Theo
“A hickey, Stryker! He gave me a hickey! Can you believe it?!” I stressed as we made our way through a stretch of forest towards the burnt village.
After the encounter with Matthew, I had practically ran straight into Johnathan, too dazed and flustered and taken aback to be paying attention to my surroundings. Johnathan had steadied me and frowned, and I had felt his piercing gaze on my neck for a moment and had known perfectly well what he was looking at. Had known that Johnathan knew that I hadn’t had it the other day when I’d joined. I’d winced, held my breath, waiting for him to ask about it or put the pieces together and tell me to leave or face the consequences of ‘my sexuality.’ I ’d wanted to die from the mortification. But, instead, Johnathan hadn’t remarked and simply asked if there was a problem.
“Stryker wanted to know if we were allowed drinks.” I had stuttered out after a moment, having forgotten what I was there for in the first place myself.
Johnathan had laughed “tell him he can keep dreaming.” He’d snorted.
I had told Stryker as such when I’d returned, surprised that he didn’t ask about the hickey either, and had gone to wash, only to find two tankards of ale and a grinning Stryker when I’d finished.
“He can keep dreaming my ass.” Stryker had cackled.
Now, two hours later and after a long talk with Johnathan and the other commanders about what we were to do about thesituation, I was whining to Stryker about what had happened. He hadn’t asked, but his gaze had kept flickering to the spot, clearly curious.
Now I was pretty sure that he was regretting ever looking at it in the first place, because I had been going on about it non stop for ten minutes and was fully aware of it and really couldn’t care less.
“Maybe that was payback.” Stryker shrugged “I don’t know what you want me go say, Theo. Just try to forget about it. Stop being at each others throats about this whole situation thatyoucreated and just try to view each other as comrades, okay? You do that and this will probably stop happening.”
Before I could reply, Johnathan called us over to him.
“I’m gonna have to ask you to scout ahead.” He said to Stryker in a low voice “just for safety matters. And take this one with you.” He nodded towards me, who have a small nod.
Stryker had me follow him through the trees.
“You take the left and I’ll take the right.” Stryker murmured “might be quicker. Johnathan didn’t exactly give us coordinates.”
“They are close by, aren’t they?” I asked nervously “because if thereissomething-“
“They’re within shouting distance.” Stryker said reassuringly before heading towards the right.
I stood still for a few moments, hesitant and apprehensive about being left by myself in a forest with something or someone potentially dangerous hanging around, then did as I was told. I regretted that soon after when the village came within view.It was nothing particularly strange or eerie at first; small, burnt wood, mostly ruins. The gate surrounding the place was still mostly intact, if charred, so when I was close enough I made to climb over it to take a closer look, quickly changing my mind when I caught a glimpse of what was inside.
I released the gate, turned on my heels, and vomited.
“Stryker!” I yelled hoarsely when I’d done, voice shaky and heart hammering against my chest“Stryker, I found-!”
“Shut up!” Another voice replied, not Stryker’s. I felt my breath catch in my throat, freezing up in terror and briefly considering the possibility that I was about to get eaten alive before I realised that I recognised the voice and turned.
Jack and Matthew had appeared from within the thick forest.
“What are you-?”
“Jack, go and take a look.” Matthew interrupted, before turning his eyes to mine.
I swallowed hard and held his gaze.
“There are loads of villages, Stryker found one too. He couldn’t find you so Johnathan sent us to whilst the others split up.” Matthew supplied.
“Yeah, Matt, you’re gonna want to see this.”
He raised an eyebrow at me as if asking if I’d be alright. I nodded once, and Matthew disappeared after Jack. When they emerged, I made the mistake of looking up at them and caught another glimpse of the bodies. I quickly looked away, feeling the colour drain from my face. Matthew shifted to completely block my view.
“I’ve got it.” Jack muttered to him, glancing over at me “go calm him down, will you? He’s stressingmeout.”
Matthew chuckled and I scowled at the ground.
“Hey.” Hemurmured once he was closer “listen. This isn’t gonna be the first time you’ll have to see something like this. If we’re gonna get anywhere with this we’re gonna have to examine the corpses and the village itself, and if you can’t even look at them then we’re gonna have a problem.”
