stood next to the counter. Her back faced Anya as she seemed to busy herself. Next to her, was a large clear window that exposed the dull orange-yellow light intruding from the outside.

“Eat up or your food’s going to get cold.” The woman's voice was alluring, even without turning around. Anya became captivated.

“Sorry, Mommy.” Anya grabbed a pair of short rugged sticks and began to poke the morsels of meat on her plate. She paused before clenching the piece of meat between the sticks.

“Mom,” Anya muttered quietly under her breath. She didn’t understand why she referred to the figure before her as her mother. All that Anya knew about her mother came from discussions with her father and uncle. The woman in question had similar hair, but that was all Anya could see.

“What is it, Anya?” The woman responded, still facing the other way.

“N-nothing.” Anya glanced around. Her surroundings felt familiar, but she did not recognize it.

“Well eat up, Anya. You must be hungry after all that’s happened.”

“Yeah…” She picked up the meat from her plate and placed it in her mouth.

Anya was surprised as she slowly chewed the food and the rich flavor expunged onto her tongue. Juices gushed out of the meat with every bite. The mixture of saltiness coupled with slight hints of sweetness combined into a pleasantry she could not describe. After swallowing, Anya picked up one after another. She felt hungrier with each gulp.

Anya abruptly came to a stop.

The figure before her had referred to ‘all that’s happened’. Anya began to question her memory, for she could not remember what had happened.

“Mom…” Anya mistakenly called out again as if the word escaped her mouth on its own. She simply shook her head and continued to her question.

“What do you mean by ‘all that’s happened?’”

The woman froze and everything became silent.

“YOU!” The woman, still as a statue, slid backward with unnatural haste only to stop once her thighs slammed into the table. Her back then promptly contorted and curved backward toward Anya until the top of her head bashed the surface of the table, causing a loud bang followed by a faint crack. Her arms twisted towards the table and smashed it continuously, each time creating new fissures on its surface.

Anya jumped back, knocking over the chair and falling with it to the ground. She continued to stare at the imposing creature. The creature’s pure white skin was smooth and glossed like porcelain. Its movements were rigid and inhuman. Her eyes widened as she saw the creature’s featureless face. The petrified child began quivering.

“IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT! IF ONLY YOU HADN’T BEEN SO SELFISH, HE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE.” The creature’s voice was distorted, deep and demonic. Its previous charm was now nowhere to be seen. “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT! IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT! IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT! IF ONLY YOU WEREN’T BORN!”

BONG…BONG...BONG… The sound emanated from the grandfather clock behind her. With the blink of an eye, everything returned to its original position.

Tick… Tick… Tick…Tick…Tick…

Anya, still trembling, didn’t know what to make of the situation.

The woman stood in front of the counter, continuing to busy herself as if nothing had happened.

“Eat up or your food’s going to get cold.” The woman’s soothing voice returned.

A sense of dread swallowed Anya as she distanced herself from the woman. Her back was now pushing against the grandfather clock.

“Well, eat up, Anya. You must be hungry after all that’s happened.”

Anya dashed towards the door. She wanted to escape before the creature could approach her for a second time.

“YOU!”

The voice came from right behind her, but Anya didn’t dare to look back. Without a moment to spare, she ran out of the house and onto the street.

Once outside, she spotted the source of the orange-yellow light: a pile of burning bodies. The memories flooded into Anya as she slowly approached it. The flame illuminated a nearby carriage along with an unknown figure. The figure stood on all fours with its body hung close to the ground. Its elbows bent upwards while its legs twisted in a peculiar position. The creature was feasting on something. The scene before her felt surreal. Anya continued to approach despite her desire to run away. She became motionless when she saw the corpse; the creature was feasting on the carcass of her father. It noticed Anya and slowly turned its head.

“N-no.” The creature before her wore her face, drenched with blood and flesh. It smiled innocently much like how Anya would.

“That’s not me…” Anya backed away from the creature. “That’s not me…” Anya grabbed her hair, hiding her face with her arms and shook her head.

“That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me.”

Anya fell to the ground, crying as every ounce of her filled with terror.

She began to remember everything that had happened.

“That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me.” Anya continued to murmur.

The woman approached the distressed Anya.

“That’s not me…” Tears fell uncontrollably down Anya’s cheeks.

The woman wrapped her arms around Anya and laid her head against hers.

“Listen to my heartbeat, Anya.” Anya did not listen, and thus the woman pressed Anya’s ear against her chest.

Ta-thump…Ta-thump…Ta-thump…

A familiar warmth brought a sense of relief to Anya. The previous bawl became a slight sob.

Ta-thump…Ta-thump…

Anya relaxed her tense body and closed her eyes.

Ta-thump…

…

She had fallen asleep.

Anya awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. Vague memories of that dreadful dream were still fresh in her mind, bringing her great discomfort. She realized that she was not laying on the hard ground but instead in a soft cloth. A warm blanket covered her. As she got up, Anya noticed the wounds on her fingers and arms were bandaged. She began to survey her surroundings. Light shined from a lantern. Unlike the crystals lanterns of her hometown that produced an orange tint, this one was pure white. Besides the crystal lantern sat an old man with a gray beard and slicked back hair, tinkering with a device that Anya had not seen before.

“Mornin’, young lady. Got ruffled up pretty good there.” The man had a deep hoarse voice; however, coupled with the man’s subtle dialect, Anya found it strangely gentle.

“More-nin?” Anya sounded out the unfamiliar word.

“Means ‘hello’, practically.”

“Oh-ah, umm, more-nin,” Anya replied shyly.

The man gave a quick chuckle and then continued on to his task. He placed the device down on the floor and proceeded to position a metal pot on the device.

A slight wind blew, causing Anya to shiver. As Anya readjusted her blanket, she noticed that she wore a softer pair of comfortable clothing.

“This means…” Anya blushed as she realized that she had been changed. She quickly wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, making a rustling noise in the process.

Upon hearing this, the man attempted to reassure Anya.

“Had to check for wounds, one of them Crawlers bit a chunk outta your arm. You’re lucky to be alive, missy. And besides, an old geezer like me ain’t got no interest in little girls.”

Anya remained silent, not knowing how to respond.

“Name’s Boone, Boone of Luminus. Name don’t flow well, but it’s all I got. You gonna give me yours?”

“Anya… Anya of Black-Rock.”

The man scratched his beard.

“Can’t say I’ve heard of that place. Mind tellin’ me the way?” Boone then turned the switch on the device counterclockwise, after which he proceeded to pour water into the pot.

“I…I can’t.” Anya knew that even if she recognized the way, she couldn’t go back to that town.

Boone could hear the slight tremble in her voice and decided to change the topic.

“What’s a girl like you doin’ out here alone?”

The water in the pot began to boil. Boone turned the knob clockwise halfway and stirred as he added roots, leaves, some salt, and a light brown cube into the pot.

“I… don’t want to talk about it…” Unpleasant thoughts plagued her mind, not just from the caravan but also from her nightmare as well. She couldn’t remember the details, but the ominous feeling remained.

“Ev’r body’s got their secrets. Pay no heed to my question.” As he spoke, Boone enhanced his stew with various types of mushrooms. “You must be hungry after all that’s happened.”

Anya felt a chill down her spine as the statement made her feel unsettled. She wasn’t sure of the reason, thus she ignored it.

Boone poured some of the stew into a large cup and handed it to the young girl, who accepted it graciously. Her hands wrapped around the cup, allowing the warmth to seep into her. Anya was surprised that she could still move her arm as she was sure that it was dislocated. The wounds on her fingertips stung, but Anya didn’t mind. After all, it had been a while since she felt this at ease. Rich aroma from the stew entered her nostrils and immediately caused Anya to drool. Her stomach began to growl, demanding appeasement. After blowing on the stew, Anya took a sip. Her face lit up since she had never had food this delicious. The starving girl couldn’t help but gulp down mouthfuls of soup. The heat burned her tongue, but she did not care as her hunger had overwhelmed all other senses.

Seeing this, the man let out a grin before doing the same to his pot of soup.

...

“Ma twong burrrns.” Anya fanned her tongue as it stuck out of her mouth. Her clouded emotions vanished with her hunger and a childish demeanor returned.

“Hah, thath all it takths?” Boone made similar gestures, which contrasted with his stature. Upon making eye contact with each other, they both laughed. “Glad to see some color has return’d, missy.”

Anya’s first impressions of the old man were completely off. She thought that Boone had a constrained personality. However, after this brief interaction, she found that he had a lively side.

“Ain’t no man can best me in cookin’.” Boone boasted shamelessly.

Anya smiled. She couldn’t argue against the claim since her diet up until now consisted mostly of roasted roaches, dried brown grass, and the dull ‘fruits’. Still, Anya felt she needed to be a bit spiteful.

“Would have been better if it didn’t burn my tongue.”

“Well, missy, then you shoulda waited.” Boone wiped the utensils with a cloth before storing them back into his large rucksack. “I’m gonna get a rest, cookin’ took a lot outta me.” The man placed a dirty rag on the floor and laid on it. Anya noticed that her sheets and blanket were relatively cleaner compared to the one Boone laid on. This caring act reminded Anya of her father, making her eyes watery. She started to wonder whether this was the kindness that her father showed to her mother.

“Wait…” Anya panicked when she suddenly realized that something was missing. “Where’s my journal?”

Boone barely fell into slumber before Anya raised her question.

“Journal? I didn’t see no journal…”

Anya retraced her memories from a few hours ago, desperately trying to locate the journal. She attempted to bite her nails until she felt a light sting from her wounded flesh. To Anya, the journal was all she had to remember her family by, something irreplaceable.

“It’s under the iron carriage, I have to go get it!” As Anya stood up, the pain in her shoulder returned, but not as intensely as before. “Where did you find me? I have to go back.”

“What? Right now? Wh’re them Crawlers were?” Boone was still laying down with his head rested on his hand.

“I have to get it right now, it’s something very important to me!” She shivered at the thought of that place, however, she felt she absolutely could not lose her precious memento.

“We ain’t in the state to do somethin’ like that.” Boone felt that the girl was being selfish, but also understood that she was only a child.

Anya frowned, for the journal had never been this far apart from her.

“I-I can go by myself if you just tell me which way to go!” Anya wanted to take back her words, but she felt she needed to retrieve the journal, no matter what.

Boone could see Anya was vehement in her decision and did not have the heart to let her leave on her own. Seeing as Anya was not planning on backing down, Boone let out a sigh and lamented.

“Why is ev’r dang girl I meet so selfish?”