They Called Me FIVE

LANCE

"Are they any dead in here?" I ask. Seven nods. I scuttled on my feet and jump to the set of stairs leading to the trapdoor.

I lift off the metal rod. I open the right door and peek to the world above. It was too dark yesterday I didn't notice...

The fence that cut off the nasty alleyways and suspicious bars on our left, is pretty much a good fifty meters away from us.

From the right, down to the last street, is a peaceful subdivision. I see cars passing by me.. Housewives leaning toward their neighborhood yard for fresh gossips. This trapdoor is obscured by the bushes facing the road.

And on my back, is an inconspicuous blue house with dark windows tightly shut. The basement we're in belong to this house. We're tresspasers.

I wonder who lives here. I wonder if they knew Jesper. I wonder where he is now. My eyes landed at the thick trees growing behind the house.

Remembered the request Seven uttered to me and jump off the stairs. I ran to her side.

"Seven, I saw some thick trees growing at the back of the house we're in, is that enough to let you heal?"

She made a curt nod. And I lift her off the bed. She didn't move. Not even an inch. I climb the flight of stairs and leap to the grassy ground. Keeping myself unnotice as much as possible, especially to the growing number of mothers butting their heads in.

I crawled with my knees tuck in. Seven clutch to my chest real close. I bet she can feel my heart beating so fast. I peek at the corner of the house to see no one's outside. I peek at the window earlier. No visible movements.

Knowing that the office men workers and children have already left to school and workplace, I take it it's already in the middle of the morning, probably nine or ten.

The people residing inside the house must have left too. There's a wooden fence as tall as me encasing the yard. But it's weird since I can't see the end of it. As if its stretching on. I'm scared in leaving Magnus and Sam alone.

But no harm will come to them.

So I entered the thick trees to rest Seven in the center. Let her heal in the arms of her beloved trees.

After I found the ideal thick root where she can sat, I dug my palms to the ground.

If what I'm doing is correct and I'm understanding what Seven wants me to do correctly...

It must be here somewhere. Bones. Dead bodies I can control, remains I can raise back to life to do my bidding.

I close my eyes and tug deeper to my chest. The shadows dwelling within me did the searching. The sensing.

For a few minutes I stayed like that.

Until a sense of horror took hold of my throat, choking me in the spot. I collapse on my butt and crawled away.

What's going on....?

It's only a house. A very ordinary house in the middle of peaceful neighborhood... And yet,

I sense three hundred dead bodies buried beneath this black soil. Flesh eaten away by maggots and earthworms, cause of deaths unknown. Burying the evidence, identity and murders along.

I gulp. Anxiety crippled my spine. Behind me, Seven is fast asleep. Her complexion is getting better.

The trees...it could have been my imagination but some root has curled its way on her skin. Letting her fingers wrap around it.

The paleness of her skin has been slowly replaced by red blushes. Rosy cheeks resurfaced, she looks a little bit healthy again.

If Sam could heal just like her.... Maybe I should bring him here. I reach out, tug harder to my gut and took hold of three bones close to where I'm kneeling.

The soil buckled, a bony hand appeared, followed by the arm and then the whole skeletal body of three men came forward.

In my mind, I ordered them to retrieve Sam and Magnus sleeping in the basement. They moved at once.

Run to where I directed them to.

It was strange. I close my eyes and I can see what they're seeing. The three leap down to the trapdoor, not bothering to take the stairs and grab Sam's sleeping figure and Magnus startled face up.

They get out and look around the neighborhood. It was my purpose to check the housewives... They're still there.

But another flock has join their group. A man, with sickly face, crook glasses and shabby white shirt and crumpled pants, with his company of ten men in black suit is looking at the direction of my zombies.

I gulp.

Scared they just discovered the impossible. My mind is racing for the possibilities. What if they'll report this to the police, what if the faeries get a wind that we're here.

I thought they'd be scared and run with their tails tuck in their butts. But they didn't. The man with the crooked glasses incline his head... And smiled as if he's expecting for my zombies' arrival.

I ordered the three skulls to come to me. Murmured apologies to Seven for taking her away from her beloved trees.

Three skulls appeared with Sam and Magnus in their shoulders. They race towards me, and together.

We leap through the coarsy grasses, evade the thick trees, there's a littered toys for kids, scraps of food and seesaw covered in moss.

I saw the fence and leap through it. My zombies did the same. The trees are getting thicker the more we go farther. There's a wall of vines and bushes standing a few meters from me.

I have a bad feeling about this. But I need a place to hide. Magnus is still sleeping. Sam and Seven too.

She was right. They're safety is my responsibility but it's not my burden alone. For now, I just need to function as bodyguard and keep them from harm to the best of my blessings.

I ran and cross the vines. Steek slopes with rocky oath meet me.

The more I ran, the more my strength drain out of me. It's like raising these zombies has eaten a big chunk in my blessings.