As they exited the tavern, they found themselves greeted by an odd and grim scene, for the village they once knew was no more; everywhere they looked was a gruesome and depressing sight: burnt houses, destroyed farms, and scattered animal carcasses among the rubble.
They saw the charred remains of several people who had tried to flee the carnage and failed, their bodies covered in blood and dirt as they lay lifelessly in pools of their own crimson fluids. There was a look of pure terror and agony etched upon their faces, which served as a reminder of what they had experienced before dying.
Others had their bodies mutilated beyond repair or were currently being devoured by the zombies, who are rapidly eating them piece by piece while they scream in agonizing pain and terror, their pleas for mercy falling upon deaf ears. Some were missing limbs, while others were barely recognizable as human beings anymore due to the extent of their injuries.
Children and the elderly were obviously the first victims of those beasts, as their bones or flesh lay amongst the pile of bodies, indicating that they were killed before the adults. However, there are some that appear to have been disemboweled alive and had their intestines eaten by the zombies before they eventually succumbed to death.
Morgan could feel her heart sink at this revelation. She could not believe that this village once lived happily and peacefully until one day, everything changed and became ugly because of her own doing. It all happened because she returned to the community, which had thought of her as dangerous or vile.
While the two stood in shock at seeing this carnage, she felt the people she once trusted were right about herself. Perhaps she is a danger to everyone in this community, and bringing herself here is proof that they were correct in what they had to do in casting her out.
Gripping her spear, sadness and regret welling up inside of her chest, the witch realized that perhaps coming here was wrong; maybe it would've been better if they stayed away from civilization altogether and instead found a small island where no one could find her.
All this hatred of them for what they have done to her is pointless now; they were right and she was wrong. But now the damage has been done, and there is nothing she can do. While she could avenge them, there is no time or point in doing so.
"Their dead..." Remorsefully whispered in distraught expression, "all of them are dead..." Gazing down at the ground with unfocused eyes A tear rolled down from her face, dripping onto the dirt below, "because of me," blaming herself for the deaths of countless people who died in vain.
Billy heard this loud and clear; although he himself truly believed the small community of this settlement had it coming, he was still eager to cheer her up but couldn't find the right words in doing so: "It's not your fault, Morgan." Softly spoke the young gunslinger, "They just..." Unable to finish the sentence from his ineptness in comforting
Her hands clenched tightly around her spear as anger and hatred began to manifest. "Yes, it is my fault!" Growling in deep resentment towards her own, she says, "I was blinded by my hate that I selfishly sought vengeance upon those who turned against me," refusing to acknowledge otherwise.
She then gazed at the teenage boy and said, "I am a monster for what I've done, and all those people who died because of me deserve better," crying aloud in shame of her actions, "they should have killed me a long time ago." With her final words, Morgan walked away to continue their escape.
"Morgan, wait!"
Billy tried to call her out among the chaos happening around them, but it was futile. She ignored his beckoning as the witch continued moving ahead of them without bothering to look back at him. Looking down in dismay, he glanced towards the elderly warrior, who didn't seem bothered by it.
"She'll be fine," Guan Yu assured him with a comforting expression. "She is a strong person, like yourself," complementing both of them together. "Let her feelings sort themselves out; for the moment, it is not right to discuss," he explained to the teen. There is a right time and place to have a meaningful talk.
The teen nodded in understanding. "I guess you're right," he says, a sad smile on his face as Billy takes his mentor's advice to heart before sighing softly, agreeing to give the witch some space for personal reasons. Even though he wanted to help her, it doesn't seem to be the right time or place for it.
Giving him a nod, the two followed after the witch in hopes of escaping this carnage that had unfolded. They walked past the ruins of what used to be the most prosperous part of the village and made their way through the wreckage. Bodies and debris lay everywhere, but there was no sign of any survivors.
He is by no means a religious person; for nearly all his life, power and money were all the outlaws ever cared about in his entire life, but seeing so many people dead really shook him, especially seeing the dead corpses of everyone in this village, which made him find it difficult to believe in such evil.
It is strange for him to say, but he was rather pitying to these weaklings, even though he shouldn't have. While he had no issue attacking other children if pushed to shove, innocent ones were different as they don't have a choice in this cruel world that forces everyone to grow up.
Hypocritical; he once had different thoughts about this, but now? No longer the same, he somewhat learned a few lessons on how fragile life is in this world and how death is inevitable for anyone who gets killed, especially weaklings, who have a more vulnerable life compared to the strong.
But as a boy growing into a man, Billy witnessed horrors worse than this, so he shouldn't be taken back. Still, this scene of dead bodies is hard to forget, despite how used to it he already is. Or maybe he had gotten soft after having found new allies he had never considered having in his life before.
Sincerely, it is odd to think of such a thing as a short glance behind his own shoulder, seeing his unconscious friend behind the elderly man's back, being carried like a sack of potatoes. While he dislikes the nerd's timid and weak nature, he can't deny how much this specific person changed his life.
Looking ahead of her, his once angry thoughts in regard to Seth had nearly disappeared; replaced with uncertainty and friendship, the bond they developed during the time they met and fought together. If anyone had asked him what Seth meant to him, he'd probably called him a loser.
However, loser isn't the term he's going to apply to his friend. For he had witnessed the bravery, kindness, and dignity this timid weakling had shown during the short time of adventures they endured in their short time of life. Sure, the person is an annoying pain in the ass to deal with, but the kid got balls.
Against a bunch of inhumane monsters just to save him of all places, the very person who had physically and mentally tormented Seth was simply a shocker to Billy. It is, however, nice to know just how much the nerd cares about his well-being.
Because of this, his original thoughts and feelings had mysteriously altered in some way or another; whether it is a good thing is up to discussion. To be honest, he hadn't given any real consideration to these changing ideas, but it does concern him slightly.
Regardless, they are nearly walking outside of the village. Which means they will be out of this hellhole and begin to journey through the woods to escape this area for good. He will need to bring it up to Morgan at that time alone if they don't run into trouble.
As long as they are finally out of this burning village, Billy is starting to gain more confidence in knowing that they will have a chance of survival in this night of misery and bloodbath. This is when he felt it again—a subtle chill running down his spine along with a mysterious and unknown feeling in the back of his mind.
For the moment they have entered the woods, the spell is immediately dispelled, allowing them to reappear in the darkness of the trees. "What the fuck?" The blond boy said in response, feeling a wave of nausea overwhelm him as he collapsed onto his knees, "What the hell is this?" He is almost vomiting at this mysterious sickness he is suddenly experiencing.
It seems his comrades share the same ill feeling as Guan Yu was panting heavily, but seemingly, the witch appears to have suffered less of it as her hand was placed on her own skull to suppress the headache. Though their appearance and health slowly returned to normalcy when she began to explain the aftereffects,
"The spell is finished," she announced while still gripping her head, "it will last a minute from this point," informing them that its effects are temporary for a brief moment. At least, it appears to wear off as the three gather their bearings with steady breaths and exhaustion when they wait it off.
"Gah!" Billy gasped in air after the side effects were gone. "That was fucking terrible," he exclaimed with a horrified look on his face. "How can anyone handle that shit?" Rubbing his throbbing forehead before looking around, seeing their current surroundings, he said, "Hey, we were finally out," a smile forming on his lips of their freedom.
Walking forward to stand before the tree line, "indeed, young one," Guan Yu agreed in a cheerful mood, "although we need to keep going for the village is still near our presence," turning back to see how close the place is as the undead army prowled in that peculiar settlement.
Even Billy looked back, smelling the smoke and death emitting from that once lively place, a reminder of how easily people are capable of dying at any moment. "Alright, but at least we made it out of there," his hand grabbed his musket to check, seeing that everything was still in good condition. "It sucks that I couldn't use this girl to blow those freaks up, but oh well," he strapped his weapon around his torso and shoulder.
The old man gazed at the boy's weapon for a moment before asking, "What was the man's name again?" He asked, eager to learn more about its details, "For I have forgotten to remember it." He watched in great interest as he studied this impressive firearm.
Shrugging his shoulders, he gave him a smile before answering, "Samuel, I already told you that," casually explaining to the owner who had made it, "Why do you ask?" Confused about asking the blacksmith who made his weapon, free of charge?
"Because I want to know if you are worried about Samuel's life," Guan Yu answered his question with a concerned tone, "are you alright with the idea that the blacksmith is most likely dead by now?" His voice and facial expression conveyed this heavy notion that weighed down on the boy's own spirit.
He paused, realizing what his mentor had said. Discomfort was apparent on his face as he awkwardly laughed it off. "What do you mean by that, old timer?" Questioning him about what the elderly warrior meant by the obvious, "You don't seriously think Samuel is dead?" For someone who is capable of making weapons, he's sure the guy who made his firearm is alive by now.
"What if that was the case?"
Billy showed a look of horror, unable to properly respond to the old man's question in a way that could properly convey the message of him caring about the blacksmith's life. "I...it's..." stammering upon hearing him, "dammit, how the hell should I know?" Frustrated with having to explain in a convincing manner, "Besides, there is no time to worry about him anyway!" Finding an excuse not to be considerate about the possibility
The blond cowboy only met that man once, but yet, after receiving a free gift and being considerably polite with him, he can't deny the respect he has gotten from those who were generous to him, despite the awful nature of being an outlaw. Then again, people change due to the circumstances, only a fool would refuse the gratitude offered.
With that being said, Guan Yu nodded in understanding, "Be caring to those who are nice to you and back because if you have concern over that person who had helped you, then a good person you will be," teaching him the virtue of appreciation to those who lend their hands to those who needed it. "Kindness is often forgotten in this world, young one," he sighed sadly at this before walking past the bewildered boy.
"Lady Morgan," the elderly warrior asked in pity, "are you feeling alright?" His gaze landed upon her as he saw the sadness and regret still on her face as she continued looking at the burning village, her expression filled with shame for her own action: "We don't have much time left; I suggest we continue walking through the forest," offering a hand.
Sighing deeply, her eyes met his. "I'll try to move on and find another place for us to settle down," she said, taking the man's hand as form of being comforted by. "My thanks, Guan Yu." Replying with genuine gratitude in her words, "Without your company, I might've died from starvation or worse," she laughed slightly before returning a thankful smile.
