Rainer
Mama said to never trust a stranger with seemingly good intentions. Everyone wants something—especially if that someone is a monster.
Ieat what I’m given, which very clearly began as freeze-dried or from a can, but it’s not the worst food I’ve had. In fact, I don’t hate the freeze-dried fruit at all.
I watch them move around as I eat and drink the water they bring me in a glass cup. I’m not sure of the last time I saw a glass cup. When I was a child, perhaps? Even then, it sat on a shelf as if it were a prize.
Now that we’re in the light, I can see them more clearly. Keary is definitely covered in gold, but it’s clear that it’s part of his skin. It’s not a reflective coat, but a weird matte one that absorbs light until he moves a certain way, then he glitters.
The man that has glowing cracks is dark skinned with even darker markings all over his exposed skin.
I would wager a guess that they cover his entire body.
They’re even all over his face, disappearing into his hairline.
His eyes are a strange kind of lightness.
They don’t look like they glow when we’re in the light, but I remember seeing them shine when we were surrounded by darkness.
I try to make sense of the cracks in his skin. Is there a pattern? Are they flickering in time with a heartbeat or some other rhythm? Why do they glow with a silvery white light—is the color significant?
The third person has long, dark hair that falls to the bottom of his ribs. He’s thinner than most monsters I’ve seen. If it weren’t for the massive horns on his head and his deep red eyes, I might have even said he was a malnourished human rather than any monster at all.
They sit around the room I’m in, which has several options for seating, including the couch I’m on. Silently, they watch me with varying degrees of interest.
My hip aches. I can feel each throb of pain push through my body in time with my heartbeat. But if my hip aches, then the pain only intensifies as it moves closer to my ankle.
I look down at my bare leg to examine the black lines of poison. It’s difficult to say, but I think they’ve stopped in their tracks. I’m nauseous still, but the dizziness and lightheadedness have passed. I don’t think I’ll lose consciousness again.
My eyes settle on Keary. He’s exactly nothing like the monsters I’ve encountered in the past. It’s rare that monsters save the lives of humans. Humans were once the dominant species on the planet. We ruled everything. Every landscape. Every empire. Everything rose and fell with humans.
Then the monsters invaded, unleashing staggered attacks on humans without provocation. The human nations didn’t have time to organize and retaliate before they were nearly wiped off the face of the Earth.
Or so the stories go. I’ve seen enough in my lifetime to know that at least some of those verbal histories are true. Devastated landscapes are everywhere, with nature taking over what remains. The cities are eerie, the towering hollows of old skyscrapers now crumbling and becoming lost to time.
There’s no argument that humans are not running around in abundance, either.
If they’re not fighting each other, they’re fighting monsters or beasts.
And yet… I’ve seen the enormous walls of monster compounds, and I’ve been told that there are humans inside.
Not as prisoners, but as partners. Lovers.
It sounds counterintuitive to me since every interaction I’ve had with a monster has been violent. The human-monster confrontations I’ve seen have been brutal, bloody, and oftentimes deadly.
If humans and monsters are able to peacefully live side-by-side as it’s rumored they do within the walled compounds, then why does everything I’ve seen suggest otherwise?
Then again, a monster just saved my life from a beast who nearly succeeded in taking it. They’re feeding me after doing their best to heal my wound. It’s clear that the two species can get along.
“Oh,” Keary says, and I turn my attention back to him. “This is Notto.” He points at the dark man with glowing cracks. Is there a shadow hanging over him right now? “This is Drystan.” He nods in the direction of the man with horns. “We’re with Eriva.”
Eriva. I’ve heard the name before, but it’s not coming to me right now. “I told you why I was wandering the world. Why are you?”
Keary smiles, and… Okay, he’s attractive, especially when he shimmers like that. Perhaps that shimmer is indicative of a particular emotion. Maybe that’s why I can’t make out a pattern in it.
“Boredom,” Keary says, shrugging. “I don’t want to play house.”
I’m not sure what answer I was looking for, but it wasn’t that. Boredom I understand. I think many wanderers are doing so out of boredom, but most people don’t choose to put their lives at risk by wandering alone.
Most humans are born within small clans or the slightly larger colonies.
There’s safety in numbers, so you’re an easier target if you’re alone.
If you have ten buddies with you, you’re far less of a target.
If you’re surrounded by your entire clan, you have a better chance at surviving an attack of any kind.
Of course, more people in one place means more mouths to feed. That’s the reason clans have started to break away from the colonies. My clan was one of those that broke away. They did so when I was eight or nine.
Monsters took note of that.
“No one said you had to play house,” Notto says, bringing my attention back to the monsters surrounding me.
Keary doesn’t respond. His focus is still on me. “You’re finished eating,” he observes. “Do you want more?”
“No, thank you.”
He nods, eyes still locked on me. “Do you want to get cleaned up? A shower?” He looks at my wrapped ankle, and a mischievous grin spreads across his face when his eyes meet mine again. “Or I can give you a sponge bath.”
“Generous, but I’ll wash myself.”
Keary sighs. “You take all the fun out of washing.” He gets to his feet and offers me his hands.
The thought of standing makes my stomach flip even though the fact that I’m sitting up without fighting for balance means the nausea has passed.
“I think I’d rather take a nap,” I tell him.
Keary shrugs, his hands still offered to me. “Sure. I’ll bring you to a bedroom.”
I’ve grown up with the simple life rule that you don’t trust anyone. Ever. The moment they’ve earned your trust, you open yourself up to having your neck slit when you give them your back—especially when that someone is a monster.
They’re responsible for the destruction of our species, after all. Why would we trust them?
Never show weakness. Never show them vulnerability.
Seems a little late for all that, right? I’m about at my lowest and already at the mercy of these monsters. They saved my life for whatever reason, so I think I’m at least going to live through the night.
Or not. If they kill me in my sleep, that’s a better way to go than the painful death of the poison overtaking my body. Not that that’s off the table yet.
Without many options, I place my hands in his. Keary is surprisingly careful when he pulls me to my feet, giving me time to catch my bearings and adjust my weight. This time, when I put pressure on it, I feel my foot, which is a giant improvement from the last time he had me on my feet.
Now that I’m standing, I realize I’m still only in my underwear and shirt. If I had any sense of modesty, I’d probably blush, but at this point, I don’t give a fuck.
“Can you walk?” Keary asks. There’s a combination of curiosity and eagerness in his voice.
“We’re going to find out,” I say.
Holding his hands like I’m a small child getting ready to take my first steps, I feel ridiculous. But that’s exactly what’s happening right now. He’s here to steady me and catch me if I fall.
How cheesy.
I’m not sure if I want to attempt stepping on my injured foot or try my weight on the uninjured foot first then step off from it.
Both feel far too big. I brace myself for the shot of pain and bring my injured leg forward.
When I put weight on it, thorns begin at the base of my foot and shoot up my leg.
I think I groan. The gentle throbbing that was radiating along my leg to varying degrees is now exacerbated to the fullest extent.
“Okay, okay,” Keary says, and the next thing I know, I’m in his arms. Which is fucking ridiculous since I’m at least as big as he is, if not bigger. He grins broadly. “I’ll gladly carry you, precious.”
My eyes narrow, but he only finds that more amusing.
Thankfully, it seems that one of the dark rooms right off the room we’d been in has an array of beds. Keary lays me down in the most careful way. It’s weird to see him do so since he looks like he wants to tear someone apart.
Then again, that might just be my colored view of monsters. Maybe that’s not the reality.
“Sweet dreams, handsome,” Keary says. “There’s a toilet straight through the room we were just in—the door across from this one. Holler if you need help.”
I nod.
“Any kind of help.” He winks.
“Thanks.”
With a grin, he leaves the room, though he doesn’t latch the door behind him. It’s open a few inches, and the light spills in. I adjust on the bed, moving pillows around so that my foot is elevated as Keary said it should be.
I don’t know if that’s the wisest, but I do it anyway. That’s more medical knowledge than I have.
The fact that I have multiple pillows on the bed is a luxury unlike any I’ve had since my parents were killed. I find the occasional blanket from time to time, but pillows aren’t frequent in my life.
I’m about to doze off when I hear their voices. As much as I’d like to ignore them, my interest is piqued since their discussion loosely revolves around me.
“Why are you doing this?” Notto asks.
“Why not?”
“You’re that bored? What’s your intent with him when, or if, he heals?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far.”
“Keary—”
“You’re not obligated to stay. I didn’t even ask you to come. If you don’t want to stay with the human, then go.”
A beat of silence. This time, when someone speaks, it’s the one voice I haven’t heard much, which tells me it’s the third monster, Drystan.
“Keary—” Drystan begins.
“I’ve already told you no. I’m not interested.”
“You know as well as I do that your monster feels differently,” Notto says.
“Fuck him,” Keary answers. There’s no conviction in his voice. His tone remains uninterested and unbothered. “I don’t give a shit what my monster or what yours want. The answer remains no. If you’re going to keep pestering me, then you can go the fuck away because I’m over it.”
Footsteps, then a door. I wait for the voices to follow, but they don’t.
With no windows, I can’t pretend to know what time it is, but today was exhausting. Stressful. I’m wrung out, so it takes me no time to fall asleep once the distractions have been silenced.
I’m not sure if I sleep for hours or minutes, nor am I sure what wakes me. When I open my eyes, I nearly jump out of bed.
Notto is standing over me, a dark shadow split with cracks of light and eerily glowing eyes. He must enjoy my startlement since his teeth flash in a smile so white it’s as if they’re fucking glowing too.
“What the hell?” I hiss. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to figure out why Keary kept you,” Notto answers.
“Like a damn creep?” I adjust in bed, trying to calm my pounding heart.
“I can study you better when you’re not aware of me.”
“Well, I’m aware of you now,” I snap.
Notto chuckles, but he doesn’t move.
“If you’re going to be a fucking stalker, at least sit over there so you’re not breathing on me. Monster breath is gross.”
This time, his laughter is louder. I’m actually impressed that he does as I tell him to. For the record, I have no idea what monster breath smells like. I suppose, like humans, it depends on what you eat.
“Have you figured it out?” I ask.
“Figured what out?”
“Why he saved me?”
“No.” I hear the frown in his voice. “Maybe.”
“What’s your theory?”
“My hypothesis,” he corrects, and I roll my eyes, “is that his monster wants you.”
“Great,” I deadpan. “What does that mean? For a snack? For a slave?”
He snorts. “For breeding.”
My breath punches from my lungs, and I turn my head to look at him. “You realize that human men can’t conceive, right?”
“I didn’t say anything about procreation.”
Ah. I turn my head so I’m facing the pitch black above me and realize I'm still alive. I didn’t die in my sleep. I take silent inventory of my leg, and… It still hurts—a lot—but the pain doesn’t seem to be spreading.
“Are you staying there all night?” I ask.
“Perhaps. I don’t need to sleep. That’s a weakness we don’t share, human.”
“Good for you. Even if my body didn’t require me to sleep, I would still choose to.”
“Why?”
“Because, for at least a few hours, I can escape this hellish world.”
“You’re at your most vulnerable when you sleep,” Notto notes. “It’s easier to take your life when you’re caught unaware.”
“Then I die in my sleep and will never know.”
“Or you’re taken while you weren’t conscious enough to prevent it, then tortured.”
“It’s a risk I’d still take. Sleeping is my sole reprieve from everything around me. It’s the only thing I look forward to every day.”
Notto doesn’t speak again, and before long, I’m sleeping once more. This time, I don’t wake up until what I presume is morning. Notto isn’t there.