The Infection (RWBY x Abused Male Reader)

16: The Cold

The dirt was unmarked, looking no different than every other patch of earth in the sprawling field. It had taken Salem a year to find, various interrogations of locals and many kilometres of dirt shovelled by now-departed farmers. It had all been worth it though.

She was buried here.

Her apprentice.

The only other person in that field was a man. A pale man. A man whose ribs could be easily seen and his skin stretched over them, his cheeks sunk in and his arms skinny.

"Dig."

And he did.

He limped, fell and struggled for an hour. By the end, his arms were shaking and his legs would no longer hold his feet. His head hit the floor and tilted to the side, he was too out of breath to scream. Next to him, covered in dirt and swarming with maggots was a face.

With a snap of Salem's fingers, the man was dead, his mouth agape in horror as his spirit departed his body.

"A long time it has been, I have need of you again."

Two passing travellers would say that the lights were a dark purple that burst far into the sky and then plummeted back down. A merchant would say he saw small green wisps all across the field. Finally, at daybreak, a leatherworker would say he heard a piercing scream, as loud as a mother cow hearing her children be led to slaughter.

These were all just tales told by travellers in whatever alehouse they found themselves in on their journey, hardly taken as fact by any rational mind.

To the few that heard all three accounts, one thing became clear. Something bad had happened that night, something unholy.

Something had come back.

Atlas academy was, first and foremost, a military establishment. So you were expected to get up at exactly six in the morning, brush your teeth and dress then report for classes. Considering Y/n was a, say, special case, he was exempted from classes for Monday and Tuesday, instead reporting to General Ironwood.

He now stood with his back straight and hands behind his back, waiting for the general to give his orders.

"Nice posture, you've adopted the military well."

"Thank you, sir."

"Onto business, an outpost in the upper mountains hasn't made contact in a week. Any storms that could have prevented communications have passed. Investigate the base and report back to me with your findings." He said, tone grave and his face a mask of cool professionalism 

Y/n nodded.

"Consider it done, sir." 

He stroked a hand through his hair as he walked away, trying to undo the knots that had formed in his blonde mane. Now he stood outside his dorm room, usually a four-person accommodation but now only shared between him and Ruby.

With a smile he opened the door to see Ruby still asleep on their bed, pyjamas crumbled from her rolling around while sleeping. 

Y/n grabbed a pillow off the floor and threw it at her, startling the rose awake.

"That's assault you know," Ruby said, slurring her words as the sleep drained out of her.

"It's a pillow." 

"It's a dangerous weapon." 

Leaning over the side of the bed, Y/n kissed Ruby on the cheek,  a smile breaking out on her face.