“Remains? I found some pieces of clothing. Things that our families had on them that must have fallen away.”
“But did you see human remains? Bones. Body parts. When an animal takes down their prey to eat, there are bones left behind. Did you find any?” Keary asks.
Rainer shakes his head. “No.”
They might still be alive yet wishing for death. I’m not sure Rainer will want to see them in that state. It would be kinder for him not to.
“Where was your colony?” Notto asks.
“The colony that we left when I was eight was one of the ones living in Nyc City. We broke off and moved away from the ocean when the beasts from the water began terrorizing the colonies on land more frequently. We found a lake, and for ten, maybe twelve years, we lived there in peace. No other human camps bothered us. There was the occasional beast that passed through, but even they tended to leave us alone.”
“Were there monster families in the area?” Keary asks.
“Yeah. Bludd to the north and Morymoto a little further west. They never bothered us. Once, a Morymoto traded with us for some fish.”
“I think the best chance of jogging your memory is visiting a pod,” Notto says. “Not that I want you to relive that trauma, but if something is going to trigger details that your mind might be suppressing, it’s facing the same kind of monsters.”
“You think that’s going to help?”
“Yes. If nothing else, I think you’ll be able to tell us that that specific pod wasn’t the one who attacked your family.”
“Trust me when I tell you that the most insignificant thing can bring back details you didn’t even know you knew until something very specific pulls it from the depths of your mind,” I tell him. “Even a century later.”
Notto takes my hand again as Rainer glances back at me. I expect a frown or maybe more disbelief. I’m used to seeing those expressions. Instead, I see neither. It’s… compassion. Understanding. He nods and turns forward again, his eyes scanning the area.
“We can start with the blue-rimmed pod since it’s relatively close,” Keary says. “Though you’ve moved a long way south of Nyc. The pod you’re looking for is likely much closer to home.”
“How far south am I?” Rainer asks.
“We’re a couple days south of Base 6.”
“A monster compound.”
“Aye. A monster compound. Theoriginalcompound. The one responsible for killing the monster that had unleashed plagues on the world to extinguish humans.”
Rainer looks at Keary dubiously. I’m sure we’re challenging everything he thinks he knows. Keary gives him a wide smile.
“Is that where you’re from?” Rainer asks.
“Yes. Eriva lives in Base 6. We’ll stop on the way and get the location of the pods closer to Nyc City. They’ll have the branding on file, too, so maybe seeing them will help you determine which one we’re looking for.”
“Why are you doing this?” Rainer asks. “Why are you helping me?”
“You’ll probably die if you try a vigilante attack on your own,” Keary says. “Why wouldn’t you want help?”
“That’s not what I’m asking. Why areyouhelping me? What do you want?”
“I’m bored,” Keary answers, shrugging. “Why not? This is entertaining at the very least. It gives me something to do for a while.”
“What will you do when we’ve killed the pod that killed your parents?” I ask.
Rainer shakes his head. “To be honest, I thought I’d spend my life hunting them. I never thought I’d find them. I never thought I’d actually succeed. There was never anafterin my mind.”
“You were going to walk into death to join them,” Notto says, irritated with him.
Rainer doesn’t answer. “Not in the way you’re implying. I don’t want to die to join my family. I don’t want to die at all. But I also know the probability that I’d succeed and the most likely outcome.”
“And you didn’t think to ask for help?” Notto demands.
