Anonymous
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Green grass crunched beneath a pair of heavy boots.
It was nice out. The sun was shining, a crisp wind was in the air and the trees had only just begun to lose their color. A sign of the coming winter, no doubt. A young woman approached a compact yet well-fortified farmhouse. She was just returning from her family’s vegetable garden. It was a simple garden—nothing more than a handful of carrots and a couple of strawberries—but she was proud of it. She had helped build it alongside her father, after all. Taking a deep breath of the fresh outside air, she felt that today was going to be a good day.
She could not have been more wrong.
It had begun with a simple argument. A disagreement between the resident doctor and the Family chef. Somehow, a disagreement had become a fight. A fight had become a murder.
Her father—the leader of the Family—was furious. This injustice cannot be allowed to stand, he said. You must punish him, he told her. Her hands began to shake. She had never done this before. She had seen it done, of course, but for her to do it on her own? The weapon felt heavy in her hands. Sweat only made her grip feel less confident. When she rounded the corner, arms raised, the sight that awaited her made her breath catch and her heart stop.
Gun.
The sound was deafening. Her world was quite literally spinning. What happened? She couldn’t tell. In the distance, the sound of frantic shouting only confused her further. Was that her dad? Ears ringing, a she tried desperately to find a foothold in some sort of clarity. A groan escaped her. With a painfully slow turn of the head, that groan became an agonizing scream as she realized that an infected had begun tearing into her arm. Somehow, she managed to rip herself away from the beast. The home was crawling with them now. Darkness danced along the edges of her vision as she staggered forward, attempting to make her way outside. The shadows played tricks on her mind—one rose up in the corner, an eerie imagery of her father staring down at her, displeased. Another was curled up in the corner, sobbing quietly. Her heart twisted in despair at the sight of her sister.
Only blackness awaited her beyond the farmhouse’s front door. Pushing through, images from her life began flashing past her. She saw her normal life. She saw the burning of a city.
She saw the burning of people.
But at the end of it—at the end of it all—she saw her Family. They were happy. Oh, how badly she wanted to see them again. So, she hatched a plan. She knew her Family had connections. She knew that if her name made the circles, they would find her again. So, she became determined to make that name known. Castle.
It was a simple name. Use it when you want us to know you’re in trouble, her father told her. That way we’ll know to come get you. It was working. Groups of all kinds came to Castle for help. Trade was plentiful, and with the way her name was beginning to spread, it was only a matter of time before the next group that contacted her would be the one that she wished for most. It’s working, she thought with glee. Soon! Soon they’ll find me and I can leave all of this—
Blood splattered beneath a doubled-over Katherine.
Her breath came in uneven, ragged gasps—red dribbling down her chin. Glancing up, she could only make out hazy silhouettes of those responsible. Hatred burned within her as she stared, a deep feeling of betrayal permeating every drop of blood that dripped.
I’m sorry, she thought. Images of her Family flashed through her mind for a second time.
She thought of her father. How could she have failed him so badly?
She thought of her sister. Maybe she would have better friends now.
She thought of every other person in her Family that she would never see again. Slowly, her mind began to feel fuzzy, and the images faded away.
I’m sorry, she thought again.
Bang.
It was nice out. The sun was shining, a crisp wind was in the air and the trees had only just begun to lose their color. A sign of the coming winter, no doubt. A young woman approached a compact yet well-fortified farmhouse. She was just returning from her family’s vegetable garden. It was a simple garden—nothing more than a handful of carrots and a couple of strawberries—but she was proud of it. She had helped build it alongside her father, after all. Taking a deep breath of the fresh outside air, she felt that today was going to be a good day.
She could not have been more wrong.
It had begun with a simple argument. A disagreement between the resident doctor and the Family chef. Somehow, a disagreement had become a fight. A fight had become a murder.
Her father—the leader of the Family—was furious. This injustice cannot be allowed to stand, he said. You must punish him, he told her. Her hands began to shake. She had never done this before. She had seen it done, of course, but for her to do it on her own? The weapon felt heavy in her hands. Sweat only made her grip feel less confident. When she rounded the corner, arms raised, the sight that awaited her made her breath catch and her heart stop.
Gun.
The sound was deafening. Her world was quite literally spinning. What happened? She couldn’t tell. In the distance, the sound of frantic shouting only confused her further. Was that her dad? Ears ringing, a she tried desperately to find a foothold in some sort of clarity. A groan escaped her. With a painfully slow turn of the head, that groan became an agonizing scream as she realized that an infected had begun tearing into her arm. Somehow, she managed to rip herself away from the beast. The home was crawling with them now. Darkness danced along the edges of her vision as she staggered forward, attempting to make her way outside. The shadows played tricks on her mind—one rose up in the corner, an eerie imagery of her father staring down at her, displeased. Another was curled up in the corner, sobbing quietly. Her heart twisted in despair at the sight of her sister.
Only blackness awaited her beyond the farmhouse’s front door. Pushing through, images from her life began flashing past her. She saw her normal life. She saw the burning of a city.
She saw the burning of people.
But at the end of it—at the end of it all—she saw her Family. They were happy. Oh, how badly she wanted to see them again. So, she hatched a plan. She knew her Family had connections. She knew that if her name made the circles, they would find her again. So, she became determined to make that name known. Castle.
It was a simple name. Use it when you want us to know you’re in trouble, her father told her. That way we’ll know to come get you. It was working. Groups of all kinds came to Castle for help. Trade was plentiful, and with the way her name was beginning to spread, it was only a matter of time before the next group that contacted her would be the one that she wished for most. It’s working, she thought with glee. Soon! Soon they’ll find me and I can leave all of this—
Blood splattered beneath a doubled-over Katherine.
Her breath came in uneven, ragged gasps—red dribbling down her chin. Glancing up, she could only make out hazy silhouettes of those responsible. Hatred burned within her as she stared, a deep feeling of betrayal permeating every drop of blood that dripped.
I’m sorry, she thought. Images of her Family flashed through her mind for a second time.
She thought of her father. How could she have failed him so badly?
She thought of her sister. Maybe she would have better friends now.
She thought of every other person in her Family that she would never see again. Slowly, her mind began to feel fuzzy, and the images faded away.
I’m sorry, she thought again.
Bang.
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