Chapter 25

By the grace of the flame whose elusive dance flickered its elegance, Anya was warmed and comforted. The subtle ballot of the shadows casted a scene that mirrored the serenity of the chamber as it imitated the passive swaying of the light. It was in this bastion of coziness and relaxation that the worn out girl sat, atop her makeshift chair of molded wood.

From the backdrop, a pair of cold pale hands forwarded. Then, they thrusted themselves, unwarrantedly, upon the little girl’s shoulders.

The woman’s lips approached the child’s ears, her chilly breath gently blew against Anya’s skin. With a soft and velvety voice, the woman whispered.

“Eat… You must be hungry after all that’s happened…”

Anya’s gaze shifted to the plate that was placed before her. On it, wedges of meat tempted her with its alluring aroma.

The girl drooled.

Gulp.

“I’m… I’m fine… thanks…” Anya resisted, holding back the urge to devour the feast that presented itself irresistibly.

The woman retracted her pastel hands and casually strolled to one side of the table.

“Well then, my dear Anya…” She grasped a piece of meat with two of her fingers. “Suit yourself.” After casually tossing the morsel into her mouth, the woman chewed with an exaggerated indulgence.

Anya watched the woman’s decadent expressions with unshifting eyes and slightly blushed.

“Stop!” The little girl commanded. “Why are you like this?”

“What? Am I not allowed to enjoy myself?” The woman swallowed her current mouthful before tossing in more. “You may have some if you want. I offered.”

“It’s not that. The faces you are making, it’s weird. Please sto-”

Before Anya could finish her sentence, the woman stuffed a piece of meat in Anya’s mouth and using her index finger, she pressed against the little girl’s lips.

“Just try it,” the woman whispered seductively. “Do you taste it, the slight hints of sweetness?”

As the flavor seeped into the little girl’s tongue, she couldn’t help but chew. It was a bit overly salted for her taste, but with every clench of her jaw, hunger arose further from the depths where it hid.

Witnessing the traces of joy in the little girl’s face, the woman withdrew her finger.

“Do you remember what starvation felt like, my dear Anya?”

Anya ceased all movement and stared at the woman’s approaching face. When she was close enough for the scent of her perfumed breath to be whiffed, the woman halted as her cheeks widened to a treacherous grin.

“Don’t make me remind you.”

The girl awoke from her slumber. Her back was pressed against the cold tiled floor while her head was insulated from the ground by her satchel. Slowly, her eyes opened and instantly, Anya was greeted by an unfamiliar face -- a woman’s. Her long, silky black hair was tied up in a ponytail while her bangs were clipped to the side. With faint signs of aging, the woman looked to be in her mid-twenties.

Their eyes met and Anya saw discomfort in the woman’s expressions. It was then that she realized that the woman’s arm was in her mouth and she had been nibbling on it while she was asleep.

The unfamiliar woman tugged at her arm, but the clench of Anya’s teeth prevented its escape. By accident, her tongue made contact with the woman’s skin.

“Mmmm,” Anya mumbled at the strange but pleasant taste. Although saltier than she preferred, the delicate sweetness left her wanting more. Thus, she closed her eyes and continued to nibble.

SMACK!

With a swift chop of the hand, the woman’s strike released her from the little girl’s hold. Anya then hurriedly sat up and scooted away from her assailant while rubbing her forehead.

“Ow!” She complained as she glared at the woman with teary eyes.

The woman sat unsurprised and wiped the saliva off her arm using her cloak. Then, she glared back at the startled girl and withdrew a small black cube.

“First, you will tell me where you got this tracker.” The woman asserted. “Then, you will tell me who you are… and what you are.”

Anya froze.

“W-What do you mean b-by that...?” Her voice stuttered as the sweat that once dried began to flow out her pores once more.

“Don’t play dumb. People don’t just sprout tails.”

“…” The girl remained silent, attempting to formulate a plan to resolve the current predicament, but none staged themselves.

“I…” She hesitated. “I don’t know what you are talking about…” Her body moved slightly as she attempted to hide the tail under her dress.

In one swift motion, the woman pulled a bulky weapon from underneath her cloak with one hand and aimed it at Anya.

“You’ve seen what this did to the machine in just three shots. Don’t try your luck.”

Anya’s body visibly trembled. After being constantly chased by the nightmarish creatures that preyed on her relentlessly, her existence now threatened to fade at the pull of a trigger. The girl was at her limits.

“Let’s start.” The woman readjusted the weapon to a more comfortable position. “Where did you get this tracker?” She tossed the black cube onto Anya’s lap.

The child glanced at the cube for a moment before daring to respond.

“I-I found it… T-this guy… he died and I f-found it in his hands.”

“He died or did you kill him?” The woman’s expression became increasingly hostile. “I don’t believe the blood on your tail is yours.”

“N-No…! I mean yes… He was… bleeding out and there was nothing I could do to help so I thought…”

“You’ll end his life in mercy.” She took the words right out of Anya’s mouth, leaving the little girl briefly speechless. “Next, who are you and what are you?”

“…” Anya contemplated her answer. If she told the truth, would she be seen as just another monster? Another of the bastardized creatures that roamed the desolate ruins?

“I’m… Anya.”

“No town-affiliation?” The woman enquired.

“None… I was… exiled.” The little girl gripped tightly onto her arm.

“Exiled for what?”

Anya slowly slid her tail out from underneath her dress, being careful not to make any threatening or sudden movements.

“For this…”

The woman briefly glanced at the tail before returning her focus to the girl.

“Where are your parents?”

The little girl shook her head.

“I asked you a question and expect you to answer it.”

“They’re… they’re gone.” Anya turned her head slightly off to the side as the unpleasant memories flooded into her mind.

“Was it out of mercy as well?” The woman said, sarcastically.

Anya’s eyes widened as her gaze met the woman’s.

“N-No! It’s…” She quickly shifted her eyes and tightened the grip on her arm. The guilt that remained from her father’s vivid death still haunted her. “It… wasn’t me.”

“You’re lying.” The woman’s finger tightened around the trigger.

“N-No, I’m not!” Anya could no longer keep the stress contained, tears began to flow down her cheeks. She saw that the woman had not loosened her grip.

“What do you want from me?!” The little girl screamed.

“I want the truth.”

“The t-truth is that my hometown hated me! My mother d-died before I was even old enough to remember what she looked like! I w-watched my father die right in front of me!” Anya wiped her eyes, but the tears kept flowing. “H-He died because he wanted to fulfill my selfish wish! He died because of me! I killed him! Is this what you wanted to hear?!”

The child progressed to a full-blown bawl as she breathed erratically in-between her constant hiccups.

After lowering her weapon, the woman sighed.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to condemn you.” The woman stood up then kneeled next to the whimpering girl and patted her head. “I’ve barely seen another living soul down here, much less a little girl all by herself… I know you’ve been through a lot.” She opened her arms and embraced Anya, her cheeks pressed against the top of the girl’s head as she rubbed Anya’s back.

They stayed huddled together for a while.

…

The two sat closely across each other within the confines of the small empty room. The little girl’s face was messy while she gobbled up what seemed to be a bar of various arrangements of nuts mended together by a coat of honey. Although Anya’s eyes were red and swollen, the expression on her face was quite cheerful as she licked the sweet residue off her fingers.

The scene brought joy to the woman’s heart.

“Your mood changes quickly.”

Anya’s smile vanished, she chewed what remained in her mouth and swallowed.

“S-Sorry...” she said, tilting her head down as if ashamed. “It’s just that… I learned to enjoy these moments as they come… because they never seem to last.”

“…” The woman scratched the back of her head in silence. “There’s no reason to apologize.” She reached from within her cloak and pulled out several more of the bars wrapped in aluminum foil. “Here, have some extras.”

Upon sighting more of the delicious snacks, Anya’s eyes shined with glee.

“Really?” The little girl asked.

“Yeah, go ahead. I’m not a big fan of these things anyway.”

Anya grabbed the handful of goodies and stuffed it in her satchel. The woman found the little girl’s expressions and mannerisms to be adorable, but she was too embarrassed to admit it.

For several more minutes, the woman simply stared as Anya continued to stuff her face.

“So, what are you?”

Anya ceased the unwrapping of another bar and hesitantly looked at the woman.

“I-I don’t know… I’ve had this tail since I was little and when the town found out, they exiled Daddy and me. They said I was bad luck.” Although what she said was a lie, it was not completely false. Black-Rock did consider contact with Anya to be no different than smashing a mirror.

“Are you telling the truth?”

“Y-Yes I am!” Anya reassured with resolve.

The woman stared at her for a brief few seconds.

“Alright, I believe you.”

Anya began to rewrap the bar before stuffing it back into her satchel.

“Please… don’t tell anyone… I don’t want anyone else to know…”

The woman approached and patted Anya on the head.

“Don’t worry, I have no reason to.” She seized the bulky gun and tucked it under her cloak. “If you don’t mind, I have a favor to ask: can you take me to where you found this tracker?”

***

The two stood before the desecrated corpse that was saturated in a mixture of fluids. It had been a while since the man expired, thus his body began to produce an unpleasant stench. Anya covered her nose with her own cloak while the woman did not seem to be very bothered by it. The woman searched the area until she found a large and fairly worn out backpack. Without a single moment of delay, she rummaged inside, opening every zipper, inspecting every nook and cranny until she found what she was looking for, a black tape recorder the size of her palm.

Having ensured that the device was still in functioning condition, the woman stored it within the compartment under her cloak.

“Was that what you came here for?” Anya asked.

“Yes, I was hired to track this man down and bring him back as well…” The woman glimpsed at the defiled carcass. “… If possible.”

She walked toward Anya, who struggled to breathe through the dusty cloth that covered her nose.

“By the way, I never asked.” The woman said as she ruffled Anya’s hair. “How did you get down here?”

The little girl pointed upwards with one finger.

“I fell through a hole.”

With her brow furrowed, she glanced at Anya in astonishment, not sure whether the girl was joking. Seeing as the child’s expression was completely serious, the woman sighed.

“Well…” She said as she placed her hand on the child’s shoulders. “That’s certainly one way to do it… C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

“Wait!” Anya hollered. “You never told me your name.”

The woman ceased her steps right before leaving through the damaged door.

“It’s Emma, just Emma.”