I grab Zara's arm and pull her aside, out of the mess hall. Dior and Benga follow me on edge. I can feel Benga tensing on his weapon, ready to defend Zara.
"What the hell? Hey, calm down coaster, no need to-" I cut Zara off by throwing her against the wall.
"Did you plan all this? How much have you known? Did you kill everyone just to lead us here?!" my mind races with my heart. My breath grows heavy.
I feel a strong stern hand on my shoulder. The barrel of a gun is pressed against my temple and I can sense Benga's willingness to pull the trigger.
"Settle down Tits, we're on the same side. You're going manic, just relax.", Dior puts a reassuring hand on my other shoulder.
"Relax? My home has been ruined, countless family members got devoured by a reaper, I've wrestled with death, hells angels tried to drown me in the gods damned oasis; and then this bitch pulls up to the exact spot we were running away to. Isn't that a little suspicious?" My temper boils.
"Okay... I know you're upset but I'm just as surprised to see you here. I am this burrows wolf, and I always have been, for the past three years. You can ask any of the kids. Ariel will back me." Zara is trembling under my grip.
Our last encounter involved Dior kicking her ass, but she wasn't afraid then. I wonder what's changed. What does she see in my eyes that causes her to shake in fear?
"Please... They don't know... They don't know I'm not a surfer..." Zara is crying, and she looks ashamed, "I don't want them to look at me differently. Please, don't tell them what I am."
I let go of her and turn to look at the rows of children staring at me. They must have never seen violence before, just like the kids back at our bubble. If they knew she was a diver, they'd piss in their pants. They'd forever be afraid of her. I back away in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry... I... I've been through a lot over the last couple of days."
Dior pats my back and signals Benga to lower his weapon.
"Let's catch up over some delicious food." Dior tries to give Zara a friendly smile, I don't think it worked; but the four of us go to awkwardly stand in line.
***
Zara and Dior link up through their third eye and start relaying everything within seconds of finishing their food. Looks like they made up really quickly... It was only a few days ago when Dior burned her ass. The light mark of the scar is still on Zara's cheek.
Benga sips his beer and looks me up and down. It's like he's studying how to butcher me up. I feel eerie under his gaze. According to Ariel, he's the best wolf in the East, and I believe her. He did somehow save me from that flock of nightmarish ghouls.
"So... how long you been a wolf for?"
"Oh... I don't know... I've been surfing for eight years I'd say? Within a few years my colony burned and got devoured. I got rescued by a wolf and he taught me everything I know. Been the best ever since." His deep sexy voice drips with confidence.
"Your marking... what's your blessing?"
"What's yours?"
"Uhm.... I'm super strong... and shit." I don't want to say much.
"Me too." Benga finishes his bottle and brings out a lighter.
"Mind if I smoke ladies?" He looks over but both of them are deep in thought, probably communicating a thousand images of what has happened over the harrowing last few days.
He puffs the nasty stuff into my face, but when I smell it, it isn't Tabaco, or vapor nicotine; it's the fog. This beast of a man is smoking straight up abyssal fog. That stuff is supposed to dissolve human flesh like ice in boiling water.
"How the hell..?" I mutter.
"Oh this?" Benga chuckles, "I picked up this bad habit from the wolf that raised me in the abyss."
"Raised you? How old were you when you started surfing?"
"I don't know... perhaps ten? Why is that not normal for your colony? Did ya'll start younger?"
I stare blankly in amazement. When I was ten, I was still coloring pages to try to get past my trauma, not even once did I think to become a surfer.
"No, it's abnormal to start surfing that young..." I say in awe. Benga shrugs and takes another puff.
"The fog... it's comforting... I don't quite like using the third eye but the smell of the abyss lingering in my lungs reminds me of what's out there. I don't want to get too cozy settling in the burrows. The food's nice but I'm not one to sink into silk sheets. The old rustic tingle in my throat from the fog burn wakes me the fuck up." He chuckles, and it evolves into a loud bellowing laugh, phlegm mixed with blood gurgling in his throat.
This guy is a mad lad. I wouldn't dare want to cross paths with him in the abyss. I look down at his belt where his gun is holstered. It is very similar in mechanics to the welder that invaded my home when I was young. A revolver pistol with a cross bow mechanism that loads the godsblood embedded bullets.
"Why a gun? Most surfer prefer a melee close range weapon."
"With my luck I never miss, and my opponents always do." He takes another puff, "Them flock of panther crows really tore into your ass out there huh."
I blush in embarrassment.
"Yeah, I thought I could take them... I think I would've if they didn't try that drowning tactic. Bastards are the devil's pets for a reason. It was fucking scary man. The oasis is a whole other beast."
"You couldn't have taken them on your own. Get that through that thick head of yours. It'll save you trouble to trust your allies, work together to become stronger. I've never been unlucky enough to cross paths with those ghouls; but If it wasn't for them being distracted by shoving you in there, I wouldn't have been able to scorch them."
"Scorch?"
"Yeah, my pump rifle isn't a gun. It's a flame thrower. It squirts out molten lava infused with gods blood." His lips part to reveal a proud grin.
A shiver runs down my spine. earlier when he had that to my head, the bullet wouldn't have bounced off my skull like I thought it would have. If given enough time, that scorch rifle would've burned right through me.
"Alright Tits change of plans." Dior has stopped queuing into Zara and she turns to face us, "We're leaving tonight with Zara to the garrison. Benga needs to attend to business with Perada in the abyss."
"Wait... you're a part of Seke's guild of weirdo's too?" I regret the words I spoke immediately as I see Benga's irritated expression. I don't think he liked me calling Seke the forsaken one a weirdo.
"Yes, we all are. If you live in the Coast and don't fight for the cause you're more a sheep than the ghouls that get shepherded. Now Zara here says you have a lot of potential and they're investing a lot into you for you to be able to enlist in the academy. Don't fuck it up kid. I'll come scorch your ass If you do. Ya hear?" He blows another puff of abyssal fog towards my face.
"I hear." I let out a disgruntled cough as the vile smoke enters my lungs. This guy's a fucking weirdo too. Great, I'm joining a band of goobers.