Tales Of The Fairly Undead

Not For Dinner

"Finally!" Peter tossed the heavy pack from his back almost as soon as he entered the clearing. His legs ached from keeping up with Herc's passe all day. 

"Try and keep your voice down its not exactly safe out here," Herc grumbled taking his own pack off and placing it on the ground gently. 

"Right," Peter whispered looking over his shoulders. The dimming  light was beginning to make him uncomfortable, his body subconsciously drifting closer to Herc. 

By the time the pair had built a fire night had completely enveloped the forest.  

"I hope we can get back quickly," Peter confessed tearing grass from the ground beneath him and sprinkling it gently into the dancing flames. "I'm worried about how the others are coping without me,"

"I'm sure their fine," Herc offered continuing to star gaze. At least for tonight, he thought to himself. The worry he himself had been holding in the back of his mind seeping into his thoughts. 

Worried that without him to convince her otherwise Ariel would do something completely stupid. 

"How did you become the leader of such a large group of children anyway?" for the first time  it was Herc needing a distraction from the silence that was making him overthink. 

"We came from a Survivor settlement on the edge of the forest,"

"The city?"

"Nah some small town school," 

"And you all decided to run off?" 

"The fire forced us to abandon everything, everyone," Peter felt the tears building in the back of his eyes and blinked several times.

"Your family?" Herc propped himself up to look at the boy now, a small part of him sympathising with him. 

"Of sorts," a false smile tightened his lips, "My parents died just after the outbreak, my sister a year later. They found me as a skeleton hiding under one of the school buildings, Doc was already around but everyone else accumulated over the years,"

"Its strange to see so many young children in one group, usually theirs only one or two, and their usually related," 

"I guess its because Docs Dad was a smart guy, he kept us all safe, like mother Hubbard I guess,"

Herc held back his cringe, the worry that he was just wrestling back into its cage springing back to the surface. 

Surely Ariel's fine. 

Surely she wont do anything that would risk what they had spent years earning. 

But back at the camp that's exactly what she planned to do. 

  Ariel sat at the table in the seat across from Boy Blue. 

"I think we should do them all tomorrow," He said grinning as he cut at the piece of roasted meat in front of him. "The risk of the boy finding them alive when he returns is too great,"

"But some of them are far too thin," Humpty who had grease smeared across his chin complained, "it will be a waste," 

Mother Hubbard nodded, "Ariel what do you think?" 

Polly looked at her sadness hidden in her eyes. 

Ariel hesitated, slowly placing her fork on the table and meeting Mother Hubbard's expecting gaze. 

"They are your catch after all," Mother Hubbard was pushing her. Testing for weakness in her character. 

"I think that Boy Blue is right," The words killed her to say but as long as she makes it look like shes still committed to the cause they won't suspect anything. 

"But what about the skinny ones?" Humpty protested. 

"Their better than nothing at all," 

Boy Blue nodded "exactly," 

"Its settled then we get rid off them all tomorrow afternoon, Polly I expect you'll have the storage materials prepared by lunch so everything runs smoothly," 

"Of course," Polly grinned. 

The night dragged on until they all began to go their separate ways. Ariel helping Polly organise the salt and barrels for the slaughter she prayed she could stop. 

Then finally she was alone in her cabin. Carefully watching the candle lights go out across the camp. 

When the last one was extinguished she began to count, knowing full well what the consequences if her plan backfires. 

Meanwhile Doc lay awake. the weight of Billy's small body making his arm tingle. The kid hadn't stopped crying all day.  Much like some of the others. Chip and himself probably the only ones who managed to keep themselves together, well aside from the vomit he couldn't choke down.

But the worst part was explaining why he had done it to the others. Lets just leave it at there is no easy way to tell children that they just ate a human being. 

His stomach gurgled in the quiet room. Despite the available pot of oats they didn't eat a thing all day. 

A mixture of fear and mistrust keeping the food out of their stomachs. 

Gretel didn't speak after her outburst. In fact she ran and threw herself under the blanket on her bed as soon as he started his first question. 

The poor girl was visibly starving and now he knew why. 

He's been constantly battling the possibility that Peter had to been turned into a meal. A possibility that meant he was now responsible for their lives. 

But the way things are currently, he wasn't sure he could save any of them.

The door rattled and Doc's heart stopped. They were coming for them now. coming to take the breath from their lungs as they slept. 

The unmistakable tick of a lock sent a shiver down his spine. 

His instincts told him to run but his mind told him to freeze. His fear squeezing his eyes shut. 

He counted the foot steps until they stopped beside him. 

"Doc," Ariel hissed, "wake up," 

A range of emotions flooded through his body, anger, relief and fear all fighting for centre stage. 

"What do you want?" anger won and he shot his eyes open to glare at her, "we're on the menu because of you," 

"You'd already be dead without me,"

 "Wheres Peter," he ignored her valid argument gently tipping Billy off him and carefully sitting up. 

"There's not enough time," Her eyes searched his face and her stomach knotted "I'm getting you guys out of here," 

He wanted to argue. Every bone in his body screaming for him not to trust her. But this was their only chance and before he knew it they  were all following her into the woods follow it you should eventually reach a city, its rumored there's a settlement of survivors there," 

"Your not coming with us?" Doc spun around the others rushing past him deeper into the tree cover.

She gave him a sad smile, "I'm sorry... for everything," 

They didn't say another word just stared at each other for a moment. 

Then with a nod he turned tail after the others. Leaving Ariel to return to her cabin alone. 

Unbeknownst to her she wasn't nearly as alone as she hoped. Boy Blue was peering from his window, watching as Ariel shut herself back inside.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh no busted.. 

Do you think the kids will make it to the city? 

Thanks for reading, 

Chrissy