“And the monsters that did this had a pass for it because it was retaliation?” the human asks.
Keary looks amused. “You want a history lesson, precious? I’ll happily give you one. I can bring you to some humans who will not only tell you the same but have lived through it.”
Look at the disbelief on his face! “Yeah?”
“Yep. When a monster bonds a human, that soul becomes… I’m not going to say immortal but very long-lived. Our humans have seen lifetimes pass. They lived through the wars and fought alongside monsters. They’ve seen and experienced some of the most horrendous things that you can’t even fathom, sweetheart.”
The human isn’t on board with this version of the world, but I can’t say I blame him. Humans in the wild don’t live much longer than thirty years these days, which means three generations have passed since the wars. There are no more organized schools, so you learn from those around you.
You’re taught the history of your people from those who haven’t lived through the truth. Events become muddled and confused, the details lost. You look around you and take into consideration what you see and how you live now, using the information to form your own opinions that then become historical fact.
We haveactualfacts, like video evidence and millions of monsters who not only survived the battles but live to this day to tell the tale.
Humans have a hard time believing that’s possible. I’m not sure I blame them for the mistrust in what we tell them versus the world they now live in. If I were a human and having this information told to me, what would I think? Would I believe the monsters telling me something different than what I’d been taught when my experience says that I shouldn’t?
The human pet doesn’t respond. He finishes his meal then goes about cleaning up. This morning, there’s nothing simmering on the stove for later. I wonder if that means he won’t be cooking our evening meal.
Not going to lie, he’s a damn good cook. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a meal as tasty as what he’s fed us over the last few days.
He turns from the kitchen, and his eyes meet and hold mine as he walks into the room. I continue the stare until his back is toward me as he heads down the hall. No doubt toward the gym.
“I keep hoping that towel will slip,” Keary says with a sigh. “I want to see his peachy ass.”
Drystan grins. “I bet it’s nice. How about his cock? What do you think he’s packing under there?”
“I feel like we can probably catch a glimpse if we try hard enough in the gym. Heiswalking around in nothing but a towel, after all. All the teasing bulges and bounces have my blood on fire.”
Drystan meets my eyes as he follows Keary to the gym. Keary doesn’t look at me. He prefers Drystan’s company to mine since our teko is warming up to the idea of keeping the human pet around. What is his plan for when the human decides he’s ready to leave?
I have a feeling we’ll be tagging along.
It’s maddening, but not nearly as maddening as fighting with Keary all these years because that fucker ignores the pull between our monsters. It’s like ignoring all the alarm bells in your head even though you know what’s going on around you is going to lead to some very bad things, all because it doesn’t concern you.
That’sactuallyhow the world ended. The monsters without targets on their backs decided that those being murdered for simply existing didn’t concern them.
Until it did. By then, it was too late to stop the ball that had already gained momentum. It began rolling down the mountain, taking billions of lives with it.
The lives lost aren’t even the worst part of the past. It’s the experiments on humans and monsters alike. The torture. The long, brutal murders.
Monsters may have had the last word in both the destruction of the world and the survival of the living species, but they weren’t the only ones performing the nightmarish deeds. Humans were just as bad, if not worse.
I suppose when your species is on the brink of extinction, you can look past that moral dilemma though.Obviously, the monsters deserved what they got. Look at what they left behind.
RAINER
Mama always said it’s easy to become comfortable and complacent, and it will most certainly lead to your death. This world that the monsters created has left no room for a comfortable, peaceful life.
There was definitely magic in the anti-venom I was injected with a week ago. I’ve seen more people than I can count die from injuries far less critical than mine.
I might have been convinced that the poison being the only actual “injury” might make the situation different, but the puncture wound itself is completely healed. I’m not sure it’s even going to scar.
It was as wide as a small child’s fist, and it was deep. When I pulled it from my leg, I saw it had been embedded at least two inches.
My ankle feels fine. There’s no more pain at all. I was probably good to leave yesterday, but I decided to err on the side of caution and give it another day.
That meant one more day of warmth, showers, hot food, shelter, and safety. It meant I could spend some time in their decked-out gym. I haven’t seen a gym in years. I’ve only been in one with electricity a handful of times.
If there was anything that could tempt me to stay in the same place, this underground shelter is it. I’m away from everyone, everything. I don’t have to fight for the basic necessities of life.
