169 Chasing the aftermath

Second Master surveyed the men as they worked. He knew he wasn't needed. Calling one of his lieutenants he assigned a small contingent of Twin Hammers to remain with the newly formed crew and continued his journey toward Chenxi. He needed to see for himself what was left, what the Mu had destroyed and whether anyone survived.

Deep down, he was really looking for his wife, his children, anything that would tell him if they were still alive. He prayed to all the gods. He couldn't face life without them, especially his beloved Yiran.

The soldiers marched behind him, banners flying. They too had vested interests; shops, homes, family. They returned as heroes but felt none of the pride. 

As they travelled closer, groups of stragglers looked at them with suspicion. They held their children close and turned away from the men shielding them from horrors these men knew nothing about. The people were thin, beaten and homeless. The soldiers looked on, scanning the groups for any clue to their own families, friends, anyone they might know and be able to glean information from.

One woman walked along, in a trance. She clutched a young child to her front, its head lolling back, arm hanging limp by its side. It was clear it had been dead for some time; maggots were already crawling around the eyes, nose and mouth. She wiped them away, smiling and speaking incoherently to the child. Hitching it closer, she walked on, not seeing the soldiers, just placing one foot in front of the other in that madness which comes from existential grief.

One soldier spotted an old neighbour and broke ranks only to see a blankness in her eyes. He looked at his one time friend but no recognition stared back. It was as if she had died, becoming a walking corpse, devoid of life. What had they endured? What had they seen?

Some men openly wept at the sight. These were civilians, brow beaten by the war.

Rejoining their formation, they stopped looking.

 

Xin was almost vibrating with excitement. She had moved with the other Blades to the outskirts of Tangun and were settled into a derelict area, far from anyone. Twenty four Blades, all ready to cause mayhem. Bặo looked on, shaking his head, "Zombies? You've decided on zombies?"

"Yes, zombie troops returning from the war. I've thought long and hard about this and have come to the conclusion a few  general ghosts are fine, but we need impact, and a few small groups of zombies seems like a good ploy." She was applying makeup whilst she spoke, creating the illusion of a zombie mercenary out for revenge. "So what do you think?" she said, turning to Bặo, who was surveying her work from top to bottom. 

"Pretty good. Are you killing, too?"

"Only if we come across a patrol. As yet we haven't enough information on their routes, but if we can take a young and very nervous soldier, we might be able to gather what we need." 

"If this poor soldier doesn't have what you need?"

"We kill him, simple." 

Bặo shook his head, she took death with such casual flippancy.

 

Niao and Hao arrived at the warfs. The damage was extensive. Where once, proud and heavily laden ships stood against bustling quaysides, now stood splintered wood, sunk vessels and rotting cargo. These warfs had been abandoned rapidly, and looking at the river, the aftermath of a fierce exchange floated there. Bloated corpses with arrows pierced deep into their flesh, some popping and hissing, giving off the unmistakable smell of rotting flesh. Some had limbs missing where they had been lost to a sword strike, whilst others had large gashes at their throats or their very bowels floating next to them in the water. The sight was horrendous and the smell, unbelievable.

"Let's head into the town." 

Hao looked at her, "be careful, ears and eyes wide open."

She smiled, "Of course."

They spent the next few hours walking through once recognisable streets, now burned to ashes either intentionally or in the throws of the battle that had clearly raged here. There were dead everywhere, mown down by something formidable. Picking their way through the battle field they noticed a couple of men limping away. They weren't Twin Hammers.

Niao sprinted after them, "Stop."

They couldn't run, they had no weapons, they fell to the floor and kowtowed where they landed. Niao walked round to stand in front of them, "State your name and allegiance." 

"Nie from the Mu alliance, Ma'am."

"Koran from the Mu alliance, Ma'am."

She helped them up and looked at them. "Explain what happened here and your roles in it?" Her face held that menace she used when facing a mountain cat; cold, detached and full of lethal intent. It wasn't long before she had the whole story, well, the story according to these two. 

Hao watched as they spoke. He interrupted from time to time with questions, clarifying points.

"So, Sir, Ma'am, that's the whole story, honest. We were assigned to collect the goods and get them onto ships, so they could be transported to Mudon.  Some went to Tangun, for sale, but that was from warfs further upstream. It was off limits to us ordinary soldiers."

Niao looked at Hao, "So they kept the sale of women and children as a separate business. Interesting. I wonder if we can find any of these charming people, for a chat." she snorted and looked back to these unfortunate wretches who stood before her.

"Where do you hope to go now? The boat has sailed. There is no-one left, and what is left, will perish at the point of my knife."

"Ma'am, please," they babbled, "please let us live. we can work. Please, spare us our miserable lives."

Hao put his arm on hers and silently suggested 'no', then he continued out loud, "they maybe of use to us, let's keep them for now. The more useful they show themselves to be, the longer they stay alive." 

 

Madam Min had received word, the fighting had stopped and the occupation was over. She smiled the widest smile, rocking back and forth on her stool.

"Tonight we celebrate! Chenxi has been liberated. We can go home soon and start picking up the pieces."

 

 Second Master and his men arrived on the northern outskirts of his home town. A wave of nostalgia wafted over him as he remembered his mother, his father, the market stalls, the bustle, the hustle, the laughter. Toady there was none of it.

Houses lay abandoned. The remnants of nightly mischief by people who had dressed as ghosts and ghouls was daubed on walls. He smiled at that. He could bet this was Xin, he'd heard about her antics.

Streets lay empty, doors ripped of their hangers, property strewn onto the front porches. They headed towards the once beating heart of the town. 

Nothing. Just death, everywhere.

Then he heard it, the sounds of men laughing. They followed the sound.