Apocalypse: The Huntress Luna

Chapter 4

(Saleem)

The night air was cool as it danced across my face. Breathing in, I could smell the freshly dug earth as it wafted up from the crop fields outside the walls. 

Guard duty tonight on the perimeter wall seemed relaxed in the sense that it will end up being uneventful. But one can never be too careful.

Picking up the binoculars, I scanned the horizon for signs of the Vargul in my section but all was clear.

I sighed and placed them down on the desk. My team did their check-ins via their radios and I relaxed back a little.

I thought back to seeing Andy today...and I was excited to see her again. I was never the one to be nervous when on duty but every time I see her…my palms start to sweat and I forget myself.

I loved how her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and her chocolate curls fell loosely at her shoulders. I wanted to run my hand over them and see if they were really as soft as they looked.

Oh and her eyes. She always had such bright eyes that could make any man fall for her. The amber in her irises were deliciously warm and they almost make you feel tricked by their innocence. Because we all knew she was not.

I had heard the stories about her from her Militia days. 

I was a few years older than her and was training to be an Officer at that time.

She was in an Alpha Squadron with Calliope whose main purpose was to go out and clear the Vargul and collect supplies. She was skilled with many of the artillery but she preferred her Naginata. It was a long pole with a deadly, razor sharp blade at the end. Her parents were gifted with it when they had saved a small village and they taught Andy and her family how to wield it.

Even after hearing all that, that wasn't what spiked my interest in her. 

From what I've heard, Andy was strong. 

Like abnormally strong.

She once took on five human raiders when her rifle got jammed and came out with barely a scratch. Then there was the time she went head to head with a Lycan in a village who had hurt Calliope during one of their stays. She did come out with a black eye and big bruises but they said that you should have seen the other guy.

From then on, the Lycan people called her the Huntress. A name passed down only to the mightiest of warriors which she earned for her bravery and ferocity in battle. 

Those days for her were long gone but maybe she would spar with me one day so I can get a taste of that hot blood...

But… I wasn't sure if she was interested in me. Plus she also had Yann, her kid, and I wasn't sure what it would be like to take care of one since I never met my father. But I had pulled a few strings to set this up so I was going to make the most of this opportunity.

I guess Saturday I'll make my move on the Huntress, I thought to myself.

Suddenly, the night's silence was broken by a long, low howl. 

All the men tightened their grips on their weapons and stood at high alert.

I grabbed the binoculars and ran outside the booth. Peering down into the night, there was a lone Vargul snarling and stalking the South gate.

Its matted fur was patchy and stood at all angles. It's long face looked diseased, with scabs and pink hairless patches.

And from its mouth flowed a bright green drool, the sign of the infection. They also had deep blood red eyes unlike the Lycans pitch black. A foul odour of rotten meat blew up into our faces and I could hear some of the men groaning with distaste. It was enough to make even the toughest of men gag.

I inwardly shivered in disgust at the beast and as it slowly made its way towards us, I signalled the men to silently take it out.

It was strange - the Vargul usually come out in small groups. Even though they are rabid and without rational thoughts, they still know to attack in packs.

The beast was taken out by a crossbow to the heart and head. My men looked at me once it hit the hard earth but I shook my head and they carried on with the watch. We usually burn the bodies just to be safe but this one can wait till morning so that we can inspect it for any abnormalities. 

Walking back, I let my thoughts of Andy keep me company for the remainder of my shift while we continued to peer into the swirling darkness.

…………

(Andy)

Friday flew by quite quickly as Calli and I coordinated the new recruits. The school definitely kept us on our toes and only when the infirmary really needed us did we assist medically.

Saturday rolled around and I left Yann to sleep while I got some training in with my Naginata in our small backyard.

 As I swung the glistening blade, I focused on my imaginary foe before me, thrusting diagonally down from the left and then horizontally. I could feel the sweat running down my neck and onto my chest as I worked at beheading and dismembering until I reached the end of my Kata. Putting my feet together, I slowed my breathing and bent at the waist in a bow of respect to my teachers, silently thanking them for this gift.

Taking a few steps, I lowered myself to the ground and lay sprawled out on the sweet grass.

I usually train with Calli during the week but the weekends were optional for us and I used it as a kind of ‘me-time' to unwind from everything.

I had always relished the feel of the steel beneath my palm as it brought both serenity and power to its wielder. Inspecting it, I followed the binding with my eyes till it reached the hilt and I could almost smell the deep stench of blood that once stained its glorious blade. With my eyes glued to my weapon, images of crimson rain and flying flesh flashed before me, screams and roars overtook my ears and I could feel the chaos slowly rising inside of me. 

Trying to get out.

Huntress…Huntressssss, it called.

Before I could be consumed, I immediately sat up into meditation and began to regulate my breathing once again.

One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, four one thousand...

Still shaking, I counted to ten and then back down until my heart stopped racing. 

One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand...

Before my mother died, she had taken me through these little exercises in order to help with my anxiety and anger outbursts that I had growing up. Even though I didn’t have many episodes, it was a massive help when it came to the flashbacks. 

There was a lot that I wanted to stay hidden, especially from Yann and at this moment in time, this was the best I could do to keep it that way.

Once I felt like myself again, I made my way in for my morning shower and coffee, glad to be on solid ground once again.

Today the Archivio were arriving into Tectum and I was more than excited to say the least. It's not often we get to meet new people and the Archivio at that!

After we had fed our chickens and goat, I spent some time with Yann making something called 'pancakes' from a recipe he found in a book. Then, after cleaning up, we sat on the floor in the lounge together, going over our Emergency Plans.

"Okay, so when a siren goes off, what is the first thing we do?", I asked while reading off of his flash-cards

.

"We stop what we are doing and seek the closest bunker shelter. Once inside, we either help settle the younger children or find a weapon. The oldest must take command", he recited.

"Great! Okay, next card", and I shuffled through and picked one out. 

"Right, how does one become infected?" 

"The Vargul's venom can only be transferred via a bite or if their green drool enters your system through an opening. A scratch from their claws generally is not infectious."

"Top marks", I winked. "Okay and how does one kill a Vargul?"

"You must pierce their heart which is on the right side, like all Lycans, and burn them or you can-"

"Cut off the head and burn it's body. I personally prefer this method."

We both almost jumped out of our skins and the voice just laughed.

Faun was standing in the doorway with a board game under her arm and Calli was just behind her with a bunch of clothes draped over her shoulder.

Faun was petite with unruly blonde curls that reached just below her ears, piercing blue eyes and porcelain skin. She looked like a doll and spoke ever so softly...that is until you mention the Vargul or Lycans. 

Her family were ripped to shreds by a pack when Calli and I met her 12 years back, just before we left the Militia. As we had all come to realise, not all Lycan were peaceful. Some still harboured hate over what happened during the Fall and never joined together with human settlements.

Calli and I took her in and helped her through her grief then left to the Medic Corp but she stayed behind to become a mechanical engineer. She and her team now take care of anything mechanical in Tectum.

"Aunt Faun! Aunt Calli!", Yann jumped up and hugged them both then excitedly took the board game to set it up.

Yann wasn't the touchy-feely type so when he did dish out hugs, we took them gratefully. 

"You punk-ass, you scared the living daylights out of me", I laughed and gave her a warm squeeze.

"Sorry, I  couldn't help myself", she said in her thick Scottish accent, her eyes glistening with laughter. "I hear you get tuh meet the Archivio today. Is Saleem going?"

I raised a brow, "I don't know, IS Saleem going?", now humoured. 

Her hand flew up to her mouth, trying to hide the growing blush on her white cheeks. "Oh no no, just thought you would know as he is your pairing", she shrugged.

"Hah! That reminds me! Which one of you thought it was a good idea to tell Yann about that, hmm?! I was gonna tell him tonight!"

They both looked at eachother then tried to give excuses at the same time and I just laughed and waved at them to stop. 

The three of them helped me pick out an outfit for the meeting from Calli's bundle which ended up being a white, long sleeved silk blouse, high waisted black dress pants and black heeled boots.

During our Militia years, Calli would collect clothes and fabrics from our excursions outside the wall and alter them to her taste. Soon others were coming to her, trading their home grown food for some of her sewing. 

After giving into their choice of my attire, we whipped up a quick lunch and began feasting.