The Messenger

Posted on Sat Feb 8th, 2025 @ 7:30pm by René Rouen & Cassandra Lennox
Edited on on Tue Aug 19th, 2025 @ 4:09pm

2,146 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Safe Harbour
Location: Thistledrift
Timeline: 01 December 2012

René was sitting on his motorcycle reviewing the map he held. He glanced at the sky and then to the road ahead. He was currently on his way to Thistledrift, a small town on the coast of England to deliver a letter and package to someone named Cassandra Lennox. He was hoping to make it to Thistledrift, make his delivery and be back on the road before the winter storm hit.

René shuddered slightly as a stiff breeze kicked up. He folded his map and placed it in one of the saddle bags and started the engine of his motorcycle. A few minutes later he came to the turn off from the main road that would lead to Thistledrift. He made the turn and started down the road, but came upon a sight he wasn't expecting.

A dozen or so of the Soulless, René's name for the animated dead, were surrounding a tree on the side of the road. He brought the motorcycle to a stop about fifteen meters and turned off the engine as half the Soulless turned and began their shuffling gait towards him.

René could hear loud crying coming from somewhere up in the tree and spotted what looked like two children about three meters up in the branches. He quickly dismounted the motorcycle and drew his rapier from a scabbard attached to his motorcycle. “Hang on,” he spoke in accented English. He stepped forward and thrust the blade of his sword into the lead zombie as he called out to the others still at the tree.

He sidestepped and dispatched the second zombie and continued to circle the group. A few minutes later he had taken care of all the undead and paused at the base of the tree to look up at the terrified children. “It is safe to come down now.”

The two children gave René a wary look. One of the children was a young girl perhaps 11 or 12, the other a young boy a couple years younger. They exchanged glances and finally climbed down after a minute. The boy looked up at René. “You talk funny.”

René chuckled and nodded. “That's because I am not from around here. I am from a city in France called Paris where we speak a different language than you. I started learning English as a second language when I was a boy, a little older than you are now.”

The girl looked at René. “Why did you stop to help us? Nobody helps strangers out of the kindness of their hearts any more. Not unless they are expecting something in return.”

René looked at the girl and sighed. “I wasn’t raised that way. My mother and father raised me to be mindful of the needs of others and to help people in times of trouble if I can. However, if you feel a need to repay me for helping you, you could tell me how far it is to the town of Thistledrift.”

The lad pointed down the road. “About an hour's walk.”

The girl gave the boy an annoyed look. “What is it that father says about strangers?”

The boy looked at his sister, then to René and back again to his sister. “Never tell strangers where we live.”

René looked at the girl and nodded. “Your father is a wise man. My name is René Rouen. I am a courier. Someone who delivers messages and packages for people who aren’t able to deliver those things themselves. I am on my way to Thistledrift to deliver a letter and package to Cassandra Lennox. Perhaps you know her?”

The children looked at one another before both turning back René and nodding. “I suppose we can show you the way.”

René gestured to his motorcycle. “Might be a little crowded, but I think we can all fit. I can have you back home in ten minutes.”

The group mounted the motorcycle and a few minutes later they arrived at the gates to Thistledrift. The children were immediately ushered in and the guards listened attentively to how the young man who accompanied them came upon them and saved them from a hundred of the Roaming Monsters. René was held at the gate until someone could fetch Cassandra. René waited calmly at the gate, being sure to keep his hands away from the weapons belt strapped to the motorcycle. He noticed a woman approach the gate and speak with the guards for a moment before approaching. René stood there, his hands clasping together.

Cassandra was surpirsed when the messenager arrive telling her that there was someone at the main gate wanting to speak to her and that he had a package for her of all things. It made her laugh a little at the thouhgt that there was literally a postman of sorts waiting for her like it was a normal day and she was being summoned to the door for a package. She slowly looked the man up and down and then the motor cycle wondering where he had gotten the fuel from for it. Not many places had untainted fuel and even less were wanting to share it.

"We do not normally get couriers. Where has this come from?" She demanded glancing to the children who knew better than to go outside the gates but that was a discussion to be had later with their parents.

René recognized the woman from a portrait of her hanging in an office at Oxford. The same office where he had been given the letter and package. "A gentleman named Thomas Bristow at Oxford University commissioned me to deliver a letter and package to you." He gestured to the motorcycle. He didn't want to get shot by reaching for his saddle bags without permission. "May I?"

"Thomas sent this?" The woman indicated that he may as well get the letter and parcel. She had not thought on the man in a long time, since they had said good bye in Bristol when they had both gone in different directions. The men and women around them lowered their own weapons apart fromt he marksman on the top of the tower who was bot taking a chance despite Cassandra looking at him again. "That is quite a journey for yourself. How long has it taken you?"

René extracted the envelope and package from the saddle bags before handing them to Cassandra. He glanced at the road before looking back at her. "About three and a half days. Few roads are well maintained these days." He glanced at the storm clouds overhead. He was debating whether or not to ask for lodging for the night or heading back out to find shelter somewhere else.

“That is really good going. It took me nearly a month or so to cross Bristol to here at the start of the .. what are they calling all these events down south?” She wondered, her accent thick with several twang indicating that she had moved around quite a bit. She watched the young man carefully as he handed them over and she took in their weight and shape wondering what it could be but she would open it in private. Thomas deserved that as neither had really wanted to part but life was taking them in quite different directions at the time.

René shrugged. He had heard many names for the events kicked off by the Lazarus Virus in his travels. Names for the reanimated even even more so. "The Fall is what they referred to how things began. Fallen being the name for the creatures. I call the event the Reckoning and the risen creatures the Soulless but I am also a devote Roman Catholic. I've heard other names too. I suppose it doesn't matter though. This is the world we live in now."

“Oh it matters.” It mattered to Cassandra as it gave her an idea of the state of play as well as the mental state of other communities. It allowed her to guage who to trade with or who to avoid like the undead. “We call them zombies or undead here. I think the English expression we call a spade a spade. Say it how we mean it.” She stowed away both items in her satchel and looked at the man. “What are your plans now? Back to the south?” The storm was about to hit soon and it was expected to last days but it was up to the lad if he stayed or went they had space.

René looked at the sky again. He usually tried to find an abandoned structure when he was on the road. There had been surprisingly little shelter this day. It might be best to stay the night, perhaps a few days. "I'm really not sure. I don't think I can find shelter before the storm hits, but I don't want to be an imposition on your people. I am willing to contribute if you can let me stay until the storm passes."

“That can be arranged but we have firm rules on trouble makers. I suppose you have skills outside of being a postman?” The woman asked as she indicated for him to come in further to allow the gates to be closed properly. Cassandra did not mind winter coming in thick and fast, it slowed the undead down enough to freeze them and it meant humans did not always wanted to come out to explore so it made gathering of supplies easier.

René nodded as he pushed his motorcycle inside the gate of the fortified town. "I’ve become adept at scrounging and foraging for supplies and food. I'm quite good with a sword and can even craft them if you have a forge in town. My father wa...is one of the best swordsman in all of Europe and is the senior instructor at the oldest fencing academy in Paris. He taught me everything I know about swordsmanship. I would be willing to teach some of your townsfolk if they want to learn."

Cassandra smirked at the way he spoke. It was easy to see that he was not from the United Kingdom but there were so many people who had been trapped behind when the borders had closed. Everyone was able to come inside Thistledrift as long as they had skills that helped the community and lived my the rules of do no harm, do not steal and work for the betterment of the community and our allies. "I believe most of us have after the last two years." She commented not trying to be blunt but she had developed that habit to get straight to the point. "Well if you can craft weapons I am sure Samuel would be glad to meet you if you can truly do forge work." She admitted. "But lets see if how the storm hit over night you might be able to leave in the morning."

René gave a nod of his head as he glanced about the entrance to the community. He turned back to Cassandra. "Is there a garage I can stow my motorcycle in for the night.?I can sleep there too if need be. I will need a little time to put maintenance in on my motorcycle."

Cassandra resisted the urge to laugh at the concept of a garage but they had such a simpler way of life there compared to the rest of the world it seemed but she nodded. "I have somewhere you can leave it overnight and work on it if you need to. We have plenty of room for you not to have to sleep in a garage," She was not about to let a messager from Thomas sleep somewhere cold let along on a night where the snow might leave him there for a while.

René gave a grateful smile. Hospitality from strangers for strangers was a rare commodity these days. "Merci Mademoiselle Lennox. I am very appreciative for your kindness and generosity."

"You can thank Thomas." She stated clearly as she watched one of the guards look the man over and shook his head at the fact someone else was being brougth in this close to winter. He did not think it was a good idea but he was not going to argue with Cassie after everything she had done. "But follow me and we shall see if it meets your standard," She tried to offer some humour despite everything.

René ignored the guard for the most part. The man was right to be cautious and René took no offense to the behavior. He grabbed the handle bars and started pushing the motorcycle to where Cassandra led. He kept his focus on her as she walked. He didn't want to appear suspicious to passersby by looking around. He really wasn't that curious anyway.

 

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