Note From The Author

The Plan

And after that? I could travel

Maybe, just maybe, I can find a way to rid myself of IT Perhaps I'll find out what IT really is, what IT wants from me

And even if I'm destined to live with IT till the very end I'll get to see new places, learn new things Probably help people in need Maybe even hinder something like back then, when my hometown got burned down, to happen again

And so my plan was set Only one question was left Where should I get some clothes from now? I could rob a caravan or the like, naturally without hurting anyone, just taking what I need

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

I didn't have much to pack. Didn't come here with much else than the clothes I was wearing... who weren't even mine. But thanks to Ingrid I had some stuff to take with me, and not only knowledge.

I was still wearing the same old clothes, far less holes in them now tho. She had given me a small bag filled with food too. And there that thought came up again. Me leaving, without being able to give anything back.

She lifted my head a bit with her finger

“Hey, no bad feelings now. You've got a long way to walk, and much to do. So you better hurry, before you grow roots here.” she said jokingly

“Well I... You are right, I gotta go. Gotta find ou... do... stuff.”

“Right, you got to. But give me a visit when you're around, tell me what you learned, what you experienced.”

“I... I... I will. Whenever I'm around. So be careful of those boars and the like while hunting” I laughed

She hugged me, saying nothing. Then she turned me around and pushed me out the front door. I looked at her, tilting my head. She was just standing there, waving goodbye. I saw it in her, she was bad at this, bad at saying goodbye. So she wanted it to be over. I complied.

Smiled,

waved,

turned around,

and got on my way.

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

A Face on the Inside

Papercut

Why does it feel like night today? Something in here's not right today. Why am I so uptight today? Paranoia's all I got left I don't know what stressed me first Or how the pressure was fed But I know just what it feels like To have a voice in the back of my head Like a face that I hold inside A face that awakes when I close my eyes A face that watches every time I lie A face that laughs every time I fall And watches everything So I know that when it's time to sink or swim That the face inside is hearing me Right beneath my skin It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back It's like a whirlwind inside of my head It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin I know I've got a face in me Points out all my mistakes to me...

Picture Disturbed by Dunjochka

Music Papercut by Linkin Park

Note from the Author

Yes, this is part of Bjorn's story. Would be boring to write the whole story like a usual book, wouldn't it?

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

Beat by Memories

Looking at it afterwards I’m unsure what I thought. Although he was just an image from my memories, I did barely know how to fight.

The only experience I had was the training with that one guard. And hitting at a tree stump on my own.

I didn’t even know how to use a sword properly, and I had the brilliant idea to fistfight with this guy.

Oh shit-

He came at me with a right. By acting like I had a shield in my hand, I actually managed to block that.

It was a hard swing, It hurt like hell. But I had a small success there.

I was actually able to block that p –

He hit me under the chin.

I felt how I bit through my tongue, then lifted off the ground. Still pushed by his punch.

I woke up again. Panic-stricken, sitting up instantly

He beat me. Should have expected as much.

Picture DOWN + B by vashperado

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

I woke up just after sunrise. Birds were chirping all around, the sun was behind me and I had some breakfast with me. I had left over some smaller pieces of the horse meat from my last meal. And even tho cold, they were still tasty.

Getting down from the tree was, just like getting up, not very difficult. I took a look around, to see if anyone or anything was nearby. Nothing.

“Lets see... plan for today... drench thirst, wash blood of my... the stuff I found... hmm... lets see how long that takes. After that maybe try to find my bow and arrows again. Sun will surely be down by that time.”

So I set out to follow that plan.

Went to the nearby beck and drank some water. As I wanted to begin washing of the blood from the stuff I found, I realized that I had no idea how to go about it. The water was shallow, the current was weak, so I decided to just put everything in the water. Except my pants. Then I ripped a piece of cloth out of my pants and used that for cleaning the stuff.

Getting the blood off the Flint & Iron was easy enough. Cleaning it off the whetstone wasn't difficult either. After that I cleaned the knife and the arrow quiver. Cleaning the bow was more difficult. The crust of dried blood came of easily enough, but below that some blood had drawn into the wood. It seemed like my scrubbing had no effect, no matter how long I tried to.

“Guess I'll have to hide that somehow... maybe with more blood on the bow”

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

After completely focusing on my arm for some time I had back my own arm and hand. Skin, five fingers, nails, hair and all those small marks.

I ate what I had left, emptied and refilled my flask twice. By the time I was done the sun was high in the sky. My stomach was grumbling and I sensed that I was far from my usual state. I usually wasn't the guy to go jumping through the woods because he was overflowing with tons of energy, but now I was near to drained.

It was time to preserve my energy as good as possible, to think twice about it if it's worth running after some prey. Naturally I had to take some risks, but even those had to be close to a bet I'd surely win.

I left all unnecessary stuff at the tree, including my shirt and shoes.

It was rather warm and the air stood still, so it was much more pleasant to run around with just pants, bow, arrows & a knife. Might have been a good idea to take some rope with me too, to set up some traps in case I found any good spots, but didn't really think of that then. The Idea was more, fast & much. And traps usually weren't the fast way of getting prey.

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

Awakening

Mystic Moods

I woke up.

Hasty I looked around to see where I was, but my vision was blurry. There was a slaugthered animal right in front of me. But even that I couldn't see clearly. My hands were deep inside of its lacerated stomach.

I pulled my hands out. But instead of fingers, I had claws. Four of them on every hand -- if you could call them that. And all of them Razor sharp.

Then I saw something, in the corner of my eye. It stood out from that blurry mess, nearly shining. What was that? And where was I? I went towards this gleaming thing. Why is it so big? Wait --- I'm walking on all fours?

That gleaming thing -- was it a human? It looked like it. Two arms, two legs, head, body & it was definitely standing on it's legs. I tried saying something but I couldn't. The only thing that came out was a screach.

The Human threw something at me. It was long and the tip was warm. And suddenly it disappeared. Only the warmth stayed, this burning warmth. As I looked back up again the human was gone.

Where am I? Why does everything look so weird? What happened to me?

Picture James Heller's Claw Arm Sculpt by Prototype 2

Music Ambient Fantasy - Mystic Moods

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

I slowly woke up in a warm bed, a rather slender arm lying on me. It took me a moment to realize this wasn't a dream, would've been the only good one I had for as long as I can remember. Not fully awake I stared at the ceiling for some time, my thoughts so far away I didn't have any.

Still lying down, I looked around a bit. I was in some house. There was a table with two chairs, a bow and some arrows near a door, another door, a fireplace, still some faint glowing embers in it. On the floor where some clothes, they seemed familiar.

Then this thought slowly came up from somewhere. This arm on my chest, this wasn't mine. Mine was touching some soft skin. I looked to the other side of me and fell out of the bed in fright, landing on the hard, wooden floor. Ouch.

From the jerk Ingrid woke up too, sitting up and grasping the blanket to cover herself.

“I did this for you!” She roared immediately

“Thanks... I guess”

“I heard some loud sound outside last night, turned out it was you. Fell asleep beside my door and fell over. You were ice cold. Pale skin, blue lips & all.”

“Ok... but wouldn't just lighting a fire... been enough?”

“I didn't want it to be my fault you froze to death, so I wanted to make sure. But don't you tell anyone about this! This was a one time occasion! Understood?”

“Sure, stays between me and you.”

“And... I am sorry for yesterday, shouldn't have shouted at you because of this old bastard. I'll let you stay, as long as you're a help on the hunt. Else I'll kick you out. Got it!?”

“No worries, forgiven, understood & accepted. But one question-”

“Your clothes? They're by the fireplace”

I looked down at myself and reddend again.

“...n... no... but thanks...”

I paused shortly, trying to get somehow comfortable with the situation of being around her naked, again.

“How... how did you get me in here?”

She laughed “Easy, I'm a hunter, I'm used to carrying full grown deer to this place. I admit you are a bit heavier, but I didn't need to carry you very far.”

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

Dreams

A Way of Life

Then I snapped out of it.

What the hell am I doing? How could I accept to be this demon, to continue to live like it?

It was like I had lost myself, my own thoughts. Somehow. I had been controlling this body. But all this time, it wasn’t my will who steered me.

Did IT take over on that clearing? When I gave up on life?

I didn’t want to stay in this form. I wanted to become myself again. To rid myself of this unnameable horror. And so I did what had to be done.

I need ITs… help. ITs… counsel. IT knows how to shift shape, it can surely teach me how I can regain my body. My face.

I went back to the cave. Found a place to lie down. To sleep.

Is it that why dragons do sleep for eternities? Do they too search for something in their dreams?

So I went where I first had met IT. Where ITs domain lies.

To my dreams...

Picture Sleeping Dragon by Disse86

Music A Way of Life by Hans Zimmer

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

Ssø bë ît

Fallen City

Covered in a layer of mud I continued to wander through the forest. Does this damn forest never end?

Î wøñdërr whö zät bløôd bèlóñgëd tø ha ha ha ha haaa

There was that voice again. What does it want from me and where does it come from? Can other people hear it too? 'WHOEVER OR WHATEVER YOU ARE, DONT TALK TO ME ANYMORE! LEAVE. ME. BE!'

--- at least until I can find out who or what you are

Ssø bë ît

Picture Disturbed by Dunjochka

Music Fallen City by G Empire Music

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016