Rot || ONC2024

──●Fifteen●──

    "Pst, Koda. It's morning."

    Upon gently tapping them with my toe, their eyes darted open as they released a startled gasp. Realizing it was just me, they groaned and pushed themselves up.

    "Jesus, Mara, don't do that," they muttered.

    "Sorry," I whispered. 

     As they began to climb down, they gestured for me to follow.

    "Are we going inside?" My heart raced and my hands began to sweat.

    "Not yet, hold on." Koda laughed. They strode over to the now burnt out fire and began to throw more wood on it.

    "You said I only had to survive the night...I did that."

    "I know you did." Grabbing a large piece of wood, Koda began to fan the fire. The embers that still remained began to glow even brighter. "The night guard isn't even back yet. Once they get back, we'll be able to go in."

    I scoffed. "We'll that's a stupid system."

    Before my eyes, the fire flared to life. It began to hungrily eat away at the new wood.

    Koda tossed the board to the side. "Nah, not really."

    "Well, what if they died during the night? What if they were eaten? What if they got lost?"

    "I can guarantee they didn't get lost. From the time we begin training, we undergo orienteering. Hunters know the forest like the back of their hand. As for death," Koda sighed, "we won't loose them all, but we do seldom lose some. Mostly the newbies, that's what makes this so dangerous. Being new and tossed out into the realm of hungry cannibals, training don't prepare you for that shit."

    Koda walked off towards the side of the weird cliff. I followed after them and gasped. Beside it was a garden. A garden filled with all sorts of bushes and plants. Even some trees lingered in the back. 

    "This is big," I noted, my mouth agape in awe. At our base, we never had vegetables or fruit. It was just something, in a sense, that we didn't need. 

   "Walkers don't have gardens," they questioned, placing a bunch of carrots in my arm.

    I marveled at the colour of them. They were a beautiful, bright orange. The leaves at the top were beginning to take on a yellow hue. 

    "Usually we just get fruits and vegetables from people's stomachs."

    "Oh."

    "They don't look nearly as good as these, although! They aren't weird goop, either-" 

    "You just slice them open?" Koda now looked at me, their features contorted with disgust.

    I nodded. "Uh, yeah. That's kinda what our claws are made for."

    "Oh yuck!"

    "Don't yuck it! Don't humans cut into their animals too?"

    "We don't eat their digested food." Koda shoved some small apples into their pocket before walking back towards the sleeping quarters. "That's just yuck."

    "Don't knock it till you try it!" I giggled, then followed them into the quarters.

     As they began to straighten out the blankets, they put their hand towards me. "Please don't say anymore, I don't feel like getting sick this early in the morning."

    "But-"

    "Mara!"

    I sighed. "If it helps me get in, then fine."

    "Good, thank you." They gestured for me to hand over the carrots, which I did. They stuffed them with the apples and began to rummage on a shelf.

    "What 'cha looking for? I can help."

    "Some facepaint, I know we have some in here."

    "What do you use that for?"

    Koda chuckled. "The thing is, we usually don't use it. If you want in the base, although, you can't go in looking like that."

    A smile quickly spread on my lips. "You're letting me in?"

    "I feel I can trust you not to eat the other members. Plus, you only want information, right? You'll be heading back to wherever you're from after this?"

    I nodded quickly. "Yes yes, I promise. I just only want answers."

    Koda nodded before pulling out a small container of red paint. They also pulled out a pair of dusty, cracked crimson goggles. "I feel I can trust you not to cannibalize for another night. Shirts and pants are in the other drawer, I'll get you some after this."

    I nodded. This was happening. Actually legitimately happening.

    "Now, let me get some water, and you'll be looking like a human in no time at all."