3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Hector
“Pretty eyes.”
An eerie, scratchy voice jolts me from sleep as a weight presses down on my chest.
Cracking open an eye, I spot two beady black ones staring right back at me.
A crow. The crow. The Ferryman's murder bird.
My heart skips a beat. When I try to sit up, she clicks her beak sharply in warning, causing me to freeze. Her talons flex against the thin fabric of my shirt, just enough for me to feel the press of claws.
"Uh… hello?" I cough, my throat dry and raw.
" Pretty eyes ,” she croaks loudly, feathers rustling as she cocks her head. “ Fail, fail.”
Other than the involuntary rocking of my body, I don't dare move. The soft creak of wood reaches my ears, a faint scent of brine and old blood in my nostrils. The memory of where I am crashes into me like a wave.
The boat. I’m on a boat. And there was a monster…
I try to shift slowly, but the crow’s beak snaps an inch from my face.
“Eye for an eye. Fail, fail, fail.”
My head throbs enough to make me sick, ribs aching slightly. Blood coats my skin, already flaking off with each bounce of the boat. I glance away from the bird to figure out where the hell I am, scanning my surroundings.
There's a cot bolted to the wall, neatly made up with blankets, and a lantern burning low as it swings from the ceiling. The room is small, barely enough space for me on the floor, and when my eyes dart to the doorway…cold dread crawls up my spine when I realize I’m not alone.
The monster. A mountain in human form, standing in the doorway like a shadow. Broad shoulders fill the narrow space, arms thick and scarred, dark eyes hollowed out.
"What… the fuck," I whisper, panic cracking my voice.
He doesn’t move. I can’t even tell if he’s breathing.
"You…you can't be human."
Still nothing.
I press back into the creaky floor as best I can, my pulse hammering so hard I can feel it in my teeth. Everyone knows the stories told of the Ferryman, how the Judge feeds him prisoners who don’t cooperate, and now I’m trapped .
"Monster," I choke out, the word slipping free before I can stop it.
His expression falls, just barely, but still no response.
I expect rage or violence. A fight for my life as he prepares to fucking eat me, but…he just stands there. Watching me like a predator sizing up its injured prey. I can’t even run.
Shifting my leg, I try to move my foot, but it's no longer there.
“ Pretty eyes. Fail.” The bird squawks loudly, making me flinch. When the giant takes one slow step forward, I scramble back, heart in my throat.
"Stay the fuck away from me!”
He lifts both hands slowly, palms out, but still doesn’t talk. Just fucking watches . It makes my skin crawl.
As he moves again, I scoot back on my elbows until my shoulders hit the wall of the cabin, heart thundering like it’s trying to punch its way out of my chest.
"Don’t," I cry, my voice breaking in fear. "Please… just don’t hurt me."
He freezes, a look of pain flashing across his features. And then slowly…so very slowly, he sinks onto his haunches. Making himself smaller.
His hands stay where I can see them, open and empty as he tilts his head slightly. Hair as dark as the crow on my chest falls around his shoulders. Soft blue eyes hold my gaze steady. He’s… not here to hurt me. I think.
Every instinct in my body screams otherwise.
The monster taps his chest twice, then points to me, thick eyebrows raising expectantly .
I just stare at him, trembling. "What… what the hell does that mean?"
He simply repeats the gesture. Tap-tap to his chest. Points at me. But then his finger drops to my leg, and I follow it with my gaze, bracing to find a mangled, bloody stump.
Instead, I see the end of my stained pants rolled up and my ankle wrapped in heavy gauze. My brain finally catches up to what he's trying to say.
I saved you.
"What…Why? So you can eat me?"
A slow shake of his head is the only response I receive.
The bird finally hops off my chest, wings fluttering as she lands on his shoulder. “ Eye for an eye.”
He strokes her feathers with a careful hand, all the while keeping his gaze on me.
Swallowing hard, I sit up gingerly, wincing when my ribs twinge.
My entire body aches, and the severed nerve endings in my leg are starting to fire.
If I were normal, if I were human, I would probably have gone into shock by now.
Everything hurts, but once the red rain comes, I'll be as good as new.
If only I could regrow limbs.
The monster moves, making me jump, but all he does is sit cross-legged on the floor to give me space. Catching my eye, he taps his lips, then shakes his head before opening his mouth.
Can't speak.
“Shit,” I mutter, dragging a shaking hand through my curls. That just makes him even more terrifying.
His large hands move to his side, where something hangs from a strap across his chest. When he pulls it over his head, the sound of liquid sloshing makes me swallow, and a small canteen appears in his grip.
Twisting the cap off, he sets it down between us on the floor, gently pushing it toward me. An offering.
My mouth goes bone-dry, head still swimming, and I can taste the copper of blood at the back of my throat, but I don't move. There's no telling what's in there, and I've seen many a poor soul fall victim to contaminated water.
He nudges it forward again, just an inch, then sits back with his palms raised as the crow clicks her beak from his shoulder.
“ Good to go,” she croaks demonically.
I just stare at the canteen like it’s a snake poised to strike.
After a moment, the monster scoffs before slowly reaching for it, keeping his eyes on my face. He takes a sip himself, just a small one, before setting it down again on the floor. Waiting.
I lick my cracked lips, so fucking thirsty I feel like I'm dying.
He leans back, giving me more space, never breaking eye contact as he crosses his thick arms.
Finally, I reach out, snatching the canteen so fast I nearly drop it before bringing it to my mouth.
The water is warm and slightly off, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted.
I damn near drain the entire thing before I can stop myself.
A few drops dribble onto my chin, and I swipe them up quickly, licking the remnants off the back of my hand.
Due to the red rain, water sources are scarce, and creeks are no longer safe.
Either you work up enough tokens in the mines to get rations from the Judge, or you die.
When I look up, the monster is watching me with an odd expression. Heat creeps up my cheeks at my desperation, but I simply wipe my mouth before handing the canteen back. “Uh… thanks.”
He nods once.
Letting out a slow breath, I roll my aching shoulders, feeling vulnerable once again. I turn my head to study the room with clearer vision before glancing at him sideways.
And he's still staring. So is that damned bird.
“What do you want with me? Why am I here and not in there?”
I point toward the door, not entirely sure which direction Zone T lies, but he seems to understand what I'm saying.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out some kind of folded sack before unfurling it on the floor between us. Big, bold letters printed in red run across the middle of it, and he points at them before pointing at me.
RATIONS.
Though I can’t read, I've seen this bag before.
Everyone has. Just because the Judge sits inside Zone T doesn't mean he has no control over the surrounding outposts, too.
Many of us have died for those rations. Food, medicine, water.
Shit we need to survive, yet he only has his soldiers deliver them when he sees fit.
Kiss their boots, die inside Zone T, or starve to death. Those are your only options this far north.
“What does this mean?” I ask, the thought of food making my stomach twist. “You want me to… get rations for you?”
He nods quickly, something like hope sparking on his features, but I scoff as I gesture down to my leg. “How am I supposed to do that when you ate my fucking foot ?”
The light in his eyes dims, and he drops his head, chest heaving on an exhale. He stays like that for a long moment, desperation radiating off him in waves.
I almost feel bad. Almost.
But then he lifts his head again, and when his eyes meet mine, they're hard as steel. He taps his chest once, then points at me before curling his fingers into a fist.
When I just stare, unsure of what to make of him, he huffs and tries again, this time thumping his chest before pointing at my leg, whispering so low I can barely hear him. But I read his lips just fine.
“Owe me.”
"You’ve got to be fucking kidding.” A humorless laugh bursts from my lungs. "For saving me? You and those freakshow soldiers are the ones who hurt me in the first place!”
His expression doesn’t change, but his damned bird clicks her beak.
“ Eye for an eye,” she squawks again. “ Fail.”
"You think saving my life means I'm yours to do with as you please?"
He nods, mouthing one word. “Mine.”
I just sit there, glaring at him, bile rising in my throat.
He stares for a long, heavy moment before slowly reaching for the ration sack again, like he's afraid I'll startle if he makes any sudden movements. His fingers trace the bold red letters as he turns it toward me and taps it twice.
Then he points to me.
And then… to himself.
Back and forth .
You. Me. You. Me.
Then he mimics breaking something in half.
I frown, trying to decipher what he's saying. "You're… splitting them with me?"
He nods again, a flash of blue sparking in those deep irises.
I swallow hard, my throat suddenly tight. All my life, it's been scraps. Take what you can, keep it for yourself, and hide the rest. Survival of the hungriest. Eat or be eaten.
And here’s this monster—this giant of a man with haunted eyes—offering half his rations to me like it's no big feat.
Letting out a shaky breath, I rub my eyes dazedly. “Why? You could just force me to do it. Threaten me.”
What the fuck am I saying?
The monster only shakes his head slowly, glacial eyes searching my face.
I glance down at my mangled leg, sorting through the thoughts in my head.
Rations come from inside the zone, and I need to get in there anyway.
If I agree to help him, even if it’s just a farce, and he gets me inside the walls…
well, I’m not above lying to get what I need. But he did wrap my ankle for me.
My gaze drags back to his, still watching me unnervingly. “If I say no, you're not going to eat the rest of me, right?”
For a brief moment, the corners of his mouth twitch. Not quite a smile, but close. He shakes his head again.
I hate this, I hate him .
I hate that I owe him.
And I hate the Judge and those fucking soldiers for putting me in this situation .
But just like every day since the day I was born, I don't have a choice.
Eat or be eaten.
“Fine,” I groan, dragging a hand through my greasy curls. The monster's face lights up with relief under the glow of the lantern swinging above. His cheeks brighten in color, almost as pink as a sunset.
Most of all, I hate how I notice that, too.