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From her spot in the open window, at the top of the coal tower, Feng watches David die.
Well, he wasn’t dead yet, but she knew this was his last hook, so he was basically dead once he had hit the ground.
The Huntress towers over him, tall and dark, humming as she yanks her axe out between David’s shoulder blades. It was a good, solid hit, and she has to step on him slightly in order to get the axe out. When she does, he makes a pitiful noise, and she just laughs. Feng could smell the blood even from up here.
However, the Huntress doesn’t pick him up yet. Instead, she peers around, sniffing behind trees and peering around the corners of the tower. Nea had found a flashlight earlier, and been doing her damndest to save anyone who got downed. The Huntress had caught on quickly, and she didn’t want to lose this kill. There was only one generator left and all survivors were still alive.
Behind her, Jake was making progress on the generator. From the sound of it, he was close to finishing it. She was helping him earlier, but upon hearing the approaching lullaby, she wanted to make sure the Huntress wasn’t making her way upstairs to stop them.
And she wasn’t, as she was focused on David, and Nea’s possible appearance, which meant that they were okay for a bit. But now Feng wanted to see if Nea will get the save off--which, by the looks of how thorough the Huntress is this time, she probably won’t.
The Huntress returns to David’s cursing, bleeding body and pauses. She turns toward the tower, and Feng tenses. If she hears the generator work, will she abandon David to check upstairs? If she does, then Feng can drop down and try and pick David up. Hopefully he’s been recovering this whole time--
The Huntress lurches through the window next to her, below Feng, and there’s a strangled cry of pain. Nea had been hiding inside, just outside sight, and the Huntress guessed it. Feng lets out a breath as she listens to Nea’s rapidly retreating footsteps.
No saving for David this time.
Unless.
Feng got an idea.
It was, truly, absolutely, horrifically, stupidly, a bad idea. It’ll most likely not work. It’ll most likely get herself just like David.
But Feng was bored, and hell, it would make a good story for the campfire.
As the Huntress wiped Nea’s blood off her axe, Feng stood up, stuck two fingers in her mouth, and whistled loudly.
The Huntress’ head snapped up, and Feng jumped.
Clumsily, Feng landed on the Huntress. However, as the Huntress was tall and broad while Feng was short and petite, she only slightly swayed as Feng landed on her, arms catching around her neck. The Huntress was visibly caught off guard, one hand let go of her axe as the other reached for Feng’s waist. Feng used her neck as solid leverage, and pulled herself up to kiss the Huntress.
It was panicked and harsh, just catching the corner of her scarred lip and pressing into her greying cheek. Her skin was rough and dirty and Feng could taste the blood staining the skin.
Under them, David managed to croak out a loud “What tha’ fuck?”
The humming had stopped, and even Jake’s work on the generator up top had ceased. Everyone was caught off guard.
The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, and Feng pulled back with an exaggerated “MWAH!” sound, and she smiled brightly at the Huntress.
The Huntress stared at her, the thick arm around her waist keeping Feng at eye level. God, she was so dead.
But she wasn’t, as the Huntress suddenly smiled broadly, sharp teeth flecked with blood, and proclaimed something in a language Feng couldn’t understand. She wrapped both arms tightly around Feng and exuberantly kissed her back.
It was full on the lips, close-mouthed and innocent. Dry, chapped, cold. Incredibly unpleasant and even more shocking. Feng was suddenly feeling faint. All the blood was rushing to her head and her toes were going numb.
Feng has had many kisses in the time before the Entity’s realm. Both men and women, half of them in a drunken stupor. Few were good, most were clumsy and short.
This wasn’t any of them. This was her first kiss, from when she was nine, with an old neighbor. It was with a girl her age, who always had her hair tied up with these gaudy yellow baubles--cheap plastic that she probably won from a coin machine--and she lived next door to Feng. That kiss had been simple, and clumsy, and hesitantly held for three seconds. Feng couldn’t remember her name.
The Entity’s realm was, at its epicenter, a clockwork grinder of pain and gore. This visceral absurdity was just a natural result of all its desperate work. Feng would laugh if it didn’t make her cry.
The kiss didn’t last long, she thinks, but when the Huntress pulled back, Jake got the last generator up, and they both were stuck, suddenly, back under a gaping moon, on dead grass and near a dying David, swimming the cold fog. He had made a good several feet away from them, and Nea was yanking him to his feet.
The Huntress purses her lips, dips in a bit to nuzzle--nuzzle!-- Feng on the cheek, and then drops her unceremoniously.
A hatchet is righted in her hand, and the humming resumes.
David--limping--and Nea--nimble--scatter in opposite directions as the hatchet cuts in between them. The Huntress isn’t perturbed, and stalks after David, ready to resume another chase.
Feng is left sprawled on the ground. Her face was going warm, which, in the cold, dead air, was akin to a furnace on her head.
Looking up, she could see Jake crouching over the edge of the window, looking down at her, face too dark to make out any expression. They were both silent as the humming drifted away.
“So,” Nea appeared beside Feng, “when’s the wedding?”
Feng groaned.