Chapter 17
Back when I’d been on my own, uneasiness used to follow me like my own shadow. Whether I was staying in a house or moving from one place to another, there had always been that feeling of something watching, of something bad, man or monster, lurking just around the next corner.
To be frank, while I knew getting attacked by a monster would be gory and painful, I’d never had any illusions about the horror other survivors could inflict. In the religious compound, whippings had been normal, and the women—the girls… It horrified me what they had done to them.
However, with the five bagua around, it wasn’t so bad. We saw a monster relatively early on, almost as soon as we passed that department store. The magpies cawed loudly when they spotted it, but Vergis had his hand on his pistol long before that.
The beast was the same purple type that had tried to eat me in the women’s clothing section.
Four eyes, toothy smile, anger issues. It didn’t even get all that close though.
Before it could, Nokim pulled a bow off his shoulder and fired two or three arrows in quick succession, all of them hitting their mark.
I was impressed, not least by the fact Nokim chose a bow and arrow rather than the shotgun or rifle or whatever it was he also had slung over his shoulder.
He and Fellisse jogged over to the dying beast and dispatched it.
Nokim pulled his arrows from the corpse, wiped them clean on some cloth, and that was that.
No fuss, no screaming, no Rory snack time.
Through all of that, Inkiri kept me in his arms and clicked at me in a low voice.
Considering no one else was at all concerned about the beast, I felt almost silly.
Almost. To be frank, I enjoyed the clicking and being held more than the monster worried me.
In a matter of days, I had apparently turned into an attention whore, and I was fine with that. It felt good.
We continued at a relaxed pace, and I pulled my ballcap from my bag before long. When I explained that I was too fair skinned to be out in the bright sun all day in May, it led to our first explanation of medical issues.
We were on a gravel path patterned with dandelions. In the distance, I could see the turrets of a castle—not too unusual a sight in Ireland. Deer were grazing in the meadow in front of it.
“You say being outside in the sun is enough to give you this sunstroke sickness?” Fellisse was on my right. Vergis was still in the lead, but Nokim had caught up and was walking next to him, offering him some crackers.
“I mean, it only happens when we’re in the sun for too long, and it’s mostly a problem for those of us on the paler side and not used to, you know, full-on summer.”
Fellisse frowned. “But summer happens every year on Earth.”
On my other side, Inkiri made a noise of agreement.
I cleared my throat. “Well, yeah, but it’s a big planet. Not everyone is used to very warm summers.” I put a hand to my chest. “Plus, I’m Irish. We’re all very fair skinned.”
Fellisse looked thoughtful. “Donna never mentioned sunstroke sickness. She liked to say that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
I cleared my throat. “You know that’s not literal, right?”
Vergis cackled while crunching down on a cracker, then looked at us over his shoulder. “You’re such a wimp.”
Inkiri reached for my wrist. “He’s not a wimp, he’s frail. There’s no shame in that.”
Vergis shrugged and looked back ahead. “Whatever.”
Fellisse clicked. “How do you treat this sunstroke sickness?”
I took one of the crackers when Nokim offered the bag. “Oh. I think you have to rest and drink lots of water, but like I said, wearing a hat helps prevent it. Sunburn can be bad as well.”
Fellisse’s eyes widened, and both Inkiri and Nokim turned to me in shock.
From behind us, Lissir gasped. “You mean humans burn in the sun?”
“I thought that was vampires. I didn’t know it was real,” Inkiri mumbled.
Vergis wasn’t even trying to contain his villainous cackle.
I turned millet bean red. “No, that’s not—we’re not vampires. No one bursts into literal flame. Some people get very red skin if they’re in the sun too long, and it hurts a lot and then peels off.”
“That sounds very bad.” Fellisse looked me over. “How do you know it’s happening, and how do you prevent it?”
“Should we rest now, sweet thing?” Inkiri asked.
“Guys, I’m fine. You can use sunscreen—that’s a cream you put on your body. And cover up. That’s fine for most cases.”
Fellisse leaned closer. “I don’t like it. That seems very risky.”
I raised my finger. “People turn red before they really get sunburned.”
Fellisse’s eyes widened. “But you’re already pink all over! How would you even know?”
Inkiri clicked. “He turns red when I give him pleasure. It happened every time.”
Lissir hummed. “He also turned red when he had the alcohol. Fellisse, you should’ve noticed that.”
The big guy sighed. “You’re right. I should have paid better care.”
“Better attention,” Inkiri said, then caught my eye. “Fellisse is our… Vergis, what word is right?”
“Medic, probably.”
Inkiri nodded. “Fellisse is our medic.”
“Medic.” Fellisse tested the word a few more times. “I am a medic. I need to know how to take care of you too, Rory.”
I blushed. “Oh, well…”
He clicked, sounding almost agitated. “Your face! Is this the sunburn or the sunstroke sickness?”
Vergis had another episode of fierce cackling.
That didn’t help with me feeling embarrassed, but I tried. “Neither. I’m fine.”
A hand settled on my shoulder. “Rory, you promised,” Lissir said. “Also, I would like a break to read more manga. Vergis?”
Vergis groaned. “Fine.” He pointed. “That’s probably the castle’s orchard. We can stop there.”
Inkiri leaned in. “Sweet thing, maybe I should carry you the rest of the way?”
“I—no. I’m fine. It’s fine. I was just—I’m not getting a sunburn. No sunstroke either.”
Fellisse hummed. “How would you know? If it’s like dehydration, then you might not.”
Vergis turned and walked backward. “They get red in the face for no good reason, this one more than most people. It’s emotional.”
Nokim held out his crackers to us again. “That’s fascinating! I don’t think I ever saw Donna turn red.”
“Fucking Donna,” Vergis grumbled.
We made it to the orchard, which was surrounded by a low stone wall, and to everyone’s pleasant surprise, it was near a farmhouse that looked like it had been well taken care of. The timber frame and white walls were barely stained, the wood a glossy ebony.
While weeds had crept in everywhere, the drive and garden close to the orchard appeared well taken care of. Even the car still in the driveway was pretty new, at first glance. At a second glance, dust and pollen coated it, and a spider had spun its web between the unmoving tire and the frame.
The farmhouse was likewise abandoned. You could tell from the way the windows and door had gathered dust. When Nokim tried the door, it opened for him.
He turned to the rest of us. “Should we go inside? Rory, you can rest in here.”
I came closer, Inkiri never leaving my side. I could see into the house from outside the door.
The new interior spoke of owners who’d wanted the look and feel of the old with all the comforts of the new.
Those owners were gone now, and those comforts served no one anymore.
I didn’t want to go inside. I didn’t want to have to imagine who had once lived here.
I didn’t want to have to see any photos, read the names on any mail that had been unopened for the past two years.
I shook my head. “You go. Ink, can we go into the garden? There was shade under the trees.”
He nodded. “Of course, sweet thing.”
Lissir went past me. “Nokim, I’ll come inside with you. We can see if there is anything useful.”
Vergis headed toward the garden path. “Shout if you need help.”
Inkiri, Fellisse, and I followed him to a stone path that led to the back of the house and past a vegetable patch that had gone wild.
I flinched when something white fluttered out from those leaves, and Inkiri stepped in front of me before I could so much as scream.
Vergis snorted. “Just a chicken. I doubt it’ll attack you.”
Fellisse approached the chicken, who was quickly moving to the back garden ahead of Vergis. “This one looks different from Donna’s. Hers weren’t white.”
Inkiri relaxed, but still took my wrist. “I didn’t know they hid in plants.”
I chuckled. “These must’ve gone feral. A lot of pets have.”
Inkiri clicked and narrowed his eyes with determination. “I’ll try to tame them.”
We rounded the house. The garden we’d seen from the orchard was big and had many fruit trees of its own.
The chicken flock had gathered in one mostly shady corner, and they gave us speculative looks.
I wondered whether they had seen people at all over the past two years or if they’d forgotten all about us.
Inkiri let go of my wrist and started clicking as he slowly made his way toward the chickens.
Fellisse stepped up next to me. “He’s good at this. Do you want to sit while we watch?”
He pointed at a wooden bench that had been bleached by the sun. I was tempted, but I caught Vergis giving me one of his looks.
I crossed my arms. “I’m good.”
We stood watching Inkiri make his slow approach while clicking continuously. The chickens clucked away in response. They probably found his clicks more familiar than human speech, if they still remembered that.
When Inkiri crouched, most of the flock gave him a wide berth, but one of the white chickens, maybe the one that had been hiding in the vegetable patch, decided to approach him.
After holding out his hand, he was soon scratching her behind her head. Why had no one ever mentioned to me how sexy it was to see a large man pet chickens with the utmost care?
Vergis put a hand on his hip. “Yet another annoying bird he befriends. Just like those magpies.”
Fellisse tilted his head. “They were entertaining.”
“Fucking nuisance is what they were.” He pointed. “Those’re raspberries. I’ll go pick some.”
Fellisse nodded. “Yes. Rory, let’s get you in the shade so you can rest.”
“Okay.” I looked around. “Should we find chairs? Maybe we can grab some from inside.”
He clicked. “I brought a blanket. A picnic blanket, yes?”
“Huh. You know what? I don’t think I ever had a real picnic with a blanket out in nature.”
Fellisse grinned at me. “Inkiri! Your mate is excited.”
“Good,” Ink said and stood, the chicken looking up before taking a cautious step back. “Let’s go under the trees.”
I chuckled when the chicken decided to follow him.
Once we’d picked a spot, Fellisse pulled the blanket from his pack. By the time we’d set up and sat down, the chickens had come closer and were excitedly pecking at the peanuts Inkiri had thrown them.
It felt almost like a vacation, and watching Inkiri befriend the most curious of the chickens was just the cutest. Vergis was soon done with his raspberry picking. He’d filled a whole camping bowl with the bright red fruits and put them in the center of the blanket to share with everyone.
Before long, Nokim and Lissir came out of the house, and we had some of the food Nokim had packed. We laughed at the chickens’ antics—they’d picked out Inkiri as someone you could peck in order to get either food or pets. By the time we were ready to move on, I’d decided I loved picnics.