Stubborn Mule, page 1
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Time to Defy
A Slice of Life
One Faery Too Many
Slaughterhouse Blues
It's Space, Man
Fun Times
A Rude Awakening
Alert!
Familiar Faces
A Little Hoarse
Pack Mentality
A Silent Reunion
A Growth Spurt
At Least There's Chicken
Dead End
A Lost Soul
Leveling Up
Clear a Path
Hungry for More
Beyond a Joke
No Escape
Didn't Expect That
Epilogue
Our Little Chat
Copyright © 2023 Al K. Line
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
TIME TO DEFY
"Bring it on, you bastards!"
Woofer whined, then ran to the far end of the garden, tail between his legs.
"Soph, that's no way to behave. What's got into you today?" Phage jabbed her trowel into the hard ground beside the stubborn weeds, then came over to where I was shaking my fist at the world in general, the Necro overlords in particular.
"Sorry, but I'm done. And Woofer, don't be upset. I'm just venting. Come here, boy. Want to play ball?"
"Play ball with Woofer?" he asked hopefully as he slunk back up the garden, the frazzled grass completely yellow thanks to a vicious heatwave that surpassed all previous records.
"Of course I'll play ball with you. Go find one." I smiled at my immortal dog, pleased that at least one thing in this world had managed to retain its innocence when all around us was corruption, decimation, deceit, and death.
Phage stood in front of me with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. She'd always been very good at scowling. It's a true art. "Stop being evasive. What are you doing? It's your birthday. You should be relaxing. What's wrong with you?" Her frown faded, replaced with a weak smile of sympathy. She knew as well as I did that us Necros had absolutely nothing to celebrate on our birthdays. All it meant was another Necronote, another order to go kill a stranger or face the dire consequences.
"What's the matter with me? Maybe it's the fact that my seventeen-year-old daughter has been missing for a fortnight, off on holiday with a giant fucking dragon! Or maybe it's because I'm sick of these notes. I told you last year, I'm done. No more notes for me." I turned my face towards the blistering clear sky and screamed, "You hear me, you bastards? I know your game, and I'm not playing. Bring it on. But be warned. I won't go quietly."
"Soph, stop it! You're worrying me, and look what you've done to Woofer." Phage pointed at the poor dog, orange ball in his mouth, hiding under a dying acer. "It's alright now, Woofer, Soph's going to stop scaring us, aren't you?" She nodded, eyes fierce.
"Fine, yes, I'll stop. But I mean it."
"Woofer can come out now? Have sausages?" he asked, ever hopeful.
"Sorry, my little buddy, but you know there are no sausages. Not today. Not for a while. I did explain."
"Soph not joking? Sausages are extinct? Is right word?"
"It's the right word, but they aren't exactly extinct. Just harder to come by than quality cheese." I slapped a hand over my mouth, but it was too late.
"Do not mention that word in this house," Phage growled, spinning back to me.
"We're outside," I reminded her.
"You know what I mean. Why can't we have cheese? What's so bloody difficult about making it? It isn't rocket science. They're doing it on purpose, just to make us miserable. Well, they've won, haven't they? Because everyone's miserable without cheese. It's just bloody milk!"
"Hey, now you're the one worrying me."
Shaking and red, Phage took several deep breaths then teased out her long dark hair and smiled weakly. "Sorry, but you had that coming. When will this end? I thought the rationing would ease off, but it's got worse. How am I supposed to make nice meals when there's almost no meat and we can't even get butter or cheese? We've got bloody cows everywhere again as they changed their minds about them, and the new strains of grass are thriving even in this insane heat. What gives?"
"You know the answer, same as everyone else," I soothed, my own anger easing as I stepped forward cautiously and whispered into her ear. "I love you. Sorry about shouting."
Phage looked into my eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry too. You did that on purpose, didn't you? So I'd go off on one. That was mean."
I winked at my long-suffering wife, then admitted, "Maybe. You looked scary, and like you needed to vent. We all need to shout now and then."
Phage smiled, a deep, genuine smile, as she nodded her understanding. "I love you."
"And I love you, with all my heart." I buried my head in her hair and took in her essence, her Phageness. A smell I knew I could never, ever be without. Of earth, and strange new shampoo, and dog and hay and grass and a hundred other unmistakable aromas associated with one thing. Home. Our love. Our family. Her. Phage. My lifeline. My salvation. My reason for being.
"Please don't do this," Phage whispered.
I pulled away gently, feeling the tears soak into my shirt. I held her at arm's length, our fingers entwined, and said, "I have to. I know you don't believe me, but I mean it. I've made up my mind. I quit. No more notes, no more towing the line or doing what I'm told. Acting like a good boy. Screw them. I'm finished with the whole thing."
"Then we'll be alone. You'll be gone and Jen and I will be alone. You won't. You can't. Please Soph, think about what you're leaving behind."
"Look at me, Phage. Look at me." Our eyes locked and I saw the depth of her sadness, felt it as a physical drain on my resolve, but I told her what I'd already said many times. "They won't let me die. They dare not kill me. I know you think they will, but they won't. I've seen too much for them to just cut me off like that. I hate to admit it, god how I hate it, but they've singled me out. I'm special even though I don't feel it and certainly don't want to be. They want me for something. I just don't know what yet. I'm not even sure I ever will. But they won't just come and take me and drop me into a bloody volcano or anything."
"Do you promise? Can you truly promise me that?"
I shook my head, the tears close to falling, but I willed them down. I had to be strong. I was strong. "I can't promise you. But have faith in me. Can you do that? And no mention of this to Jen. If she ever bloody comes home. I'm so worried about her."
"I won't tell her. She'll go spare," laughed Phage. I loved it when she smiled. It made the world a place worth staying in. "You still can't pick up on her or Tyr? Normally, you can communicate with him."
"They're too far away, well out of range. I get she wanted time alone, time away. She's growing up so fast, nearly an adult, but I'm sure they're both fine. Tyr won't let anything happen to her."
"I know, but I worry. That's what parents do. They worry."
"They do," I agreed. "And it never stops. We'll worry abut her for the rest of our lives. And Phage?"
"Yes?"
"They will be long lives. Trust me on this, okay?"
"Okay." Phage smiled weakly, then returned to her gardening. As she bent, so she turned back to me and said, "Don't forget, it's our special night tonight."
"How could I?" I gulped when memories of previous birthdays flashed into my mind. Of insane passion when Phage performed her gift and became multiples of herself. Once a year, Heaven truly did come to earth for this undeserving, rotten man.
"Cool it, mister," Phage chuckled, shaking her head as I wiped my brow. "And Soph?"
"Yeah?"
"We'll be fine, won't we? All of us?"
"I'll do my damnedest to make sure we are."
"So cheese is extinct too?" asked my mournful pooch as he gazed up at me, ball on the ground beside him.
"Almost. It's certainly endangered, just like many other things. My sanity, for one." I bent and rubbed Woofer's head, then snatched up the ball and gloated, "Ha! In your face, Woofer! I got the ball. See?" I told Phage. As she turned, quizzical, I looked down at my hand. It was empty. Woofer remained in the same place, but the ball was in his mouth. "How? What? Oh, I give up!" I laughed as Woofer raced around the garden, excited about nothing and everything. What I wouldn't give to be a dog. No worries, no stress, just optimistic and ready to play no matter what.
Bees buzzed, back in record numbers, the garden was a delight of gaudy colors thanks to the endless piles of manure we used as much as a mulch as for the nutrients, and birds chirped happily now there were more bugs than ever. But the heat was unbearable, truly astonishing in its intensity, and I marveled at how Phage could stand it, even with her broad-brimmed hat and just about all the sunscreen.
I risked stepping out into the full sun, but beat a hasty retreat and resumed my scowling.
My mind was made up, and had been ever since last year's fiasco and the riots in Shrewsbury. I would not kill because of my note. I simply wouldn't do it. Was I scared? Terrified, more like. Losing my family was the ultimate punishment, not death. But there com es a time in a man's life when he has to admit that he cannot take any more. Call it pig-headed, call it determined, call it whatever the fuck you want. I could kill easily enough—the qualms had been squashed long ago—and that was entirely the point. But more than anything I simply couldn't face being a puppet. Nobody tells Necrosoph what to do. And I was finally standing up for myself. My guts still squirmed, my bowels still felt loose, and my heart still hammered in my chest.
But that was my body, not me. I was something more. I was a tiny, insignificant slice of consciousness in the vast awareness called the universe. A piece of an impossibly gigantic puzzle collecting experiences and information to add to the all-encompassing being. This I now knew for certain. I meant nothing, yet I meant everything, and I would not be swayed from this. If this was the end, then so be it. But I wouldn't go down without the mother of all fights. It'd be one helluva steaming one, you could count on that.
With Woofer racing around me like the immortal loon he undoubtedly was, I made my way down the garden and through orchards and past barns, saying hello to various animals, having a quick chat, asking after their health, until I eventually made it to Sanctuary. Strictly it was version 2, but Jen decided Sanctuary was its rightful name. I stood and stared at the tall edifice, a water tower converted by the previous owners, perfect for a young girl to lock herself away and escape her parents. But she wasn't here, and hadn't been for weeks.
Shielding my eyes, I looked up to the platform at the very top, hoping yet again to see Tyr's tail hanging over the edge as he basked in what was for him glorious weather. Maybe Jen would scare her father half to death and hang by her fingers then swing herself up onto the platform like it was the easiest thing in the world. I could hope. But they weren't there, and I had no idea when they would return.
"How are you doing up there, Rocky?" I called to the tiger, one of Tyr's best friends and normally his constant companion.
A striped head appeared, peering down at me solemnly. "Rocky is sad. All alone. Soph will come and talk?"
"Of course. Wait right there." Knowing how lonely he felt, I entered the ground floor, a room Jen had made totally her own now we'd been living here for three years. Sofas, borrowed tables and lamps, the inherited giant TV, games consoles, books, posters, all the things a teenage girl in this modern yet backward age would normally have were just as important to her as the recurve bow hung on the wall, the spears, maces, javelins, swords, knives, and other weapons Phage and I were slowly but surely teaching her how to master.
Time was running out for my little girl. Womanhood beckoned, and in four years she'd be celebrating her birthday by receiving her first note, discovering her Necroname, and would have to commit an atrocity. My heart ached, same as it had every single day of every single year since I first looked into her eyes mere minutes after she was born. What a world to bring such an innocent into.
I chuckled as I looked around the room, then hurried up the stairs before I became too wistful. I passed through the empty upper level, then onto the top floor where magnificent views of the countryside slowed my hammering heart and let a temporary peace take hold. Then with a deep breath, and my resolve steeled, I took the last short flight, went through the open hatch in the roof that gave Rocky access, and stepped out into an inferno.
"How can you stand it up here? It's unbearably hot."
"My ancestry is from hotter climes than this. And I have the shade. Is there news?"
"No news. But they'll be back soon, I'm sure. It is my birthday," I said, trying to sound upbeat.
"Happy birthday. But it isn't, is it?" Rocky cocked his head to the side, his striped fur shifting in the languid breeze.
"No, it isn't," I admitted. "Hey, you're looking great! Full of muscle, and your coat shines as bright as the sun. Is your health okay?"
"I feel amazing. Better than ever. You saved me, and I am forever grateful. I will help whenever I can. You know this?"
"I know it."
"But I feel terrible too. My coat is dull, not shiny, my stomach hurts, and my head is fuzzy."
"That's loneliness. That's missing your friend. Try to stay positive, and busy, and soon Tyr will return."
"I hope so. I never had a friend before, but now I'm so sad."
There is nothing in this world that can compare to wrapping your arms around such a magnificent creature and burying your face in the startling, miraculous fur. I felt Rocky's barely contained power emanating from his lithe body, the heat, the strength, the base animal perfection of the tiger. He rumbled with contentment like a cat on your slippers by the fireplace, his emptiness forgotten at least for a while.
When we finally broke apart, I asked, "Better? I know that hug lifted my spirits."
"Much better. Soph, how is it that you understand so many animals?"
"My zoolinguism? It's just the way I was born," I shrugged. "All Necros have gifts, if you can call them that, and this is one of mine. I can understand most creatures to a degree, can communicate, ask things of them, but with Necro animals, creatures born to be more than their kind, the conversation is much deeper. Like with you. You're special, a creature of the Necroverse like most of the other animals here in what they call the zoo, and much smarter than other tigers. So I can talk to you like a person."
"But are we really talking?" he asked.
"Yes, and no. Trust me, I've tried to figure it out for centuries, but it's complicated. Sometimes your mouth moves, sometimes not. Sometimes I speak out loud, sometimes not. It's a combination of sounds and thoughts, if that makes sense?" Rocky shook his head. "It doesn't matter," I laughed. "We talk, we understand each other, and that's enough. Are you coming down? You can hang out with Woofer, or Bernard, or Kayin, or any of the others. They'd enjoy your company."
"That might be fun," sighed Rocky. "Woofer is always so happy. Maybe I can learn to be like him."
"Woofer is a special guy," I agreed, "but that's his nature. Mr. Wonderful is the opposite, and that's his nature too. Don't try to emulate anybody else. Be who you are. If you're happy, be happy. If you're sad, be sad. Accept it. Be yourself."
"You are wise for a human."
"Trust me, I'm not. I haven't got a fucking clue, Rocky. I really haven't."
We made our way down from Sanctuary then I called Woofer—he was thrilled to have company. Normally so aloof from Woofer's crazed antics, for the first time ever Rocky actually played with him.
Phage and I spent a joyous half hour holding hands and laughing our heads off as they tore around the garden, ruining what little lawn remained, as they became immersed in a game of dodge, then chase the ball, and even play fought. Rocky was gentle, never dominated, and the longer they cavorted the brighter his eyes shone.
We reveled in the joy of being alive, lost to the present, all anxiety and worry forgotten just for a brief while.
A SLICE OF LIFE
We left Woofer and Rocky to their play as the heat overwhelmed us. They were a raggedy mess of panting and drooling, but with a bucket of fresh water to keep them hydrated they seemed to be showing no signs of slowing down. Poor Woofer was beside himself with joy—he usually had to make do with us when he wanted entertaining.
"It still feels weird in here without Jen around," sighed Phage, looking wistfully at the counter.
"Missing the mess, are you?" I chuckled. "Normally, the counter would be covered with stuff she promised to put away later, so it's weirdly clear, right?"
"Exactly! It's all these little things, like her not moaning about Dark Wednesday or this bloody week without power every month, and arguing about dolphins and bees and how it's great nobody can buy a steak any more. It's too quiet." Phage shook herself like a wet dog just to clear the negative thoughts, then turned to me and smiled weakly. "Will it always be like this once she's grown up and left home?"
"No, that will be different because we'll know where she is. And she better call every day. If they sort out the damn satellites. They're doing it on purpose, you know? All this bullshit about temperatures and too much weird stuff in the atmosphere is nonsense."
"Not this again." Phage rolled her eyes but grinned.
"You look so beautiful," I told her, meaning it. "I like the new makeup, and I love the hair long."
