"This is where I live." Archer says as he leads you into the apartment along with Smokey. "Er, correction, where WE live." says Smokey. Archer grins. "My bad. Where WE live." he says. Smokey kicks a sock underneath a rug and says, "You're welcome to stay here, too, if you want. We have 3 bedrooms." Archer turns to you and nods in agreement. "Yeah, you can stay here if you want to. As long as you don't mind a bit of a mess." He says, rubbing the back of his neck. Growing up in a rundown condominium with your parents never being around makes this place seem like a castle in your opinion. "It's wonderful!" you tell them. "But…I don't want to burden you two…" Smokey and Archer shook their heads. "You wouldn't be a burden!" says Archer. Smokey chimes in, "We'd love to have you here. You're like family. We can't just leave you out there." You beam at them. "You guys are so nice…what did I ever do to deserve you?" you ask to no one in particular. They both smile back at you, and lead you down the hallway to your room. It had obviously been a teenage girl's room previously, for the bedspread is pink, the pillows are fuzzy, and there are girl's clothes in the closet. You find a white tank-top and grey cotton shorts.
Smokey and Archer leave you alone for a second so that you can change out of the ruined hospital gown you've been in for the past few days. You smile as the new clothes fit nicely. You walk over to the mirror in the room, and brush your hair with a brush you found on the desk. You're still barefooted, but that doesn't matter. You walk out of the room and into the hallway, out into the den when Smokey and Archer were sitting on the couch, talking about something. They look up to see you, looking a lot better than before. They smile. "Come here and sit down." Archer says, gesturing to a cushion on the couch. You plop next to him. "Thank you for letting me be here, guys…Just give me the word if you ever want me out, for any reason. I don't want to be a burden at all." Smokey shakes his head in wonder and ruffles your hair. "You're not going to be a burden. Relax. And why on earth would we want you out?" You shrug, embarrassed. Archer looks into your blue eyes, seeming to search for something in their depths. You gaze back into his dark green irises, feeling yourself nearly get swallowed by their vastness. You look away quickly, sensing Smokey's staring. Archer snaps out of his trance, too. "I'm not gunna lie, guys. That was kinda creepy." Smokey says, the barest trace of a smile on his lips. Archer gently shoves him. "Shuddup, Smokey. Don't be jealous." He's kidding, but Smokey sighs inwardly. "If only it were that easy, Archer." he thinks. "Jealous? Of you? You flatter yourself, my friend." he replies. "Burrrrrrn." You say, eyebrows rising at Smokey's wit.
Archer laughs, shaking his head. Smokey smiles. "Ah. I remember what we were going to talk about." says Smokey. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that." says Archer. "Hm?" you ask. Archer licks his lips. "We have to take you to see Frank." he says. You raise your eyebrows. "The Tank?" Smokey looks at you and cocks his head sideways. "Do you know him?" he asks. "No," you admit, "But I heard some female infected talking about him." Archer's lips pull into a smile. "He does love the ladies." Smokey elbowed him in the ribs. "Like you don't?" he accuses. Archer turned to him. "Lemme correct you on that one. I love a lady. Not the plural form of the word." Smokey grins. "Of course. My mistake." You raise an eyebrow at Archer. He stands up. "Well. Frank'll be expecting us by the end of the day, and seeing as its 4 o'clock, we should get going." Smokey also stands. "I agree. Let's get moving."
You all arrive at Frank the Tank's house in a few minutes of walking. It's an average house, except for the blown-off-the-hinges door. "How are we supposed to knock…?" you ask. Smokey shrugs. Archer goes and yells up at the 2nd floor open window. "HEY! FRANK! WE'RE HERE!" You blink twice rapidly, and then look up at Smokey. "That was subtle." Smokey facepalms. "That's Archer for you. He's never been very patient except when it comes to hunting." You grin at the hooded figure still standing in front of the house. A humongous figure comes out of the blown away doorframe. He's extremely muscular, and looks like he can wreak some serious damage. "Hi, Frank." says Archer. Frank nods in his direction, and then looks beyond him to look at you. You immediately feel like a bug under a microscope as his gaze runs you up and down. You put your chin up, and shoulders back, defiant to his critical gaze. He nods thoughtfully, as if coming to a decision. "Does she know how to hunt yet?" he asks. Archer shakes his head. "Not yet." The Tank rolls his massive shoulders. "Well. According to my scouts, Survivors should be passing through the Sugar Mill today. Now's a good a time as any to teach her." Archer nods. "I'll teach her." Smokey steps forward. "Me, too." Frank looks at them both, and then nods. "Alright. She's your responsibility to teach." Smokey and Archer nod.
"Do you have a name, Witch?" Frank asks, turning his gaze to you. "My name is Elfie." you reply. "Well, Elfie, It's time for you to learn how to hunt. Judging by your features, I'd say you're close to starving, am I right?" Right when he mentioned the word 'starving', your stomach growled in assent. "Yes…sir." you say, unsure of how to respond to him. A ghost of a smile crosses his lips. "Well then. You should probably get started. Sun's going down, and that's when it's time for our kind to feed." You grin. "Okay." Frank turns to Archer and says in a low voice that no one else can hear, "Protect her, Archer. We can't afford to lose another Witch, especially one like this. Her character…it's different from the other Witches. I think that will make her stronger. Don't let some survivor take her from us with a blow to the head from a shotgun. Remember what happened to Serah…" his voice trails off, sadness entering his tone. Archer puts a hand on Frank's massive shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll protect her. And as for Serah…she'd want you to be happy, Frank. She knew what she was doing when she went out alone that far. She knew what could happen. Don't blame yourself." he replies softly. Frank nods sadly, "I wish she were here…" Archer claps him on the shoulder. "I do, too man. But it's not meant to be. Let's see what Elfie can bring to the table, and then you can judge where to station her." Frank nods, his thoughts returning to the present. "Right. Go, teach her how to hunt. And keep what I said in mind." he instructs. Archer salutes, grinning. "Will do."
"Archer? What is this place…?" you ask, walking into the abandoned sugar mill. "It smells really good in here." you continue. He looks at you, confused, and then sniffs the air. "I don't smell anything." he says. "It smells….sweet." you tell him, "It's intoxicating!" He grins. "Just try not to get too drunk off the apparent fumes. You've gotta learn how to hunt." Your stomach growls hungrily. "Shut up." You say to it, poking your tummy with your knuckle of your index finger. Archer takes a few steps ahead of you, and says, "You're a Witch. You can choose to do one of two things. You can, one, sit and cry and wait for the survivors to come to you, or, you can cry and wander around, looking for them." You nod. "I think I'll do the first one." you say. He nods. "Okay. First you need to hide until the survivors are at their most vulnerable. You can be the judge of that, but we have a plan that works nearly every time for a group of survivors. They usually travel in groups of 4. So here's how the plan works." You sit, crosslegged on the ground as Archer explains the plan.
"First, we wait in hiding for a survivor to lag behind and get separated. I pounce him. A survivor runs back to help him, and that's when Smokey comes in." You glance up at Smokey. "I grab him with my tongue and strangle him from a rooftop." says Smokey. You turn your attention back to Archer as he starts to speak again. "The other two survivors come running for their companions, and Chuck steps out and pukes all over them. Then, Malcolm drags away one of the survivors while it's blinded, and either incapacitates it, or drags it to you. The horde should be attacking the other survivor while this is happening, so that survivor won't see as Dan charges through and pummels it. Vivian spits her acid on either of the remaining 2 survivors." Your eyes widen. "That's….extremely well thought out." You say, finally. Smokey steps forward. "Although, there is a problem sometimes." he says. "What sort of problem?" you ask. "Sometimes Malcolm misses and the Survivor gets free. Sometimes my tongue gets shot and breaks, releasing the survivor. But! That's where you come in, again. If close enough to a safe room, the survivor in question will run immediately for it, abandoning his comrades. You can sit right in front of the safe room door. They'll never be able to get into the safe room without startling you." he explains. You smile. "I feel important." Smokey nods seriously. "You are important. Now. Frank said that the survivors should be coming in around nightfall. They're aiming to go get gas so they can escape on their boat." You nod. "Okay. So I need to be hidden before the sun goes down." Archer smiles. "Precisely." You look up to see the sun is steadily sinking. "I'd best go then…see you guys later!" you cry over your shoulder, already running to find a place to hide.
[There's going to be more, I promise. I'm writing it now... (: In the meantime, will you please review this story?]