Rot || ONC2024

──●Thirteen●──

    That day, Koda had me working like a mule. As I chopped and stacked firewood, I let out a sigh of exhaustion. I would have liked to think that I was used to physical labor. Hunting and chasing humans was a form of exercise in itself. Today, as Koda had me climbing and running all over the place, I realized just how far from the truth that was.

    Plus, my wounds still weren't fully healed. Koda had removed the shiny orbs, which I learned were called bullets, as well as making sure the wound was clean and sterilized. It wasn't expected to be healed for a couple weeks or more. Luckily, the wounds weren't severe, so no surgery was needed.

    "Let's take a rest, kay?" Koda gestured to the watch tower with their shoulder. "It's gettin dark out, we gotta take watch."

    "People actually go on that rickety thing?"

    Koda laughed. "You betcha. It may be old, but it still works for its intended purpose. It's helped keep us safe more times than not."

    I nodded in response, then we began the climb. The tower creaked and groaned under our weight. Climbing it was similar to climbing a rocky ledge, something I wouldn't do again.

    When we made it to the top, I took this time to carefully study Koda's appearance. In the dying light, their eyes and skin were beaming with life. They were tanned, their skin a deep honey color. Their eyes were a deep grey, similar to the sky on a stormy day. As the breeze gently blew, their short, chestnut brown curls curled around their goggles that sat atop their head.

    Despite all the scars that lingered on the visible parts of their body, they seemed at peace. Their posture was relaxed. Their breathing was in long breaths and not the short bursts and cries that I was accustomed to.

    I smiled. This was a nice change of pace.

    "Do any Walkers come out this far," I inquired. 

    "We usually don't get many. Recently, although, more've been comin. We believe a settlement found us..." They looked away. "I can't really, y'know, tell you the rest yet."

    I nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

    A small smile slid across their lips and they sent a small nod in my direction. "Good good."

    "How long have you been a Hunter?" 

    "I'd say a while, I've been training since I was a teenager." They chuckled to themselves. "And now I'm almost in my twenties, it's strange how fast time flies."

    "I haven't seen any that young before."

    "We usually don't go out into the wild until we're sixteen, seventeen-ish, somewhere around there. Depends how good our combat is. I was sent out at seventeen. I...wasn't good, to say the least."

    "Oh?"

    They chuckled again. "I usually tried to skip out on practice after the incident. I was young when it happened, it scared me-"

   "The incident," I interrupted, "what's that?"

   "To put it lightly, one of our Corporals got killed. She was a few years older than me, close to your age actually. We were close. Walkers had found a previous camp of ours. She turned herself into them if they vowed to leave our camp alone. Well...they didn't. We had to move, and we lost a damn good friend too." They sighed. "She was brave, kinda cold although. Although once you got to know her, she was the most kind hearted and caring girl you'd ever meet." Koda smiled, reminiscing in the memories.

    "She sounds like she was a real good person."

    Koda nodded. "Camille was. I miss her, a lot."

    Camille. The girl's name in my vision was Camille. I was getting closer.

    "If you want, you can rest. I got watch for now, I'll alert you if there's anything worrisome. You'll help me defend the base and not eat me in the process, that's how you'll prove your loyalty. Got it?"

    I smiled. "I got you loud and clear."