BEAUTIFUL MONSTER

32 : Lilliana

"How much further?"

I looked back at Ajax who looked disgruntled, he was swiping at the vegetation with his sword and breaking all the stems and flowers, letting them scatter on the ground.

A trail like in Hansel and Gretel, I thought wryly. "Not much, I think. Keep up, Ajax."

"I'm trying to," he stressed and a bird cawed loudly before with a flap of it's wings, flew high overhead. "It's just - I hate nature. It hates me."

I rolled my eyes slightly. "Stop being so dramatic - and man up."

"I'm a warrior," he pointed out, offended. "I'm every bit the man."

"Yeah? Right now I think a bra and pad would suit you very well."

I heard him pause before he said. "That was just cruel."

"I'm sorry, I --" I paused, breaking out into a smile and waited for Ajax to catch up with me.

"Why have you stopped talking? Bea? Oh." his mouth dropped into a small murmur of surprise and he hitched his sword on his shoulder. "Huh, he's got them well trained."

The suckers were all ambling about slowly, protecting a tent that was dirty and had mud streaks. They were in tattered and ripped clothing, their faces marked by black lines and they dragged themselves in a circle, being sure to stay close to the tent. Their fangs ripped out of their mouth as they drew in a loud, sharp and ragged breath and their bloodshot eyes snapped to us as Ajax whistled loudly.

"Ajax!"

"What?" he turned to me innocently.

I stepped back, grimacing. "Have fun."

The suckers snarled loudly, all shoving into each other as they tried to run to us. Ajax waited a second, giving me a grin behind his shoulder. "This is such a movie moment."

"Enough with the cocky attitude, kill them before they kill you."

He sighed, muttering. "Killjoy,"

He moved forward, his sword slashing and jabbing forward with impressive precision and speed. It only took a matter of minutes before the ten suckers were dead and Ajax dropped his sword. The putrid smell of their death smashed into us, violently invading our senses despite our holds on our noses.

"Ugh!" I spat out, spinning quickly and taking a deep inhale of fresh breath. "Why do they have to smell so bad?!"

Ajax gave me a look. "They were dead. I'm sure having a shower wasn't high on their priority list when Orion made them into suckers."

"It was a rhetorical question, Ajax." I stepped towards the tent and a memory came whizzing forward.

"If you ever try touching my things again, I'll slit your wrist, hang you up by a tree upside down and leave you there." His stubbled cheek grazed mine as he harshly whispered in my ear. "Understand?"

It had seemed so long ago when Orion had warned me, when I had stumbled upon him sleeping and reached for his tent. I hesitated, his threat flashing in my head. I had completely forgotten about the tent until now and my curiosity had ignited: what exactly was Orion hiding?

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Uh...nothing, nothing," I shook my head, frowning a little. I unzipped the tent and pulled the flap down. "What the heck. It's just...books?"

Ajax pointed to a red notebook. "Pass me that,"

I handed it over to him, straightening up and reading silently over his shoulder as he read. "Betty Sullivan, husband dead. Charlie, Rose and Amber Sullivan...Patricia Lovely, remarried. Henry, Mike, Jackson, Sophia and Kylie. I don't get it; it's all a bunch of names."