THE GIGAS

pg. 2

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Somewhere at a human settlement.....

" HELP, please help!!!!!"

A woman at the gates screamed. The guards looked down below to the horse pulling a small cart from their concrete walls.

" What is your business here stranger?!"

" Please! Is there a healer, I have injured people who need medical attention immediately"

She gets off her horse slowly putting her arms high up above her head as she walked to the covered cart. The guard nervously twitched, ready to fire if this stranger decided to try to attack out of the blue. It wasn't uncommon for people to cry wolf and then turn around to be the wolf they decry so much about.

The cloth slowly lowered as she used one hand to pull it down exposing two bodies huddled together. One man clearly had a bound arm thick with dark brown blood around his cloth bandage, he was deathly pale and his skin was drenched in shiny sweat. His eyes fluttered opened for a moment groaning from pain. The other man was completely unconscious, unaware of any of the things happening around him. At first glance, the guard, thought that the man was alright but taking a more careful second look at the man at a distance. He could see dried black streaks of blood running down from the crown of his head to the large purple blotch encircling his neck.

" You, go get the Gate master. And You, Don't move from there!" Swiftly gesturing to the one closest to him while simultaneously keeping the woman within eyesight.

One of the guards surrounding the one who gave the orders hurriedly left.

An older man came up from a hidden stairwell soon after along with the guard.

" what's going on Eli?" As he got closer to the guard barking the orders.

The guard named Eli jerked his head toward the uninvited guests below.

The gate master's eyes sharpened and grew cold as he assessed them. " What is your business here, traveler! Know that if you lie to us or try to attack us. We will kill you! So choose your words carefully!"

" Please! My partners are injured, one has a broken arm and the other one was beaten to a pulp.......ummmm I have some stuff to barter with for the care they need!" She swallowed hard several times in-between the plead.

He glanced at the two in the cart and her disheveled form.

The old gate master turned to the guard nodding slightly. " Eli, let them in, make sure to have someone keep an eye on them. I will get the doctor and send them to the quarantine barracks. Lets see what story they will tell us"

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The bridge burned for two days. Choking the sky in a thick grey smog as the intensely hot metal bodies charred.

The trap was only successful in delaying me, not killing me like it was intended to do. I found refuge in one of the dwellings where there was a hidden underground cellar.

Old air hung heavy in the room before I aired it out for a small amount of time. I had emptied out the clutter hindering access to the back of the room. Where I laid down some scavenged rags to use as temporary bedding since its the safest defensive position.

My arm hurt a little from the strain of the arm lock that the tiny alien put over it. I am not angry about it though, I am more angry that in my haste to get away to safety from the burning inferno happening behind me, I left my precious sack behind.

Her scent was preserved in that space for me along with the seeds and my samples.  Hopefully it is still intact despite the raging fire consuming everything in its path.