The Warrior by Paul Jackson
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The Warrior
Published by Paul Jackson
Copyright © 2014 Paul Jackson
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
Please download a separate copy for each recipient.
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The Warrior
His future looked bleak. A hostile world ravaged by famine and war was all that awaited him now. Times had always been hard living below ground in the subterranean city. His life there had been a violent one. Protecting the labyrinth of tunnels from marauding armies, being forced to kill or be killed and constantly fighting hunger. But now the unthinkable had happened. The battle was no longer against invading enemies but against each other. The depleting food supplies had caused panic amongst his own kind and a savage civil war had raged for days throughout the entire labyrinth. Bodies lay in every tunnel and many of his former allies had already taken to cannibalism. He could no longer trust anyone, even those he thought he knew, and he had been forced to leave the safety of the subterranean tunnels, the place where he had been born. The same place he had fought hard to protect throughout his violent life.
As far as he was aware the underground metropolis was only one of two places to take refuge in amongst the vast wastelands of his world but now it had fallen. Our hero stood above ground scanning the horizon. The desolate landscape was a treacherous environment to venture out into but he had no other option. There was no food or water left for him here and he would rather die than begin devouring the corpses he had left in his wake. There were other forces at work above ground and life was harsh and often very short.
Large strange beasts patrolled the scorched arid wasteland setting traps intent on killing and maiming as many of his kind as possible. The chance of survival was slim and many had lost their lives looking for a better place to exist. His plan was to reach the other underground city. It was beyond the horizon, further than the eye could see, and the journey would be fraught with danger. He knew that he should wait until nightfall but with no food or water time was of the essence.
He had ventured out across the plains before on food hunts. He knew the location of two small pools of water hidden below the surface and if he was lucky there would be enough left to sustain him on his journey. It had not rained for months and he knew that the chances of finding any at all was slim. But, it was a chance that he had to take. Without looking back he headed out onto the badlands.
It was still early and the heat from the sun was bearable, for now. He knew that by the time he had reached the first watering hole the sun would be directly above him. Shelter was scarce and what little he could find was not portable. After a while he looked back briefly as a guide to how far he had walked. The unchanging horizon ahead was difficult to read and he hoped that he was not far from the first pool. His throat was dry and his head was pounding. If there was no water beneath the surface he was done for. He would not reach the second pool until nightfall and by then it would probably be too late.
Eventually, the large boulder that sat above the water source was spotted in the distance and the desperate warrior hastened his pace. As he approached, the signs were not looking good. Usually, his nostrils would have detected the scent of stagnant water by now.
Living below ground in pitch blackness for so long had hone his sense of smell.
The soil beneath the large stone that lay in its shadow should have been darker than the surrounding earth, signifying that moisture was trapped within it but, it was as dry and as cracked as the rest of the land.
He huddled against the boulder and began to dig. In a world where tools were virtually non existent he was accustomed to using what he was born with. His nails were long, hard and very sharp. His forearms were strong and muscular. Digging to him was easy. Unfortunately, the ground appeared baron of water. It had been excavated many times and, although the previous visitors had attempted to refill the holes they had dug, their efforts were poor and the earth had not been compacted to prevent evaporation. After several minutes without success, and on the verge of giving up, the hollow eventually began to get sodden. Encouraged, he gouged at the earth with more vigour. At last the base of the crater began to fill as the water welled up from below.
He gulped at it frantically, collapsing onto his chest and stretching his neck deep into the hole. At first the water seemed to burn his parched throat and he found it difficult to swallow. He was forced to sip at it gently and take his time.
He was surprised by how thirsty and dehydrated he actually was.
Already he was thinking about reaching the next stop by nightfall.
With his thirst quenched he sat back up against the rock. If only he had something to carry water in, the next leg of his trek would be much easier.
He would have the luxury of time, no need for urgency.
He had a choice to make. At the moment he had shade and water. He could wait for nightfall before taking on the next leg of his trek.
The only problem with moving around at night was that the traps were difficult to see. Wondering into one blindly would be a constant risk.
He had already come across two such hazards. They had been hidden just below the soil but in the sunlight he had seen them in time to avoid them.
They were terrible contraptions that were set off via pressure plates. Once activated the whole ground seemed to move as a large metal bar sprung into action, snapping down on the victim with tremendous force. They varied in size and type but were all as deadly.
Our hero had seen many of his friends caught in these traps, sliced in half or with their heads crushed. Many had lost limbs and had died later in agony.
On several occasions, when the beasts had returned to claim their macabre prizes from the snares, he had watched them follow the trail of blood to collect the corpse.
Once the bodies had been removed the traps were relocated and no one ever knew were they were, making food hunts forever perilous.
The monsters had used poison on occasion, food laced with deadly chemicals, but they soon learned not to touch it. Unfortunately, it was a hard lesson to learn. Hundreds had died as they shared out the meagre morsels before realising that they had been tricked.
The tainted food had a strange subtle odour and from then on all food entering the labyrinth was closely scrutinised.
The raging sun had now passed over him but still he had not yet made up his mind what to do. He crouched down and gulped at the water. It had not replenished itself which meant that he had been very lucky to have found what he had.
The ground had given him all that it was going to.
Soon, he was sucking moisture from the dirt.
He got to his feet and looked out across the plain.
The decision had been made for him. He would have to carry on immediately.
He refilled the crater he had dug with soil and trod it down before leaving the shade of the rock.
Although his thick brown coat provided protection from the blazing sun it did nothing to prevent overheating, and in fact was adding to it.
However, amongst the dirt and dust it served as good camouflage.
He trudged on determinedly.
It would be dark soon and the temperature would dip below freezing, then he will be glad that he had it.
He had no idea what awaited him at the other refuge. His venture could turn out to be futile. After all, both colonies eked a living from the same baron land and food was hard to find no matter where you lived.
Water was at a premium everywhere.
If their resources had dwindled like his colonies had their tunnels could also be filled with corpses. They too may have resorted to cannibalism.
He may simply be swapping one dire situation for another.
But, if he was heading for oblivion, at least he knew that he had tried to do something. He had not capitulated and would have died like a true warrior.
He could have given up this morning. Simply re-entered the underground labyrinth and fought until he dropped from hunger and exhaustion.
But, fought for what? There was nothing left except to feed off the dead.
There just had to be something worth fighting for at the second city.
He caught sight of something in the distance. The wind had picked up dust making his vision a little hazy but, there was definitely something heading towards him. It was tall and moving fast.
A towering beast was on the prowl and it had already seen him.
Until now he had simply headed in a straight line. The centre of the wasteland had a natural basin that stretched out as far as the eye could see but occasionally, since passing the first watering hole, it became flanked with undulating embankments or large twisted structures. He had been using them to gauge his progress.
He could see that a little further ahead was one such opportunity for cover. He ran as fast as he could to reach it before the beast was upon him.
He dived among a mass of concrete and steel, rolling for cover beneath a large flat slab. The monstrous creature had almost beaten him there and was already pounding the structure with some