Back From The Dead [Story]

Started by kclace, November 24, 2018, 08:36:47 PM

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kclace

Back From the Dead
Outpost 5: A crashlanded de sert community

Stitch [Male]: Former pirate.Marriam's lover

Malgus [Male]: Evangelist for the 41st Millennial Church of Christ with a chemical fascination.

Tristus [Female]: Jealous woman. Good cook

Massumi Non violent workmen. Murry's husband

Murry: Roundish greedy woman. Massumi's wife.

Clark [Male] Settler. Ugly with creepy breathe.

Marriam [Female]: Former smoke leaf addict. Stitch's lover.

Stitch, Malgus, Massumi, and Clark were all sitting around in the rec room, puffing on smoke leaf joints, while a digital flat screen TV played some sporting event that had happened on some civilized planet a long time ago.  Everyone was listening to Stitch finish telling his new favorite story.

Stitch: "So there I was creeping up behind the rocks, when this native comes a wanderin up. Now I just take a deep breathe and what does he do? He turns his back to me!"

"So then I just let into him with my heavy SMG," Brrrrrr Brrrrrrrr Brrrrrr. Stitch raised his heavy SMG in the air and pretended to shoot an invisible figure. "Three quick bursts and he's down. Then when the rest of them tribesmen came outta their huts and saw the body, they ran damn near as fast as they could outta thar."

"And that is the story of how we took down tha outpost and was rewarded the mechanical resurrectum something or other," Stitch grinned sheepishly. "Now I got tha power of God himself. What do you think of that Malgus?"

Malgus just shook his head as he drew a puff on his joint. "I think it's blasphemous, that's what I think. I'd normally say we should just destroy it, but this planet demands a certain moral flexibility. We should sell the serum and buy some much needed supplies. Don't you think?" He looked around for approval.

Stitch shook his head. "No way Malgus. If I get killed, I'm gonna want someone to bring me back. That's my golden ticket right there."

Malgus snickered. "And what if two of us die at the same time? Who decides who's coming back?"
Stitch grinned: "Tell yah what Malgus. I we both die at the same time, they can bring me back, and we'll let you stay with the big man upstairs eh?"

Malgus frowned. "I'm not presuming my own salvation, but that wasn't really what I was going for."

Massumi scratched his chin. "I don't know what could be wrong with it. I've heard of glitter worlds that use that stuff all the time. Think about that. Entire world where no one dies unless they want to. Amazing."

Marat scowled. "But those worlds are just as dead as the most barren glass worlds. Just in a different way. If people stop dying, then they also stop living. Besides, if these so called glitter world are so wonderful, then why are so many people trying to get off of them and come out here?


Tristus walked into the rec room with a hot plate of meals, a scowl on her face.

Malgus looked at her. "Tristus, what do you think. Sell or keep the resurrectum serum?"

Tristus shrugged her shoulders. "You get me a nicer bedroom than Murry and I'll vote any way you want me to." She left the room promptly, a disgusted look on her face. "Lazy men," she muttered.

Clark shook his head. "What's her problem?"

Stitch snickered. "She's just a jealous b**** that's all."

Massumi grinned. "Well I can understand why she's jealous of Murry. I am a really great husband, and Tristus really doesn't have a lot of good options around here."

Everyone laughed resoundingly at that statement.

Clark looked around. "Alright gentlemen. Let's get down to business. We need to send out a caravan to our neighbors. We got a ton of steel just sitting around. Who's going?"

Marat nodded. "I'll go. Let me take the Resurectum Serum though. It'll fetch a good price."

Stitch pounded the table. "No way. Over my dead unresurrected body your takin tha Serum." He started to lift his heavy smg and point it at Marat.

Massumi pushed the gun down toward the ground. "We'll settle it after the caravan returns. Maram, you go with Tristus Marrium. The rest of us can stay here.

Marat sighed. "Very well. We'll continue this conversation next week then."

The caravan departed the next morning. When they return, the debate about the serum will have resolved itself...
To be continued.




Demoulius

Either someone was going to die soon or they snuck it out to sell it  ::)

kclace

#2
Chapter 2:

Marat, Murry, Marriam, and three camels were returning to Outpost 5 after stocking up on supplies at the nearest friendly Outlander base. (At the last moment, Tristus, had decided to stay behind with Massumi, Stitch and Clark).

Marat grabbed the walkie talkie. "This is caravan to Outpost 5 come in Outpost 5?" Marat was greeted by silence.

A few minutes later, the caravan was close enough to see the outpost. A large plume of smoke billowed in the distance. Everyone's heart sank.

2.5 miles later

When the caravan reached the base, they fanned out to search for survivors. Near the southern barricades, they found two bodies with tattoos and clothing from the Allistar Social Union, a  band of rough outlanders that had plagued the community with raids. At the center of the base, one of the giant windmills lay in a twisted heap of metal.

"No casualties," Murry remarked as she surveyed the scene, sweeping the area with her automatic shot gun just to be sure. "I'm going to look for my husband."

Marat and Marriam secured the rest of the base, but could find no one. Then Marat heard Murry yell out, "I found my husband!"

"But where's my boyfriend?" Marriam muttered under her breathe.

At the Rec Room

The survivors of Outpost 5 gathered in the rec room . Massumi was uninjured but was shaking all over.  Murry gave him a beer to help him steady his nerves.

Murry put an arm around Massumi to comfort him. "Tell us what happened Massumi. It's ok. You're safe now."
"Allistair Social Union...they took Stitch and Clark. Tristus survived and...she limped to the nearest hospital bed. I tried to help her but she died from infection. I...I couldn't save her." He started crying.

Marat shook his head. "And since you are incapable of violence you hid in your closet the whole time."

Massumi nodded

Marriam looked like she was about to cry.

Murry took a deep breathe. "Ok I'll get Allistair on the comms. We'll see if they are willing to negotiate a ransom."

Moments later Murry returned.

Murry spoke up: "They are willing to negotiate for Clark but Stitch died from his wounds. I'm sorry Marriam."
Marriam looked overwhelmed. "Well could we pay for Stich's body at least? We could use the serum and bring him back. Don't you guys agree? That's what we're gonna do right?"

Massumi winced.

"Uh yeah, about that."

In the hospital...

Tristus, the woman that no one really liked, was in the process of coming back from the dead. Her body glowed an eerie blue color as the mechanites spread throughout her body to repair her organs. In a day she would walk again.

kclace

Here is Outpost 5. After the raid mentioned in the story, I set up a perimeter wall and kill box. It made things much easier!

[attachment deleted due to age]

kclace

#4
Chapter 3: Life Begets Death
The rec room: One Month Later

The last month had been uneventful. After the raid, the colonists had built a perimeter wall and a nice sand bagged choke point to funnel attackers through. Combined with IEDS and Molotov cocktails, the Outpost had survived several successive raids without taking any casualties. They'd even picked up a few members, and freed Clark from captivity. Advanced communications technology allowed the colony to trade with passing ships, making caravans mostly un-necessary. Even better the colony now had even more steel to trade thanks to deep drilling. Things were humming along. At least on the surface...

Massumi and Marat were sitting down having a beer together.

"I don't think Marriam's looked at me since I brought Tristus back. I know I should have consulted the group first but I was all alone Marat. I didn't know who was coming back. It was just so much blood and I couldn't save her. I watched her die. Wouldn't you have done the same thing?"

Marat took a sip of his beer. "I don't know what I would have done. You were in an extreme situation. But you understand what you did and I've forgiven you. We just got to focus on the present now. Marriam will get over it eventually. I hope."

Just then Tristus walked into the room, a sneer on her face. She shoved two plates of food onto the table.

Massumi looked up. "How yah feeling Tristus?"

Tristus sneered. "Would be doing a lot better if I had a nice bed room like you and your wife. But I guess you two are just too darn lazy to build anything nice for your top cook. It really makes me wonder why you brought me back at all." She shook her head and left.

Marat looked toward the door. "I've heard they don't always come back right. Sometimes, when they use the Serum, they come back wrong. The soul gets left behind."

Massumi shrugged his shoulder. "She's seems pretty normal to me. A little gratitude would have been nice though."

Marat grinned. "Just focus on keeping your wife happy Massumi. That's the only gratitude you'll ever need."

Massumi chucked.

Later that night.

Marriam was lying in the barn extremely drunk, trying to juggle a few grenades and failing. Her throughts were turning darker by the minute. Something bad was going to happen soon.


kclace

Chapter 3 Part II

Later That Night

Clark and Tristus were standing guard by the choke point as the night idled on. Clark carried an auto pistol on his holster while Tristus had an assault rifle slung over her shoulder. The night was quiet, and cold. Clouds blocked out the strange night sky and its unfamiliar stars.

After a while Clark decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, what was it like being dead," he finally muttered.
Tristus smirked. "I don't know, what was it like being held captive by rough outlanders for over a month?"

Clark shook his head. "Yah know, I'm still pissed that this group was too stingy to  pay up that ransom money. Instead they waited until I was about to be sold to some slaver to do God knows what."

"At least they rescued you in the end. That's got to count for something," Tristus replied in a matter of fact tone.

Clark snickered. "Yeah, only after I stole a radio and told them where I was being held!"

Tristus nodded. "At least you didn't end up like Stitch."

Clark frowned. "Yah know he never really had a chance. He was dead within that first hour. You know what they did? They ditched his body on the side of the road and kept moving. Bastards."

Tristus nodded again before pausing to look out over the barricades half expecting a sniper's bullet to split her head open. When nothing happened,  she looked back to Clark.

"I don't think Marriam will ever get over it," she said.

Clark nodded. "I tried to explain to her that there was no chance we could have gotten his body back to use the serum but it was no use. Oh well. What can you do?" "So yeah, how was being dead anyway?"

Tristus shook her head "All I remember is this deep feeling. Like I was being pulled toward something powerful. It was gravity, but crushing. I still don't know what to think. Maybe I'll talk to Marat about it."

Clark nodded. "When I die I hope I go somewhere good. Actually I hope I just go somewhere. I know it sounds stupid, but I'm not cool with complete oblivion."

Tristuss sighed. "I'll tell you what Clark. If I die again before you do, I'll see what I can do to come back and haunt you as a ghost. That way you'll know I'm sort of ok."

Clark laughed. "Ok deal."

On the horizon, the rimworld's sun started to illuminate the sky, signaling the end of the shift.

With a yawn, Clark and Tristus started walking back toward their rooms.

Moments later, Clark heard the loud thud of a grenade going off inside the compound.

He pulled out his auto pistol and started running in the direction of the explosion. When he looked to his side he saw Murry running alongside him, her auto shotgun at the ready.

Clark reached the scene of the explosion first. He found himself pointing his auto pistol at a very drunk Marriam, who was still clutching a grenade. Marriam was standing over the corpse of Tristus, which had been completely shredded by a grenade.

Tristus was dead, and this time there was no Serum to bring her back.