Treasure’s Gain

The world had been silenced for more than 30 years. The silence that had been brought on by the brutality men committed on one another. There was silence that was only broken in moments where others who had survived met in the brutality of the world as it was now. The long past world only seen in clips of the past. kept by those who truly cared about all the past had held. Photographs were one such rarity to possess. One photo was a wealth beyond reason. The fragility of this treasure made it such a rare prize some would die for it. The delicate beauty of a small child smiling in the sunshine frozen forever in time. This beauty would be a treasure no one would let slip through their fingers.

Kanda held close to his heart one such treasure handed to him by his mother. In the form of a beautiful silver locket trimmed in gold and worn on a long silver chain. His mother had told him it was a photo of her as a child that her mother had always worn. His mother had given it to him about thirty years prior to today. He kept it always close to his heart. It seemed to be the only thing he had that kept him going in his life, that and the sweet tones of his mother’s voice in his head urging him ever forward.

He stealthily ambled to the outcrops overlooking the dessert and rolling hills he had managed to cross without detection. Keeping himself moving had to this day kept him safe from the Tranics that now plagued the world. He looked about the new terrain he was entering. He spied a small opening not too far from where he currently was now. He was relieved because night was coming and a good night’s sleep was so appealing right at this moment. He made it to the small opening and made his way inside.

He would set up camp near the mouth of his temporary abode. As he looked about he could hear the hum of a machine in the distance. He felt it best to not set camp until dark. Given that Tranics were nearby he needed to be very careful until dark. In the dark Tranics wouldn’t try attacks never know what might be out there and even though hunger and exhaustion were strong motivators his mind new better. He set to checking the opening for size and ability to be defended if he had to. He paced the opening at 9 steps and half his height. He had his eyes and ears on high alert, even now as the sun completely disappeared into hues of purple and blues. He felt a little relief. He now could look about the cave and set up camp.

The hum had disappeared now and the quiet of the dark enveloped the entire area. He scoured the opening area for small debris to build a fire. The vines and rocks made the opening invisible in the night. He too all the rubbish he found to a small area a short distance inside the cave. On what appeared to be a flat stone he set up the fire area. He began to strike the flint that he always carried with him. This was his favorite part of setting camp the starting of the fire. He quickly worked here or four sparks into the soft fodder he cupped the sparked debris. He gently breathed life into the sparks starting a small flame at first. He cupped it until the flame engulfed the larger tinder he had collected.

He let the flames burn a bit and found a stick a longer one that he could make a torch with so he could now inspect the inside of this cave and see how big it was. He looked all around it was not a very large cave it was about 20 paces back and sloped to almost no height near the rear. No large animal were found which was a relief. A few frogs, lots of moss, and a trickle of water also in the farthest area he looked.

He felt a little more at ease now that he had no uninvited guests living in the cave. He settled back by the fire that was now warming and removed his shirt to let it dry a bit by the fire. The heart that he carried now shimmered in the fire light. He reached at it holding it and again hearing his mother’s voice, encouragement always echoing in his mind. His hand sliding down and off the treasure as if he shouldn’t hold it long it might disappear.

He looked up catching a glimpse of a large shadow passing the opening of the cave. He quickly snuffed all the flames and quietly made his way to the tiny spot in the back of the cave. There he sat on his bent knees watching the opening waiting for movement again. The shadow had dissipated quickly he thought perhaps he had just seen something that wasn’t really there or perhaps it was just an animal that had lost his scent and moved on. He waited what seemed like hours and hours. Now his legs and feet were feeling the stinging of the pain of being still for so long.

He wished there was a way to leave the cave other than the opening he now was watching. He kept in his mind the thought that only a crazy person would enter a black cave at night not even Tranics would dare it. He was sure after waiting so long that whatever it had been had surely left. So he quietly moved forward. Hoisting himself to full height again then working his way toward the opening listening and keeping his eye on it as if it were the enemy. Once back at the opening he looked about and saw nothing and heard nothing. This gave him an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He began quietly with drawing back into the cave. He kept an eye on the opening and a hand firmly on the wall. He slid it back with each step he felt the cold of the stone, the dampness of the moss, and the thud of his heart echoing in his ears. A few more steps back and he would be total engulfed by the dark cave. He stepped back hand running on the wet stone then suddenly he touched something warm and in that moment his heart stopped.

The cold of the blade entered his chest pushing not only the blade but his treasure deep into his chest. Kanda gasp a breath reaching at his chest trying to one more time touch the heart he cherished. All he found with his hand was the hot wash of his own blood. In that final moment his eyes searched the dark for a reason. The grey of early dawn beginning to light where he stood revealing in the darkness a smile and a man’s face as it leaned toward him.

Adisal, The Tranic , was now leaning in as the body of his prey crumpled to the ground. Kanda’s now lifeless body collapsing made the man smile. “It is mine now,” he said quietly and he wiped his blade on Kanda’s pants. He saw the shine of the necklace, he had seen earlier the day before. He knelt down on one knee to loosen the chain from the neck of the now dead man lying before him. He had followed this man all the day before careful to not let himself be seen. Sending Tilic off with the Buzzard was a splendid idea. His prey had thought he was safe but he wasn’t and now he knew.

As the sun rose Adisal could see the chain was attached to something that was now deep in the man’s chest where his knife had entered. The chain loose from the neck he placed a hand on the chest near the wound and tugged the chains to free what was in the wound. He pulled and as the locket came from the hole with a sickening suction sound he could see the crimson and silver treasure much better as he held it up it swung in the new light of day. It lazily turned so Adisal could see the words written on the face, “Forever My Heart”. Adisal cupped the heart and looked it over. He was excited as he saw the latch. He clicked it open and to his delight there it was a beautiful photo untouched by the crimson that now caressed his hand as it fell from the locket. The photo was of a smiling child with tussled curls glowing in the sunshine. His tribe would be so very pleased his leader so proud. He closed the locket wiped it on the man’s pants and placed it in his vest pocket.

He turned to the cave opening and waved to Tilic to come help him load his prey and prize on the buzzard. They loaded the prey they had hunted for days and returned to their village. The leader was indeed proud of them. He rewarded them with first meal and the Hearts treasure was the leaders’ greatest prize.