The God's Game

Abba woke with anguish on her tongue.

The first thing she noticed was the smell of blood in the air. It was putrid and heavy enough to taste. She rose slowly, assessing her suroundings.

She was in a forest but it felt off. The trees faded into a foggy distance. The space was silent, unnaturally so. No birds or rustling of leaves on the wind. Their branches twisted together, forming a canopy overhead.

The bits of sky visible through the canopy of branches above was gray and deathly.

Abba was entirely alone, yet she felt on edge. She was acutely aware of something.

Movement caught her eye, a shadow passing from one tree to another.

Instintively, Abba reached for her hip. There was no broadsword there, though. She was unarmed, wearing only loose night garments. Instead, she crouched and stalked for the place where she’d seen the motion.

Abba’s nerves fired with every step as she approached the tree. She was confident she could handle most threats, armed or not she wouldn’t go down without a fight. She reached the tree, placing a hand on its cold bark.

The bark was soft and rubbery, it sunk slightly at her touch. With more pressure, her hand vanished into the tree.

What kind of place was this?

Abba pullled her hand back, like pulling it from packed dirt. She inspected it and found it unscathed. Instead of questioning that further, she tilted her head slightly, getting a look aroud the tree.

A girl was pressed against the tree, holding on for dear life. She breathed rapidly as she met the woman’s eyes. She was wearing a worn out dress. she pulled herself away from the tree and shook like a leaf as she backed away.

“What language do you speak?” Abba asked. “Do you understand me?

The girl nodded. “I understand you. You speak english well.”

Abba looked the girl over. “What is your name?”

“Elizabeth,” the girl said with a tiny voice. “Who are you?”

“Abba.” Abba offered Elizabeth a hand. “How did you get here?”

“I think I died,” Elizabeth said, sitting down instead of taking Abba’s hand. Her golden eyes were wide and hollow. “I was killed.”

“By who?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t know, It was so dark and… Cold.”

Abba struggled to remember anything. It was all a mess of noise and color—and it made her head ache. She forced herself to focus.

“Have you seen anyone else?” Abba asked, kneeling in front of Elizabeth.

Elizabeth nodded. “There’s an angry man. I’m hiding from him. I may be dead but I don’t want to die again.”

What if the girl was right? Was this an afterlife?

Abba knew little of religion. From what she understood, you needed a blessing from one of the gods to earn a place in the greater beyond. But when had she died? How had she died?

“Did you die, too?”

Abba stared down at Elizabeth with a flat expression.

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“I don’t remember,” Abba admitted. “I can’t remember anything.”

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said again.”

Abba stood. “Come with me.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to see if anyone else is here,” Abba explained. “You’re better off with me than hiding alone. I’ll keep you safe.”

Elizabeth considered that for a long moment before getting up.

The two of them walked together, side by side.

“Did you feel the trees?” Elizabeth asked. “They’re just like the ones from Yuvell.”

“I’ve never heard of that place,” Abba said.

Elizabeth made a face at that. “Maybe you forgot,” she said. “Everyone knows Yuvell.”

Abba grunted, feeling like a brute. Could it be that they came from entirely different places? They spoke the same language, though. she tried to remember the name of any place and came up with nothing.

Ahead, the trees grew sparse. A clearing came into view.

“Hang back,” Abba said. “Just in case.”

Elizabeth nodded, falling a few paced behind.

Abba stepped casually out into the open.

The clearing was empty save for massive boulders scattered about. They seemed out of place as if they’d fallen from the sky just a few moments ago.

The gray sky was on full display now. Specks of gold danced in the air, like fading embers carried by wind. There was no wind, though.

Abba hadn’t taken ten steps into the clearing when a man burst out nearby.

The man was tall and armed with a branch. He spotted Abba and unleashed a furious battlecry.

“That’s him!” Elizabeth shrieked from behind a tree.

Abba met the madman’s charge.

They met near the center of the clearing and the man swung his branch down at her.

Abba dodged and stomped the man’s knee out. There was a sickening crack as he went down.

The man landed on his face, howling into the dirt.

Abba sat on his back, pinning his shoulders with her knees. She took both sides of his neck in her hands and squeezed hard.

The man struggled violently. The process was long and tedious. But Abba didn’t let go until he was gone. Then, she got up and scanned the treeline for Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was watching, peering from behind a tree. Her hands were sinking into the bark. Her face was twisted with fear. She vanished behind the tree a moment later.

Abba saw them then.

Several more people started to emerge from the brush, gathering in the clearing. A dozen, then another.

Abba knelt slowly, picking up the branch.

If this really was an afterlife situation, what meaning did death have hear? Had she truly just killed that man?

“Do you know where we are?” A man steped closer, eyeing the corpse. He was old and hunched over.

“No,” Abba said.

“Did you kill that man?”

“Yes.”

They stared at each other for a moment.

The sky lit up, a burst of color tearing it open. Blue light poured down, flooding the forest with warmth.

Magic.

Abba dropped her branch as the blue light passed over the crowd. It felt like cold water on her skin.

The light gathered, forming a shape in the center of the clearing. A figure formed, a person. It was the size of a child.

The child landed gently on the grass as the light dimmed. Its face was a blur of faces, men women and children alike. Ever changing. Its hair was a stream of flowing water that scattered like tree branches around its head. It wore a red robe laced with gold.

“I am The East God,” the child said with the voices of many people speaking together. “Welcome.”

The crowd was completly silent.

Abba stared, disbelieving. A cardinal god of all things, why?

“All of you are dead,” The East God said. “Some more than others.” With a snap of its finger, the corpse jerked to life.

Abba and the old man jumped back as the man stood. His neck flopped to the side, bones crunching. His limp body, held up by invisible string, started to dance.

The East God laughed a little boy’s laugh while everyone watched on.

“I collected your souls,” The East God said. “So that you may compete for my blessing.”

The dancing corpse went limp, falling forward to the ground.

“Winning my game will have you returned to life. As well as a single request granted.”

Murmurs scattered about the crowd. Soon, people were shouting and cheering.

Abba scanned the crowd, spotting Elizabeth emerging from the brush.

Was the winner to be the last one standing? If so, how many of these people would Abba need to kill? If they were already dead, was it really killing? She glanced at the corpse.

He seemed alive to her. What if…

Abba closed her eyes. She shut out extraneous thoughts and worries and focused on a single fact. She was going to go home. She didn’t remember how she died, or even that she had died. But she wasn’t going to stay here. That was all that mattered.