BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 203's

As soon as the two reached the front of the crossing bridge, Rolan immediately understood what the walking carcass meant by Jose. That's not a figure of speech, but a real carcass. And the carcass was indeed running, making Rolan remember the myth about Kunarpa. Kunarpa means corpse in archaic language, but in Bjork there is a story about a human who lived despite being dead. The corpse was walking like an ordinary person despite rotting. No one knows if the story actually happened or not, but the story is passed down by word of mouth under the title Kunarpa.

Rolan shivering. The one in front of them right now was obviously Kunarpa.

Initially the shapes were just silhouettes, then the longer it became clearer. There are women and men, some are young. They all walked slowly from the turn of the tax office, some sometimes stopping to sniff the air, like looking for something. White steam billowed from the bodies of several figures, making them exactly mini steam trains.

There was warmth there, thought Rolan looking at the steam. Some of them are new meat, still hot and steamy. Can it still be saved?

"Sir William made them!" It's pushing hard. "How about we hide out in the woods?"

"Don't. I agree that Sir William made this. He can make more because his necklace is back. So they'll definitely keep coming after us, they're ordered to. The forest was more dangerous than the open," Jose spoke faltered as if every word was making him in pain. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then raised the two daggers in hand in a prepared position. Now his eyes were shining with determination. "At any rate, they can't be left wandering around."

"But they were ten, eleven, fifteen," Rolan stopped counting. His mouth feels dry. His stomach began to curl. It all feels like a real nightmare. Sometimes he still hoped that the next moment he opened his eyes, he would wake up in a room, in his house, in Delton, on the Yvone side. But it's impossible. "They were over twenty, Jose," he said raucously. "And I heard a faint commotion. There might be more back there."

"We have daggers."

"Yes, good tool. Sharp, short, hmmm it seems useful to grease butter or shave whiskers." Rolan noticed the sharp blade on the right hand. Unlike Jose who was ambidextrous, he only used his dominant hand to fight. "But what is useful for dealing with the undead? I'm not sure."

"Even Uncle was ever sure of something?"

"I'm sure we should go home" said Rolan bored, as if they faced the undead hundreds of times a day to make him bored. "Corpse walking. Marco should have had a complete break in bed, but if a creature like this appeared, he would have wanted to catch it and check it himself. Sometimes I'm not sure if he's really old or a kid."

Jose laughs. His eyes were watching the bodies that were getting closer. "Say that in front of his face, I wonder what Uncle Marco's answer is."

"don't want. I love my life." Rolan also watched closely. The speed of the corpses was different. Some are very slow, some are faster than others, but they all smell. His conversation with Jose was able to make Rolan slightly sidetracked from horror. Even so, his heart was pounding too hard and his back was hot. A cold wind blew, this time blowing towards the forest, as if asking them to take shelter there.

One of the fastest corpses finally made it to the front of the bridge, now walking twitching closer to them while groaning occasionally. Female corpse. The body was bare-chested, splashing gray and black here and there just like a ripe mule. On his chest there was an open wound, his flesh turning white. The smell of wet garbage wafted out thickly from the corpse.

Rolan slipped one dagger in his belt while the other he held in a prepared position. "I'm going to face this" he said as he stretched a free hand forward for Jose in a protective stance. "Just you're hiding somewhere safe, okay? Back away."

"I'm the one who backed off? Who said he loved his life?"

The body reached the end of the bridge with a whining sound. The road is getting faster, though it is limping.

"Yes me. And I'm still consistent. Edgar and Renata will kill me slowly if their little prince gets hurt. Then Marco will cut my body small."

"That's not funny."

"I'm not kidding and you know it."

"Good God .." murmured Rolan trembling. He felt the dry bread and sausage he had eaten earlier like pressing up into the esophagus. His hands were so damp that he feared his dagger would slip down. "Stay here, Jose."

"And let Uncle have fun alone? Withoutpaku? No need to."

Rolan did not catch his breath. Along with the slide of the sentence just now, Jose darted forward and twisted the body strongly like a loose gasing. Utilizing the swivel power, his hands slashed sharply. The dagger tore through the woman's neck, making her throat tear. There was the sound of bone crackling clashing with the cold blade of the dagger. But there is no blood. The smell of pus spreads. Flies fly away in the noise, then alight again with a recalcitrant.

"He's not dead!" pekik Rolan horrified.

"He's dead" corrects Jose while jumping back, returning to his uncle's side.

The body was limped forward with the head almost severed.

"We can beat them, Uncle." A sure smile flashed on Jose's thin lips. "By Argent's way."

"How's it?" Rolan exclaimed to overcome his panic. Breathing gasps. His strength was as if drained away seeing the corpse still walking. "If I say excuse me they'll let us through?!"

"Not that way. But this one!" Jose ran forward once more, putting all his weight on his legs to kick the belly of the corpse. The woman opened her mouth and let out a jolt sound that resembled a clogged channel. His body was thrown into the river bank, lost balance, then fell into a loud thump.

"Violence!" Rolan nodded loudly. "Finally! The way I can do it too."

The corpse was dragged up by the current up to several meters downstream, but stubbornly grazed to rise to the surface. After observing for some time, Jose walked firmly towards the river, pulled out a hair from his head, then stretched it out over the river. His face was so shady as he whispered softly in a humble way, "May God forgive your sins, receive your soul in the radiance of love of His face."

The corpse was still grazing for a while, then the wind blew fiercely from the direction of the forest, causing the sound of the decadence of the leaves clashing with the leaves. The forest whispered, thought Rolan. His eyes bought wide when he saw the strands of hair on Jose's fingers scorched in magenta flames. At the same time, under the helping hand of his nephew, the entire tributary lit up in a purplish glow. The flame only survives one eye. The next second the water again blackened in the dark. Its surface was calm without ripples, hiding the torrent beneath it.

The sound of the moans of the dead body was heard saying, getting closer, but there was no sound of the corpse of the torn woman just now. Not even a bubble of air appeared to the surface of the river. The body was like it vanished in the night.

Jose was still standing quietly by the river with his eyes closed for almost a minute. When the young man finally turned his head, Rolan reflexively pointed the tip of the dagger at him.

"Uncle ...? What does this mean?"

"Who are you?!" hardik Rolan's.

**

¬ambidextrous: people who can use right and left hands equally well.