The Lantern Bearers

chapter 12: campfire confessions

"So, she's....dead, you say?" Sullivan said with a raised brow, looking at willow standing next to me.

"That would be the sum of it." I said.

"........look, i doubt she's dead on the account that, that's probably her standing next to you." He said, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms.

"Do you give a rat's ass?" I asked.

"No, not at all. You have the photo and everything, she looks dead enough to me, so I'll report it as such." He said, tinkering with my PDA for a moment and passing me the reward money.

"Thanks chief." I said.

"No problem, but now she's your responsibility. You're hiding her, you take care of her. My hands aren't on this." He said.

"They just keep stacking up, huh? Come on willow. That payment made up for my campri i used on your ass....." i said lighting a cigarette and puffing a smoke as we left the bunker.

"You don't have to take responsibility for me-"

"I do, i made my decision and I'm sticking by it." I said puffing smoke in the air.

"But...why? I'm a stranger...." she said.

"You're young, alone, vulnerable....it was a miracle you got through that anomaly field in one piece. You lack skills and equipment to survive out there.....plus, i think you're bullshitting me on your story....you reacted when i said "sellers"." I said as i puffed smoke in the air.

".....like I'd tell you." She said passively.

"Nothings free in this world. I'll divulge information for your information." I offered.

She would raise a brow, before sighing. I motioned her over to a burn barrel that was lit and pulled up a chair for her. She would sit down and i would pull up a bucket adjacent to her.

I'd finish my cigarette and tossed it in the barrel.

"I wasn't like this.....i was much worse.....i used to be a strider, the Demon Strider to be precise...." i started off.

She leaned forward, listening.

"I was deemed the worst of the striders. See, each strider had their....lets say, "kinks" of how they deal with their "prey". The client will normally hire a strider if they need a particular individual killed, captured, or if their "property" ran away. They'll be asked if they want the "strider special" which consists of a recording of the strider assigned to the target messing with the individual and tormenting them over the course of days, weeks, months, or even in a singular day. They essentially get to see their target suffer before they get killed all on a snuff film." I explained.

"That's.....That's pretty sick, dude, and not in a good way." Willow said.

"Yeah....i was deemed the worst of them all. See, my gimmick was to act friendly towards people, become their friend even, get so close we're practically family.....until, i would lead them into an anomaly field by tampering with their detectors or lead them into the void with tampered lanterns so they'd get eaten by the darkness. Me and another strider, goes by the name of phantom, would partner up a lot, her being sniper and making sure everyone dies that's supposed to. One day, however, changed my life. It was a young woman expecting in a month or so. Normally i wouldn't give a damn and do my routine....but the unexpected happened....she went into labor early. I panicked and helped her through the process...." i said, pulling out another cigarette and lit it, puffing smoke.

"Did...did it go okay?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, gave birth to a baby boy! Crying and wriggling around in my arms.....it....it changed me. Instead of ending a life, i brought life into the world and it felt....incredible! So, i ran.....phantom tried to get me to come back but, i literally had to fight her to get away......it bothers me that i had to leave her, but ya know....the striders are awful people." I said, puffing on my cig.