Searching for God by Kali Campbell

A Short Story By Jillian Brooks

“Zanna?” Ben calls through the darkened forest as he steps over fallen trees. His large boots sink into the wet mud and he sighs.

“Come on, Zanna!” The large man tugs at the collar of his winter coat as rain begins to fall. “It’s freezing out here! If I get sick because of this, I’m gonna’ be pissed!”

Ben rubs his bearded face and shakes out his wet hair. His breathing is heavy, and he begins to shiver. He briskly rubs his gloved hands together as his teeth chatter loudly.

He slowly slides down the large trunk of a tree and rests at the bottom. He sighs, feeling the rain pelt against him. The city’s militia will soon come looking for him; it isn’t normal for the chief to disappear for so long.

Ben sits up abruptly after seeing the bushes across from him shift slightly. “Zanna?” He whispers her name, slowly placing his hand on his gun.

Although the female faerie is quite opposite of what he was taught about the creatures, he is still wary of any sound he hears in this dense forest.

A tall woman steps forward, her body thin and slender. Black lines trace down her pale white arms in the shape of tree branches, and her raven hair drapes down her shoulders and over her face.

Her dark lips curl into a grin, and she tugs at her skintight leaf dress.

“Humans are quite impatient.” Zanna croons, and Ben rolls his eyes. He stands, still shivering a bit, and Zanna raises an eyebrow. “Are you cold?”

“Yeah, just a little bit.” He answers sarcastically, crossing his arms over his armored chest. “What took you so long?” He asks as Zanna snaps her fingers, creating a small but warm flame. Ben holds his hands up to it after stripping off his thick gloves.

“I had some issues with Duran and Puck—” Zanna starts, but Ben steps forward.

The flame in the faerie’s hand puffs out as Ben almost growls, “Those two again?!”

“Calm yourself, Benjamin!” Zanna scolds, and Ben’s jaw clenches tight. He notices that roots have begun crawling up her legs and wrapping around her protectively. “They did nothing. You have my word.”

Ben squints at her then waves her long hair out of her face. She shuts her eyes and scowls, but doesn’t move against him.

Ben gasps, seeing a bright orange bruise covering the left side of her pastel face. Her jaw is tight and her fists are balled at her sides.

“I have your word, eh?” Ben asks, staring at her. Those two faeries have been hurting her since before Ben even knew she existed. They are soldiers of the faerie’s military that fight against the humans in this raging war.

Technically, Zanna is supposed to capture Ben for information, and Ben was ordered to kill her a long time ago. But neither of them could bring themselves to obey their superiors.

“Please, don’t intervene.” Zanna begs, the roots slowly falling back to the earth and disappearing. “I can handle it.”

“You don’t deserve this, Zanna!” Ben takes her hand, and she slowly looks up at him. Her dark eyes are red as she begins to cry, and a purple tear slowly slides down her face. The man slowly kisses her hand. “Just because you are different doesn’t mean you deserve to be treated like that.”

Zanna smiles warmly at him, bringing him close and pressing her lips against his. Ben’s skin is warm and soft, while hers is ice-cold.

“You are always so nice to me, Benjamin,” Zanna whispers, looking into his eyes. They press their foreheads together and shut their eyes. “I don’t deserve that either.”