The ride back to town was quiet. No one on the team had much to say. One hour has passed since picking me up. The fight with that undead monster only lasted minutes but left me drained. We all knew our town had a powerful enemy. One that wouldn’t die. Twice, I killed him, and twice he survived. I knew he would come back with an army next time. He would considerably be much stronger and would not make the same errors as before. Our entire town was in a time crunch now. No one knew when this would happen, but we all know it’s coming. The problem I have is what other monsters may come forth now. Now is the time to fortify while we can. Rhonda pulls the Humvee up to Traveling Pete’s Fast Stop, now Sheriff Orkan’s forward command base. The buses pull up along the front of the station. A brigade of nurses led by Dr. Leighanne Wise, with many of the newly found deputies, patrol officers, and EMS personnel, waited to examine the former captives. ‘It looks like Aphanea is going to be busy as a de facto ambassador.’ I gave her an encouraging look. Many of the former captives are in terrible shape. Yet they still hold a level of beauty one would think impossible considering the circumstances. Their savage beauty was desirable. The burly Orkan took my team and me to the side. 

“It looks like you succeeded in your mission. Somehow I suspect this is just the tip of the iceberg,” the Sheriff said.

Sheriff Orkan watches as the now-freed slave women enter the command post. The law enforcement personnel set up patrols around the rest stop. However, no one left the area surrounding the station. Sheriff Orkan left nothing to chance. It was wise to arm his deputies and patrol officers with M4 rifles. Spotlights scan all directions.

“This Qrurcean… I killed him twice, and he’s still breathing. To say we don’t have a clue about this world is an understatement,” I said.

“Not to mention this is an immediate threat. We need to prepare now,” Rhonda said.

Sheriff Orkan considers his daughter’s words.

“Some of these enemies are powerful. Those arachnid things require at least a fifty cal to put down. They’re fast and deadly up close,” Grace said.

“How many more slaves do you think this undead monster has?” Kathy asked.

“Who knows? I’m hoping Aphanea can get more information for us,” I said.

“Okay, this is what we’re doing. I’ll get as many people as I can into groups. The first group will focus on barricading both roads into town. That’s our first barrier. I’ll gather as many boats as possible and create a lake port authority. I doubt we will meet enemies on the lake. But for safety, I’ll order them to stay near the shore. I wouldn’t want some lake monster to attack them, but we should defend it all the same. There will be another group to fortify the hospital and school. The last group’s purpose is to ramp up the search for people. We need to find them and wake them. As you all know, a vast majority of the survivors are women. Right now, there are five other men other than Thomas and me or Dr. Kline. Anyone else is on resource duty gathering food, supplies, weapons, ammo, and the works,” the Sheriff explained in a serious tone.

“Sounds like a plan. We better get started,” I said.

He looks at us with those stern eyes and then sighs.

“Not you guys. The four of you need to get some rest. Make that happen before you do anything else,” Orkan ordered, pointing at me.

“If that is what you think is best,” I replied.

I look at Kathy, Grace, and Rhonda to gauge their responses. They nod in agreement. We are all tired from the mission and are no good to anyone exhausted. The Sheriff nods and walks toward the rest station to help the newcomers, leaving us to decide what to do next.

“I got some stuff to get at my cabin. When you have time, come by,” Rhonda said.

“Me, too,” Kathy replied.

“Go with her Grace. I don’t want anyone going anywhere alone,” I said.

“Copy that, we can stop by my place too,” Grace said.

I watch Grace and Kathy take the humvee off. ‘It looks like I’m riding with Rhonda.’ Her cabin wasn’t too far from my parents. The two of us hop into her patrol car, and she pulls off. I couldn’t blame Kurt for calling in for some downtime. He was a former Marine special forces commander. I wasn’t feeling the need for a break, but I trusted his judgment. The future may not hold many chances for downtime in the future. You best take them while you can. I lean back in the seat and try to relax. Rhonda remains silent on the drive up to Pineford Mountain. As we passed through town, I noted the changes I did not notice when I first awakened in this world. It is an unnerving feeling how much of this mountain island of Pineford has changed since I first came back to town. Rhonda seemed on edge as well, but I am, too. We made an enemy, but that enemy was inevitable. That’s no good in the long run, but we may encounter enemies as time passes. We should prepare now rather than later while we have the manpower to do something about it. The patrol car pulls up to the front of the Orkan’s cabin. They had two. This cabin belonged to Rhonda’s grandparents before they passed. Kurt gave it to her the day she came home from the Navy, so I heard. The car door slams as Rhonda gets out.

“Are you going to sit there all night?” she asked.

“Nope, just going over all our options,” I said.

“Well, dad told you to get some downtime,” Rhonda added.

“Sure, I’ll head to the cabin,” I said.

“Alright, meet me when you’re done with whatever you got going on there,” the deputy said.

With that, I left. The short walk would take less than ten minutes. 

The cabin is like I left it the day I went into the dead forest. It’s all locked up, courtesy of Rhonda and my sisters. Their boyfriend’s luggage lay by the dining table just as they left them the night we arrived. I kick myself mentally for not being here. My mind keeps thinking, maybe I could have stopped them from leaving, or I would have followed them too. I see myself ending up dead, just like them. They were gone, and there was nothing left to do now but move on. The time for grieving would come, but not now. I unload my gear and lay the heavy sword against the wall of my bedroom. The thing is gigantic compared to the average man. Now that I look, it is truly a work of art. Despite being out in desert-like conditions, it was in excellent condition. The centerpiece of the broadsword is a red jewel that twinkled like fresh blood. 

I remember holding it and feeling this immense power. It isn’t something that one could put into words. It felt there in the background. I look at the living sword against my bedroom wall. I say it’s living because I feel it now. It radiates such tremendous and overwhelming power, boosting every part of one’s being. A black leather hilt is on the blade. A skilled blacksmith forged this sword from metal, unlike anything in my world. The near-perfect color of the silverish metal is spotless. The blade itself is magnificent. A skilled blacksmith carefully drew several symbols of unknown origin into the blade itself. Those ancient symbols gave it supernatural energy. They remind me of the two crowns Aphanea and I found with the ancient weapons. It was among the things I gave back to her before we parted ways. She gave the golden crown to me as well.

I brought both my rifle and handgun to my bedroom. ‘Best to keep several forms of self-defense around.’ A good rest would do a lot to help me focus. After a bath, I’ll hit the bed. Hopefully, the twin binary suns will be up by the time I wake.