She removed her bra and panties, turned off the light, and situated herself in her bed.
An orange glow from a streetlamp outside spilled into the room, as it always did. The only sound she could hear was the occasional revving of a motor as cars passed on the street outside.
She and Kinzer lived a lonely life, but she couldn’t say it was any lonelier than the one she’d lived before she’d met him. Back then, it was her and her pimp, Kirk, who tricked her out. They’d eagerly accept the rewards of her labor and then spend the rest of the night enjoying crank. It’d been less than a year since she’d lived that life, but it seemed so far away now. So much had happened, so much had been revealed to her. And now she was stuck in this new sort of loneliness, without anything to relieve her pain.
***
Maggie woke with a start.
She heard something in the darkness, rolled off the mattress, and retrieved the broadsword tucked between the wall and her mattress. It was the sword Kinzer had given her.
A blade glistened in the light pouring in from the street. She struck before her and blocked it.
“Quick thinking,” Kinzer said.
She was pissed and relieved. It was just another of Kinzer’s tests.
Following that dark day when Kinzer had rescued Maggie after she’d given birth, they’d returned to Dedrus and Treycore’s house, where Kinzer opened a secret compartment in the wall and looted supplies: swords, daggers, vials—an extensive assortment of weapons Dedrus had collected over the years. Kinzer had given her one of the swords, which he informed her had been Dedrus’s. He taught her how to use it, hoping that in the event of an emergency, she could take on an immortal in a fight. In their time together, he’d helped her become physically fit and prepare to battle immortals to get to the Christ. She knew she wouldn’t easily win against such superior creatures, but she was willing to do whatever was necessary to set things right—to stop the monster she’d birthed from destroying the world.
Initially, Kinzer hadn’t come at her with swords in her sleep, but as she became more and more skilled, his attacks became abrupt, surprising. He’d told her this was the only way to train for a war. While he was right, it was hardly the way she was used to living.
Her heart raced and sweat beaded across her forehead. In an instant, she was wide-awake, alert.
Kinzer’s movements were quick and powerful. In the dark, all she could see was his silhouette and the luminous sword, which she had to keep up with. Fortunately, she could feel his movements and catch shifts in his position by the change in his silhouette, tricks he’d taught her early on.
As Kinzer pulled his sword back for another attack, Maggie jabbed at him.
He ducked and swung his sword, hitting the side of her legs.
The blow was powerful and knocked her back onto her mattress.
Dammit.
Kinzer had hit her with the side of the sword, as he usually did to make a point that he could have easily severed off a leg or an arm.
He flipped on the overhead fluorescent lights.
“I’d say that was pretty good,” Maggie said, “considering I haven’t been doing this since before humanity existed.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah. It was good. Not good enough, but good.”
He smirked. Maggie sighed.
“’Night, Maggie.”
He flicked the light back off and headed out.
Maggie wiped the sweat that had collected on her palms, against her sheets.
’Night? Like I’m gonna be able to get back to sleep now. Fuck you.
