Survivor

Chapter 1

The heat was unbearable and the flies were no doubt a product of its taunts, carefully Nell picked her way through the prickly shrubs, and slowly edged her way around the scree covered slope. Swatting at the cloud gathering above her head the girl attempted to cool herself down by removing first her torn dress, then slipping into the cool embrace of the gently lapping water. Sinking further in so she was completely immersed she slowly began to undo the knots that had formed in her muscles after a hard day of work.

Glumly she began to scrape the soil from her arms and underneath her fingernails, sighing at the coarseness of her work-hardened palms, making sure to extend her fingers trying to chase away the stiffness in her joints. Similar to that which Morganne - the healer, had developed leaving her hands in a crippled state only worthy of clamping the wooden spoon and stirring the watery broth that made up the days meal, just thinking of the pitiful meal made her stomach rumble with a hunger only achieved by months of starvation.

It was only now that Nell’s eyes lit up and she allowed herself the ghost of a smile, a long look towards the bank and her basket had once again stirred the feeling to return home and present the stale loaf she had happened on, on her way back from the harvest. The products of this years labour were once again slim, and the likelihood of surviving another year even slimmer.

Under the water her hands slipped towards her waist where she could feel her ribs painfully screaming against the taut skin of her sunken stomach encased in the body of a young child, as she had not yet gained enough weight to encourage the swell of a bosom.  And in the glossy surface of the lake, a quick glance revealed a haggard looking face, lacking in emotion, thin cracked lips drained of rosiness, high cheek bones protruding unforgivingly from waxy skin, with dull limp hair hanging lifelessly devoid of any prominent colour, perhaps the only feature unmarked by hunger were the girls eyes, a deep brown, sparkling with intensity and framed by thick dark lashes.

*******************************

The thief crouched down low between the bracken and stump of an aged Rowan, catching his breath he rolled onto the balls of his now aching feet, resting his tanned arms against his knees wincing as he brushed against the week old gash that was festering and slowly rotting his body inside out.

Peeling off the coarse yellow fabric strip covering the wound, he gasped as he saw it had turned to a crusty yellow scab oozing a similarly rancid pus attracting a number of the stinging flies, which seemed common in the marshy land, bordering the northern edge of the lake.  Glancing behind him he could faintly hear the sounds of breaking brambles a sound which suggested the hunting party were approaching, so as swiftly as possible whilst avoiding stumbling into the rotted deer which lay close beside his lower legs, another victim of the hordes of flies and blistering heat, he made his way around the water.

*********************************

Nell roused herself from her rest, her young ears noting a faint rustling coming from her left she slowly opened her eyes, her heart thudded loudly inside her  chest however she was frozen,  after all she was  all to aware of the dangers of the forest, everyone was, after the baker's youngest son had returned home carried by his older brothers with his right leg missing, rumours of ghosts, fae and elven had made every God fearing person terrified of entering the forest. They said they had the ability to raise the living dead and ate the hearts of young girls.

She let out a scream as her eyes locked with the imposing man looking down from the high ledge, his russet hair was stained with flecks of brown, but what surprised her most was the bubbling wound ripping across his chest, visible through his patched shirt, she whimpered as he approached, how was it possible to stand with such a substantial gash, by all rights he should have been buried a long time ago, quickly she submerged herself below the murky water, in hopes that the ghostly man would vanish along with the mysteries of the woodland.