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Chapter 7: Only Ones Left
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2020-09-07 16:52:46Dona, without work, felt bored. She rested her cheek and turned her attention to the device she had on hand.
Only when the door opened that she looked like energy came to her face. She raised her head only to find Jakob in the worst state. She stood with one hand on the table.
"Are you okay?" She raised a hand.
"Doctor Rod treated my wounds already."
Dona had a strange look on her face. "Shouldn't you be earning better protection than this? I even received more credits that I can spend on clothes and food. I think this is the first time that my credit card has been well-paid."
Dona didn't know what she was blabbering. She reminded herself if the relationship they have. Both were feeding on each other's loneliness.
"I am fine," Jakob placed the equipment on the floor.
Dona frowned slightly. He only had slept with her once where he wanted it, and most of the time, she initiated it. She approached him with a complicated expression.
Injured and ragged was always the appearance of Jakob. She really couldn't understand why this man would rent someone like her.
"Are you fine, really?" she said.
"I am, Dona," he raised.
"You'd be dead at this point."
Jakob smiled wearily. He sauntered to the sofa and leaned back. Hands still on Jakob's chest, Dona eyed the chiseled face of Jakob. She couldn't understand why such a man who could face hordes would cling to a woman like her.
"You are an odd man."
"?"
"Nothing," Dona said. "I don't like it when you return like this. Look, tell me, are you all doing this because we came from the same hometown?"
"Yeah," Jakob said. "And that I wanted to have someone to talk with," he grabbed hold of his head. "It's rather lonely."
Dona eyed him. "Is that so?"
"Weird?"
"Not really, didn't expect you to save that at all."
"I thought you'd mock me."
"Lip service."
"Makes sense," Jakob leaned back. "If you don't want me here, then just say so, will you?"
"You kidding?" Dona smiled thinly. "I never got to relax like this in a long while. Hell, I should thank you for this."
Jakob didn't answer, just smiling at her. Wrapping her arms around him, she looked up to Jakob. "I guess we ain't the only lonely ones here."
She rested her head on his chest. "You are a fool, Jakob Recker. But I guess I can use that foolishness to my advantage for now."
"Too honest?"
"Only you," she said. She then rested her head on his lap, closing her eyes, thinking of the flowers of Gharasu that once her home.
"Do you think Gharasu will survive?" Dona asked.
"The monsters around Gharasu are too many now. The belua will probably devour the rest of Gharasu soon."
"Oh, do you think I can get Nanny out there?"
"She'll rather die than get out of her ancestral home."
"Hah, you're probably right. Too bad, I like Nanny, she's tough, and she's usually right. I mean, look at what I ended up to be."
She took Jakob's hand and placed it on her cheek. It was a rough and big enough to cover her head.
"I thought there would be more lads coming from our hometown."
"I," Jakob choked. "We were attacked by an 11m four-legged belua. Jed open fired, more spawns came at us, and the belua to the crawler and the noise attracted more of the belua's into the horde. I spent most of the time trying to take cover, and I only made it because Jed managed to stall them."
"Where's he?"
"Dead," Jakob said blandly. "The bastard didn't get killed because of the belua. He died because he didn't eat."
"He starved to death?"
"The outpost that we stayed at was surrounded by the belua. For months we had to survive without eating. Jed was active, and by the time we got rescued, I found him in the corner of the outpost with his eyes rolled. I think he got injured, and if he didn't hide it, then he would have survived. Most of the lads from Gharasu didn't survive, and the one who did die before long. The ones left guarding Gharasu now is the Old Guard, and I don't think they'll last."
Dona blinked. Her heart ached. "So, no one is around our hometown now?"
"Yeah, the rest took their chances to find a new home. The rest sold themselves so they can get out of Gharasu."
"It's a surprise that you survived then."
"Yeah," Jakob looked down. "We're the only ones who reached this paradise they always talk about."
From his eyes, she could tell that he didn't think that Gharasu could survive the coming days.
"You should take a break from hunting the belua."
"I know," Jakob said. "Doctor Rod had the Handlers suspend my passes for a month. I had to get bounty jobs."
"Are you fine with hunting down humans?"
"I have to," Jakob said. "Besides, I need the credits right now to pay. And I need to meet someone who might be able to assist me in finding a piece of information that I wanted to know."
Dona shivered. She saw the rage in his eyes as he recollected something, and if there was anything that Dona understood of Jakob. She saw him as a calm, polite, and toneless man. He has control of his emotions. But yet she saw a rage in his eyes at that moment.
Jakob's face softened up again. The fury that he leaked out was gone, and yet she feared that. She couldn't make small talk, and when she left the sofa, she found Jakob gone from her place. He didn't wear his lightweight exosuit, but she knew he had taken his firearm and coat with him.
"He couldn't even bother to rest," Dona muttered. She took her device and sat on the table with her cheeks pressed on the table again. Scrolling through forums, channels, and news, she wondered when Jakob would return.
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