Page 46 of Horns & Heart
Chapter17
Back when I’d been on my own, uneasiness used to follow me like my own shadow.Whether I was staying in a house or moving from one place to another, there had always been that feeling of something watching, of something bad, man or monster, lurking just around the next corner.
To be frank, while I knew getting attacked by a monster would be gory and painful, I’d never had any illusions about the horror other survivors could inflict.In the religious compound, whippings had been normal, and the women—the girls… It horrified me what they had done to them.
However, with the five bagua around, it wasn’t so bad.We saw a monster relatively early on, almost as soon as we passed that department store.The magpies cawed loudly when they spotted it, but Vergis had his hand on his pistol long before that.
The beast was the same purple type that had tried to eat me in the women’s clothing section.Four eyes, toothy smile, anger issues.It didn’t even get all that close though.Before it could, Nokim pulled a bow off his shoulder and fired two or three arrows in quick succession, all of them hitting their mark.
I was impressed, not least by the fact Nokim chose a bow and arrow rather than the shotgun or rifle or whatever it was he also had slung over his shoulder.He and Fellisse jogged over to the dying beast and dispatched it.Nokim pulled his arrows from the corpse, wiped them clean on some cloth, and that was that.No fuss, no screaming, no Rory snack time.
Through all of that, Inkiri kept me in his arms and clicked at me in a low voice.Considering no one else was at all concerned about the beast, I felt almost silly.Almost.To be frank, I enjoyed the clicking and being held more than the monster worried me.In a matter of days, I had apparently turned into an attention whore, and I was fine with that.It felt good.
We continued at a relaxed pace, and I pulled my ballcap from my bag before long.When I explained that I was too fair skinned to be out in the bright sun all day in May, it led to our first explanation of medical issues.
We were on a gravel path patterned with dandelions.In the distance, I could see the turrets of a castle—not too unusual a sight in Ireland.Deer were grazing in the meadow in front of it.
“You say being outside in the sun is enough to give you this sunstroke sickness?”Fellisse was on my right.Vergis was still in the lead, but Nokim had caught up and was walking next to him, offering him some crackers.
“I mean, it only happens when we’re in the sun for too long, and it’s mostly a problem for those of us on the paler side and not used to, you know, full-on summer.”
Fellisse frowned.“But summer happens every year on Earth.”
On my other side, Inkiri made a noise of agreement.
I cleared my throat.“Well, yeah, but it’s a big planet.Not everyone is used to very warm summers.”I put a hand to my chest.“Plus, I’m Irish.We’re all very fair skinned.”
Fellisse looked thoughtful.“Donna never mentioned sunstroke sickness.She liked to say that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
I cleared my throat.“You know that’s not literal, right?”
Vergis cackled while crunching down on a cracker, then looked at us over his shoulder.“You’re such a wimp.”
Inkiri reached for my wrist.“He’s not a wimp, he’s frail.There’s no shame in that.”
Vergis shrugged and looked back ahead.“Whatever.”
Fellisse clicked.“How do you treat this sunstroke sickness?”
I took one of the crackers when Nokim offered the bag.“Oh.I think you have to rest and drink lots of water, but like I said, wearing a hat helps prevent it.Sunburn can be bad as well.”
Fellisse’s eyes widened, and both Inkiri and Nokim turned to me in shock.
From behind us, Lissir gasped.“You mean humansburnin the sun?”
“I thought that was vampires.I didn’t know it was real,” Inkiri mumbled.
Vergis wasn’t even trying to contain his villainous cackle.
I turned millet bean red.“No, that’s not—we’re not vampires.No one bursts into literal flame.Some people get very red skin if they’re in the sun too long, and it hurts a lot and then peels off.”
“That sounds very bad.”Fellisse looked me over.“How do you know it’s happening, and how do you prevent it?”
“Should we rest now, sweet thing?”Inkiri asked.
“Guys, I’m fine.You can use sunscreen—that’s a cream you put on your body.And cover up.That’s fine for most cases.”
Fellisse leaned closer.“I don’t like it.That seems very risky.”
