Death's errant chapter 1

It was a cold, miserable, stormy night. Lightning flashed high in the sky as I and my companion rode our horses along in silence. He, a young lad and my personal squire, looked up at me, stealing glances as we rode along, listening to our horses whinny in complaint as they trudged unhappily through the mud.

We were making our way towards the village: "Hell's Den..." The mayor called it. I for one was on my way to answer a call of duty, being that I am a paladin of my god Jayvon. My sworn mission is to cleanse all manner of evil off the face of this earth in the name of Jayvon.

I looked at my squire, a lad no more than seventeen winters old. He had the choice to stay behind with the monks and the priesthood. I offered him that choice... That right to do so. He is either brave or dumb, but what more could I say of myself? Aren't he and I headed in the same direction to carry out Jayvon's will?

"Sir, we approach the gates." He stated meekly.

I looked at Joseph as he pointed at the opened gates. I then turned my attention towards them. Something was not right. The gates were wide open and there wasn't a guard insight. There were rumors in Hiverdale about this place, overrun by witches, demons, zombies, werewolves and the like. There aren't many people left in Hell's Den and for good reason.

The mayor's daughter was abducted by a man. No one saw his face... Only heard her screams, the crash of her broken window and saw her held firmly over the man's shoulders as he rode off into the night on his nightmarish steed, described to be jet black and spewing the fires of hell from its nostrils and leaving a burning trail from its blazing hooves. The man was rumored to be heading towards the northwest. Scouts followed the burning hooves to a certain point. A point where few have traveled and only a hand few more have dared to go. Beyond the mists of Ba'el, There are tales of a brave group who traveled there from the capital kingdom of Aten- Scholfieldia to rid Hell's Den of their Zombie problems. They did just that, but it seems that Hell's Den's problem didn't simply end there.

"Sir?"

I looked up at Joseph. It appeared that I was so lost in thought that I had stopped Charlemagne, My trustful steed in her tracks. She whinnied in impatience as Joseph looked at me inquisitively.

"I'm sorry Joseph. Do Forgive me. I have given pause to my thoughts. Please, let's us continue."

Joseph nodded and turned his horse back towards the gates.

We rode onward steadily until we reached the gates. Hell's Den was uncommonly cold and deathly quiet. The town looked abandoned and it felt as if unseen eyes were looking down upon us from unseen places. I held out my hand to slow Joseph down and I reached into my armor to pull out the symbol of Jayvon. I kissed the symbol and said a prayer in hopes that Jayvon's eyes were watching us as well and that his spirit would guide and protect us.

Thunder Boomed over head and a crow landed on top of the wall of the gates. Joseph looked up at the bird and the bird screeched harshly and flew back into the town.

Joseph looked at me uneasily. I looked at him sternly.

"Now is not the time for fear young Joseph." I stated calmly.

"Yes sir." He replied meekly.

We slowly rode into town. There were no lanterns lit in the windows, only flapping shudders. Some windows were boarded up or opened all together. There were no signs of life anywhere, not even at the local tavern.

'Was it too late? Were we here only to witness the end of Hell's Den?' I thought to myself.

"Sir!" Joseph cried out. The urgency in his voice caused me to be unnerved and my horse protested by lifting up onto her hind legs.

Joseph looked at me and placed his finger to his mouth. He listened to the atmosphere for a brief moment then whispered quietly, "Do you hear that?" His gaze left me and he turned his head towards his right.

I pricked my ears up to listen. I heard the sheets of raining splattering my iron armor and the ground, the snorts and whinnying of our protesting horses as they sloshed their hooves into the muddy earth and then I heard it. It was an unsavory sound like that of an unmannerly ruffian eating something ravenously.

I quietly slid off of Charlemagne and crept towards the sound, past Joseph and his horse quietly. My nerves stood on end. It came from an alleyway next to a large house. As I snuck along silently, I saw what I believed to be blood mangled in with the mud and indents in the ground that looked like something was dragged into the alley. There were deep foot prints pressed into the mud next to the indents on the ground. I followed them cautiously.

I looked back at Joseph who sat quietly and wide eyed. He held onto the horses' reigns so tightly that his knuckles had grown white. My eyes showed him pity as I grabbed my blessed sword from its sheath. I steeled my nerves and called upon the name of Jayvon under my breath and then I looked around the corner.

There was a Zombie, ravenously devouring the lower half of a guard. It was completely naked and vile from its decrepit head to his malformed lower limbs. It ate the poor soul as if there were no tomorrow, like that of an impoverished swine.

Fear gave way to my anger as I gazed upon the horror etched into the dead guard's face and I lifted my sword, ready to cleave the foul creature's skull in twain when at the other end of the alley a young maiden ran into the opening. She looked frightened as if something was chasing her. She looked first to her left and then towards us at the far end of the alley. Her eyes grew wider.

I placed my finger to my mouth and shook my head "no" intensely, but it was to no avail. She did not see me, just the guard being devoured from a creature of any good being's nightmares.

The maiden released a shrill cry like that of the banshees.

The zombie looked up and snarled at her and began to quickly shamble her way. I swung as hard as I could, gashing open the zombie's skull. As its brains spilled out of the back of its head, it gurgled and fell quietly to the muddy ground and as I looked into the horrified eyes of the young maiden, a beastly creature, with leathery wings, horns and a furry hide snatched her up quickly from view and flew towards the moonless night.

"Lord Ishmael! I heard a woman scream and came over as soon as I..." Joseph stopped talking and looked down at the carnage caused by the zombie. The foul stench of the guard's left over entrails reached his nose and he lost his rations of the day upon the muddy ground.

I stared off into the night, after the creature and the young maiden until I could see them no more. I then turned toward Joseph and handed him a handkerchief to clean up his sickness. I sheathed my sword.

"Clean up yourself and let us continue our journey. We have much good to do here." I stated as I marched back towards Charlemagne.