After breakfast, Aria got her shoes and jacket on and sat of the couch in the living room. Glass was scattered over the floor by the windows and the windows themselves were boarded up. She had broke the windows herself and boarded them up. She hoped that by having the place look like it had already been broken into would discourage 'visiters.' So far it seemed it had worked. If it hadn't, she still had her father's gun and he had taught her how to use it.
And if that failed she had another plan.
"Why can't we sweep up the glass again?" Sasha complained putting her jacket on. "And where are we going?"
"The glass and other debris makes it look like this place has already been raided. Which is what we are going to do."
Sasha looked at Aria like she was crazy.
"I don't like it either but," Aria took a deep breath, "But I'm not going to lie to you. It's bad. We have maybe three months left of food and most of it is fruit." She grimaced thinking of how often they would have to spend on the porcelain throne if that was all they had left. "We NEED more rice or dry food, Sasha. I know you don't like going out but we need food and," she softened her voice, "We know that everyone who left for the city during the Plague isn't coming back."
Sniffling, Sasha nodded, looking at her hands. "Can we check on my cousin, Javier? We haven't heard from him or the other in over a month."
"Of course, cute little Sophia could probably do with some girl time as it is." Aria agreed. Not that she would have been able to turn Sasha down after that. After all, Sasha's parents were some of the ones who never came back. "Maybe we can pawn off some of our peaches for their beans."
Laughing, Sasha said, "The boys would probably love that. They said they were sick of beans and Mac am cheese last time we were over."
Smiling, Aria knelt down and pulled out the rifle she kept there. Checking it over, she made sure everything was in good, working order before grabbing bullets. Pulling out her mother's handgun, she offered it to Sasha.
"You know I hate those things."
With a sigh Aria said, "I know, but do you really want to be defenseless if a Mute (mutation) attacks? Or what about a shifting Changling?"
Sasha looked grim but thoughtful. "Give me a moment." She ran off towards the back of the house.
This had been an argument they had had multiple times over the past year. Aria for Sasha having a gun and Sasha in the negative. It didn't matter as much when her parents were alive. Aria, her dad and mom would all be armed, making the journey pretty safe. Until a Reaper got them.
Reapers were one of many new, mutant creatures that appeared after the Bio Wars. Some said they were the ghosts of the undead. Some said they were fey. But everyone agreed they didn't seemed to be able to be killed.
They weren't deadly the same way other Mutes were. They didn't run, they slowly glided. The area around them would darken and fill with fear. If you looked them in the eyes, you died. Instantaneously. Then your body turned to ash. Aria wished she could forget the sight of her parents leading it off, her father turning to ash. And her mother crying as she continued to lead it away. She found an ash pile later with her mother's wedding ring.
Hand traveling to her necklace, Aria held her parents wedding rings.
With a slam, the back door opened and closed, turning around to see what Sasha had, Aria raised her eyebrows. In Sasha's hands was the axe they used to chop wood.
Looking a bit sheepish, she said "I'd rather used this. It just...feels more...human. I know it's odd but, this feels better than killing at a distance if it's needed." Looking up with wide eyes, Sasha said hurriedly, "Not that that's wrong. It's just not for me...."
With a sad smile Aria responded, "Nothing wrong with that. As long as you have something to protect yourself." She put the handgun back into her holster and walked towards the door. Opening it she looked outside.
"It looks clear. Let's grab a few bags and some peaches. We can visit Javier and the others first. Maybe they will come with us."
Walking out into the cool early spring morning, Aria just wanted to stop and enjoy the breeze and sunlight. But they had stuff they had to get done. They probably wouldn't run into trouble, but better to be safe than dead. Aria shifted her rifle so that it would be easy to use, if needed.
Sasha's cousins lived about four miles away. Not to terribly far but enough to be concerned. The friends walked in realitve quiet. They lived in the relative center of the neighborhood, which meant that there was less wildlife than further out.
Hearing a snaping of twigs, Aria spun toward the sound, rifle at the ready. Sasha, knuckles white on the axe handle, did the same. A moment a deer and her faun appear from behind someone's overgrown hedge.
The deer had a few spines growing up her nose, but seemed normal overall. She froze when she saw the two girls. After a minute, Aria slowly walked backwards, lowering her gun. But as she moved the mama deer curled her lips back revealing sharp canine teeth and charged them with a scream. Now normal deer do make sounds, but they are prey animals. There is something deeply wrong with something that is not supposed to roar, or scream to hunt but does. And the body knows it and it's a bit like hearing nails on a chalkboard type of wrong.
With a loud bang, Aria pulled the trigger and a body crumpled into a pile of fangs and hooves.
"I hate Mutes." She whispered, keeping the gun up.
Sasha let out a small wimper of agreement.
The baby, not quite understanding and lacking the normal prey instincts that it should have possed, ran up to its mom and let out a hiss. It sounded like a mix between a weeze and a baby crying.
"Should we kill it too? Can it even survive without its mom?" Sasha asked quietly, still a little white.
"Probably. I wish we didn't need to but... I don't want a predator this close to the Falls." Aria didn't like killing, but she would.
As she started to raise the gun, Sasha gestured to stop. "Save the bullets." Shaking, hands nearly as white on the shaft of the axe as her knuckles, she charged.
"Wait!" Aria yelled.
Sasha ignored her, probably afraid of losing what bravery she had mustered. The faun bared its fangs, hissing it's grating call, and lunged. It dodged the first swing and the second, it was about to bite into the tender flesh of Sasha's calf when it jerked face first into the ground. The axe buried itself in its neck. A swift death, as it's neck was softer than the wood they were used to cutting.
Trembling, Sasha said "I thought it was going to bite me. It... it was right there. I.. I could *feel* it."
Aria walked closer. "It lookes like it tripped on that rock." She said pointing to a peice of crumbling curb, her hand shaking slightly. quickly she continued, "Don't do that again. I thought it was going to get you and you were right in front of my shot."
Sasha nodded. "Sorry, I forgot to go in on the side. That way you could shoot if...." she trailed off looking at the beheaded Mute deer. She shivered, "it crunched." She said, eyes wide with the discovery of something she wished she didn't know.
Patting her sholder, "Why don't you sit down on the curb for a bit. I'm going to... I'm going to check that house for plastic bags and we can take what meat we can."
"Can you eat a mutant deer?" Sasha asked.
"Radio said it was safe a few years back. Just said you had to be careful if it was venomous."
With a dazed nod, Sasha sat down.
Aria check the backyard to make sure there weren't any more. Then walked in to the house. The door frame was splinted and glass covered the floor. The floor was warped and mold and other plants were starting to grow. No one had lived here for a long time. The pantry and cupboard were empty of food and dishes were broken on the ground. She found what she was looking for under the sink. Garbage bags.
As she walked out of the house she looked down the hall. A small, dirty stuffed bear sat a few doors away. With a pain her heart, Aria took a step towards the bear, before shaking her head. And heading outside to take care of the deer.