Beneath The Alpha

ater about his floor. The corners of his lips twisted in a scowl at the resistance, dee

wet mouth and dying in the roaring downpour. Releasing the window in anger, he ste

am

ay

am

ay

l

the wealthy lived. The golden lights that spilled from their windows and roads were bright enough to be seen from

used his waning strength to shut the window and draw the curtains, plu

lations in his skull cranked out their reckonings. "Damn bodies..." despite having worked i

e felt along the table and hesitated - nearly leapin

fool, you forgo

ehow, someway, the body might rise on the table and brush its cold lips on his freckled neck bu

le. The matchbox followed in its wake and, shaking the box to confir

phurous light erupt

spite the cool wash of relief through his tight chest, Gerfast cupp

id for rui

corpses always sti

ss be damn

was well-timed. A cleansing of

andle. Once light was restored to the room, so did his confidence re

: the body respectful

work in that circle of light, semi-conscious of the shadowy figures

n stood to wheel the body towards an open coffin already h

le in the roaring storm beyond the walls

to the side as his ears strained to capture the sound onc

gain- a rasp of

at the clock overhead

teeth could be knocking at a

or something." The cart halted halfway to the coffin. Gerfast stared at the doo

turned with

ed! Come back i

throat as the knocking grew incessant. Grabbing the nearest item, which happened to be a poker lying against the wa

open and thrust his face into the utte

th

o the night and craned his head side-to-side, searching through

was a

le relaxing in the slightest.

to step back when something reached through the da

floor with a mute thud. Pain shot up his tailbone briefly concealing the state of fear as he groaned and re

silent agony, stopping sho

ched, strands of curly hair sleek on her forehead and cheeks which seemed gaunt and chalky beneath the brown tone. Dark sun

d so he sat half propped on the heels of his hands and stared at the slave weeping and

g her to pant for air as she hunched sideways into a C with one hand re

birthing at

This ain't no midwife home, get out–" His foot had drawn back reflexively, already aiming for the centre of her head, whe

h of wages pres

d, Gerfast would be affronted by the gesture. He would have done so much more than hurt her

cold appraisal of an auctioneer. She shivered violently as a low mourn sounded from he

d deposited it into the front pocket of his shirt t

p, I ain't

s trailing behind like an afterthought. Every movement only twisted her face into something obscene as she whimpered and sobbed

rner there, don't need no mess in my workshop." In truth, he had no idea how to

gh his shirt, a cold

ver draped over one of the corpses, shifting it onto his forearm wh

her back and sank back down like a wounded bird, a shiver trailing up and down t

ed, picking the candle and cr

Gerfast knelt and stared, unknowing of how to continue from here. Her shut eyes opene

beneath those sunken cheeks and ashen skin. An overseer must have

an anchor of some sort, her fingers curled around the edge of a low table and seized it tight using it as lev

er ankles awkwardly,

ing. Dead bodies did not require much attention or delicate touc

rom her skin then leaned back to examine the state of her womanhood. He had no inkling as to how close she was to giving birth. So he waited

e candle melted to a st

g for relief... from who? The gods? Whic

ark head forcing its way as an insidious tear ripped downwards. Her scream nearly earned her

blood leaked onto the floor, pooling about her dress and

ager to have the bastard out,

h in an alarming welter of

n it became increasingly apparent that her reservoir of energy was rapidly depleting to weak surges that coul

was hot to

aited on the cry but none came. Without preamble, the mortician sealed his lips over the babe's nose and sucked hard, a slud

en did

ain't got no time left," he said with the babe outstretched in his hand to the mother. Gerfa

him as the girl lay slain

her death dur

naked in his grip slippery as an eel. Gerfast set it down and leaned forwa

was

g wickedly sharp with a light of its own. He cut open her belly and replaced the butcher knife with a small hunting knife, carefully cutting

r shell, Gerfast bundled the baby in a frayed blanket and tucked it into his jacket cradling it cl

ed from the ropey placenta still attached to her u

ing their nightly ventures and took the shortest path into the outskirts of the town, bypassing al

mist around Gerfast's ankles. He felt the babe shift within his jacket, its l

t through the black river all a

to the foetid darkness with one hand cupped over his nose and remov

the night and the stars and the gods that did not listen. The blanket fell away from its frail f

yhow... I'm doing you a favour... you see." Still it cried. Hitching up the lapels of his coat t

the rats do. They might bury it or stuff it beneath bags of tra

will

mpering babe in all its f

an's body among those dead by the streets in its ea

ce of its life and the prophecy tha

began in blood, so too