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(author notes will be at the end)

 

Tales

 

"It has been almost a year since it began, I can not go on like this much longer" with those thoughts he started the day, while contemplating his work. Of course at the time we did not know him, but after a time of fighting side by side he finally told us... he entrusted us with his story, and his legacy, children. so gather around, around the fire and listen to me because the time that you lit your own torch and build your own future in this dark world has come... and you need to listen, to know the story of the man that gave us all and kept nothing...

 

The words of the old man were words of past times, words that had seen the years of life past and sands of time clean a world that it is now fading into the shadows of history. But if something is to be remember about humanity it should be its resilience. When change comes, whatever its form or cruelty, the ones that could not adapt are removed and only those that could adapt are left standing, and its something fair. What has been past down to us about that world is that it was a bright one, millions upon millions of people could lit theirs torches and safely live their lifes, in most places the concepts of misery, death and suffering where consider something alien, separeted from the bright world everyone had lived in... a mistake concept that was fixed in a brutal way, taking with it the old world wich proved to be flawed. Unable to withstand the crushing force of change that fell over it.

To me, a third generation children after it all began, its only true, and fatal, mistake was to be blided by its own birght light, blinded and unaware of the sword of Damocles that hangs over everything, and when it finally fell... well enough has been recorded about that, this pityful entrance is about the world that was build after that and the man that was its architect. A Tale that I pretend to record, for I fear that if kept as an oral tradition it may be lost forever. This is a record of the moment it was past down to us by one of our Elders, one of the last Elders of the Old World.

 

The flames dance in the night, casting weird and strange shadows over the old man face, where wrinkles and scars mix in unexplicable patterns. The children gather around, some sitting on the floor, others on chairs that they brought. A escent of both comfort and excitemnt floats in the air, combine with the smell of fresh and dried food, the escent of home. The walls stand strong and the stars stand high with Orion the hunter shinning furiosly above all, it is time to know the story of the man thanks to who this bright torch, this sturdy paradise was built.
The first time that we saw him he was standing over seven broken zomboids, he had no problem taking them down. No fear, no terror was present in his face. and we were shock, never before had we withness such... natural talent eliminating those beasts. but before we could react ten more of them appear from the woods, and we thought he was done for, we were mistaken. Hacking and slashing he swept through them like they were nothing... decades have past since that moment and I still have no words to describe that moment, for the first time we had met a man that did not fear them.

We look at each other and a silent agreement was reach, that was not a man we wanted to face, but before we could slip between the bushes he talked directly to us.

"do you realise all the noise you are making?" his words were colder than the winter wind, and stronger than rock itself, "but dont be afraid, come up for I wish you no harm"

Slowly we came out of hiding, there were four of us there, at the side of the road, arm with knives and axes, two of us had firearms. And yet, by instict, we knew that we did not stand a  chance.

"What have we here, let me see, two twins, thats pretty obvious. with the wife of one of them by the looks and the childhood friend of the other... stop me when I make a mistake" we were beyond shock, we were terrified. It was Gizmo, my brother, the first to recover. grabed his gun and point it at the stranger, loaded, finger on the trigger. "Have you been spying us?" he said, the atavic fear in his voice told me that he was as pale as the first winter snow. For all answer the strager laugh, an empty, souless laugh. "No I havent", the resolution in his voice was stone clad, unlike my brothers "THen explain how it is that.." "I know so much about you? because I can read people, in the long long road I have been riding I have seen it all, you are no different. The way you stand toghether, the way you move, even the atmosphere that sorrounds you. All of that I can read, and it tells me how and who you are. it also tells me that you are not going to fire that gun, you have not withness nor esperience enough death to be capable of such a thing... a clear difference with your partners, who seem more than capable of that since they all are holding their weapons in ther sheaths, ready for use and conceling the danger "

That revelation cought my brother by surprise, who look around. Rachel, his wife, had her hand on her muchetes handle. Victor, my friend, was with his hammer at the ready. and then was I, ready to unsheath my pistol. we had have our share of dangers and were good at hidding our intentions... but he saw through all of it.

"Well then, if that its all I will be on my way", and like if nothing had happend he turn around and went down the road

"Wait!" said Victor

"yes?" 

"Where do you think are you going?"

"to Bedford Falls"

"But thats suicide, the city is infested, its imposible for anyone to survive in there"

The stranger fully turn then, looking right through us "Thats good then, because I do not intent to survive I intent to live"

by that point we were beyond surprise, beyond shock, but he kept us at awe, and then he luagh,a true laugh, like mocking us.

" Have I surprise you?, why does that not surprise me?"

"Then what do you pretend for us to do?!, with those things always after our blood!, all we can hope for is to survive!" it was my brother Gizmo

"and then what?, when you are old, grey and weak, what are you going to do?" he did not shout, no emotion in his voice. "Let me guess, you havent expected to get that far... then why do you survive? wrinkles and grey hair is the ultimet proof that ones has lived his or her life. and I, my friends, intend to live. No matter what"

Such resolution, such security and selfconfidence... so many rare traits for a person to have in theses times I remember thinking. and in that moment I made my mind.

"Do you mind if I go with you?"

"Brother, Gibson... What the Hell?!!"

"I too am tire of just surviving, we have to live, we deserve it. for the past year hell and fire have mark our way... its time for a game changer"

"If you go I go"

"Thanks Victor, Brother?"

"But... but we do not even know this guy, besides we had a plan..."

"Husband, listen to your brother. we may had a plan but we had no hope"

"And, brother, if this man really wanted us death we would be already. Thats all I need to know"

"Okay fellows, decided now, its almost elven o´clock and I would really like to reach my destination in the city before sun down. Are you coming or not?

"Yes" I was the first to answer

"Me too"

"count me in"

"I am coming too" seeing he had no other choice my brother agree

"thats perfect then, my name is Clark, can I have your names?"
"mine is Gibson"

"Im Victor"

"Rachel"

"and this is my brother Gizmo"

"well then here is the plan, I will push ahead cleaning the path. you keep moving, ignore any zomboid that starts to tail you no stop no matter what. Once you have reach the first houses turn left into the first one across the street, leave the zombois to me. you just keep moving. Understood?"

"Yes" we all answer

Then he turn around and speed on ahead, and we could not do anything else other than trust him. And at that moment we knew that hope was a flame yet not extinguish.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you have like it, I do not know if this follows the rules of this section of the forum, so understand that any mistake was unintentional

also remember that I am for a non-english speaking country and my english is rusty as hell, although I made a sound effort to get all right feel free to correct any mistake you may have found.

this is not a classic survival story, if this gets enough atention I will continue the story. Thanks for reading it

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Please continue this story. Even the grammatical mistajes make sense, as a third generation child of the apocalypse wouldn't be taught reading and writing that well, not necessary for survival. It's beautiful.

 if you can get two or three more people to share their thoughts as well I will even if they do not like it 

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It's a pretty good story so far. However, the stranger (Clark) is a bit OP so far... He can't just have good traits or else it will make the story predictable and useless. Add some bad traits here and there and even the playing field :) Besides that (and grammatical errors but those are still readable) it's good!

just to clarify I based clark in captain Levi of the anime attack on titan, read his page in the wiki and you will understand, okey then I wil continue it

 

and as I said before this is not your normal survivial story I have some special things in store

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(author notes will be at the end)

 

Tales:

 

I consider my self lucky, not because I was born in a Walled town. Where you are born or who are your parents is irrelevant. its what you do with that life what matters. I consider myself lucky because I was born in a time and place where I could listen to the story... the Tale from one of the original five one of who not only help build this world but also live his life in the past one. And the knowledge of that existance must not be lost, because once his generation lies in cold ashes the next ones will be unable to understand that time, the Time of the Apocalypse. And will tint it, corrupt it either by purpose or unintentional... and I cant just allow it to happen. you know what its funny? pretty much every work of fiction of the Old World branded not just that time, but this time I am living on as well as "The end times" funny because it does not look like the end for any of us

 

we had never ran so much in our lifes, not even in the past year and yet an unwordly force pushed us to just keep moving, along the way we could behold Clarks handy work but we didnt stop, and before long we saw the entrance of the city. it was a sad sight to behold. it was hard for any of us to believe that the city of our childhood was lost, so much overrun that no human could ever hope to survive in there, and yet, this stranger bumps into us and says that he intend to live... many crazy things I have seen, done and heard but that takes the prize... desperation is a powerful but bizzare fuel.

before sun down we reached our destination, the six blue houses. before we could rush inside the front door open up and Clark came out.

"Go inside and bolck the door, I will be there soon" he said to us, as he ran to face the small horde that was tailing us.

 

A horde of those thing is something to fear, for any man or woman of any age or origin, only the force of nature has proven to be stronger. how could a mere man not be afraid of even a small one? was he crazy? or is just that he didnt care about his life? many have gave their judgments, me? I do not consider my self worthy of such a thing

 

We rushed inside and lock the door behind us, with the help of Victor we put a large book shelve and waited. We could hear him outside fighting, and we felt guilty, even if we were following his orders. and then silence.

At the time I was still a creature of my old life and that kind of fear was something I wasnt used to yet, but we learnd, we learnd and adapt thanks to him, but when he came back in... and the children saw a pink smile devoided of any trace of white, lets just say that he could be more terrifying than any zomboid.

We all jump on our feet when he entered, through the window. but before we could say anything he put a finger in his mouth, silence. it wasnt a command but common sense, the area wasnt secure enough yet. using his hands he told us to come closer and talk in whispers to us.

"I have already checked the house its empty, first we need to obscure the view, Rachel and Gizmo search for sheets or anything you can use to block the windows, Gibson and Victor, search the house and see if there is anything we can use, mainly food. I am going to close the garage door and check the area again, one can never be sure with those things around."

We did as he say, not because he had become our leader, but because it was common sense. being careful is a cardinal lesson in this world.

The moon was high in the sky when finally we all felt comfortable enough to rest, we all sat on the couches eating the rations for the night. Silence was the song of then night, no one seem breve enough to break the ice.

And then he started to do it, a ritual we would see him do every night he felt safe, he started to check his equipment with almost religious devotion. Frist were his two primari weapons, an axe and what seem to be a sharpened piece of metal. With almost paternal care he clean them and their sheaths, check the edge to see if it was sharp enough and then moved on. He then checked his a bag, a large hiking bag to se if it had any holes or damage, after that he began to unpack. In there he had all the essentials even a bat as a spare weapon, only thing missing was a check list, wich I think he had in his mind. finally he move to the last item. his armor. how we didnt see it before beats me; but we finally understood, at least in part, how he was that good in fighting the zomboids. A thick leather armore, painted careless in black and full of bit marks, niehter of wich seem to have pierce throw.

"Are you a man?" the first word of the night came out of Rachels mouth... he just said out loud the question we all had in our minds.

"I am as mortal as you are my fellows... whether I am a man or not is a highly subjective concept. To keep it simple I am just different than you"

"Oh, here we go again, spit it out and tell us how your story is more sad than ours, come on and say it. I really want to hear how you had to kill your familly and comit horrible crimes to get here, its not like we havent..." and then I found another reason to like him, we have found a man capable of silencing my brother just by looking at him, but that look. The shattered light those dark brown eyes emited, it was like nothing we had seen before.

"Like pretty much else I am someone that lost it all, but also I am someone that has accepted this new world. the past is right now the past, little to nothing can be done to fully preserve it, only the memory of it may be saved. its sad and cruel that much I know, but we either live on or everything our forerunneres did to get us all to this point will be pointless... it seems that I have to explain myself better by the look on your eyes" non of us had uttered a single word since he began talking and it was not like he needed it.

"You and I, we all have lost it all, but you were here in your country, your land. While I was here a stranger in a strange land; far, far away of home, and I experienced by far the worst feeling any human being can feel, complete and utterly powerless" and that moment was one of the few times he allow someone to peek through his mental armor, and to behold the shell of a man where all that remains is a boiling mass of rage and remorse is traumatic.

We where all too afraid to ask, but someone had to do it. The outbreak didnt hit all places at the same time and in the same way, by a combination of a lot of factors some got it better than others. There is a lesson to be learn in the way it all happened, Lady Luck is a mean mistress.

"Where are you from?" funny thing that the one with more stones of our group should be the only woman, but the answer lowered the temperature of the room several degrees

"Argentina"

"My the Lord have mercy..." out of all people those words came from Victors, I was clueless but it could not be nothing good, very few things can scare a former russian mobster. "I am so..."

"sorry? dont be, I am not, it had to happend"

"What had to happend" asked my brother Gizmo

"I think this is a story you need to tell Clark"

"Thanks Victor, where do I even start?... first and foremost you need to understand that my country was always strange, it was never a pure democracy and the oligarchy never disappear and was always in power, one way or another. narcisist bastard all of them, and secondly the population was not well distributed, most of it was packed in and around the capital, leaving vast parts of the country empty. and then when it all began and refugees started to flock into Buenos Aires a third factor came into play, our innate egoism. For you see I did not left because I couldnt find a job but because I was... am too nice, so much I was consider an idiot. Over 20 million people packed close toghether, combine with a natural selfishness is an explosive combination. Sooner rather than later it turned into something worst than hell. And I saw it all right full color hd TV before it too was gone.... I saw my friends gutted by people on the streets, I saw zomboids falling over my neighbors, people I knew and respected; I saw every place I have... had a memory of burn to the ground, I saw my parents home, the place I grew up in dissapear in flames, I saw my family.... and... and.... I lived and died a million times unable to do nothing other that than watch at a screen seeing the place I called home disappear; I watched wishing it was just a work of fiction a bad dream. I was far away but I felt it right through avery fiber of my body and I died, when the transmission finaly died out whetherver I was died, and I accepted it" how could we explain our feelings that moment, we have heard sad stories, our story was sad, but we never expect to hear one like that

"And yet here you are, alive and with what looks like the will to live" I was the first to talk

"Yes... and no. Yes I am alive because my father and mother gave it to me and I am not who to destroy that gift, that will eventually happen, there is no way around. what I intend to do is to build, even if it is with my own body I will lay the fundations for future generations. Those things took from us the freedom of life, thats bad enough, but i will not sit idle and let mankind lose its north. We need to accept this reality, any children born from this point on will have this as the reality and our past lives and stories will be just mere fairy tales. The apocalyps, our apocalyps, has already happend and we must move on. we must understand that right now or all will be lost" no words, written or spoken can describe that realisation, that ignore truth

"You are crazy, you know that? what you are planing is suicide and we are not sticking with you, we are leaving tomorrow" my brother Gismo began to stand, but non us follow him

"What?" he asked, and I looked at him and saw the little spoiled child he has always been and then I knew, in this new world there was no place for him,  it had to be done and I had to do it. I aproach him and puched him, and before he could recover I grabed him by the neck, it was with tears in my eyes that i told him "Sorry brother, but were we are going you cant follow" and I snap his neck, and then there he was on the floor, soon cold and rigid. I look directly at Rachel and she looked me back. There was sadness in her eyes, but also forgivness and understanding, I knew that my only judge would be my consciousness.

"Thanks and I am sorry"

"There is nothing to be sorry about, Clark, it had to be done. Just, please, promise me it will not be in vain"

"I swear that it will be not, I have a plan but we all need to rest, you go upstairs and I will tiend his body and leave it in the garage"

"But I broke his neck there is no way he is coming back"

"you can never be too carefull, tomorrow we will cremate him, good night you all"

we went upstars, feelinf surprisingly empty inside, I was expecting some sadness but no, it was something necessary, it had to be done. and then we not only knew it but felt it, deep inside, that a new world was emerging

 

 

 

 

I hope you have like it, I do not know if this follows the rules of this section of the forum, so understand that any mistake was unintentional

also remember that I am for a non-english speaking country and my english is rusty as hell, although I made a sound effort to get all right feel free to correct any mistake you may have found.

this is not a classic survival story, if this gets enough atention I will continue the story. Thanks for reading it

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Once again, amazing story. Keep up the good work. If you want someone to proofread and edit your stuff let me know. I am a native english speaker and i know how complicated the language is. Are you argentinian? I liked the description of how argentina would breakdown because of it's demographics.

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Once again, amazing story. Keep up the good work. If you want someone to proofread and edit your stuff let me know. I am a native english speaker and i know how complicated the language is. Are you argentinian? I liked the description of how argentina would breakdown because of it's demographics.

 

I am, and for the error... well I do not feel too bad about them, if it bothes too many people I will do something until then well, any way just share the story the more attention it gets the more encourage I am to go on

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(author notes will be at the end)


 


Tales:


 


As I have written before I do not feel worthy of providing a judgment for their actions, all I intend is to leave a record of their deeds. But others have and, while I respect them and their opinions, I think that they have no right to do so. Not because I question their morality or understanding of this world. Its just that we lack the proper knowledge to do so.


The greatest achievement of the Original Five and of those that follow them was and always will be the unhumane effort in leaving behind much of the Old World and attempt to build something new over its ashes, an imposible task as no human can shake off his or her past. What tools or morals should we use then? what ideas or concepts? should we take a side? There was even a side back then? after all pretty much everything that gave people identity and refuge disappear over night, and those that tried to live on those ideals and concepts ultimately fail. So you, reader, should, at least, try to not analize the events and decisions this shameful record tries to keep because it will be impossible to be fair. How will you do it? will you use all that was built by them in this new world? or will you use all the codes and laws that are keep protected by the Preservers? in the end what one point of view sees as right the other will see as wrong and a common consensus will be impossible.


Six month ago a trade caravan from Angels Port arrived at our town, it was on its way to the White Hall after delivering a cargo of technology with the Tinkers in Detroit. Traveling with them was Sider a famous thinker and philosopher, although he is best know for his affection to honeybeer, and I had a chance to talk to him. It would be more appropiate to say that he talked and I listen but, in my humble opinion,someone had finally found a proper name for that period. Although it isnt common knowledge Sider is also quite adapt in the dead language known as Latium. And the people of the Old World were quite fond of naming things using Latium and it seems appropiate. The name he had come up with was "Intercoelis", which could be translated as "The World Inbetween". 


 


 


I have forgotten my age children, a long, long time ago and never bother in remember it as was not important. but I do remember how surreal were those days, looking back it was almost like a dream. Almost like going to kindergarden again. It was hard, hard to accept that, in order to live, we had to sacrifice what we were, what gave us an identity and build a new one. it was hard to accept that, even in what we consider safe heavens, we have to be always alert. It was hard to accept the kind of paranoia that we needed... need to have when dealing with other people in this world. But above all, the hardest thing we had to learn was how to fight them. That was one of the first thing he taught us, that unless we are in front of a horde we must always battle them, for they will not stop, they will not tire and they will not give up; They will always follow us. And the real danger when fighting them is our own primal fear, after all they are reanimated corpses. Clark had no problem, he was almost adicted to it, and his... cruelty when dealing with them borderline sadism, but he was a great teacher. And a great leader, although he never accepted such title.


In order to fullfill his plan a great deal of cleanng had to be done, the city was overrun.And thats the reason he chose Bedford Falls, memory fails me and I do not remember why there were so many zomboids in there, but the lack of human presence was key to his plan, so no one would disturb us. His original plan was to make the first cleaning and looting by himself, that our roads crossed in a solitary highway may have been faith or chance, but it happend. And it was during those month of cleaning that we all began to change.


And the children saw a another pink smile. But we were fools to believe that he was alone, he was just the a vanguard of several groups, groups like us that he convince to follow him.


I was alone, at the top of the seven floors hotel, fall was around the corner as was the first group. My job was to be a centinel, Clark and the others were in patrol duty, the area around the hotel was a priority to keep safe for that was the place Clark had chosen to build his vision of the future. And then I did something I am not proud of, I doubt us, all of us. Because we are all men, and men can fail; and I was afraid, afraid of failing; afraid that everything we all had to sacrifice in order to reach this point was in vain.


Te old man stop for a moment and looked around, the tall strong walls, the farms and everything that was built and then he looked at us and the pink smile became radiant. And you need to know children that because ofthat I was the greatest of fools and the weakest of men.


 


 


 


I know this entrance is kind of short but this is intended to be use to set the stage of the following part, I hope you understand.


I hope you have like it, I do not know if this follows the rules of this section of the forum, so understand that any mistake was unintentional


also remember that I am for a non-english speaking country and my english is rusty as hell, although I made a sound effort to get all right feel free to correct any mistake you may have found.


this is not a classic survival story, if this gets enough atention I will continue the story. Thanks for reading it


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