Zombie and the Beast

2 - 245 Years Later

The smell of soil and rain permeated the air, tickling her nose as she woke up. Shivering, Lara attempted to open her eyes. She winced. It burned like her eyelids were made of sand. She tried again, the pain making her whimper, then gave up, convinced darkness was the best option. Freezing and confused, she felt like her bones had been shattered to pieces only to be put back together with boiling glue. She tried calling for help but only a grunt came out. She frowned.

Something pointy and hard was stuck just under her left shoulder, so she tried to move, but her body was so stiff and heavy that it was impossible. To make matters worse, her right hand had fallen asleep, stuck between her body and a hard surface. She tried to shake off the feeling of hundreds of tiny needles piercing her skin, but her hand might as well have belonged to someone else.

The last thing she remembered was floating peacefully in a ball of light, perfectly content. Could it be... No. There was no way she’d already been reincarnated. She wasn’t ready, the pain of her death still too fresh.

She moved her left hand as quickly as she could, which was about as fast as a snail, and explored her immediate surroundings. Her skin met nothing but a rough wooden surface and dirt. Where was she? What was going on? She touched the wood next to her again. A coffin? A wave of fear, cold and hard, went through her body. Someone had brought her back, putting their own lives - and hers - at risk. In her panic, she tried opening her eyes again but gave up as it sent a bolt of pain trough her head.

Someone coughed and cursed under their breath, making her heart jump in fear. Whoever it was, was so close it sounded like she could almost touch them. Which also meant they were close enough to touch her.

Lara turned her head slowly towards the origin of the sound and gave her eyes another try. She had to know what was happening. She managed to open her eyelids a couple of millimeters. Everything was blurry and dark. She grunted in pain, the sound barely audible, and closed her eyes again.

“Why isn’t it working properly?” said a voice. “Should I have started with the internal organs?” It was Cal, her mentor. A good friend of her father, he had moved to Centrix a long time ago to take care of his grandmother and learn Symbiolism, Human-Magic. Now a talented Symbiorist, he’d been teaching Lara about symbols and plants for the last year.

A dog barked.

“Dragons! The night guards,” said Cal.

Lara's heart was beating so strongly that it resounded in her ears. She wanted to scream and beg him to run away with her before they got caught, but her dry throat still wouldn’t allow her voice to escape. Suddenly, a heavy blanket that smelled like lavender covered her and handfuls of dirt started falling on top of it.

Her breathing accelerated. Was he burying her alive? No, he wouldn’t. Although... Could he possibly not know she was already back? Hoping to be noticed, she tried to scream again, the sound a mere whisper. Her grunt disappeared in the midst of falling dirt and pebbles. She whimpered and clenched her jaw.

“That should be enough to fool them if they make it all the way here,” said Cal in a rush. “Lara, stay hidden no matter what. I promised your parents I would take good care of you and dying again is not an option.”

Lara could hear him shuffling something heavy and hurrying around. She scrunched her nose, wishing she could help. Hoping to be able to move is she used Dragon-Magic to self-heal, she did her best to focus. Her head felt like it was about to split up and her heart started racing even faster, so she gave up with a sob.