The Girl Who Cried Wolf

The Past Lies, But The Mouth Spits Venom

~10 years ago~

I stumbled over a stone as I ran down the dusty, dirt path. I fell and tears stung my eyes, but even then I knew better than to cry. I had scraped my knee but I stood and continued to hobble onward. I was on a mission, I had to find where the crying was coming from.

I made it to the edge of the woods and I knew I shouldn't keep going, but I had too. I ran for only a short while after that. Soon I saw a little boy sitting, sobbing, on the ground and walked slowly up to him. In the darkness I couldn't quite make out many details, but from what I could tell, he had darker hair and his clothes were filthy.

I sat beside him and asked, "Are you alright? Are you lost? Why are you out past curfew?"

He jumped slightly and lifted his head. With a sniffle, he responded. "I lost my dad. He was teaching me to hunt, but I didn't see which way he went and I couldn't smell him or hear him and now I don't know where to go." A few more tears threatened to fall, but I could see how hard he was trying to keep that from happening.

"Well, I can show you back to the town, that's where I came from. We aren't far from the clearing. You're a zombie, aren't you?"

He seemed confused for a second, but still replied, "yes."

I popped up and held out my hand to help him up. Hesitantly, he grabbed it and stood up. He briefly looked into my eyes before moving away. His eyes didn't seem right, though, they were almost topaz colored. I shook my head and forgot about it and led the way back to the town. Carefully, I got him back to the boarder between towns and showed him the secret exit that I had created, being friends with a few of the zombies and all.

"I'm Gwen, by the way," I said in the safety of the darkness as we walked. He didn't respond, but he paused for a split second before continuing. "What's yours?"

He shook his head, "I don't know. I must have hit my head."

"You know where you live, though, right?" Once again, he shook his head. "Alright, come with me." I hurried over to Zed's house and knocked on the door.

Mr. Necrodopolis peeked outside and his face brightened when he saw me, but he stopped when he saw the small boy next to me. "Gwen, what's wrong? Who's this?"

"I found him crying in the woods. He lost his dad and doesn't remember anything about anything right now so I was hoping you could help him. You might know his parents. Can you please help him?"

He looked, wide-eyed, between me and the boy multiple times before sighing. "Yes, I can help, but only if you promise to never go into the woods alone again."

"Alright, I promise."

"Good now get home before you get in trouble."

I nodded and darted back into the shadows, turning only when I heard the faint sound of a closing door. I smiled to myself and carefully made my way back to my house.