The two men awaited for the strange woman to finish with the cleaning of the undead.
Questions about the female didn't stop coming. Who was she? Why was she there? And what did she want?
"Stay here" Ylva had told them before leaving the guitar on the ground and entering the building, the cries and moaning of the zombies more audible than ever. "If I don't come back in half an hour, close the doors tight and leave this cursed place. Got it?" And with that, only carrying her staff and the little sphere of light above it, she closed the doors behind her. Silence rested on the couple, until finally 2-D spoke up.
"Shouldn't we...uhm..." he rubbed his hair "Help 'er or something?
"Are you deaf? That weirdo told us to stay here." He answered, lighting a cig. "Besides, I'm not entering there. I'm testing her, y'know? If she survives it, then I'll listen to whatever she has to say."
"Coward..." 2-D simply muttered, kicking a rock near him.
"The fuck you just said, moron?" Murdoc grabbed a fist of the singer's blue hair, forcing him to face Murdoc. 2-D's black eyes looked away not daring to say another word, and the bassist simply let his hair go with a grunt. "That's what I thought."
The time passed and the sun was finally rising, and still there was no sign of the young woman. Murdoc was starting to become impatient, and with an angry gesture, tossed his cig to the ground, ready to leave the place and the woman inside it, damning God for the lost of his precious money.
The doors slammed open then, and a bloodied but alive Ylva came out, with a wide smile on her face stained in blood, playing with her braid tainted in dirt.
"Whoa, what a bloody mess!" The white haired exclaimed opening the doors abruptly, wiping off the guts and brains of her hoodie as she exited the building, her black sunglasses with little drops of dark blood. The weapon was in no better condition. Seeing her like this made 2-D want to puke, but also to stare at her more too. She looked like one of the main characters of an horror film. Wether she was the heroine or the villain, he did not know. "This is what happen if you let dark energies just do their thing. People will never learn..." Ylva sighed, exhausted.
"You look fucking disgusting, love." Murdoc said without thinking about it too much. 2-D panicked; they did not know what this woman was capable of. For 2-D, such display of real magic just in front of his face was something he needed to process. Surely, he did know that magic and inexplicable things existed, his own hair was the proof of it. For Murdoc, on the other hand, magic and witchcraft was "normal" since he sold his soul. He himself had to do certain rituals in order to make the pact, and acknowledging the existence of magic and dark energies was something completely indispensable for his deal to work. Murdoc has seen horrific things in his life, not being this one the worst.
For 2-D's relief, the girl only put her hands on her hips and laughed loudly. "Yes, I suppose that's what I look like right now. And I must stink too, so don't get too close."
She looked back at the building, thinking for a moment. " I must bury the bodies, and soon, if we don't want them to wake up again. Make a proper ceremony." With that, she made a signal to the couple so they followed her.
"I'm not getting my hands dirty with those fuckers" The bassist said, walking towards the Winnebago. "When you're done, wake me up. I'm tired as hell".
"But...!" Ylva started, but 2-D's grip on her arm stopped her. When she turned her head to look at him,he just negated with his head. " 'Tis better to leave him, believe me." Ylva sighed, but finally nodded.
"What an asshole" she said while walking towards the studios with 2-D.
"You bet..."
Murdoc, half eyed open, observed how the couple started dragging dead bodies to the graveyard- Her sleepy gaze flew around the young white haired woman. Thinking just how weird it was to wear sunglasses in the middle of the night, he fell asleep.
Ylva dropped to her knees, and started saying things in a language 2-D could not dare to understand. It froze his blood and sent chills through his spine, but he stayed beside her as he pulled the last body into the common pit. He thanked God that the nasty creatures were so old that they were merely recognizable as humans; he could have sworn there were even gorillas' corpses there too. The girl stood and walked in circles around the pit three times, never ceasing her sayings. 2-D watcher how the skull on her staff glowed, and with a last prayer, she lifted the staff high. Instantly, 2-D felt how the ambient became still, how the knot on his belly slowly disappeared. Whatever Ylva had done, it worked. The evil magic in the place seemed to finally become extincted.
"Well, that's it" She finally said, smiling like it was nothing.
"You make it sound so easy..." 2-D just said, staring at the pit. "Poor people..."
He whimpered when he felt the girls hand on her shoulder. She was looking at the pit, a serious expression on her lips. "Don't be. We have helped them. They will finally rest in peace,yes?" She looked at him and smiled. "You should be happy for that."
The singer relaxed and smiled with her. Although the girl still caused fear in his heart, he could not help feeling safe with her. However, her smile slowly dissapeared as she kept looking to 2-D's face.
"Your eyes...who did it to you?" 2-D felt genuine worry in her voice."Murdoc did. But it was an accident. He saved me for a coma, in fact." Ylva nodded after a while, but she was still serious. 2-D changed the topic, trying not to think about it too much. "W should wake him up, by the way".
"Yes, you are right. We have questions to answer, yes?" 2-D nodded furiously, and it made Ylva giggle."So full of questions!"
Both headed back to the studio, walking silently. 2-D, however, had a question roaming his mind that he thought of harmless.
"Did you also fell off a tree?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Excuse me?" She responded, arching an eyebrow, caught by surprise.
"Its just...when I was little, I fell of a tree. Hit my heard soo hard that my hair started to grow blue. So I thought that maybe your hair-" 2-D stopped after he realized the expression of the woman. What was a bright smile turned into a deadly serious expression. If it weren't for the sunglasses, 2-D would have sworn that her eyes could kill "is white because of that..." he ended in a whisper. Ylva had stopped walking, and was looking down. For a brief second, 2-D thought that that was it. The girl would finally turn him into a toad. But the thought was quickly washed away when Ylva, with a forced smile, looked at him.
"Not quite...perhaps, one day, I'll tell you."
2-D tried to apologize, but the girl started her walk again, and did not gave him the opportunity to do so. This was maybe the first time 2-D actually wanted to see Murdoc.
Murdoc was awoken by the heavy knocks on the Winnebago's door, and growled at the sudden interruption. He opened the door angrily, ready to beat the hell up to whoever had stopped his precious rest. However, when he saw the person that awaited him, his thoughts vanished. Ylva was in front of him, hand on her hip while the other hold her strange staff. The white curls that were free of the braid decorated her face, illuminated by the first sunlight rays. Her silver fans glistened as she grinned like a wolf.
"Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty" she said, urging him to follow her. " 'Tis time for us to discuss things"
Murdoc observed her for a second, only to smile wickedly at the sight in front of him. He leaned against the door frame and licked his lips. "Whatever you wish, doll. But if I can suggest a more "entertaining" thing to do-"
"You can't" she simply cut, her mouth twitching. "And do not call me "doll" ever again." She walked away from him, her braid dancing behind her.
At such display of hardness from the girl, Murdoc simply grunted. "Whatever, bitch."
The three of them were finally together, and made a small circle in front of the studios. Ylva leaned against the wall with crossed arms, while the other two stood in front of her, exchanging looks.
"Well, you've got my attention" Murdoc started, clearing his throat. "Who the fuck are you and what the fuck do you want."
The girl looked at him through her sunglasses, and smile after such display of bad vocabulary. After a few seconds, she sighed.
"As I said before, my name is Ylva" she started "And I am a Huntress."
"A...what?" Now Murdoc was truly confused. 2-D only listened, but he was as confused as the bassist. Ylva breathed deeply, as if trying to look for the proper words.
"Look, here's the thing. My little organisation makes sure that the baddies do not do bad things." Ylva put a hand on her neck. "As a Huntress, my job is to hunt down dark energies and evil creatures. I kill baddies, I receive money in exchange. Easy enough, yes?" she forced a smile, possibly trying to not look completely crazy. However, the looks on the boys' faces told her she was not doing a great job. "People that have problems with dark things make and publish contracts, and we make sure those things are shut down fast."
"So you're a...bounty-hunter?" 2-D responded, brows furrowed.
"Yes...yes! Like a bounty-hunter!" The girl smiled happily, thanking inertly the help of the blue haired boy. "There was a contract on the old man from before, and since I was in the area and looking for a place to stay, I took it. Not much money for him, but it was good enough, so I accepted. But, you know what? Just when I was about to buy the studio to make sure no one was harmed during the...uhm...hunting, someone bought it first!" With fake surprised, she looked at Murdoc. "By someone called Murdoc Faust Niccals."
Murdoc simply stared at her, intrigued by her story. Ylva continued after clearing her throat.
"Imagine my surprise at that. So, maybe, I asked a few questions, investigated a bit... and maybe found out that he was the leader of a still forming group and that they still needed members. And, among them, a guitarist!" She exclaimed happily, lifting her guitar case. "I may have also figured out the hour of your meeting with the owners and came. Frankly, didn't thought that the Goat Clan would act tonight. Normally, they wait 'til full moon to do this rituals,but they were in a hurry it seems. But hey, it seems I arrived just in time to save your arses!" She laughed after that, amused that she was the heroine for once.
"Can you get to the bloody point?" The bassist frunted, clearly annoyed by the fact a girl saved his life.
"My point is." She said, looking at the studio. "I need a place to stay. This place was perfect, due to the energies that surround it. However, 'tis yours now. So I came to make a deal with you." She walked towards the bassist and stopped just a few inches from him. She was short even for a girl, but she was intimidating nonetheless, 2-D noted. Murdoc just looked at her from above, unimpressed. "You need a guitarist, I need a home. You need money,I can bring even more money with the contracts. See my point?"
"How do you know we need a-?
"I only see keyboards and a bass here" She cut, smiling. "So I get neither of you play the guitar, yes? Also, I have my contacts."
"Your contacts are wrong, darling" He said, grinning,clearly enjoying the superiority he had at last. "This faggot's girlfriend is our guitarist, we decided it today." He said, pointing at 2-D.
"Well, two guitarist are better than one!" She just said, not giving up her hope. Murdoc crossed his arms, and thought for a few seconds.
"You're telling me that you have investigated me and followed me here just to talk to me?"
"Hey, hey, you deduced that on your own, I just said that maybe I did it." Seeing that he was not buying it, Ylva sighed. " Look, there are two types of people: those who take advantage of the situation and those who create the proficient situation. And I am the second kind"
Silence fell between them for a moment.
"You know you sound like a completely crazy woman, do you?"
"I do".
"And that you also look like a completely crazy woman."
"Possibly, yes".
"Is that everything you have to say in your defense?"
"I earn a lot of money. And fast. The cleaning of the studios will be paid by me."
At that statement, Murdoc smiled wickedly. "I have to admit you sound pretty convincing, love." Ylva smiled, believing herself already in the band. However, Murdoc's serious expression stopped her joy.
"Not so fast, darling." She looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "Care to explain all that "White Wolf" shit?
"Oh, that" She simply shuggred, like it was nothing "Its kind of a title. You see, there are not many Hunters left now that magic is mostly hidden to common people, and even less Huntress. So, those who remain and survive, well, we earn our reputation." She toyed with a curl of her hair "Been doing this for five years now, its only natural that I am known in this underworld. Add the white hair and my ancestry and voila! White Wolf."
"Your ancestry? Murdoc's eyes stared deeply at the girl, who looked away.
"You see... not very common among my organisation, but I'm in fact a druid. Born in a clan and such. Though those days are long gone now."
"Lemme guess...the Wolf Clan?" Murdoc said sarcastically, looking at Ylva's wolf medallion.
"Clever man" She smiled. "Look, just now that my job won't get in your way as a band. In fact, as I said before, I make extra money and have many contacts. And also..." She pointed at Murdoc's chest with one of her silver nails, making Murdoc arch an eyebrow. "You're going to need extra protection."
"Excuse me?" He said, indignant at the thought of needing a girl's help.
"Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but the day will come when whoever you sell your soul to, will return to collect the payment. And you're going to want me there, believe me." She said darkly. "You need me more than you think".
"Well...I can certainly see you helping me in many ways, love." Ylva observed how he licked his lips, but bit her tongue. She needed the deal. No matter how much she wanted to punch him in the face for such an statement. She cleared her throat.
"Does that mean that..." she insinuated lowly, waiting an answer from the leader of the band. He grabbed his chin and closed his eyes, as if he was thinking. After some seconds, he opened his eyes, one red and the other black.
"Alright love. You're in."
"YES!" to the couple's surprise, she exclaimed happily, making a little jump of joy. At the sight of their faces, she recovered the cool and coughed. "I mean uh, good, I'm glad we came to an agreement."
"Uhm...welcome to the band, then!" 2-D finally said after being silent the entire conversation. Ylva nodded and smiled, and walked towards the studio.
"Wait" Murdoc voice stopped her "Take off your sunglasses."
The two men could clearly see how she instantly froze, taken by surprise. She turned her head to them, her lips being a straight line. "Do not ask me to do that."
"Sorry love, indispensable condition. Need to see what you look like. No secrets."
Her mouth twitched, and she turned her body completely to them, facing the couple. Slowly, she brought both hands to the sunglasses. 2-D observed how she only had silver coloured nails in her left hand, while the right was untouched.
She took off the glasses. Her eyes were closed, white lashes adorning them. She had a little mole below the corner of her right eye, the only thing that tainted her light skin. She opened her mouth slightly to say something, but she found no words. She had to act according to his term, and he knew it.
"Open your eyes darling." Ylva felt how Murdoc's hand lifted her chin, forcing her to look up. His touch was cold against her warm skin, and she had to bit her lip. 2-D watched the scene, not really sure what Murdoc wanted to achieve.
He knew soon enough, and couldn't help to put his hands on his mouth when the girl opened her eyes.
Her iris was the color of the pure and light amber, the pupils slightly like those of a cat. The sclera, however, was pitch black. The eyes of a wolf.
Murdoc smiled wickedly, proving himself right. "Even your eyes are bloody weird."
With a disgusted noise, she freed herself from Murdoc's grip and quickly put her glasses on again. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched how 2-D still looked at her mouth open wide.
"Do not make me do that again" She said, coldly.
"It was just a small joke honey". Murdoc said laughing "A "welcome to the band" joke. I'm sure we will have a lot of fun, just try not to be a annoying as fuck like that moron." With that, he took his bass and luggage and entered in the building, leaving 2-D and Ylva out. They exchanged looks, but 2-D quickly took his things and entered as well, not really wanting to look at her too much. Ylva breathed heavily, thinking if staying with such a man was a good idea. He was intelligent and cunning, she perceived it. And those are by far the most dangerous ones.
He heard a tweet above her. Seconds after, a crow was on her shoulder, a small plastic package tied to the leg. Ylva took it and the crow flew away. Ylva opened the package and smiled at the sight of the one thousand pounds the contract was worth.
Well. She would give it a try.
With a sigh, she took her guitar and followed the couple, ready to choose a room that would be her home for the years to come. She hoped so, at least.