Pyrrha

Episode 2: Lambent

Ever since I was a child, this has been a part of me...

Later that night, Pyrrha, Kevin, Alex and Johnson sat around a crackling fire surrounded by a miniature floodlight. It was a good spot to be as well, not only because of its beauty, but the rock formation behind them curved like a wave and made a natural roof over their heads. The horse drank from a nearby stream. After the incident, Johnson had cautiously led Pyrrha away from the road and into the wilderness out of sight. The Locust gave chase from Baroque, but after an hour or so of hiding in the deep wilderness the Locust gave up.

Awkwardly silent, they had all moved on down an animal trail as the sun began to set. It was beautiful, but nightfall isn’t healthy when you’re outside in this war. Locust Kryll usually came out and tore anything to shreds; thankfully they hated the light, including the light from fires. 

Johnson handed a cup canteen to Pyrrha that was steaming with two-minute noodles. She accepted it with a quiet thank you. Johnson picked up his own cup canteen with a similar meal and put it to his lips.

“What happened back there?” He said, looking at her from the other side of the fire. Pyrrha put the canteen down and hugged herself. She eventually found the strength to answer. Kevin looked over his shoulder from his position next to the horse. Alex was too busy cooking his own set of noodles to even listen to what Pyrrha had to say.

“I’d always lived in Baroque… It was a mining town. Mainly fuel, however the mine has been shut down since the war.” Pyrrha said.

“What has this got to do with anything?” Johnson asked, prompting her to the point.

“I’ll get to that!” Pyrrha snapped, “Anyway, they mined and mined and eventually found… Imulsion.”

“Where was the mine?”

“Miles away,” Pyrrha said, “However, when the miners came back to the town, they had trace amounts of Imulsion on them, but not enough to harm anyone or anything like that. But my father, he was one of the most diligent miners there and had been exposed to the most. At some stage during the war, he’d turned Lambent.”

“So you’re infected with Imulsion sickness?” Johnson realised.

"And that's why you cover your arm the way you do." Alex concluded, taking his cup canteen away from the fire.

Pyrrha reluctantly took her glove off and lifted her sleeve. Her arm looked like it had been made of bruises. Cloudy splotches of dark brown, blue and purple covered it entirely.

“Did the town know?” Johnson asked, Pyrrha shook her head.

“Yes and they didn't treat me any differently to the others and with the war going on and everything, no one was really nosing in on family business."

“So the did war affect Baroque, then?” Johnson asked.

“I have no idea, probably.” Pyrrha shrugged, “I was born into this war...” She looked down in thought. There was silence. Johnson summoned the guts to ask her something.

“So will you turn?” He finally said. Pyrrha sighed, but didn’t remove her gaze from the fire. Again there was silence.

“Sometimes. I think. I don't know." She shrugged.

"You don't know?" Alex said in pure disbelief.

"It's like having," Pyrrha searched for the words, "Asthma? Certain things trigger it. Like when an asthmatic runs, they get all wheezy, but when I get sad, I get..."

“Lambenty.” Johnson finished. Pyrrha lied down, using the nearby log as a pillow of sorts. Johnson threw his own log seat on the fire.

"Yeah... That." Was all she could say.