Born of Fire

by nimaru

2 - Darkness

On a farm outside the city, a man moved in the night. Holding his lantern high, Henry inspected the wagon's straps – tugged here and there until he was satisfied. He gave Dee a customary pat on the flank and mounted the wagon. Eager to go, she started pulling almost before Henry had taken his seat. He laid the reins loosely in his lap and leaned back; Dee knew the way.

The road to London was once crowded with merchants and farmers trying to reach the market before dawn, but it had been weeks since they'd seen anyone. Henry figured whoever was still alive was avoiding him... not that he could blame them.

All day, every day, Henry went from house to house collecting the dead. With no ceremony or last rites; mothers, fathers, and children were tossed like sacks of flour into his wagon to be disposed of in the mass graves outside the city. It was only natural for people to wonder what kind of person could do such things...he'd wondered it himself.

He'd recently found a woman dressed in an absurd ballgown; most likely too proud to die in plain clothes. Henry hadn't thought twice about stripping her and wrapping her in her own bedsheets just to save room in the wagon. Maybe he deserved the looks of fear and accusation from the townspeople, but the work had to be done and there were few who could do it. This was his new life and he'd accepted it... or so he thought.

It had been several weeks ago. Henry was called to the house of a nobleman who'd died in the night. Waiting at the door was a woman dressed in black, her face a mask of emotion – clearly his wife. Behind her in the shadows was a girl of about twelve. Too young to hide her feelings like a "proper" lady, she kept her head down and hid behind her long, blonde locks.

They led him to a reading chair where the man lay slumped. Then they took a space against the wall, clearly intending to stay. Henry preferred to be alone for this part, but he pulled his hat brim down and got to work just the same. He did his best to avoid eye contact and focus on the job, but just once he stole a glance up to the lady's exposed neck. As he suspected, black spots were forming: he'd be back here soon.

That's when it happened.

The girl had been hiding her face in her mother's dress, but just then looked his way. Henry froze. At first, she looked surprised, but then her face shifted into an emotion that Henry couldn't identify. She looked sad of course, but also... something else. Then she smiled. It was small and brokenhearted, but a smile all the same. She turned back to her mother and Henry blinked. Released from her gaze, he resume his work though his hands trembled.

In the days that followed, that moment haunted him. When he drove through her district, he found his eyes wandering to look in the direction of her house. As the inevitable day of her mother's passing approached he felt conflicted. He wasn't sure he could bear to see her again, but he knew he couldn't bear not to either. He would never be able to rest easy if he didn't figure out why she upset him so.

As expected, her mother fell not long after and Henry was called again. The girl sat on the stairs this time; her arms pulling her knees in tightly, her head down. She was still there when he carried the body outside which made Henry feel restless. He tried to mount the wagon and go, but couldn't. He stood there foolishly for a few moments wondering why his body wouldn't obey.

Just then, Dee shifted slightly and his lunch sack fell over. An apple he'd picked that morning rolled out and he caught it. He looked back to the house. Surely the girl still had food, but he walked back inside anyway and laid the apple at the foot of the stairs. She said nothing, but it felt like the right thing to do.

In the following weeks, he stopped by her house every day. With her parents gone, food delivery would stop and she'd be "left to fate" – which in Henry's experience meant starvation. So he brought apples, strips of jerky, and whatever else he had to offer and, each time, she smiled and thanked him. It filled his heart , but at the same time he despaired. The disease hadn't spared her and her health was fading fast.

Despite how much it pained him to watch her wilt, he couldn't resist her pull. Like a moth to the flame, he would burn himself just to be close to the light.

Henry was so lost in thought that when Dee snorted, he flinched. Dawn was breaking and the city walls drew close. Henry absently placed his hand the lunch sack beside him where he'd put a particularly handsome apple he'd found on the tree that morning. He smiled. Only a few more hours until he could see her.

Author's Note:

The role of Henry and Dee is two-fold. They are there to introduce and explain the horror of the times. He lives in a darkness he carries with him always. Dee is the only thing he has left in the world that matters to him...until he meet someone special. Their second purpose is to carry the story to "the girl" :)