The Ireem Chronicles

Story by: Znork

 Down, at the bottom of a sand hill lay the ruins.  The remains of a probably amazing temple, a place where  people did mystical things. An enriched world with bright people and bright minds. People that believed in a society with clever people, hard working people, And no illness in the world.   But under it, there iss another world. Darkness, blood, smell of death, bloodstains and spiderwebs. A small scream now and then, only to be heard from someone very close. The walls are moist and thick. I have passed the ruins and the entrance to the caves many times. I always feel a bit shiver up my back when I pass. I have even went in there just a bit to have a quick look around... but I still live.

I met a female outside there a bit ago. She looked scary , but I presented myself and told her someone pointed her out as an Undead when I asked them. She hissed at me and licked her lips, obviously struggling about the choice of eating me up or listening to me.
After a few seconds she presented herself as Faathima, an Undead. I managed to ask her for a guided tour of her cave some day, when she wasn't hungry, and maybe a bit tired, and felt good. She agreed to this and told me she would let me know when it was a time where she could meet me.

The day arrived. I met her outside the cave entrance, among the nice ruins. I could see her nose shifting a bit, she probably smelled my human, eatable flesh. To be well prepared for this and to get a chance to buy willingness I had brought a present that I had used days to make. A birdcage with a bloody mat in the bottom and a small skull on the resting pin. I brought it out from behind my back and handed it over, hoping to buy goodwill for a bit.  She looks curiously at it, walks around it and finally she says:

-"oh well, this is a nice gift , another skull for my collection..hmmm doesn't look like a bird , but like a human skull...even better"

I tried to say that it probably was a big bird, but same time I wondered if maybe the spooky guy that sold me the skull near the docks had fooled me. Faathima grabs the cage and tells me to follow her, telling me she will show me her home. She whips away spiderwebs while I for the first time looks around a bit more calmed. Further in and down some stairs I enter a room with a big statue in it. Its a statue of a female sitting, holding a sickle in a hand, like waving it in the air. Around her neck is a chain of skulls, Her eyes are shining and its quite scaring. Faathima points at it and tells me things:

- " and here you see our goddess Hora Ma, goddess of destruction. You should show her some honor and give some of your blood to her" She grabs my wrist and leads me down to the bowl. Then she promise me it wont hurt. I decide to play nicely since its early in the interview and gives a bit of blood to the bowl. It didnt really hurt so I continued.

-  " we torture our prisoners here and feed from them " she says calmly, like it was a daily life to anyone, She then tell me to follow her and after a few kicks on the wall a door opens and she show me into her room in the cave. Its surprisingly light and well decorated. Even has books in a shelf. And the birdcage would fit in nicely I'm thinking to myself.

-" I see you read books too? I didnt think that was in your interest" I say a bit surprised

- " Its just bloody stories really" she answers quickly, and I turn around a bit to hide my grin. I look more strict back at her and fire my first question.

-"How would you describe a typical day for an Undead?"

She looks at me, raises her brow while thinking and smirks:
-" oh well, we actually rest during the day unless some human loose their way into the combs. Then when the moon rises up at midnight, we go to cause bloody mayhem in the city. We love the smell of fresh warm blood and the sweat of fear when they run...well, we go to grab some humans... some of us torture , rape and slaughter them , but recently they hide cowardly and then some rats will do it too. After all we eat them and I collect their bones"

I nods and lifts my head back a bit to try to focus, since all this terrible things she is telling me is like she describes a calm dinner. I continue:

-"You have told me a bit now, but if you summ up:  what would you say is a good thing about being an undead, and a bad thing. if there is any?"

-" Haha,  there is nothing bad about being an Undead. Our knowledge and wisdom of thousand of years made us powerful . We have no human attitudes and we have no mercy , we are hated and feared - and take it as an honor " she answers cheerfully

-" Could you tell a bit about how Undeads were born. How it all started?" I ask to change subject and not go into too deep water.

-" HORA MAAA! where to start ? Well to keep a long story short , we were banned to the catacombs by the humans and since that day we make them pay for all "

I sit back and think about it all. I want ask her more but I see shes getting impatient.  I see her standing up, stretching her back before she tells me:

-" I think it´s time for you to leave or I wouldn't resist to bite your neck right now and here"

I stand up quickly and run out the door the same second she opens it.  I walk fast and run a bit, up the hall, up the stairs. Suddenly I see sun and smell the fresh sandy air. I stop for a second to enjoy it. Looking back a bit and thinking about all this.I decided to go home and eat my cactus soup. Small chance to get a skull in that soup.