Necrocide

Chapter 23

Aaron walked through the forest with his hood on and his head down. He'd been walking for a couple of minutes already and he reached a clearing in the Bowland Fells, a deserted cottage standing out among the trees. The unfinished top of Matheson hovered above the treetops in the distance, the steel beams rising up like antennas.

"There's no place like home," Aaron said, staring at the tower from afar. "Especially when everyone in your home wants to kill you."

He approached the front door of the cottage. He glared through the window but was unable to see through the murky glass. Curiosity got the best of him and he kicked open the door.

He glanced around the room once he was inside. Even though it was barely the afternoon, hardly any sunlight entered the house, leaving most of the room shrouded in shadow. The furniture was stationed around the room in a surprisingly organized manner, as many other buildings Aaron had explored were messy and full of destroyed fixtures. Plates and utensils decorated the tabletop, gathering dust like the rest of the house. A flatscreen TV hung above an ash-covered fireplace and several photos of the family who used to live in the house lined the shelf above it.

"Frozen in time," Aaron whispered.

He walked into a bedroom, one belonging to a child. A bed stood in the corner of the room with the sheets lazily dangling off the edge, and movie and video game posters were plastered on the wall. A dresser was placed opposite of the bed, with a mirror and multiple rugby trophies on top. Aaron gazed into the eyes of the soon-to-be-Deadman in the mirror.

Thanks to Bloodletter, his entire sleeve was missing and dry blood dotted the area where his arm was bitten off. There was a long tear in the middle of his shirt where Bloodletter stabbed through him, brownish dry blood smudged around his belly as a remnant of the healed wound. He also noticed that he was more pale than ever. The walls of the bedroom were beige, yet he still looked more white compared to them, standing out like snow on a mountain.

Maybe this kid has some spare clothes, Aaron thought to himself. But then he stopped. I should probably find out his age first.

He looked away from the mirror at a small photograph of the boy placed at the corner of the dresser. The boy in the photo looked around sixteen or seventeen, and he was surrounded by other youths at what appeared to be a school party. Aaron got a bad impression from the kid, mostly because of his prideful smug combined with the formal clothing he was wearing and the uncomfortable looks he was getting from the girls around him.

Something gives me the feeling this kid was a wanker, Aaron thought to himself. But at least I know he has good taste in clothing.

Aaron turned away from the dresser and approached a set of sliding doors guarding a closet. As he slid one of the doors open, the only clothes he could find were a brown T-shirt, a cleaner pair of trousers, and a hooded cargo jacket, much to his disappointment. He wouldn't have complained if it weren't for the fact that it looked almost exactly like a typical DZI uniform.

Of all the memories I didn't want to bring back, Aaron thought to himself as he stared at his reflection, holding the jacket in front of him.

He emptied his pockets to count his belongings. He had his notebook, a pencil, the DZI mask he wore when he killed Dan, a hunting knife, and Dan's gun. He groaned in annoyance at the realization that he could've threatened Bloodletter with the gun since he wasn't wearing his helmet. Maybe even killed him if he had to. But then he'd probably have to face the wrath of the Commoner Deadmen. That is if Bloodletter hadn't ripped him apart first.

After putting on the new set of clothes, he brushed dust off the coat and stuffed his belongings into the pockets of his new pants before making his way out. He reluctantly resumed his journey back to Matheson, following the dirt path away from the house toward the tower. He looked at the greenery around him, trying to find the wildlife he spotted earlier. All he wanted was to see something serene for a change before he'd return to the turbulent refuge he'd once called home.