Kate's eyelids fluttered open, her vision blurry at first. The world slowly came into focus—the soft crackle of fire, the faint smell of smoke, and the unmistakable aroma of roasted beef filled the air. Her body tensed. She wasn't dead… at least, she didn't think she was. The last thing she remembered was an explosion—Captain Marvel's radiant energy engulfing her as her bow and arrows melted away like wax.
Her hand instinctively moved to her side, searching for her weapon. Nothing. Not her quiver, not her bow. Her heartbeat quickened, her instincts kicking in as she scanned the surroundings. She was on a wooden plank floor, surrounded by dense trees and a faint evening mist. Across the small campfire sat two figures—one a man with a calm, almost charming smile, and beside him, a silver-haired girl dressed in an elaborate crimson gown, her eyes glowing faintly red.
Every nerve in Kate's body screamed danger. She shifted slightly, preparing to spring up if needed, but the girl's gaze was already locked onto her. Predatory. Amused.
"Woke up, did you?" The man's voice broke the silence, smooth and easy, as if speaking to an old friend rather than a stranger.
Kate said nothing. Her eyes flicked between them, searching for a weapon nearby. There was none—just the fire, a few pieces of cooked meat on a stick, and the woman's unsettlingly sharp smile.
"Relax," the man continued, raising a hand lazily. "If we wanted you dead, we wouldn't have bothered saving you."
Kate narrowed her eyes. "Saving me?"
The man chuckled, the sound light but oddly chilling. "Yes. You were half-burned and falling from the sky. I'd say that qualifies as a rescue, don't you think?"
Kate hesitated. His tone was teasing, but his eyes… they were sharp. Too sharp. "Who are you?" she asked carefully.
"Alastor," he replied, bowing his head slightly, as if mocking the gesture of a gentleman.
"You're lucky he was in a generous mood," Shalltear said, her voice carrying a faint accent, silky and deadly all at once. "I would've let you fall."
Kate forced herself not to flinch. "Thanks, I guess," she muttered, her hand unconsciously tightening on her thigh where her dagger should have been.
Alastor smiled again, a faint amusement curling at his lips. "You can stop looking. We removed your weapons for safety. You were… thrashing quite violently when we found you."
Kate frowned, glancing down at herself. Her body was completely healed—no burns, no bruises, no cuts. "How…?"
Shalltear tilted her head. "He healed you. I wanted to drink you, but he said no."
Kate froze. Drink?
Alastor sighed softly, shaking his head. "Ignore her. She means it in a… weird sense."
Kate blinked, unsure if he was joking. "You're joking."
•••
Kate blinked, unsure if he was joking. "You're joking."
"I wish."
Kate's stomach let out a loud, unmistakable growl.
The silence that followed was so sharp it almost echoed through the ruined world around us. Then I couldn't help but laugh, the sound light but genuine—something that hadn't existed in this world for a long time.
"Well, that answers one question," I said, carving off a slice of roasted bison meat with my knife. The firelight flickered across the blade, painting faint red gleams over the cooked flesh. I handed her the piece on a flat stone. "Eat. It's not much, but it's real food."
Kate hesitated, her instincts probably screaming not to trust the strange man sitting beside a vampire girl in an apocalyptic wasteland. But hunger always wins against doubt. She took the meat and bit into it, eyes widening slightly.
"It's… not bad," she muttered between bites, clearly surprised.
"Of course it's not," Shalltear said with a slight smirk, delicately holding her own piece between two fingers. "My lord personally oversaw its preparation. Even this lowly world's beasts taste divine under his touch."
Kate glanced at her, frowning faintly. "Uh-huh. And you're…?"
"Shalltear Bloodfallen," she replied smoothly, chin lifting proudly. "First true ancestor, Guardian of the First, Second, and Third Floors of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and—"
"—a chatterbox when she's not biting people," I interrupted, grinning faintly.
Shalltear pouted but didn't argue. Instead, she gracefully tore a small bite from her meat, savoring it as though it were a delicacy.
Kate looked between us, her confusion growing with each passing moment. Finally, she shook her head, muttering, "Right. So… I died, didn't I? And now I'm stuck with two weirdos playing barbecue in a zombie apocalypse."
I chuckled softly, finishing my own portion and tossing a bone into the fire. The flames hissed, sparks leaping into the air. "If you died, you wouldn't be eating right now. Consider yourself lucky. You got caught between a falling star and an explosion."
Her brow furrowed. "That beam of light… Captain Marvel's?"
"Mm." I nodded, poking the fire with a stick. "You were fried crisp by her energy blast. Honestly, I didn't expect anything left but ash."
Just then, as if remembering. "Did you see anyone other than me in there?"
~~~
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