Harm and Harmony

-Chapter 45-

Day: 23 (Food Drop-off)

Days Left: 5457

Lives Saved: 0

"Is this really necessary?" asked Corinna as Harmony placed a motorcycle helmet over her head.

"Yes," the chimaera grumbled, knocking on the top of the helmet to test its strength. "It will protect your memories."

Corinna lifted up the visor. "I thought you said that it was unlikely we would have to fight?"

"Still a possibility." Harmony pulled the visor back down. She went back to attaching her gear onto her belt and emptying her satchel of anything unimportant to make room for food.

As it was a men's size helmet, Corinna's head rattled and knocked about inside. Placing her hands on either side, she steadied it as she slung her backpack on and picked up her spear. "I think it's going to be more of a liability. My vision's obscured." The young woman pulled the visor up and stared down at herself. With the overalls, she looked more like a child who had stolen her parent's helmet to play dress-up.

"I'll try and find a better helmet tomorrow." Harmony fastened her satchel then tied her cloak around her neck. "Maybe a bicycle helmet? That would still be safe." She turned back to Corinna and pulled the visor back down.

Corinna lifted it back up again.

Harmony rolled her eyes, then marched to the front door. "Let's go."

Closing the door behind her, Corinna exited the house and noticed Harmony staring at the hole where the fireplace used to be, now partially covered by green canvas.

"If you're worried about the house, I can stay and protect it whilst you go and get food," Corinna suggested, but the chimaera merely shook her head.

"No, you need to know how to get food. Besides, everyone will be at the drop-off. No one will break-in."

Whilst they walked to their destination, Harmony explained what would happen at the drop-off and any self-defence techniques Corinna should use with her spear. She repeated these multiple times to the extent that her voice croaked and scratched inside her throat.

"It's okay, I got everything the first time," Corinna laughed. "Save your voice, okay? Don't want to lose it right after you finally got it back."

Harmony nodded, wishing she had brought her whiteboard so that she could still continue explaining. She could escape any day now, but not with a good conscience. Corinna was still unprepared to face the Eternal Abyss alone, and now she was naively smiling, being light-hearted about the idea of how dangerous the food drop-off could be. Her close success in defeating the clay golem seemed to have impacted her judgement.

Harmony pulled Corinna's helmet visor down.

To Corinna, it seemed almost like an hour of walking. There was no method of telling what the time was as the light source of the Eternal Abyss was imperceptible, and the milky white moon was fixed directly above them, unmoving.

The sand slowly transitioned into grass, dead and dry with a few sprouts of brown flora that grew up to her ankles. Eventually, they reached their destination. Following behind Harmony, Corinna trudged up the slope that led to a flat piece of land where numerous stones were arranged in a large circle.

"So that's where the food is going to be dropped?" Corinna looked above at the sky.

Harmony nodded, then said, "yeah," after she remembered she could speak. "Stay out of the circle, or the food will drop on you. From that height, it could knock you out."

Corinna stepped back from the circle. "So, when do they drop?"

"We arrived a bit early. Got plenty of time to rest," said the chimaera, sitting down on the grass.

"Ah." Corinna nodded. "So that we're fully rested and prepared."

"No, because your legs are so short. I was worried we would be late."

Scowling, Corinna sat beside Harmony and gave her a playful nudge as payback.

*

After several minutes, a group of figures appeared on the other side of the circle. Harmony and Corinna both stood up in response, claws out and spear ready, respectively, for a possible confrontation.

As far as she could see from such a distance, Corinna saw four women and one man dressed in identical red uniforms and cloaks, each with their own unique mask. They clutched at their sheathed swords that hung from their hips. The remaining figure was a tall demonic creature with skin the colour of crimson and two sets up horns on its head that grew backwards, twisted and coiled. Matching the colour of the cloaks, the demon was draped in a long flowing material with a tail poking out underneath it. One of the women went down on her hands and knees and acted as a seat for the demon.

Soon, more prisoners arrived, some Corinna had encountered before. Upon seeing her, the group of imps chanted and hissed, pointing their spears in her general direction, then fell silent under Harmony's glare. The angler-fish monster shuffled near the imps, then retreated away from them as they turned their hostility towards it. Two more familiar faces appeared, the goblin in a red hat and the man with a mohawk.

Aside from the demon and those that accompanied it, there was only one other person Corinna had not seen before; a dishevelled middle-aged woman with circular glasses who fidgeted, occasionally biting at her nails.

Corinna's hands fumbled as she attempted to take off the helmet.

"What are you doing?" Harmony hissed, forcing the helmet back on the young woman.

"No one else is wearing a helmet."

"You're not wearing one as a fashion statement, it's for your own protection."

"Says the one in a cape," Corinna grumbled to herself. "Then why isn't everyone else wearing one?"

"Because they have masks and you haven't got yours yet."

Pouting, Corinna kept the helmet on, then she hunched her shoulders inwards as several sets of eyes were latched onto her. "Everyone's looking at us..." She pulled down the helmet's visor.

"They're assessing whether you're a threat or not," said Harmony.

"How can I be? I'm wearing dungarees."

"It's because you're with me."

Corinna gazed up at the towering chimaera. "Are they that afraid of you?"

"They all let me go first to get food. Then they get to go second." She motioned to the group with the demon and caped humans.

"What about everyone else?"

Harmony hesitated. "It's a free for all."

Corinna lowered her head.

"It might end up like that if we take too much food," said Harmony. "Since there's two of us. Also, that man is new." She nodded in the direction of the man standing next to the red-hatted goblin. "I don't know if he'll interfere or not."

"So, we just need to make sure we don't take too much, right?"

Harmony nodded. She glanced at the young woman in overalls and the oversized motorcycle helmet clutching a spear. "Are you..." She paused. "Are you afraid of me?"

Corinna looked back, and Harmony's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't see the young woman's facial expression with the visor down. Harmony couldn't tell what her answer would be. It wasn't like she made the best first impression when they met.

Corinna laughed. "After seeing you dance around and be a sore loser at Jenga, not all."

Then, she fell silent as the sky grew dark and the milky white moon dripped with crimson streaks.

"Thank you for attending Section S39," a voice boomed, seeming to come from every direction at once, echoing and reverberating. "The food drop-off will soon commence."