Chapter 15
The woods near the bunker
Rangely, Colorado
Brir
I knew that humans were curious because they had blown holes in our world. Humans like to poke at things. If they didn’t understand something, they dissected it until they did. Their curiosity about things unknown had proven to be their own undoing and ours.
Artemis’s insatiable curiosity was evident in his constant questions and probing for answers. I talked more than I had in years, trying to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. But it was a struggle when I realized I didn’t have all the answers he sought. Unlike him, I was not well-educated or well-read. I liked to work with my hands.
My skills lay in building and cooking, practical tasks that required hands-on work rather than book smarts. I could identify any plant from my world and tell you what it was used for, but I couldn’t tell you why or how.
I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with all this talking. My village had always had noise, but I had been banished for almost two hundred years. Silence was the norm. When I did speak, it was usually just arguments with Merrick, Leonovus, and others from our assigned group. But now, Artemis seemed eager to talk about everything—the bunker we were in, Dune, myself and my people, and even Arya’s city, which I knew very little about because I purposely kept myself ignorant about the comings and goings of others. It was overwhelming, yet strangely refreshing, to have someone who wanted to listen and learn from me, who wanted to be in my presence.
I found his boundless curiosity oddly endearing but also annoying. It reminded me of when I was a child, asking my Elders endless questions about our people and history. The memory was bitter yet poignant, a tiny ember of warmth in a frigid past of banishment and remorse.
I thought I could get some silence if I could get him out of the bunker for a while. So, I started taking him out more. I let him explore the garden and the farmhouse nearby.
I was wrong. So wrong. This just led to more questions. He asked questions about how I had found the bunker. He made endless inquiries about Dune, but these were understandable. He had never seen a creature like him before. Why did I have Dune? Why was Dune coming with us? How had I built the trailer he pulled behind him as we walked? Then, we ran into the insects he was fascinated with. And more questions.
“I wish I had a jar so I could capture one,” he told me as we stopped several yards from the Vampandrias nesting on the tree.
It was a simple wish, one that I could easily fulfill. After all, we lived in a world with boundless resources.
“A jar?” I rumbled, my brow furrowed.
“Yeah, so I could put one of the Vampandrias in it.” Artemis sounded so excited. He didn’t care that they could kill him. He wanted one.
“Why would you even want to capture one?” My voice sounded shocked, even though I tried for a bland tone.
“To look at it. To study it.” He shrugged. “I could watch what it does through the jar.”
There it was, that human curiosity.
“Couldn’t you look at it now? They’re right there on the tree.” I pointed with one hand but kept him back away from the butterflies. His eyes were twinkling as he studied them.
“Yes, but I can’t see all the details, and you won’t let me get closer than this. I want to know how they eat, what they eat. How they reproduce.” The words sounded alien, foreign concepts for creatures I considered little more than nuisances.
“I won’t let you get closer because they will try to eat you.” I rubbed my hand down my face in frustration. He was just begging to get eaten.
I pulled him away. “Even if you could capture one, the others would most likely attack you,” I kept us moving towards the edge of town.
Artemis seemed undeterred by my warning, his curiosity still burning in his gaze. He looked like he was making a plan. I had to shut this shit down.
He smiled at me, showing me all his sharp teeth. I sighed, shaking my head. “No, Artemis. Don’t even think about it.”
“I’m not thinking about anything,” he tried to reassure me. I narrowed my eyes at him before grabbing his elbow and pulling him down the trail.
Despite my initial annoyance, I enjoyed our conversations more than I cared to admit. Artemis had a way of making even the simplest things seem extraordinary,
I moved over to the first house. Dune stopped with the cart just outside, pawing the ground. Typically, when we went on trips like this, he was calm. Today, he was agitated. Dune’s head shook. I touched his neck, trying to calm the Lepot as he fidgeted.
“Easy, Dune,” I murmured, the syllables rumbling through my chest while my fingers worked to pacify him. He was a creature of pure instinct, easily influenced by the wildly fluctuating emotions of those around him. He was reacting to my agitation.
Artemis rushed up the steps, pushing inside the house through the open door.
“Stay here, boy,” I told the Lepot as I followed the excited man.
Stepping through the dilapidated doorway, I was assaulted by the musty smell of age and neglect. Layers of dust had settled over seemingly everything—from the faded family portraits on the wall to the worn-out couch shrouded in torn fabric. The curtains hung limply at the windows, their once-vibrant colors faded and stained with time.
Artemis was rummaging through the debris, his eyes wide with an almost childlike wonder. He was oblivious to the thick layer of dust that clung to his clothes and hair, settling into his skin. He maneuvered around broken furniture pieces and torn papers scattered about. Despite the mess, there was something eerily peaceful about this forgotten home, as though it held onto memories of laughter and joy—the echoes of a past life suspended in time.
The house was silent, as it should be. I walked deeper into the house, looking for things we needed. I grabbed a candle off the mantle. Artemis was almost phobic of the dark, so I had been burning my candles to keep him from panicking like he had that first day in the bunker, but my stock was starting to dwindle. I heard a crash from the other room. Instantly on alert, I rushed into the hallway just in time to see Artemis frantically trying to clear a cascade of canned food from the kitchen floor.
“I… I didn’t mean…” he stuttered, his arms waving around at the cans. He started gathering them.
“I can see that,” I grumbled, stepping towards him and helping him pick up the cans and set them on the counter. “It’s okay.”
Artemis let out a nervous laugh, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He avoided my gaze. “I just wanted to see what was in the cabinets, and they all just attacked me.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at his sheepish expression.
“You can leave them.” I turned away and moved back out of the room.
“We don’t need them?” Artemis asked, raising his voice a bit so I could hear him.
“Nope,” I confirmed.
I left him to explore the kitchen and went into the bedroom.
I rummaged through the drawers and closets, searching for clothing that might fit Artemis.
I needed to find him some supplies if I was going to be able to take him to Arya. He was smaller than me, and his new limbs meant that nothing fit him as it should. Right now, he was fine walking through the forest without shoes, but I knew he wouldn’t be okay with miles and miles of highway. I would need to find some sandals to help with the new form of his feet.
“What’s that?” His excited voice was moving away from me. I swore this human was going to end up getting himself killed. I shut my eyes and breathed before turning my head to see what had caught Artemis’s attention.
Bright green and yellow feathers caught the light as something hopped to the next bush we could see through the window.
“They are called Kzipi.” There was something magical about watching him see creatures from my world for the first time. His look of awe was mesmerizing.
“They are a prey animal. They do not eat meat. They are meat.”
“They look a lot like rabbits. It’s amazing how many things can look similar to creatures from this world. Evolution is truly stunning.” His eyes sparkled as he took in the creature before it finally spotted us. The Kzipi ran away, and I watched Artemis’s eyes follow the creature before a smile crossed face. “I’m surprised it got that close to us.”
“Kzipi don’t have good hearing.”
“But it has huge ears!”
“Yes, they do. But they use them to try to scare off predators. They will stand on their hind legs and fluff up their ears, splaying all those feathers out and making themselves look larger than they are. They make a chattering sound that is very loud for something so small.” I explained. His awe of the creature made me look at the world differently. Artemis’s interest in the smaller creature made me smile as he went to the window to see where the Kzipi had gone.
“How come you have never left the cities?” I asked him. He seemed so happy exploring new things. I was truly confused about why he’d never gone outside the walls. “You seem like you would love to study the world?”
“Fear, mostly.” Artemis leaned his forearms on the window sill, looking outside. I watched him as he scanned for the Kzipi. “We were in California when the rupture happened, and I saw much of what came through to our world from the news. Not everything looked nice. Let’s be honest—I would try to pet something I wasn’t supposed to and be eaten, and I had Apollo and our parents in the beginning. We just tried to make it work in the city. When the walls went up, that was it. That’s where we stayed.” His explanation made me grit my teeth. I couldn’t imagine being in one of those cities. They were full of humans. I had barely tolerated our village of just a few hundred people. Arya’s city was similar. I couldn’t deal with that many people.
“So, you would have never left the city if the military hadn’t tried to take you somewhere else?” I asked as I led him outside. Dune followed behind us, pulling the cart now laden with what we’d scavenged.
I followed Artemis as he moved from the window to where Dune was. He seemed lost in his thoughts from my question. Dune nudged his hand when Artemis reached out to him.
“No, probably not,” Artemis replied, his fingers scratching Dune’s nose. “I… I was content where I was. I had my sister until she got sick a few months ago. We had a place to stay, and we were safe. We were never really happy. We didn’t have everything we needed, but leaving the city was never something I considered, even when I got sick.”
It was hard for me to understand that concept—staying in one place and never venturing into the world to see what it had to offer. I had explored well past the mountain the village had been in, hunted in the nearby forests, and learned about its creatures.
“Safe,” I muttered, shaking my head. What an abstract and confining concept. “Those cities don’t seem safe. Not like our cities.”
Artemis started following me this time when I started leading us to the next house.
“They didn’t used to be the way they are now. Nothing is the same now.” I had no idea how to reply to that. Artemis’s world had also changed on the day of the ruptures. In the same light, his world also was destroyed, though his planet lived while mine did not.
As we approached the next house, Dune gave a low whine, his eyes anxiously darting around and ears twitching.
Despite being unsettled himself, Artemis reached out and patted Dune’s side reassuringly.
“It’s okay,” he cooed softly. “We’re okay.” His voice held a soothing quality that I hadn’t noticed before. The Lepot had bonded to him much faster than the giant creature had bonded with anyone, even me. Dune truly loved Artemis.
The next house had fared better than the previous one, perhaps because it was tucked away from the elements. The sun had bleached the wooden floors over time. Strips of faded wallpaper clung to the walls, and the windows remained intact.
Artemis stepped into what looked like a child’s room. Toys were scattered around, and a small bed was pushed against one wall. An air of melancholy hung about the room. For a moment, Artemis looked lost in thought.
I watched him perch himself on the edge of the tiny bed, his fingers absentmindedly tracing over a dusty teddy bear. His eyes were lost and sad, and his face longed for what this world once was. I turned away.
“We should get moving. We still need to find more supplies before we go back.”
A loud bang resonated through the house from the child’s room as if in answer. I ran back.
Artemis was sitting on the floor, a blush creeping up his neck. He looked up at me. “I… um… tripped on a toy car,” he stammered, pointing towards a small, colorful car a few feet away.
I couldn’t help but chuckle; this human had a knack for stumbling into trouble. Helping him up, I checked if he had any injuries. He seemed fine except for his pride.
We went from house to house, looking for the things we needed. The cart that Dune was pulling for us slowly filled up. I was on the hunt for another bed.
I heard Artemis make an excited sound from the kitchen, so I moved towards him. He danced happily, holding a large glass jar between his clawed hands.
“You’re not taking that.” I narrowed my eyes at the man who was trying to keep an innocent expression on his angelic face.
“What! Why not?” Artemis protested, his excitement faltering as he protectively clutched the jar to his chest like he needed to protect it as if I was seconds away from taking away his favorite toy. I looked at the jar and grunted. It was filled with olives, preserved in some sort of brine, a human delicacy.
“Artemis, you can not capture a Vampandrias. We have gone over this. The others will attack you.” I crossed my arms across my chest, looking at him with narrowed eyes. “They will feed on your blood until you are nothing but a dried-out husk.”
But Artemis grinned mischievously at me, his eyes alight with determination. “Don’t worry, Brir. I have a plan.” Before I could protest any further, he dashed out of the house. I heard him talking to Dune and the sound of liquid splashing on the street. I knew he was pouring out the jar.
I sighed, shaking my head as I followed him out of the house.
I would just let him take the jar but wouldn’t give him the chance to use it. I could keep him away from the insects.
I whistled for Dune to follow as I went down the street to another house. He just snorted his response as he pulled the cart along. Dune was in a foul mood today. Artemis walked beside us with a silly smile as he wiped the jar clean.
I forced the door of the next house open, turning to see if Artemis wanted to look inside with me. Dune’s head was up as if he were trying to listen, but I had yet to see a hint of anything that should be putting him on edge, so I continued into the house.
“You know, it’s really weird to see the pictures of the people who used to live here,” Artemis said from the living room.
“We won’t be staying long. I just need to look for a few more things.” I skipped the bathroom and went straight to the bedroom. There it was—a mattress that would work for the bed in my room. I stripped the dusty sheets away to ensure nothing had been living in it.
The mattress was clean under the sheets, and I saw no sign of bugs or vermin. It was perfect. I pulled it from the frame and carried it to the hall before leaning against the wall.
“Artemis,” I called out to him, “come help me with this.” A moment later, I heard his light footsteps, and he appeared in the bedroom doorway. His eyes took in the mattress, and a small, embarrassed smile crossed his features.
“I still feel horrible about destroying your bed,” he said, grasping the handles on the side of the mattress to help me move it.
“I’ve told you many times. It wasn’t your fault. You can’t help what your body does when you’re sick. I would never blame you for that. It wasn’t like you took a knife to my bed, Butterfly.” He had apologized many times for the ruined bed. “You didn’t ask to get sick.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t ask to have to take care of me.” I could see the unease in his expression.
“I would have done it anyway. I enjoy your company.”
“You can’t use that as a reason. You didn’t know me then.”
“True,” I conceded, “but I do now, and something inside me told me you were worth it. So stop feeling guilty and help me move the damn mattress.” I tried to keep my tone firm, but a softness in my voice betrayed my emotions.
A momentary silence hovered between us. We both held onto the mattress, his gnarled hands gripping the tattered fabric handle tightly. His eyes had a deep gratitude that he didn’t express with words. Slowly, the uncomfortable silence was replaced by his faint smile.
With a heavy sigh, Artemis nodded and helped me hoist the mattress. We awkwardly maneuvered it down the hall and out through the front door.
Working in unison, we got the mattress tied down to the cart.
I was just finishing the last knot when Artemis nudged me. I looked over at his beaming smile.
“What?” I asked, a little puzzled by his expression.
“I’m going to look at that house,” he said, pointing to one just down the road painted a faded yellow. The house’s front yard was extremely overgrown, but nothing seemed to move around it.
I nodded in understanding before I turned back to the mattress.
“Be careful, Artemis,” I cautioned, my voice tinged with concern as he skipped towards the yellow house.
As I secured the mattress to the cart, I glanced at Artemis. I saw his silhouette against the backdrop of the abandoned house before he stepped through the door.
Artemis disappeared into the house, leaving me alone in the creeping silence. I felt a chill run down my spine. It wasn’t fear, more an unsettling sense of unease. I looked around, squinting against the fading light, but nothing seemed out of place apart from Dune snuffling.
Dune nudged me with his rough snout, drawing my attention. I looked at him as he bumped into me again, a silent encouragement to get moving. He pawed the ground again and seemed nervous.
“What’s wrong, Dune?” I asked, looking him over as he shook his head again before nodding at me again. That feeling washed over me again, and I turned back to look at the house that Artemis had entered. Again, I saw nothing. I strained my ears but heard nothing over the soft sounds of the abandoned town.
“Artemis!” I yelled out. “We should start heading back.”
“Be right there,” he called back. But something in the air, a sense of unease, made my skin prickle. Dune’s reactions all day only heightened my growing anxiety as I strained to hear any sound.
I finished tying down the mattress and pet Dune’s large head reassuringly. He moved a few inches, and I looked over his back, where I could see a smudge in the dust of an abandoned rusted car across the street.
There was a change in the wind, a tremor in the air that set my teeth on edge. I ran a hand over Dune’s scales, his nervousness palpable.
“I’ll be right back,” I told Dune, patting him on the head one last time before I walked over to the rusted car.
“Artemis!” I called out again, this time louder, more urgent. “We need to leave!”
I looked at the mark of whatever had brushed up against the abandoned vehicle. I bent down to study it. The smudge was fresh. Something had leaned against the rusted vehicle, rubbing away the dust that covered its surface. The sound of fluttering papers drew my attention to the hood of the abandoned car, where a folder lay open.
My heart pounded in my chest as a cold wave of terror washed over me. As some predatory instinct kicked in, I could feel the prickling sensation, like tiny needles piercing my skin. The folder shouldn’t have been there. Its white pages were out of place in a world exposed to the elements.
Dune pawed at the ground again. His large taloned paws left gauges in the broken asphalt. His whining grew more anxious by the minute.
As I approached the folder, my heart quickened. The papers fluttered in the slight breeze, and the words weaved around on the pages.
My stomach sank, and fear coursed through my body. I reached out a hand and flattened the fluttering papers, pinning them down so I could look at them. They looked like military documents.
A cold sweat broke out on my brow as I read the black-inked words, “Operation Extraction, Containment.” Fear swelled in my chest, threatening to strangle me. A map of the surrounding area had been marked with ominous red circles, and dates were scribbled hastily in the margins.
I scanned over the inked letters on the stark white paper, specific acronyms and phrases popping out at me. My breath hitched, my fingers trembling slightly as they traced over the words.
The words on the documents blurred before my eyes, the gravity of their contents weighing heavy on my chest. Codes, coordinates, and a list of names that sent a shiver down my spine. As I scanned the pages, a name jumped out at me—Artemis.
My heart started to pound in my chest, the blood roaring in my ears. I reread the name—Artemis—again and again as if hoping it would change or disappear. The implications were terrifying. A cold sense of dread enveloped me.
I choked on the air that threatened to suffocate me, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. Artemis.
A picture in the corner caught my attention.
A woman with stunning features and long, sun-kissed blonde hair smiled back at me. The sunlight glinted off her blonde hair as it whipped around her face, framing her perfect features and dazzling smile. She embraced a beautiful man who had her features standing before her, her chest pressed to his back, arms over his shoulders. His presence sent a chill down my spine when I caught sight of his piercing blue eyes. I knew those eyes all too well.
???
I snatched the faded photo from the file, sending the paperclip flying. I raised it to my eyes, and my heart sank into the pit of my stomach. I turned on my heels towards the house that Artemis had gone into, trying to catch a glimpse of him through the grimy windows.
My feet pounded against the pavement as I sprinted towards the faded yellow house at the end of the street. Each step felt like a jolt of electricity as fear and dread coursed through my veins. I held the crumpled photo with white-knuckled hands, its corners digging into my skin. The closer I got to the house, the louder my heart thumped in my chest, threatening to burst out of my ribcage.
The image in the photograph burned into my mind—the woman’s bright smile, much like his, and the implications that sent a shiver down my spine.
“Artemis!” I screamed, my voice raw with terror.
The house loomed ominously before me, its facade duller and more foreboding in the dwindling light. I could hear Dune in the distance, his groans echoing my fear.
But the only response was the deafening quiet that pressed against me. Panic swelled in my chest as I frantically ran down the street.
The door to the yellow house was slightly ajar; a sense of foreboding washed over me as I pushed it open. The rusty hinges groaned in protest as I stepped into the gloomy interior at a run. The door opened so fast it slammed against the wall, the doorknob sinking into the plaster. I skidded to a halt in the hall, looking around for Artemis in the shadows that seemed to dance menacingly around me.
As I rushed through the abandoned house, my footfalls echoed off the faded wallpaper. The air was heavy with a tangy scent, and I wrinkled my nose at the musty odor. Cobwebs clung to every corner, and dust coated every surface. It was clear this place had been deserted for quite some time.
I entered the room. My eyes immediately fell on the tipped-over chair and the deep drag marks etched into the dusty wooden floor. I clenched my fist tightly around my sword and drew it from its sheath as I crept toward the back room. I tried to ignore the trembling in my body as I followed the drag marks across the ground.
I reached out with a trembling hand. The rusted door knob squealed as I pushed open the heavy wooden door. My arrival was announced before I even stepped inside.
From the door, I could see Artemis, tears dripping from his eyes as he stood frozen in the center of the bedroom. He clutched the large glass jar with a struggling Vamandrias inside. Dirt covered his lower legs.
He wasn’t alone.
His eyes were wide with fear as a man pressed a glistening gun against his head. Another human pointed a rifle in my direction. The sneer on her face told me that she would shoot if I made a wrong move. My heart pounded as I stopped in my tracks. My eyes did not leave Artemis’s face. The fear in his eyes as the tears tracked down his face stole the breath from my lungs.
“Artemis.” I heard his name slip past my lips as my eyes locked onto his vibrant blue ones.
“Drop the weapon,” she said. I heard the safety of the weapon click off. I dropped my sword and raised both my hands in surrender.
If I were alone, I would have tried to calculate my chances of disarming them without getting anyone killed. But a cold realization settled over me as I watched Artemis’s face, frozen in fear, and the Vampandrias thrashing in the jar. They were in control here.
“Easy now,” the woman snarled, her eyes never leaving mine. Her finger hovered dangerously close to the trigger of the rifle, her grip steady.
Every instinct screamed at me to attack, to protect, but I knew I had to tread carefully or risk making things worse. Artemis was too close to the man with the gun; one wrong move could end it all. The room felt suffocatingly small, the air thick with tension.
His tear-streaked face was a mask of anguish and fear. The butterfly struggled in the jar, desperately attempting to break free. My fists clenched in frustration. The man behind him pressed the gun harder against Artemis’s temple, and he winced in pain.
“Not another step, asshole,” said another man to my right. I turned my head just enough to see the gun he was holding on me. I had been so focused on the two before me that I hadn’t taken in my surroundings. We were outnumbered; somewhere in this room was a nest of blood-sucking vampire butterflies. I could only guess they were right above us on the wall behind me by Artemis’s eyes, which kept flicking over my head.
The tension in the room was palpable as I stood frozen, surrounded by armed soldiers with malice in their eyes. My heart raced as I realized the dire situation we were in, outnumbered and facing an unknown threat lurking above us that would guarantee our deaths if we didn’t get the fuck out of there soon. Artemis’s frantic gaze betrayed his silent terror of whatever lay hidden in the shadows.
I could see Artemis’s hands trembling and the silent plea in his eyes as he looked at me, urging me to do anything to save him from this nightmare. My heart clenched with fury and terror as I stared back at a helpless Artemis. I had to devise a plan to get us both out of the house alive. I bit my lip as I scanned the room, taking in every detail, from the grimy, spider-web-covered windows to the worn-out wooden floorboards.
The man with the gun pressed against Artemis’s head wore a cruel smirk, his grip tightening on the weapon. His finger twitched on the trigger.
“Let him go,” I demanded. My voice came out steadier than I felt. I had to make them believe I was in control, even if it meant playing into their hands.
The soldier’s sneer deepened. Artemis’s breaths came out in ragged gasps. His eyes locked onto mine.
The woman who had pointed her rifle at me laughed derisively, a cold, mocking sound that echoed around the room. “Why should we?” she asked, her voice dripping with disdain. “You’re surrounded and outnumbered. What makes you think you’re in any position to make demands?”
“Because if you kill him,” I replied evenly, trying to ignore my pounding heart and the cold sweat trickling down my spine, “you have nothing left to bargain with. And, if you hurt him. I will make sure you die. Painfully,” I said the last word through gritted teeth.
I recognized the man holding the gun to Artemis’s head as one of the soldiers guarding him. He was the one who had wanted Artemis to try to escape so that he could shoot him.
I glared at him, my lip curling in revulsion. The man’s wicked grin stretched wider, revealing a row of uneven, yellowed teeth.
“I think you’re forgetting something,” he drawled, his voice oozing with sinister delight. He shifted his weight, the gun still firmly pressed against Artemis’s temple. Artemis let out a soft whimper, his blue eyes wide with terror. “This here is a kill or be-killed world. It doesn’t matter if we’ve got nothing to bargain with if you’re lying dead on the ground.”
His eyes assessed me with a predatory glint, but there was something else in them that made my spine straighten. The man I remembered as Reyes wanted Artemis. I could see the interest in his features.
Reyes grabbed Artemis’s shoulder and pulled him back into his body, an arm slung over his chest. Artemis’s tail was curled between his legs in fear. The dagger-like spines brushed against his inner thigh.
He taunted me by leaning into Artemis. He pressed his cheek to the side of Artemis’s face. “So, you finally found someone who will stand up for you. What’s wrong? Are humans no longer good enough for you?”
Artemis shuddered, his eyes closing for a second as the cruel words filled around us.
“What did you do to get a friend like him?” Reyes asked Artemis.
I could see the flash of pain and humiliation in Artemis’s eyes and a glimmer of defiance when he didn’t answer.
“Enough!” I snarled, the anger boiling within me. My blue skin shimmered in the dim light of the room as I tried to control the rage coursing through my veins.
Reyes chuckled dryly, his malicious eyes sparkling with satisfaction. “Oh, I’m just getting started…” He pulled Artemis closer to him.
I had to stop this, but how? I was outnumbered and unarmed against these ruthless soldiers. But the sight of Reyes tormenting Artemis filled me with a burning determination that refused to be quelled.
Artemis looked back at me with pleading eyes that bore into my soul. It was more than I could bear. I had to get their attention all on me.
“Are you going to beg now, bitch?” Reyes said in Artemis’s ear. “What will you give me not to hurt you? What will you do for me?” What he was implying turned my stomach violently. “What did you do for that monster for him to want to protect you so badly? Or does it just not want to lose your holes?”
It was these last words that made an idea pop into my head.
I stood my ground, my heart pounding as I spoke next. “Maybe I bend over for him,” I told the humans in the room.
All three turned their gaze to me.
As their attention shifted to me, I couldn’t help but feel the sting of their disgust and hatred. But I had to put on a show to distract them from Artemis. I took a deep breath, preparing to use whatever means necessary to protect him.
“Is that right?” Reyes sneered. He moved a few inches away from Artemis, but the cold steel of the weapon still pressed against Artemis’s head. “Well, bitch? Is that true? Do you fuck him?” He turned his face back to Artemis. I didn’t like that, but Artemis didn’t answer.
“What’s wrong, human? You don’t find him fucking sexy?” I let my voice purr. The disgusted look that he threw my way made me smile. I had hit a nerve. “Oh, I bet you do,” I continued, smiling. “I bet that’s why you’ve been looking for him. Do you want him to fuck you like he fucks me? Have him sink those claws into your skin, make you bleed.” I smiled at them, and that did it. The gun came away from Artemis’s face as Reyes snarled and walked over to me. “Make you fucking scream while his dick pounds into you?” My smile now was feral.
He moved quickly towards me then. His hand left Artemis’s arm as he stepped in my direction, stopping just inches from my body. The soldier’s eyes gleamed with malice as he grabbed me roughly, pulling me close to his body. I braced for his attack. I could feel the heat of his anger and the cold steel of the gun when he pressed it against my side. The other soldiers in the room watched with cruel interest.
“I’m no fag, you fuck!” he snarled into my face before his arm swung the butt of the gun. It collided with my face, snapping my head to the side. The pain made me smile as I righted myself. Hot blood leaked down my temple.
I let out a dry chuckle, trying to mask my unease. “Are you sure?” I asked, my voice dripping with disbelief. “I see how you look at what’s mine.”
He gritted his teeth and pushed me away, the gun still held tightly in his grip. He leveled it with my head. I could see the anger and frustration in his eyes and the lust that he couldn’t quite shake. What I said had turned him on.
“And let’s remember your fascination with his tail. It’s so unique and irresistible,” I continued, low but filled with mockery. “You can’t keep your eyes off him.”
The soldier’s nostrils flared at my words, his grip around the gun tightening. The tension in the room increased tenfold, thick and heavy. It was like a string pulled taut, ready to snap. I locked my gaze onto his, an unspoken challenge reflected in my eyes.
“Shut up!” he growled, “or I’m going to shoot you in the fucking face.” But I didn’t stop.
“I don’t need to beg, you know. He loves it. Loves me.” I smiled at him and could see how much my words had unnerved him.
Something in his eyes told me the truth. He had lusted after Artemis. Had wanted him. Reye’s had wanted to fuck him. Wanted what was fucking mine.
His fist connected with my face, but I only chuckled. The power in the room had changed.
“So you like to hurt people too. I like pain.” I felt silver blood trickle down my face. My eyes flicked over his shoulder, and the woman stepped forward. Away from Artemis. Perfect. One to go. “Do it again.”
Reyes spat in my face, eyes blazing. His face was flushed with humiliation. “You’re disgusting,” he seethed, bringing the butt of his gun down again brutally onto my shoulder this time. Pain flared brightly, but I swallowed back a scream. I kept my gaze locked on his.
The smell of Artemis’s fear permeated the room. Still, he used the opportunity to quietly sidle away, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the soldiers without attracting attention. His eyes were wide and fearful, but there was a glint of something else in them—hope.
“Good boy,” I purred. Artemis needed to get as far away from them as possible.
Reyes thought I was speaking to him. He shot me a look of undistilled hate.
The smell of my blood agitated the insects on the wall. The insect in the jar fought even harder, and its wings fluttered violently.
I heard the hum of insects behind me, the delicate beat of wings that made my skin crawl.
“Hit him again, Reyes. He said he enjoys it,” said the woman. Her eyes glinted with a dangerous hunger, mirroring the men in the room. “You’re a sick fuck.” The last part was directed at me.
I ignored her. Reyes was the key. “We smell our own.” I smiled sickly. “Come on, big guy. Do it again. Show me how much you love to hurt people.” I leaned forward, inviting him to move closer. His eyes narrowed, and he hesitated momentarily before slamming his free fist into the side of my face again. I laughed this time, spitting a mouthful of silvery blood on the ground. Lifting my head, I smiled and ran my tongue over my bloodstained teeth.
“More,” was all I said this time. I could tell I was frustrating him. He wanted his victims to cry, to scream, to beg for mercy.
His eyes widened. I saw a flicker of doubt, of fear. But it was quickly replaced by a cold determination. He wanted to wipe that smile off my face. I wanted him to try.
“Come on, give him what he is asking for!” the woman purred with amusement. The gleam in her eyes told me she was enjoying watching—enjoying how Reyes hurt me.
The last man in the room took a step back, his face disgusted. Moving just another inch away from Artemis.
Ignoring her, Reyes’s gaze remained locked with mine. The gun was shaking slightly in his hand, mirroring the tremor that ran down his body.
Without breaking eye contact, I let out a long, slow breath, my voice calm but loaded with command. “You heard her, Reyes… you don’t want to keep a lady waiting.” With one swift movement, I grabbed the end of his gun and forced it against my forehead. “Go ahead.” Artemis made a choking sound when the gun barrel met my temple. The metal clicked against my horn.
Reyes stared at me, taken aback. But he didn’t pull away or loosen his grip on the gun—if anything, he held it tighter. His fingers twitched around the trigger before he pulled it out of my grip and hit me with it for a third time. The steel of the weapon collided with the side of my face, tearing a gouge into my cheek.
This time, the hit took me to my knees. My palms hit the floor before I could stand again.
The soldier’s resolve only seemed to strengthen as I got up, and he took a deep breath, preparing for another attack. But I remained steadfast, my gaze unwavering as I met his eyes. “Is that all you’ve got, soldier boy?” My voice was calm, almost soothing, as if I were addressing a frightened youngling.
I needed these guys to make me bleed to attract the insects that I knew wouldn’t turn away an easy meal. The butterfly in the jar continued to struggle. We were running out of time.
I smirked as I looked at the soldier. “You like hurting people, don’t you? You get off on it,” I taunted. “Is your pitiful dick hard for me?”
Johnson barked a laugh, breaking Reyes’s trance. His startled face told me he had forgotten the others were in the room.
“Damn, does he have you pegged.” Her laughter was bitter as she lowered her gun down at her side. “You couldn’t even get it up when I blew you.” She didn’t care anymore what they were here to do. “I can’t believe you wanted to fuck that thing.” She waved a hand in Artemis’s direction.
Reyes's face was splotchy with rage. He raised his gun on his partner and pulled the trigger.
She was hit in the side of the head, blood and bone spraying over the floor. Her laughter was cut off, and her body crumpled to the ground with a thud.
“What the fuck, Reyes!” the other man screamed at him. "You fucking idiot!"
“That bitch had it coming!” Reyes screamed back.
The remaining soldier’s eyes widened in disbelief, and his hand shook as he stared at his fallen partner. He hesitated for a moment. I saw an opportunity to strike.
I dove for my sword lying on the ground. Reyes spun toward me. Expression contorted into a furious scowl. My fingers wrapped around the hilt, and I rolled to the side as Reyes lunged for me. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I thrust the blade into his neck.
His face went slack with shock as I wrenched it free. Blood splattered across the dust-covered floor in a Rorschach pattern. His knees hit the ground. His hands reached up to try to stop the bleeding, but he was dead before his head hit the floor.
The smell of the flesh and blood finally called the swarm.
The sound of hundreds of wings drowned out my rage-filled cry as I jumped to my feet. The last man in the room stood dumbfounded, eyes bulging as he watched the butterflies in the room take flight.
The room erupted in chaos. The insects swarmed the two dead soldiers, their proboscises piercing his flesh. The last soldier panicked and swung his arms. The insects began to land on them. He started firing wildly, bullets whizzing past us and tearing into the air.
I lunged forward, grabbed Artemis by the arm, and yanked him out of the room. I shoved him ahead of me. The soldier screamed.
The black and green wings of the creatures beat frantically as they descended towards their prey. With a sharp bite, they injected their venom into the third victim’s flesh. His body slowed down and seized up. Bullets tore through the house around us.
His blood was now coursing with the toxin that would soon render the soldier immobile so the insects could feast on his flesh.
“Run!” I screamed at Artemis, a new fear pumping through my veins as we sprinted down the dimly lit corridor. Artemis tumbled, going down hard on his side. His tail slammed into the wall, barbs getting stuck. The wall was splattered with Artemis’s green blood from where a bullet tore through his leg. The jar slipped from his hands and rolled across the floor with the insect still inside before it hit the top stair, rolled once, and shattered.
The butterfly within was free. It fluttered upwards, seemingly disoriented, before joining its brethren’s thrashing horde. An army of winged insects filled the corridor, their enchanting colors lost amidst the violence of their purpose.
I reached down, grabbing Artemis by the scruff of his neck and hoisting him up as I punched my fist through the wall. I wrapped my hand around his tail. Barbs sank into my skin as I yanked his tail out of the wall.
“Come on,” I urged, my voice hoarse with urgency. The pain in my hand pulsed. Artemis was limping as I pulled him down the hall.
The symphony of buzzing wings grew louder behind us as we tore through the winding corridor. The dim lights flickered overhead, casting eerie shadows on the crumbling walls around us.
We turned a corner towards the front door. It was still open.
The horde of insects was like a living nightmare, their fury and hunger tangible in the air around us. We could hear them, feel them swarming over the bodies we left behind.
“Keep moving,” I shouted over the deafening hum of wings.
I pulled Artemis out of the house, turned around, grabbed the door handle, and slammed it closed, trapping the Vampandrias inside the house. Their wings beat against the other side.
“We’re not safe yet,” I gasped, the ferocity of our flight barely having dented the adrenaline pumping through me.
We raced through the overgrown yard towards Dune. He had stayed right where I’d told him to. The swarm started to filter outside through the broken windows of the house, though the majority must have been feeding on the fresh bodies. I felt one land on my shoulder and tried to brush it away, but I felt the bite sting.
Pain flared at the contact, a sharp jab that bloomed into a dull thud. Cursing, I shook off the wayward creature and kept sprinting.
“Almost there,” Artemis gasped, his eyes glazed over with pain from running on his injured leg. His tail twisted around my wrist reflexively as if it didn’t want to be left behind.
The pain was a hot needle searing my flesh, a searing starburst that erupted from the tiny puncture, but I did not let it slow me. My grip on Artemis tightened as I pulled him along with me.
I gritted my teeth, refusing to let it slow us down.
Several had landed on Artemis. “Don’t kill them. It will attract more.” I grabbed Artemis's hand as he went to swat at the creatures before I pushed it off him instead. They fluttered away, moving towards the other source of easier food.
Numbness traveled across my shoulder, but I could withstand a few bites. I brushed another insect off of Artemis.
My heart pounded in my ears, the adrenaline still pumping even as my body started to feel heavier, the venom beginning to take its toll. We were so close.
“Almost,” I panted, sweat streaming down my face. Artemis barely managed a nod, his breaths coming out in ragged gasps. His tail tightened around my wrist, the spikes digging into my skin.
I pushed forward with every ounce of strength left in me, every muscle in my body screaming for respite. I knew the second we got on Dune’s saddle, we were safe—or at least safer than we were now.
Finally reaching Dune, I tried to shove away a few of the Vampandrias before helping Artemis up onto Dune’s back. Just as I went to push myself off the ground to climb behind Artemis, I remembered the folder on the car.
I dropped down again. Artemis called my name as I raced over and grabbed the folder, shoving it down the waistband of my pants.
Dune was moving, turning towards the bunker as I ran beside him and grabbed onto the saddle’s edge. I pulled myself up behind Artemis.
I wrapped my arm around his body, holding him tight, and told Dune to take us home.
As we bolted through the abandoned terrain, the world around us blurred into a whirl of colors. The wind whipped us harshly. I could hear things clattering around in the cart, and I was extremely thankful I had tied everything down before our day went to hell.
I leaned into Artemis, holding him more tightly as Dune steadily galloped towards our haven. The sound of the Vampandrias’s wings became fainter and fainter until it was drowned out by the steady rhythm of Dune’s clawed feet pounding against the earth.
My heart was still thundering in my chest as we rode on, and the adrenaline was slowly beginning to fade.
My face throbbed painfully where the soldier had hit me repeatedly. My ears ached from the gunshot that echoed around the room. The sting of the insect venom was still present. It would make me weaker. I could already feel my body start to sag with its effects.
The folder tucked awkwardly into my waistband seemed to burn against my skin like the secrets it held were physically scorching me.