Revenant's Kiss | ONC 2022 Shortlister ✓

N I N E

To say I hated how easily I gave out now would be an understatement. Seven hours into trekking through toppled buildings and cracked blacktop roads to find the safehouse, and I was already ready for my tenth break. Or was it eleventh? I didn't know anymore, but it had been a good bit. At this rate I could make an educated guess about where to find the Stars instead of searching for information.

"Getting tired?" Soren asked, holding onto the straps of the tactical backpack slung over his shoulders.

I snorted, plopping my pack down onto the ground beside an abandoned school bus. I leaned into it, breathing more unsteady than I liked. I'd just blame it on the two assault rifles on my back and the pistols strapped to my body. "Ain't I always?"

That held more sarcasm than I wanted, but he didn't seem to mind. He just shook his head, a few wrinkles creasing his forehead as he stood beside me. "No ma'am. You're recovering, so you're allowed to take a rest until you heal."

Well, I couldn't argue with him there. I was healing, but it didn't mean I had to like it. I found it funny I was the only one having to pause. He didn't need any form of break, and neither did he even act tired for that matter, and it intrigued me. Was it a part of his immunity? Revenants held heightened senses and abilities, and the past few hours pointed some out in Soren as well. Occasionally the fear-striking yellow glinted in his eyes and reminded me he was anything but normal. I found it all crazy, but in the coolest and scariest ways possible.

I chewed my lip as I watched him gaze at the ruins of the city. Undoubtedly he'd seen it before, just like I had. No matter where you went, it was all the same. Destruction, desolation, and despair at every corner. Each broken building held bits and pieces of a once lively world, and every skyscraper and bridge told of our former glory. Sad as it might be, I wasn't sure if the old life was something I could settle into again. Fighting, killing, and taking orders from a QZ general had become my existence now. It sounded bad, I knew. But it was true.

Sliding one of the rifles from my back, I nudged Soren with the barrel of it and held it up to him. "Ever handled a gun, grease monkey?"

"Does Call of Duty count?" He carefully took the firearm into his hands, staring down at it as if it would discharge at any moment.

Call of Duty. Of course. It had been one of Jonathan's favorite PlayStation game franchises, and one of the few I tackled multiplayer with him on. To say it wasn't fun would be a lie, but I couldn't help being surprised. Soren didn't seem the gamer type to me. Looks were deceiving that way though.

I laughed just a little as I shoved gaming memories back down away from my consciousness where they belonged. "Well, it's pretty much the same. You aim, shoot down the enemies, and reload whenever you need to."

His thick brows rose quizzically and he swung a cautiously interested look down at me. "Ma'am, pressing R1 and L1 on a controller is different from holding a gun and using it."

"Okay maybe just a little," I relented, using the van to stand to my feet. Taking his hand gently, I guided it to the grip under the barrel and helped him aim. I made sure the stock was firmly against his shoulder after positioning his other hand before stepping back a little. "That's how you hold it. Then you just pull the trigger and let 'er rip. Easy as pie."

"Easy as pie?" He repeated timidly as he eased the rifle down into a rest position.

I nodded. "Uh huh. Just hold onto it once you touch the trigger, 'cause the recoil can be a bit to get used to and it might try to rear up."

"Pull the trigger, hold onto it, and don't let it rise up too much," he listed aloud partially under his breath. "Think I got it."

"I think so too." I patted his shoulder just as I would a new recruit. "You'll become a soldier yet."

He chuckled and shook his head, slinging the weapon over his shoulder. "Not sure if I'll make a good one."

Something about his amusement brought me in on the laughter with a laugh of my own. Before I could comment, Soren tensed before plowing into me and yelling, "Watch out!"

As my back hit the ground, a snarl broke out from above as a bloodied revenant launched himself off the top of the bus at us. I watched as Soren met the attacker mid-leap, both of them hitting the ground in a growling bundle of arms and legs.

I shifted backwards as fast as I could, feeling the bus hit against my pack. My sidearm stuck to my hand as I strapped it from my leg and tried securing a clear aim on the revenant. The rapid pulse of my racing heart pounded in my head as I watched frantically for any break in the fight to safely release a bullet, but no opportunity presented itself.

Fear and adrenaline burnt through my veins. Maybe I'd only known Soren for a little while, but I didn't want to watch him die. Not when he was everything needed to set the world back into motion again. But all I could do was watch them scuffle in the dirt and listen to the angry howls, praying God would get Soren out of this alive.

Like an answer to my prayer, Soren stood to his feet, holding the revenant up by the back of the head. In one smooth movement, he wrapped his fingers around the attacker's jaw and ripped it clean off. He tossed the mangled body to the ground and stood there panting, his eyes shining with the telltale yellow as he watched the revenant convulse and whimper with acute interest.

When the revenant's writhing ceased, he turned his focus to me, his chest heaving softly. Blood smeared across his face like warpaint and stained his ripped shirt with dark, wet patches. "I. . .I'm sorry."

"For what?" A soft sigh of relief escaped me in an exhaled breath. His safety mattered more to me than whatever he thought he did wrong, and I mentally thanked God for keeping him intact.

"Pushing you and acting like. . .like a monster," he answered, his tone less shaky than before but still holding an anxious edge. He glanced down at the blood covering his trembling hands, closing his eyes for a moment before turning them back to me. "Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry—"

"You're not a monster," I stated softly as I made myself get off the ground once more. The moment I reached him, I pulled a rag from my back pocket and began removing the evidence of death on his palms. His unsteady breath hit my face in soft waves, and I glanced up into the normal brown of his eyes. "You saved me. If you hadn't shoved me, God only knows what would've happened."

Uncertainty swirled in his irises as he fought against what I said and how he felt. Dropping his face to watch my gentle rubs, he blew out a sigh then laughed, but it held no amusement. "Okay. It's just hard sometimes." He lifted a conflicted gaze to my face. "Hard to distinguish between who I am, and who the LycanZ turns me into."

Biting my lip, I contemplated anything I could say to ease his mind. Nothing I came up with seemed fitting, and I found myself at a loss for the right words to say. But I couldn't just leave him hanging. I tucked the rag back into my pocket, peering into his face. It seemed as if I were looking into his very soul as I took in the misery embedded so deeply in his being, and my heart fluttered. Here his similarities with Jon ended, and his own person began. "We all have our demons to fight, Soren. It's a hard battle, but it's one that can be won."

He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "I'm not sure if I can do this."

"Sure you can," I assured, offering a light smile as I gripped his shoulder. "I'll be right here to help you."

He dipped his head, drawing in a deep breath. When he made eye contact again, determination blazed where fear once tread. "Always?"

Always.

That was a hell of a big thing to commit to, but I would do whatever I must to get him where he wanted to go. Even if it meant opening wounds I'd rather have left alone. Getting him to the Stars took more than keeping him well physically. If his mental man crumbled, the rest would soon follow. But it wouldn't happen, not while there was still breath in my lungs and life in my body.

"Always," I confirmed quietly, letting my hand fall to my side.