05-14-2018, 09:48 PM
Kate listened to Kolvo intensely, but her body language betrayed her detachment from the conversation. The stories around the fire reminded her of better times and were a pleasant reprise from the walk to the gate. Kate was sick of long walks. She had become familiar with that, a skill she had been forced to learn on long treks and boring patrols. Taking a seat around a warm fire with some fresh water allowed her to relax somewhat. As Kolvo spoke, Kate glanced around at the other members of their party.
The other girl, Kaleigh, still baffled Kate. The wanton care and support lavished by her was unexpected and unwarranted. Kate wasn’t sure if it was the pain of losing her friends and her world or the panic of being seen as something more than a speck in the universe that made her feel worse about it. The last thing she wanted was for people to care about her, not again. She tried to forget about the hug and focus on Kolvo’s words, but it was difficult to push her thoughts out of her head.
Eventually, the Dark Elf’s story came to an end, and Kaleigh once again catalyzed positivity.
“So…” Kaleigh perked up. “Who… wants to go next?”
Kate glanced at the third girl, Myst, hoping she would pick up the slack. Much to the young rebel’s chagrin, she did quite the opposite.
“Perhaps our newest ami should share her story,” Myst suggested kindly.
Awkwardly, Kate shot her gaze to the ground and brushed back some hair stuck to her grimy cheeks. Despite having summoned a canteen of water, Kate hadn’t taken the time to clean herself yet. After all, dirt and blood were all she had to remind her of the Hell she had left behind: her home. Kate racked her brain for a decent response to Myst’s suggestion, and she managed to generate something passable.
“I’m… uh… From Washington… I think. There were… monsters that hunted us. The people I mean. Humanity. I… fought them sometimes.” Her palm itched as Kate’s brain wandered through memories. “I was fighting some with my frie-... I was fighting some when I showed up here.”
Kate found it surprisingly easy to squelch any emotional response this time. She chalked it up to shock and took a swing of water from her canteen. An awkward pause followed. The long silence was meant to punctuate the end of Kate’s story, but the Dark Elf beside her knitted his brow.
“Surely, that is not the end of your tale?” Kolvo leaned forward, elbow on his knee and canteen in hand. “You appear as if you have been through Oblivion.”
“Yeah, I probably look like crap, huh.” Kate dragged a thumb across her cheek, pulling it away smudged with grime.
She tightened her lips, feeling the grit between her teeth, and took another swig of water. Then, she tilted the canteen and poured some onto her left hand. The clear liquid cleared away the dirt that caked her palm, revealing the symbol burned there. Forcing herself to ignore it, Kate cupped the water in her hand and splashed her face. After a few passes, she managed to wipe away the outer layer of grime. Blinking away droplets that gathered on her eyelids, the young survivor glanced at her new traveling companions. Kaleigh was still locked in, listening intently, and Kolvo seemed to share her interest. Myst, directly beside Kate, was just outside of her field of view. Kate had made it a point not to look at her. There was something about the girl that scared her, not as a threat but as a potential friend. The sadness in her eyes was all too familiar. Then, the girl in the white hoodie splayed out her hands, mildly exasperated.
“...So? Keep going!”
The young soldier sighed, picking at the hair tucked behind her ear and staring at the fire. There was no reason not to share, except maybe out of fear and pain. There was a lot of Hell to remember, and a lot she couldn’t. Kate bit her cracked lip, breaking the skin, and closed her eyes. After taking a breath, she spoke again.
“I’m Kate Hunt. I’m from California, which is… well, it’s a place where I’m from I guess. It’s hot there sometimes. When I was six, the monsters came. Aliens, some people think. Big metal things with sharp claws and empty faces. They killed my parents, slaughtered the soldiers that tried to save us, and started just taking over the whole world.”
Flashes of the vile beasts flitted through her mind, false shadows flickering at the edge of the fire as her memories forced themselves to the surface.
“People say they can steal your soul, that they eat whatever the spirit is made of when you’re just about to die. It’s like hell, forever, trapped inside a monster’s mind. I think I’ve seen it but…”
Her voice cracked, and Kate took another sip from her canteen. Myst placed a quiet hand on Kate’s shoulder, giving the girl the strength to continue. With a weak smile to the French woman, Kate continued.
“When I was eight these things came and took me from the people who were protecting me. They dragged me really far, to the point where I don’t even remember. I don’t remember anything really. I don’t remember much of anything else until I turned 14.”
Dark visions of terrified children, screams, machines, and symbols racked her brain. Her palm started to burn at the misted memories. More Watchers like the ones who had taken her floated about the clinical environment her mind conjured, tentacles long and terrifyingly sentient. Fragments came and went, and Kate elected to keep what she could remember to herself.
“Then a bunch of survivors picked me up in Washington, which is way north of California. I stood with them a while. They taught me how to fight and survive, and we avoided the Dogs for a few years. I met some really nice people too.”
Kate’s passing memories of Gabe’s face was supplemented by the way that she could almost hear his voice, laughing just a camp over at something Faraday had said. She shook off the near hallucination and smiled sadly. The voices faded, replaced by her crushing guilt and despair. She glanced down at her palm thoughtfully. The burning along her mark had sunk into a dull throb. She wrestled with the idea of sharing her mark, self-conscious as she was about it. Reavers hunted her for it. People had died over it. The last thing Kate wanted was to drag anyone else into her personal war with the Reavers.
However, in this Omniverse, there was no reason to believe they were even here. The damned Screamers had probably been left behind in the forest… feeding on her friends’ corpses. Kate swallowed back her apprehensions and looked up. Across the fire was an invested Kaleigh. The flickering flames lit up her concern and interest. The other girl’s eyes flicked to the hand Kate gripped like a vise and her brows tilted curiously. Against her better judgment, Kate held out her branded hand. A dim greenish glow pulsed from the dark lines in tune with her thumping heartbeat.
“Then this started to burn, and the Reavers started coming again.” She said, feeling the heat of the campfire intermingle with the burning of her scar.
“What is that?” Kolvo inquired.
Kate retracted her hand hastily, burying it in her jacket. “I don’t know. I wish I did.”
Kaleigh tilted her head. “So the dirt and blood and stuff; were you in a fight?”
“Yeah. A bunch of Reavers attacked my friends and me while we were on patrol.” The gunshots and screams haunted her. “That’s actually the last thing I remember before showing up here.”
She exempted the fact that the monsters had been after her, drawn to the mark on her palm, and that her friend’s deaths had been her fault. Kate slapped her palms on her thighs to signal that she was done talking and stood up.
“Anyway, I’m gonna get some air.” Kate picked up her rifle from beside where she had been sitting and slung it over her shoulder. “Have fun.”
“Where are you going??” Kaleigh called after her.
“Just.. for a walk. I won’t go far.” Kate glanced at the massive gate beside them. As long as she kept it in sight, she could make it back.
The other girl, Kaleigh, still baffled Kate. The wanton care and support lavished by her was unexpected and unwarranted. Kate wasn’t sure if it was the pain of losing her friends and her world or the panic of being seen as something more than a speck in the universe that made her feel worse about it. The last thing she wanted was for people to care about her, not again. She tried to forget about the hug and focus on Kolvo’s words, but it was difficult to push her thoughts out of her head.
Eventually, the Dark Elf’s story came to an end, and Kaleigh once again catalyzed positivity.
“So…” Kaleigh perked up. “Who… wants to go next?”
Kate glanced at the third girl, Myst, hoping she would pick up the slack. Much to the young rebel’s chagrin, she did quite the opposite.
“Perhaps our newest ami should share her story,” Myst suggested kindly.
Awkwardly, Kate shot her gaze to the ground and brushed back some hair stuck to her grimy cheeks. Despite having summoned a canteen of water, Kate hadn’t taken the time to clean herself yet. After all, dirt and blood were all she had to remind her of the Hell she had left behind: her home. Kate racked her brain for a decent response to Myst’s suggestion, and she managed to generate something passable.
“I’m… uh… From Washington… I think. There were… monsters that hunted us. The people I mean. Humanity. I… fought them sometimes.” Her palm itched as Kate’s brain wandered through memories. “I was fighting some with my frie-... I was fighting some when I showed up here.”
Kate found it surprisingly easy to squelch any emotional response this time. She chalked it up to shock and took a swing of water from her canteen. An awkward pause followed. The long silence was meant to punctuate the end of Kate’s story, but the Dark Elf beside her knitted his brow.
“Surely, that is not the end of your tale?” Kolvo leaned forward, elbow on his knee and canteen in hand. “You appear as if you have been through Oblivion.”
“Yeah, I probably look like crap, huh.” Kate dragged a thumb across her cheek, pulling it away smudged with grime.
She tightened her lips, feeling the grit between her teeth, and took another swig of water. Then, she tilted the canteen and poured some onto her left hand. The clear liquid cleared away the dirt that caked her palm, revealing the symbol burned there. Forcing herself to ignore it, Kate cupped the water in her hand and splashed her face. After a few passes, she managed to wipe away the outer layer of grime. Blinking away droplets that gathered on her eyelids, the young survivor glanced at her new traveling companions. Kaleigh was still locked in, listening intently, and Kolvo seemed to share her interest. Myst, directly beside Kate, was just outside of her field of view. Kate had made it a point not to look at her. There was something about the girl that scared her, not as a threat but as a potential friend. The sadness in her eyes was all too familiar. Then, the girl in the white hoodie splayed out her hands, mildly exasperated.
“...So? Keep going!”
The young soldier sighed, picking at the hair tucked behind her ear and staring at the fire. There was no reason not to share, except maybe out of fear and pain. There was a lot of Hell to remember, and a lot she couldn’t. Kate bit her cracked lip, breaking the skin, and closed her eyes. After taking a breath, she spoke again.
“I’m Kate Hunt. I’m from California, which is… well, it’s a place where I’m from I guess. It’s hot there sometimes. When I was six, the monsters came. Aliens, some people think. Big metal things with sharp claws and empty faces. They killed my parents, slaughtered the soldiers that tried to save us, and started just taking over the whole world.”
Flashes of the vile beasts flitted through her mind, false shadows flickering at the edge of the fire as her memories forced themselves to the surface.
“People say they can steal your soul, that they eat whatever the spirit is made of when you’re just about to die. It’s like hell, forever, trapped inside a monster’s mind. I think I’ve seen it but…”
Her voice cracked, and Kate took another sip from her canteen. Myst placed a quiet hand on Kate’s shoulder, giving the girl the strength to continue. With a weak smile to the French woman, Kate continued.
“When I was eight these things came and took me from the people who were protecting me. They dragged me really far, to the point where I don’t even remember. I don’t remember anything really. I don’t remember much of anything else until I turned 14.”
Dark visions of terrified children, screams, machines, and symbols racked her brain. Her palm started to burn at the misted memories. More Watchers like the ones who had taken her floated about the clinical environment her mind conjured, tentacles long and terrifyingly sentient. Fragments came and went, and Kate elected to keep what she could remember to herself.
“Then a bunch of survivors picked me up in Washington, which is way north of California. I stood with them a while. They taught me how to fight and survive, and we avoided the Dogs for a few years. I met some really nice people too.”
Kate’s passing memories of Gabe’s face was supplemented by the way that she could almost hear his voice, laughing just a camp over at something Faraday had said. She shook off the near hallucination and smiled sadly. The voices faded, replaced by her crushing guilt and despair. She glanced down at her palm thoughtfully. The burning along her mark had sunk into a dull throb. She wrestled with the idea of sharing her mark, self-conscious as she was about it. Reavers hunted her for it. People had died over it. The last thing Kate wanted was to drag anyone else into her personal war with the Reavers.
However, in this Omniverse, there was no reason to believe they were even here. The damned Screamers had probably been left behind in the forest… feeding on her friends’ corpses. Kate swallowed back her apprehensions and looked up. Across the fire was an invested Kaleigh. The flickering flames lit up her concern and interest. The other girl’s eyes flicked to the hand Kate gripped like a vise and her brows tilted curiously. Against her better judgment, Kate held out her branded hand. A dim greenish glow pulsed from the dark lines in tune with her thumping heartbeat.
“Then this started to burn, and the Reavers started coming again.” She said, feeling the heat of the campfire intermingle with the burning of her scar.
“What is that?” Kolvo inquired.
Kate retracted her hand hastily, burying it in her jacket. “I don’t know. I wish I did.”
Kaleigh tilted her head. “So the dirt and blood and stuff; were you in a fight?”
“Yeah. A bunch of Reavers attacked my friends and me while we were on patrol.” The gunshots and screams haunted her. “That’s actually the last thing I remember before showing up here.”
She exempted the fact that the monsters had been after her, drawn to the mark on her palm, and that her friend’s deaths had been her fault. Kate slapped her palms on her thighs to signal that she was done talking and stood up.
“Anyway, I’m gonna get some air.” Kate picked up her rifle from beside where she had been sitting and slung it over her shoulder. “Have fun.”
“Where are you going??” Kaleigh called after her.
“Just.. for a walk. I won’t go far.” Kate glanced at the massive gate beside them. As long as she kept it in sight, she could make it back.