REVENGE (2nd book of FEAR)

- chapter two -

It had been the first time in over ten years since Locus had seen a civilian.

Well, he had seen his coworkers in normal clothes. But, this was different.

A little girl, probably about 7 by the looks of it, wore a frayed yellow dress. What used to be frilly ruffles on the bottom hem of the gown was now torn to pieces. The color was faded, turning bright yellow into a meek and pale tan.

Her ratted hair was in two braids that traveled down to her waist. The wind swept loose sand across her body in vicious whispers, leaving behind raw skin. She might have had freckles. She was caked in dirt, with the exception of the clean trail of tears running down her cheeks. Locus could see the detail of her bones through her thin arm. Her face was hollow.

She was starving.

Locus immediately knelt to the ground, dropping his heavy bag from his back. The little girl had a face covered in fear. He then realized he still had his helmet on. Slowly, the soldier reached up and took it off.

The girl's face washed over with relief, but she still kept her distance from the man. Locus unzipped his bag and pulled out a can of tomatoes. The child jerked towards him, her tongue flicking out of her mouth.

He turned his back to her and unsheathed his knife. He carved through the top of the can with the girl desperately trying to look over his shoulder. After hiding his knife again, the mercenary held out the opened can to her.

She gave him an uneasy look at first, then quickly leaped for the food. She backed away from him and in a matter of seconds devoured the tomatoes. Locus watched in awe as she stuck her finger in the bottom and scooped out the rest of the juice.

The soldier got back on his feet, scanning the barren horizon. It was flat as far as he could see. No water source was nearby. Was there a refugee camp somewhere? When he returned his gaze to the girl, she was smiling up at him. He smiled back, surprising himself.

"How did you get here?" He raised an eyebrow, trying to keep his voice soft and gentle for her. She shrugged, wiping the dried tear stains off her face with the back of her hand. "Where did you come from?" Locus peered across the cracked and dry landscape once again.

The little girl pointed southwest of her and Locus. The soldier sighed, not seeing anything in the distance. "Are you sure?" He tilted his head, and she nodded. The sun was about to set, and if they didn't get moving fast... she would surely freeze by nightfall.

Chorus' deserts were brutal. Sweltering hot by day and bitter cold by night. He wondered how long she had been out here, and why she was out here... especially alone. Locus was fine in his suit of armor. But, how could a 7 year old girl survive in those conditions?

"Let's get moving," the mercenary cleared his throat and began walking in the direction she pointed to. He heard her tiny feet run to catch up to him until she was at his side. The little girl had to practically jog to keep up with Locus' strides.

He almost froze in his tracks when she latched on to his hand, her tiny palm clinging to his index finger. Locus blinked a couple times and tried to shake the surprise off of his face. Despite the decreasing temperature, his body filled with warmth.

***

Locus had lost track of time. Had it been minutes or hours? The sun had fallen over the barren wasteland and left a harsh wind in its place. Flickering lights of campfires glowed in the distance. He locked his gaze forward yet struggled to keep moving.

His HUD mocked him, constantly displaying the negative degrees that surrounded him. He reminded himself to turn off the temperature report in his helmet later. The cold stiffened his muscles, and even the heating in his armor couldn't fight through the bitter weather.

The little girl hung from his back, wrapped in several pieces of his clothing. He cursed himself for not trading the merchant for a jacket. How selfish and stupid of him. With purple lips tinged with blue and loud chattering teeth, she pressed herself against the soldier for warmth.

She began to cry, silently. Locus winced when he felt her shaking into his back. His gloved hands reached for the fragile arms that choked his neck. He held on to her, praying that she could stand just a bit longer.

The biting cold began to take over, chilling his limbs into clumsy numbness. It seeped through his arms and legs and spread painfully across his body. They were close to the lights now. Figures started to appear in his vision.

The frigid air penetrated his body, freezing the blood in his veins, and sinking into the marrow of his bones like wet concrete. He stumbled forwards, his feet suddenly not responding. He had no control anymore.

His muscles stiffened. The ground came crashing hard on his head, or maybe it was the other way around. Locus continued to gaze at the fuzzy lights, begging himself to get up. The fires started to get dimmer and dimmer... until blackness engulfed his mind.