Alamort | Troy Otto

1.19

[1.19]

"I can't believe we're killing a cow," said Thena with a pout.

Crazy Dog, who was standing beside her when Nick's gun went off, turned to look at the woman with a frown. "You kill people without a problem and killing a cow strikes your morals?"

Thena only shrugged and turned to look away from the now dead animal. She sighed and walked away taking her time to get back to the main part of the ranch.

The day passed in a blur. Nothing extraordinary happened. She ate breakfast, helped with the dead that came too close to the ranch and had lunch, then took care of the barn before she had dinner and found herself all alone in her cabin.

Just like the previous nights, she couldn't sleep. She didn't know why. She had no nightmares, no faces that showed themselves when she closed her eyes. She was in complete and utter darkness, and she couldn't sleep. The fact that she thought she heard steps outside her window didn't help her insomnia. The small watch on her wrist showed two in the morning and she sighed.

Slowly, she got up from her small bed and put her boots on, taking her revolver and gun and placing them in their holsters. While everyone, apart from Ava, thought the weapons were empty, six rounds stood ready in the chamber of her revolver's cylinder. Putting her axe and dagger at her waist, she opened the door of her cabin and stepped in the cold night.

The walk to the house wasn't long, but the chilly air made goosebumps rise on her skin. The cold hit her bare neck, making her regret forgetting her scarf when her bruise seemed to start aching.

She opened the door of the house slowly and tiptoed to Nick's room, hoping to find him away. But, unfortunately for her, he was sleeping soundlessly in his bed. Thena's eyes stared at him for a second, her body leaning on the doorframe, before her caught sight of the cigarette pack and lighter on the nightstand.

Her eyes gazed at Nick's body again and slowly not to wake him up, she leaned over the nightstand and quickly grabbed the cigarettes. Not making any sounds, she walked to the balcony and took a cigarette out, putting it between her lips and lighting it with the small lighter.

Leaning on the railing of the balcony, she looked up at the sky and let a puff of smoke escape her throat. As she thought she relaxed, a showed echoed through the house, making her turn. She saw no movement, but she would swear something was heard from the inside.

"Nick?" she asked in a whisper, but no answer came, and she turned away. She rubbed her forehead and brought the cigarette to her lips, breathing in deeply. An owl hooted in the distance and dogs barked, making Thena's body start to relax once again. Until the floors of the house creaked as someone stepped on them. The woman groaned and shook her head.

"Nick, stop playing around—Jesus!"

The moment she turned, her body froze, and her free hand went to her waist where she kept her dagger. Troy was leaning on the doorframe, his head fallen in front of him, making it seem like he was looking at Thena's boots.

"That shit will kill you, Athena," he said, pointing to the cigarette in her hand and finally meeting her eyes.

Thena stared at him with wide and confused eyes. For a moment, she thought he was a ghost, an apparition triggered by the fact she had been in the Otto household for too long. But with every second added to the time she stared at him; she couldn't deny how real he looked.