No Rest

“RUN!”, Demarko screamed towards his wife, Julia, in dying pain as the clan of savage cannibals chase them both.

The couple ran for dear life, fighting off each clan member that tried to kill them while haphazardly swinging machetes towards the couple. Each new swing yielded closer results towards the goal of cutting through the thick patchwork shields that our two outsiders presented.

“We’re gonna COOK YA!”, one of the deranged clan members who rode a motorcycle that was covered in dust and seemed to misfire every few seconds as it went through the arid desert.

The motorcycle cannibal pulled in front of our couple and Demarko put his shield in front of his face and rammed the motorcycle driver to the ground falling with him in the process. Julia ran towards her fallen lover, “DEMARKO!”

“Leave me!”, Demarko exclaimed, “Save yourself!”

Julia ran towards him to save him and immediately was met with another cannibal who swung his machete towards her heavily, making here drop her shield, and was met with a stabbing pain in her gut and blood spouting out of her mouth. Demarko, not realizing what has happened and still fighting with his own cannibal fought for the machete as well as the right to survive with one hand on the cannibal’s sword hand and one fighting for dominance of the situation. He managed to gain dominance of the fight and took the machete from the cannibal stabbing the cannibal through the bottom of his jaw.

Demarko looked over and saw the clan already cutting into his bride. A single tear went down his cheek as he drove away in the motorcycle he had acquired, reflecting on the day’s events. He could hear the clan behind him fighting over how they can best prepare his bride for dinner.

After having driven for about an hour following the passing of Julia, he ran out of gasoline and was forced to settle down to establish a camp for the night and tend to his wounds.

The next day Demarko began his travels toward the town of Bristlewood. Despite the name given to it, the town is in an arid desert with seemingly no end to it. The townsfolk were all looking through their windows to see the stranger that has gotten into town. Demarko enters the inn at the center of the town.

“I need a room”, he tells the innkeeper.

“You’d best be on your way, son”, the innkeeper replied, mean mugging the stranger that has walked in. “We don’t take kindly to folks we don’t know.”

“I’ve been searching for a civilization for so long”, Demarko explains, “I need a place to call home, I started believing places like this didn’t exist anymore.”

“The clans try to make it that way, but even they need fresh drinking water, so they leave us alone in exchange. So long as they don’t have to give anything for the water.”

“Sounds like a nice arrangement” Demarko said sarcastically.

“It would be if they didn’t try to loot us every now and again. The leaders try keepin’ their boys on leashes but they don’t listen. Our town’s women have mothered more of their kids than the amount of children their clan conceives every year. At least we don’t eat our babies when they are born.”

Demarko looks towards the innkeeper with a sympathetic looks in his eyes, “I’m sorry to hear that, it’s hard to find people that have any humanity left. It’s almost like kindness died after the war.”

“It did and don’t you be forgettin’ that.”

“I need a room for the night and some healing herb, I was in a fight with one of the clans and they cut into me. It doesn’t look good”, pointing towards a large infected gash on his right thigh muscle.

“You might be able to barter with the nurse across the street for some herb but I won’t give you a room boy, you’re on your own for that one.”

Demarko nodded and thanked the innkeeper for his assistance and headed across the pathway through town to meet with the nurse.

He entered the building and was greeted by a young woman wearing ragged clothing but around her neck is a dull brass heart-shaped locket with a picture of a familiar face inside of it. Demarko stopped in his tracks upon seeing the locket, the picture inside looked exactly like Julia.

“Where did you get that locket around your neck?” asks Demarko.

“It was given to me by my sister a few years ago, before we got separated” replied the young woman.

One word escaped Demarko's lips, “Julia.”

The nurse pulls a knife from her dress and onto Demarko’s throat, “how do you know Julia?!?”.

“She’s my wife”, Demarko was barley able to get the words out with fresh blood now beginning to drip towards his collar bone from the fresh knife wound.

“Is?”, the nurse asked eagerly and released the blade from his neck.

“Was.”, Demarko said shamefully, “We were attacked by one of the clans yesterday. They killed her… I… barley managed to escape.”

The nurse collapsed on the floor sobbing, “She was alive yesterday!”

Demarko attempted to sooth the young woman with her grief by helping her up and sitting her down on a nearby chair.

“You must be Anna-Beth”, Demarko calmly said to the girl. “She never stopped looking for you and she would have been thrilled to see you here.”

“Please, join me here”, Anna-Beth replies wiping some of the tears from her eyes, “It gets lonely when there isn’t people you can trust anymore.”

Demarko agreed to stay with her and they began reminiscing about their departed loved one.

Nightfall began to pass over the town and wolves had begun to howl in the distance.

“It’s best that we turn in for the night,” Anna-Beth told Demarko, “I can show you to the town tomorrow.”

Demarko found a spot on the patient bed to lie down on while Anna-Beth departed to her room for the night.

The next morning Anna-Beth woke up and discovered that the untreated wounds took over on Demarko’s body. She reached to wake him and felt a cold dampness on his clothing, he won't wake up.

Anna-Beth reached into a nearby closet and pulled out a shovel.

Although there may be some relief from ever growing sadness, there is no rest for the wicked.