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When they returned from the forest, Ren, the eldest of the village, was watching from afa(HA)r. He sat at the porch of his house, as he moved out of the village, claiming he wasn’t used to the hustle and bustle. She looked at him, and saw he was sipping tea, eyes studying them. She was about to say something when Martyn smacked her against the head and started sprinting towards the village, laughing.
“Hey! What the-” She immediately started sprinting after him. She cut him off before he could get into the village and chased him back towards Sausage and Drift. He changed direction and barreled towards Ren’s house. When they were a few steps from the porch, Apo snatched his collar and pulled him back, to the ground.
“Ren, HElp!” He yelped as he fell. Apo had him in a headlock, legs wrapped around his middle so he couldn’t leave.
“No one is gonna help you, little bit-” His hand flew up and smacked her in the face. She didn’t loosen her grip though, she only tightened it. She used one hand and smacked him on the head 10 times, before feeling content with the number and weight of the smack before letting him go. She looked up and saw Ren laughing behind his tea. “Sorry sir.” She said, and smacked Martyn in the back of his head.
“Oh- sorry.” He grinned. She grabbed him by his collar again and started to drag him towards the village, where Sausage and Drift gave up waiting for them and went inside. She looked at the sky and noticed it suddenly turned dark while they were chasing each other, the crimson sky bathing everything in a bloody red hue. She looked around, her eyes seeming to glow in the red light. She let Martyn go, who looked around as well, before yelling and fought off a zombie. An arrow was shot, just barely missing Apo’s nose. She turned and charged, slashing her sword through the skeleton, sending its bones scattering.
“Hey, come to me home!” Ren called to them, and Martyn didn’t hesitate a second. He grabbed Apo’s wrist, grin plastered across his face, and pulled her to Ren’s house. The man in question stood with the door open, and ushered them in before slamming it and locking.
“Thanks, specs!” Martyn said, grinning at him. Apo was immediately on edge. She didn’t know what was in this house.
“Of course. Ye could have died, doncha know.” He said in a mysterious, low voice. He gestured to his couch and offered them tea. Apo didn’t take tea, but she did remove her boots and sit on the couch. “Those creatures of the night be making the day shorter and the night longer, doncha know.” Ren said, sitting in a chair across from the couch. Martyn plopped down beside Apo, relaxed, but eyes vigilant.
“Oh, I know sir, I know.” Martyn said. Apo sighed.
“If you're talking about vampires, give it up. They’re not real.” She huffed. Ren turned his heavy gaze to her, and she felt as if his presence in the room was chokingly strong.
“Ye, they be real alright, one tried to drink me blood. Dangerous creatures, doncha know.” Martyn’s eyes widened and he sat up straight.
“You mean you’ve seen one before?” he asked, curious. Ren nodded gravely.
“Indeed, I have.”
“They’re not real!” The words burst from her mouth, and she felt their eyes fall on her. She refused to make eye contact, instead looking at the wall. “Stop talking about them.” She muttered. Martyn scoffed in argument, but Ren’s eyes stared, unwavering, into her very soul.
“Ye be afraid of somethin.” he says. Her eyes snapped to his before looking down.
“No, I'm not.” She protested, but her voice sounded fragile.
“Ye be afraid, not of a creature, but of a situation.” He continues. Martyn’s face morphed into curiosity and confusion, any traces of starting an argument gone. He was clinging to Ren’s every word.
“What situation would I be afraid of? I was trained to be ready and prepared for anything.” She scoffed, praying he would stop talking.
“But yer not. This situation is one you cannot prepare yerself for. It’s emotional.” He says. Martyn’s eyes widened in a child-like understanding.
“What are you talking about?” She scoffs, getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute.
“Ye are worried that somethin would happen, causing ye to not be able to return to yer loved one.” he says, and she shoots up. Martyn stared at her as if he’s seeing her in a different light.
“Shut up! I am prepared for anything and everything. I protect everyone and everything, including myself. You know nothing about me. You don’t know where I came from, why I'm here, and who I have waiting for me at home. You don’t know if I even have a home! Stop acting like you know me, know my story, know who I am. You don’t. You don’t and you never will.” She sent a glare towards Martyn, who was still watching her in a different way than before. Ren didn’t flinch, his gaze unwavering. He had a look of understanding in his eyes, but he did nothing to express it.
“Sit down, will ya. We have a long night ahead of us.” He said instead. She hesitantly sat down, avoiding eye contact. “Now, ye are right. I know nothin of yer past, where ye came from, and who ye love. However, I can tell because I see the look in yer eyes. The sadness, loneliness on yer face. Ye are worried somethin will happen to you while you are here, and ye are worried somethin will happen to ye loved one back at home and ye are unable to help them.” The silence that followed was suffocating and deafening. Martyn hesitantly broke it.
“Who’s your loved one?” He asked. Apo felt her face soften a bit.
“...Cherri.” She said, looking to the side. The silence that followed wasn’t suffocating anymore, but it was awkward.
“Well, might as well settle in fer the night, pups. The monsters out there are not planning on leaving any time soon.” Ren stood to gather some food for the two. Martyn glanced around the room, no doubt searching for something to do, or maybe steal.
“What are we gonna do, specs?” He asked, practically bouncing in place. Apo tuned them out as she stared out the window, at the land in front of the wall. She watched as the skeletons milled around, zombies walked into each other by accident. Phantoms flew circles some part over the wall before occasionally swooping down and back up again. Her mind wandered towards Cherri. She wondered how she was, how she was faring with her gone. She knew Cherri was a strong, independent woman, but she couldn’t help but worry something bad could happen to her or her art shop and she wouldn’t be there to help. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted though, by two dark figures wandering from the wall.
Who in their right mind would be out at night? She wondered to herself, and noticed they were not being attacked by the mobs outside. Strange… She looked closer, suspicion growing, when she saw a glint of teal hair as they disappeared into the woods. She shot up, her suspicions of the man growing stronger.
“Are you alright, lass?” Ren asked, and she straightened, eyes still locked on where they disappeared into the forest.
“Yes.” Her head was running a mile a second, trying to find a reason why they would be out there and not attacked by mobs.
“What are you staring at?” Martyn asked, getting up and walking over to the window. He looked out and squinted for a few seconds before turning to Ren and shrugging. “Apo, there’s nothing there.” She blinked and turned around to him.
“I thought I saw something, that's all.” She said in a quiet voice before sitting down and waving at them to continue whatever they were doing. Ren looked at Apo’s face for a few seconds before turning and continuing the story he was telling Martyn, who sat back down excitedly next to him, listening attentively. He would occasionally cut in and talk about how these plot points Ren brought up connected with each other in ways outside of the story, basically adding his own lore to it. Apo half listened and instead continued staring out the window, watching for more sketchy movements.