When Jack came to his senses he found himself tied to a post and sitting with his legs out on the ground in a pig pen, and the girl in the bombers jacket and tights was squatting down to his height.
She watched him for a couple of minutes before standing up and walked over to someone else that was tied up to a post.
Jacks blurred eyes adjusted to his surroundings and found that Mr Jones was the person that was tied up to the post. A giant of a man stood next to the pens entrance with his arms folded across his chest.
Pigs sometimes came and sniffed at Jack's feet. His head throbbing as if someone was hitting a big bell inside his skull. Mr Jones must of been still on conscious because the girls tipped a bucket of water over him. With no success she came and questioned Jack.
"What is your name?" She asked softly. Jack seemed to hear it in a slur.
He didn't replied.
"Ric must of hit you harder than we thought. Where are you from and where were you going?" She asked. Jack seemed to drift in and out of consciousness.
_
"I need something that will scare them to consciousness. He seems to be drifting." Annah said, watching Jack's eyes roll up in his head.
She stood up and walked over to where Ric was standing. He followed her out of the pen, closing the gate behind them both.
Little children had gathered around the pig pen to look at the new captured prisoners. They chattered among themselves about the gathering that the town was going to hold that evening in celebration of the catch.
Annah watched the children, glade that they all seemed to be happy among the darkening times that they all faced.
The heart of the town seemed to slowly beat back to life. The town originally held one thousand residents, but after the disease the people who could leave, left, leaving only a handful of fifty people to run the place. Most of the people that did stay was because they had disabilities,
Annah was in her mid to late twenties and was a trader of rare metals and hand weapons, and Ric was her Henchman who was also in his mid to late twenties. Most of the time people thought they were a couple, but they had nothing between them, yet. They both traveled the QC Nations trading and making contacts with the underground arms trading Co that the Queens Council had bend in 2295 AD when the Rebellion broke out.
When the disease took hold of the small town of Chelmsford, Annah was dealing business with the owner of the Antique & Collectibles Store in town. She was good friends with the dealer and took pity on the older folks of the town when people started to move to the cites looking for work. So she made up her mind to stay a while. As food grew scarce, the leaders of the small town put together a force that could come up with ideas and schemes for ways to keep the small population alive, and Annah was the leading schemer.
Ric was her henchman of sorts. Most of the time people thought they were a couple, but they had nothing between each other, yet.
Annah walked into a small building that use to be a second hand book shop. An elderly lady sat behind the counter. The walls were covered in old moldy cheese cloths that hadn't been used for more them a year.
"Annah, what can I do for you?" She asked, standing up.
"I need something that would scare the dead back to life." She said making a sour face.
"Oh, you want something I keep under lock and key, I'll see what I can do for you."
The lady gave a faint smile and disappeared behind the back of the store.
Ric waited outside because the little building would be over crowded if he went in with Annah.
The lady soon came back to the counter, holding a paper bag in one hand. "I want the paper bag back when you're finished, you can feed the cheese to the pigs when your finished." She said as she handed the bag over to Annah.
Annah walked outside with her arms extended so that the smells didn't affect her. The villagers made way for her, and Ric walked in front.
When they both arrived at the pig pen, the children had worked up enough courage to poke the on unconscious prisoners. As they saw Annah with the paper bag, they ran out of the pen with there noses covered.
Ric closed the gate and stood with his arms behind his back. Annah slowly pulled a block of cheese out of the bag and waved it under Jack's noise. He started to stir.
-
Jack came to his senses. An awful smell was in his noise that made him want to throw up. The girl was squatting down in front of him, waving something in his face. He tried to lift his hand to swipe it away, but it his hand was tied tight around a post behind his back.
"He's awake." She said. "So boy, where are you from and where were you heading?" She asked, placing the smelly cheese into a paper bag.
Jack's head ached. "Where's Mr Jones?" He asked in alarm. The girl pointed at the man that was still unconscious tied to a post opposite where Jack was tied.
"I am from Prata." He managed to say before blacking out.
-
"Are you serious? Useless boy, Ric how hard did you hit him?" Annah asked.
Ric shrugged his shoulders.
She stood up and stretched her legs.
"Might as well try the other fellow." Annah said walking over to where Mr Jones was tied up. She reluctantly pulled the cheese out of the bag again and waved it under Jones's noise. His eyes slowly opened and he seemed to gag on the smell.
"Get that biological weapon away from me." He said gagging.
"First, what's your name and where were you heading?" She asked.
He shook his head.
Annah let the cheese fall on his face. She was also suffering from the stench.
Mr Jones's body twisted and turned in the tight ropes, as if he had been hit with high voltages.
"Take it away, take it way! Please!" He said, she placed the cheese back into the paper bag. He took in big breaths of clean air.
"I hope you bury that when you're finished with it." He gasped.
"Right, where are you from?" Annah asked.
"I am from the QC, if you let me go, I assure you that you will be paid." He said smiling.
"Your name?"
He looked reluctant to reply.
Annah started to pull out the cheese again.
"Its Jones, Philip Jones." He said quickly.
"And him?" She asked pointing to Jack.
"He's my apprentice." He said watching the paper bag.
"And were where you heading?"
He didn't reply.
She pulled the cheese out of the bag and waved it in his face once more.
He withered in his ropes. "We were heading for the city of Virtutem Spei. Now please take it away."
Annah laughed and chucked the cheese onto him. She stood up and started to walk to the gate of the pen and then turned on her heels to face him.
"One last thing, who was the girl in the boot of your car?"
Mr Jones had managed to throw the cheese into the mud. "Nothing more than a noisy no good girl." He said.
"I see, I think she is much more than that, but we will see tonight." She turned and left the pen with Ric following behind her.
Mr Jones watched as they went, cursing them under his breath.
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