I gripped Hope's hand as we made our way through the rubble of the science lab. Her face lit up at the sight of the forest as we approached the gaping hole in the side of the building.
"Have you been outside?" I asked as her heterochromia eyes scanned the scene in awe.
Hope shook her head, "No, the bad people never let me…" She explains, "I knew that I could leave, but I was scared of the monsters that have no eyes. They roam around here with those smelly things that moan all the time."
"Ah, I see; we call the monsters without eyes Reapers," I explained as Treyson helped me get Hope over the large pile of rubble and rebar, "The smelly monsters that moan all the time are called Zombies."
I watched as Demoysa ambled over the mountain of rubble with ease, scanning the forest with his emerald green eyes. I honestly found this beast fascinating.
"Are we really taking the mutant girl and the beast back to the colony?" asked Xavier with his lip curled in disgust.
My hand clenched into a fist, ready to punch the bastard, "She is just a little girl; she deserves to live freely like any human being, ghoul or mutant beast," I said, motioning towards the rose demon, "It isn't their fault that they ended up this way."
Treyson's lips curved into his trademark crooked smile as he reached out and laced his fingers with mine…I wanted to laugh when Xavier clenched his teeth in anger.
"I don't know what happened to the Bree that I knew," Xavier scoffs, "who would spend every free moment she had searching for a cure for the virus."
This time it was Izzy who came to my rescue as she stomped over to Xavier with a look of pure anger on her face, "Are you talking about the Bree who went days without eating or sleeping? The one who looked miserable and unhappy!?" she yelled with her petite form a foot shorter than Xavier's as she rose onto her tiptoes to meet him eye to eye just to defend me, "I would rather see my best friend and sister with a smile on her face than a frown, and I don't care if the ones to do so are a little different from us… she deserves to be just as happy as anyone else."
Man, I loved that girl… I thought, smiling up at Treyson, who stood there quietly with his head cocked to the side as he listened in on the conversation.
"Alright, guys, that's enough!" yells JR, who looked like crap; I bet the wound on his face hurt like hell, "Xavier, it was my choice to allow the girl to come to the colony; if you have an issue with that then bring it up with me, but for now let's get to somewhere safe before those Reaper's appear."
I walked over and gave Izzy a hug, "Thanks for defending me; you are the best friend and sister ever."
"But I thought I was your only sister?"
I froze at the sound of an unfamiliar voice; when I turned around, I spotted a tall, lean, muscled young woman who looked about twenty years old with a heart-shaped face and dark hair shaved close to her scalp with those eerie golden-yellow irises of a ghoul.
"What do you mean?" I asked as I took a step closer.
The ghoul crossed her arms with a scowl as she looked from me to JR, "What's wrong? Can't recognize the face of your little sister?"
I gasped in shock as I turned to face JR, whose face was as white as a ghost, "But I thought Zoey died due to complications with the birth…"
JR seemed to deflate as he looked over at me with a devastated look on his face, "You were still really young when Zoey was born, so Dad came up with the idea to tell you that Mom and Zoey both died that day…but the truth is that Zoey had been born a ghoul and Dad brought her to the surface and left her where he knew the ghouls lived…"
I stood there, totally flabbergasted at the news of my little sister being alive!!! I turned to face Zoey as tears streamed down my cheeks, "Zoey, I had no clue that you were still alive, and I'm so sorry…"
Zoey scoffed as she stepped forward; the closer she got, the more I noticed that she looked a lot like our mother with her angular heart-shaped face and brunette hair. "Sorry? You are sorry!" she yelled as her pale grayish face turned red with anger, "I was dumped and abandoned like a piece of trash!"
"Zoey…" JR went to say something, but she cut him off.
"I don't want to hear any of your pathetic excuses!" Zoey yelled, "Did you even know that our dear old dad has a brother?" she added with her brows raised as she took another step closer; I could see the outline of her slightly pointed ears and her pointed incisors.
"What are you talking about? I have never heard of us having an uncle," JR explained as he stepped up beside me.
"Of course, you haven't because he was born as a ghoul too, and God for bid the news of one of the leaders of the colony admitting that they have a ghoul for a child," Zoey mocked as she threw her hands in the air, "But I was luck enough to have been found by uncle Bryndon and was raised by him and some other ghouls."
I looked over at JR, feeling both hurt and confused…Why didn't he ever tell me?"
Zoey's eye landed on Treyson, then down at Hope, who was still holding my hand.
'Well, well, well… I'm surprised to see a ghoul amongst your group… and some kind of weird hybrid.." Zoey says with a look of confusion on her face as she sniffs the air, "Why does she have such an odd smell?"
Demoysa didn't seem to like Zoey's attention on Hope, so he bared his thorn-like teeth as he moved to stand in front of Hope in protection.
Zoey scratched at her chin, then shrugged before looking up at the sky that was painted with shades of reds and yellows as the sun began to rise above the horizon.
"Looks like we will have to cut this conversation short, but I was glad to have a family gathering," She says with a wave, "Maybe next time I will bring Uncle Bryn; I'm sure he would love to say hello." Zoey snickered as she sauntered back up the hill, "Toodles, dear siblings, I shall return another day."
We all stood there in silence for a few minutes, just trying to grasp what just happened. The air was starting to warm rapidly as the sun rose higher in the sky; a beam of light came through the trees and touched Hope, making her hiss in pain and clutch at her arm as tears streamed down her face as a nasty welt began to form where the sun had touched her.
"Ghouls are more sensitive to the sun compared to humans," says Treyson as he pulls a hoodie out of his pack and slips it over Hopes's head. The hoodie is way too big for her and drags against the ground at her feet. " I'm guessing that the sun is even more sensitive for Hope. We need to get to the place we were last night quickly."
With a heavy sigh, I nodded before taking Hope's cloth-covered hand, "We aren't too far, sweetheart."
I peered over at Demoysa, who was watching closely; with a shrug, I stepped towards the lion demon, "Demoysa, would it be alright if Hope rode on your back?" I asked him, almost like I was expecting him to understand… The beast was eye to eye with me as he sat on his hunches; he cocked his head as I spoke to him; to my surprise, the beast made a low howl/huff sound before laying down with a swish of his rose-tipped tail.
"I'm assuming that you are okay with it," I mumbled with a shrug before helping Hope onto his back. Thankfully, the thick cloth of the hoodie provided a barrier between Hopes's bare legs and the small thorns on Demoysa's back.
Once Hope was secured, I turned to JR, "I'm going to run ahead; I will see you guys back at the rest spot."
JR nodded in understanding, "Just be careful."
I gave him a reassuring smile as I turned to walk away, "I will be alright; I have Treyson and a scary demon lion," I explained with a shrug," Alright, guys, let's make a run for it!"
Treyson nodded at me, and then we all took off in a dead run. I could see Treyson's skin beginning to blister now as the sun rose higher in the sky. I felt awful seeing him and Hope in pain.
Thankfully, it didn't take long before we arrived at the resting place. I rushed forward and opened the door for Hope and Treyson. Once they were safely inside, I helped Hope off of Demoysa's back, then pulled off the hoodie, wincing at the sight of the nasty blisters on her upper arm where the sunbeam had touched her skin.
"I have some aloe in my pack that might help with the sting of the burns.
"The aloe won't help, Wild Cat," says Treyson as he raises himself up on the counter, "We will need some fresh bloody meat; the meat will help us heal faster."
I looked up at Treyson, trying to figure out what to say without offending him…"Ummm, I heard that ghouls needed fresh meat, but I have also seen you eat normal food too."
Treyson nodded, "Yes, I can eat normal food, but I seem to produce more of the hormone ghrelin, similar to the ones with the undead virus, but it can be sated easily… well, at least for me it is… I'm sure every ghoul is different, just like every human is different."
"So, does that mean that you need me to go out and hunt something for you?" I asked.
Tresyon ran his hands over his tired face with a sigh, "I will be fine; I have dealt with worse, but Hope will need some."
I shrugged my shoulders, "It's really no big deal for me, Trey. I will run out and catch a few things and bring it back. With the sun up, the forest will be crawling with critters."
"Fine, go if you must," Treyson mumbles as he pulls me towards him before pressing his lips to mine, "Please at least wait until the others get here and take someone with you."
"I can do that," I press my lips to his, then walk over to Hope, "I have to go outside for a short while; I will bring something back that will help with the pain."
Hope nods before taking a seat on the floor next to Demoysa. I gave the demon lion a nod before heading for the door. Thankfully, the others were returning as I stepped outside.
"How is Hope?" asks JR as he approaches.
"Her whole upper arm is covered in blisters; Tresyon explained to me that ghouls need fresh meat and blood that will actually accelerate their healing. So, I decided to go out and find her some fresh meat."
"So, ghouls need fresh meat like the rumors say?" asks Pheobe.
"Treyson says that he believes that ghouls were caused by the Undead Virus because they, too, crave the need for protein. But for ghouls, they don't have to eat it all the time. They can eat regular food as well."
"So you believe what this ghoul says?" asks Xavier with a curl of his lip, "There is no scientific possibility that blood or fresh protein can help anything heal faster."
"I'm sure there is, Xavier," I said with a shrug, "We just haven't studied the ghouls enough. But I need to get going; Hope is in a lot of pain."
"Alright," JR says with a nod, "But please take a few people with you."
I shook my head with a sigh, "You and Tresyon worry too much," with a roll of my eyes, I turned to address the rest of our group, "Who would like to go with me to hunt a few critters?"
Shawn and Micah looked at each other with a shrug before stepping forward, "We will go with you," says Shawn.
"The easiest animals to find at this time are squoons; they are a mutant species of a squirrel and raccoon hybrid mix," explains Micah.
"Awesome, thank you." I gave each of them a nod before turning to JR. "I don't know how long I will be, but I hope everyone will be nice to Treyson and Hope while I'm away."
"Don't worry, Bree. They will be safe while I'm here," JR says with a pat on the shoulder, "Just try to make it quick."
With one last nod, I motioned for Shawn and Micah to take the lead, "You two have more experience in hunting than I do, so I will follow you."
It was quiet as we made our way through the lush vegetation. I kept oohing and ahhing at the flowers and creators I saw. I pointed to an animal that looked like a small bird with wings that flapped so fast they made a humming sound with fluffy yellow and black striped iridescent feathers, but also had big bug eyes, feelers, and a stinger as it flew from one flower to another.
"What is that critter called?" I asked Shawn, pointing to a small bug bird thing.
"That's what we call a humble bumble; they are a hybrid between a hummingbird and a bumble bee.
"Oh, wow!" I smiled in awe, then pointed to another critter that looked like a bug but with a long, thin, but fuzzy black and yellow striped body with larger wings and a beautiful black and yellow pattern that kind of looked like eyes…
"What about that?"
Micah chuckled, then said, "That is a butterbee; they gather pollen and take it back to their hives to make honey."
"Oh! So they are butterbees! I have never seen one."
Thankfully, we didn't have to walk very far before Shawn pointed to an animal about the size of a one-year-old with a rodent-like appearance, with a long, slender gray body, a black face, and a black and gray banded bushy tail.
"That is what we are looking for," he says, "That animal is called a
squoon."
I grasped my rainbow Kuani knife with a firm grip and slowly approached the target. My father's teachings on the proper technique for throwing a knife came flooding back to me as I drew nearer to the squoon.
When I was close enough, I took a deep breath and positioned the blade between my index, middle, and ring fingers, gripping the handle firmly. My thumb rested on the center of the opposite side of the handle, and I stepped back, ensuring my right shoulder facing the target.
With a slow exhale, I took a small step forward, my front foot marking the throwing line. Then, with a swift motion, I hurled the dagger with all my might, watching as it sliced through the air before piercing the creature's forehead.
Even as the squoon fell lifeless to the ground, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. But survival in this world often requires us to hunt and kill, and Hope really needs the fresh meat.
"Holy shit, that was awesome!" Shawn cheered as I walked over to grab the squoon.
I bowed dramatically, "Thank you, kind sir."
"Will you teach me how to do that when we return to the colony?" Micah asked as I joined him and Shawn.
"Umm, if I get some free time, I will see what I can do," I said with a shrug. I was about to turn to head back when I spotted another squoon; I might as well grab another one for Treyson; he needs the fresh meat also.