Vivian
“Do you think they’re getting enough light?” I asked Theo, frowning at the potted vines on my table.
“Didn’t you just see a new bud yesterday?” he replied, the deep timbre of his voice mixing with the tinny clink of hammer hitting nail as he hung a wooden shelf for me.
“I’m just worried it’s not getting enough sun... star with the windows boarded up,” I sighed. Another three-inch-wide ray of daytime starshine had moved past the pot, leaving the deep green leaves in the shadows yet again.
“I think it’s thriving, darling.” Two arms wrapped around my waist as fingers ran through my hair, playfully ruffling its layers. “What a lucky plant to have been adopted by you.”
Warmth seeped through my chest and my cheeks pulled into a smile.
Discussing something as trivial as a houseplant felt right.
It felt normal. I’d achieved my own bizarre version of the American dream.
Stability. A loyal partner. Owning land.
Planning for the future. None of that seemed possible a year ago—or however long it’d been in Earth days since I was zapped here.
Somehow, I’d been teleported to a strange, hostile planet and used the opportunity to make my wildest dreams come true.
We had made this cabin, this field, a home.
Love and intention soaked into every aspect of the space.
Slowly but surely, I felt my heart stitching back together.
I'd survived. I’d run away as a child. I’d stood my ground as an adult.
And now—despite the trauma, trials, and tribulations—I knew what peace felt like.
Granted, that peace was being paid for in blood.
Mine, Theo’s, those who trespassed. But, it felt secure.
We made it secure. I knew more of those assholes were coming our way, but I was increasingly confident we could handle it.
They’d be taken care of one by one, just like how I faced the aftermath of my trauma one day at a time.
Or how we tended to Theo’s wounds—both physical and mental—piece by piece.
We would look out for each other. Make sure we were okay. Maintain security for one another.
“I guess we could always move it outside if we need to,” I sighed, rerouting my thoughts back to the potted plant. “Do you want to help me go collect some more cuttings for the shelf, baby?” I asked, peeking around his shoulder to see the wooden board was mounted and ready to be decorated.
Winter was just around the corner, and I wanted as much green life in the cabin as possible for when we inevitably got snowed in.
“Lead the way, Little Goddess,” he replied, smacking me gently on the ass with the side of the hammer he’d just used.
We didn’t have to walk far. I had my mind set on some pale green plants growing on top of the alcove, flanking the shallow creek that flowed over the rocky edge. Theo cut out a small square of earth with our shovel, and I packed the dirt-clumped roots into a jar with wet soil.
I looked up from where I sat on my knees, finding the slightest pleased dimple pulling at the corner of his mouth.
His genuine smiles were softer than the ones he wore for other people.
They were subtle little turns of his lips that told me he was in a good mood.
Not faking happy because he thought he should.
Just happy. He was allowing himself to feel.
“What are you looking at?” he asked, a cheesy grin spreading.
“Oh, you know, just—”
A pop sounded in the distance. Thunder? No. Storms wouldn’t be here until much later in the day.
Theo looked concerned, I hoped it was nothing. I really wanted it to be nothing. “I was just saying you look handsome when you—”
Another “pop”.
The magic blooming between us disappeared. His eyes had blackened entirely, the skin around them becoming thin, revealing his feral dark veins.
“Gun shots?” I sighed, my shoulders sinking in exhaustion.
I knew they were, but wished he would say “no, just bad weather, darling” so we could get back to our day.
As pleasurable as it was watching a feral Theo absolutely annihilate my enemies, I wasn’t in the mood for it now.
It was beautiful outside. I wanted to live my best forest homestead life today.
I wanted to pretend I wasn’t some rare and useful thing to be hunted.
“I’ll take care of them.” Theo’s voice was an irritated growl. “Shouldn’t take long. We can—”
Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.
The lengthy rattle of gunfire shattered any remaining hopes of serenity. The noises layered on top of each other in a way I’d never heard. It sounded like fireworks. Microwave popcorn. A damn war movie. The blood drained from my face.
That was a lot of bullets to dodge. The world grew distant and dark as my eyes gaped at the innocent tree line. Theo was a fast-moving target; he’d only been grazed once when defending our home. But this was a deluge of gunfire. We hadn’t faced anything like it.
“Come on.” His large hand grabbed my elbow and pulled me from the clover, away from the dissociation trying to swallow me. “We have to hurry.”
We left our shovel and plants behind as we ran for the cabin.
My thoughts raced. What could sound like that in this world?
Did they have machine guns in Trebianna?
AR-whatevers? Something overpowered, held by some scared shitless dude going Rambo on the local critters?
Or was it worse… not one unhinged asshole, but many, many assholes who wanted to see me captured, armed with many, many guns.
Another onslaught of gunfire.
“I need you to get in the hatch, Viv,” Theo said seriously, squeezing my hand tight when I tripped in surprise at the suggestion. He knew how I felt about not closing myself in that fucking hole ever again.
“Do you think there’s a lot of them?” I gulped, mentally dismissing his suggested hiding place.
If it was only a couple of intruders, Theo could handle them...
right? No need to hide there. And, if it was a larger group, I’d pick up the axe and help my mate fight for our home.
If Theo was in real danger, there was no way in hell I would let him face that by himself.
Either way, no need for me to be in the hatch.
He didn’t answer. I stole a glance in his direction while we ran, his expression had become haunted. That told me all I needed to know. If Theo was this concerned, that made this an “us” effort. There was no room for argument.
“I’ll grab the axe,” I stated flatly.
“The axe won’t work. There’s going to be too many of them for that.”
It was confirmation of what I was beginning to suspect—this wasn’t a handful of automated rapid-fire weapons. We were about to be swarmed.
We hadn’t considered that they may just send an entire battalion to get the job done.
At least… I hadn’t. Maybe because I was afraid to, or maybe because Theo had always talked about this war being small, stealthy acts of strategy and violence happening in the shadows.
Society couldn’t know what was going on or the whole jig was up.
They couldn’t make a show of parading soldiers through the streets to find their next victim.
Plus, this world wasn’t as advanced as Earth. Theo had never heard of a fucking plane. Basic explosives existed on Trebianna, but not the catastrophic bombs that haunted Earth’s news.
As far as I understood, this planet couldn’t host a modern war.
In my head, militaries didn’t exist here.
The idea that a massive group of people would climb this fucking mountain to get to me didn’t either.
It’d be like seeing a tank roll into my field.
It didn’t make any fucking sense with how I viewed this world.
Theo stopped in his tracks and turned to me, grabbing my shoulders with a firm grip and using his other hand to force my eyes to meet his. “Vivian, I need you to hide. Okay? Do not get fucking involved in this.”
“I can handle myself!” I snapped, trying to keep my voice low. Now was not the time for his “you aren’t a killer” sentiment. We both knew I was fully capable of being one when push comes to shove.
“I know, but this is different. If they catch you, who’s going to heal me? Okay? You need to stay alive and free.”
It was a fucking lie. Theo didn’t give two shits about his own healing and we both knew it. He couldn’t change my mind. I wouldn’t hide in the dark while my partner was gunned down.
“Promise me,” he growled desperately.
“I won’t promise that.” I shook my head.
The distant popping continued, growing ever closer. The forest creatures must be trying to protect us… or maybe they just wanted to consume the buffet hiking within their trees. Either way, the rattle of gunfire was a ticking clock.
A muscle twitched in Theo’s jaw as his dark eyes flickered between mine, pleading.
The desperation in his walnut gaze made my soul ache, but I didn’t budge.
Instead, I made a show of squaring my shoulders back and lifting my chin just a little higher.
This standoff was a waste of time, and I needed to look certain enough in my stance to convince him to drop it.
We had to start running again, preparing for whatever hell was coming for us.
He hung his head in defeat. “Go get your axe, darling. It’s in the cabin.”
I nodded, running towards our home. Theo lagged behind me, peeling his shirt off to allow his feral body to expand.
It would be me and my god—side by side—protecting what mattered most to us.
Dying together, if it came to that. I was good with that ending; living forever wasn’t really part of the goddess appeal to me.
I had only wanted to find my home, and Theo helped me do that.
Although dread coiled in my stomach, this was a reasonable enough way to cut my immortality short.
I finally had something worth dying for.