• Prelude -- Woman on the Hill


    Day 659 : Southern Front of Durem
    Rookie checkout point -- code: 241


    The eye of Apollus was not seen in weeks and it made the sky tainted and rotten with moldy clouds. It was here he found her, staring into the sky; a maze of graying fluffiness, almost matching the dull look in her silver eyes. Even before the sky sneezed out fat droplets and started to wash away the decaying blood against her naked form, her gaze didn't waver.

    She seemed like any other broken female that stared off into a distance when her emo-soul was broken. The difference this time, this womanly shell was clenching the bleached heart of the dead vampyre next to her. The vampyre's ivory skin almost matched her own, but he could see that her eyes were not glowing a murderous red. The monster was planted face-down into the ground and the over-whelming urge to spit on it's ugly form flickered into the man's mind. Fleeting and only for a brief time frame before he let his stare toggle back to the woman.

    The rouge body liquid painted her chest and thighs like a thin sari, staring in fascination at the way the rivers started to crawl down her mid-section when it rained. He almost wanted to reach out, take his pointer and middle finger, and stroke away the streams of red that merged down her stomach. Temptation was even greater to cover her, when his gaze pulled up to her breasts. The male finally realized that this young woman was naked in front of him, barely shivering, and holding a vampyre heart.

    A damned honest to the God's vampyre heart.

    If he approached through, would she attack him? He was hesitant and it would be days before anyone found him if he was destroyed by a crazed woman. He willed his legs to move, he needed to approach, and he needed to know. The Rebellion was in need of a true miracle at this time and he wasn't a religious man, but he could see something was happening now. He removed his ebony coat feeling the thick dampness. It wouldn't keep the woman warm, but it would at least cover her.

    The man let his gaze flicker back to the woman, regarding her still unmoving form as she stared into the abyss above her. She was on the smaller side but if this was the miracle that Gambino kept going on and on about, she would have to do. Of course most of her form would need to be redesigned include that sparkling core between her brea--

    Wait. Was that a stone? A necklace he didn't notice before. No.. it was something glowing so faint in the valley of her bosom, he only noticed it sooner when he edged forward. It almost glowed like a faint star, almost. His voice let out a awkward grunt in surprise as the mystery deepened.

    She moved.

    It was only the tilt of her head and her blank eyes stared at him, irises the color of moth wings. No words were needed because his breath caught in the back of his throat, he was going to die from a mad woman. He knew it, he may have about three feet on her -- but she took down one of those blasted creatures.

    Yep, dead man knocking for sure.

    Her knees went out from beneath her. He wasn't close enough and didn't catch her, but it let him move a little closer. The female's gaze now was on his knees and the dead heart bounced out of her grip, falling a few feet to her right. He stopped and waited before proceeding, if he died -- he would come back and haunt Gambino for this. He lived up this far.

    Coming forward, he reached out and put his coat around the woman. The device swallowed her pale form up in a quicksand pit of old raven fabric. She didn't move and he exhaled in relief out of his nose, then knelt by her -- making sure not tower over her. If the man learned early on in his life, it was that you never, ever deal with an insane woman.

    It stayed that way for almost a few minutes, but to him it felt like a small eternity. Reaching out, his worn fingers brushed against her arm -- she froze and so did he. She didn't attack him but merely looked up at him with eyes like a dead fish, whispering under her breath something so faint and her voice so choked with raw emotion -- it made his heart skip a beat.

    "I saw him and I killed for him..."

    His words came out before he could even think, or maybe his brain was already caught up. He didn't know anymore. The vocals that escaped were strained from the fear and hesitation he still held, "...who did you see?"

    "Apollus..." she whispered.

    He froze, she didn't just say what he thought she said. "Apollus?!" He didn't realize he was holding her arms until she he could feel her shaking against him.

    "Apollus..." she whimpered again. "...he said he would give him back... give him back..."

    She slumped against him and Edmund stared bewildered at her.

    Guess Gambino found his miracle.


    -End of Prelude-