The Wizard Killer - Season One: A Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Serial Read Online Free PDF Page A

engraved symbols shining on the seal in the sunlight. Taking hold of the seal, I rotate it until it’s lines look like clouds. “Why not?” I try opening it. The lid moves a little, but enough that the seal isn’t a concern anymore.  
    Laying down, I get my fingers and feet under the lid and put my back into it. The trunk rips open, the lid coming clean off and the few contents fly out. I dive for a fist-sized red bobble.
    Laughing and crying, I whisper to it, “Hello apple.” I turn it around delicately on my grimy fingertips. It’s lumpy with green and yellow patches in places, but perfect. I sniff it. A smile cracks across by my face as I relish how it even smells like food.  
    I sit there in the middle of the road, not sure what to do, coveting my prize. A sadness falls over me as I realize that if I eat the apple, then I’ll be alone again; my hunger and the apple will be gone. “That’s messed up,” I say, giving myself a slap. “Come on, shake off that stupid thinking.”  
    Out of the corner of my eye, I spot something small moving. Tossing the apple, I dive for my pistol and point it at the tiny brown thing, my heart beating a mile a minute. “It’s just a freaking mouse…” Summoning the remnants of my once powerful self, I snatch the little mouse up by its tail and stare at it. “Not so terrifying now, are you?” Shaking my head, I drop my pistol and lay the mouse on my hand. “How did you survive in that trunk?” Glancing about, I laugh. “Maybe you’ve just been living out here, but if you have, then you’re probably going to try and kill me like everything else I’ve run into.” I squint intently at the mouse. “Are you a him or her? Let’s go with him.”  
    He wiggles his nose in the air, and then turns his head away from me.
    Frowning, I put him on the ground in front of me. I lay myself on the ground, prone, and stare at him.
    The mouse stares back, and offers a delicate squeak.  
    I look at the apple and nod, not sure if I’m imagining things or if I somehow understood something. Without hesitation, I bite off a small piece and gently put it beside the mouse.
    “Here you go. Oh, you’re welcome, Randmon,” I say with a smile. I rub my head wondering where the name came from, and why I’m talking to a mouse.  
    Watching the mouse inspect the chunk of apple engrosses me. After sniffing and moving around it, then sniffing it some more, he decides to give it a nibble. Satisfied, he gobbles it up.  
    A sense of freedom washes over me, and I bite into the apple with a ridiculous amount of force, nearly slicing my tongue in the process. Closing my eyes, I let the rich sweetness and bitterness play on my tongue, and revel in the joy of having something to crunch and swallow. Before I know it, I’ve eaten it, core and all.
    The mouse looks up at me, and I feel guilty. “I’m sorry, Randmon. That’s all I’ve got.” Why am I talking to the mouse? Hey, I forgot about the other stuff!” Rubbing my hands together, I get up to check out the other treasures that had spilled out of the trunk. There’s a folded wad of thick paper that looks like a map, an empty coin purse, and an odd steel canister.  
    I stash the map, ignore the purse and shake the canister next to my ear. It makes an encouraging whooshing sound. Glancing back at the trunk and then at Randmon, I figure that the enchantment on the trunk must have kept everything suspended, similar to how my sword works for preserving me.  
    Feeling both ends, I finally find a part that turns. I scream as water starts to spill out. Flipping it over, I splash some into my mouth. Sealing it back up, I dance about like a triumphant idiot until I lock eyes with the mouse. “I didn’t know! Have you seen one of these before? Anyway, there’s still some in there. Don’t worry.”  
    Afraid I’ll spill it all, I carefully turn the lid. I pour some into my hand and let Randmon get his fill. The rest quickly disappears into me.
    I