"I'm so glad that you came with us, Maria." Milly said as they sped off one those big bird things. (AN: Oops, it seems I don't know their name, well, this is a work in progress so don't kill me. I will edit it when I find out what the heck they are.) Maria held on tight to Milly's waist. She disliked fast things. She always preferred to walk herself.
"If this things kills me, I'm going to be very upset." She whispered.
"Don't worry about it! It wont hurt if you fall off, trust me, I've done it before." For some reason, Maria didn't doubt it. Maria watched the neighboring bird. Saddled together, Meryl and Vash seemed to get along just find now, or maybe that was a precaution so Meryl wouldn't throw Vash off.
"Where are we going anyways?" Maria asked.
"No where really. I don't think we ever had a real destination. We just kind of go from one town to the next." Maria shook her head. It was the same with her.She just went to one town to the next. Hoping not to get a rep or get caught, she never stayed in one town for too long.
Milly pulled hard on the reins, stopping suddenly. Unprepared, Maria fell off the bird and rolled off a few feet away.
"Milly!" Meryl cried.
"I know that shadow." Maria followed Milly's eyes. A huge shadow of a cross fell upon her. Maria clutched the cross necklace she wore. Was this an omen? Maria eyes grew big in fear. She closed them; not wanting to see what hell beast would arrive to claim her.
"Hey! It's Wolf Wood!" Vash shouted. "Hey over here Wolf Wood!"
Maria opened her eyes and picked herself off the ground. A man with a large cross strapped to his back stood just beyond the horizon.
"So this is Mr. Wolf Wood you talk about so much. You have nice taste in men, Milly." She smiled a true smile, as far as looks go, he wasn't that bad. He quickened his pace to join the group.
"Hey girls. Traveling with Vash again? Don't you know that's bad for your health?" This man was defiantly one for religion; he even wore the dark preacher vest that would be quite uncomfortable in the hot sun. "I see you picked up another stray. You'd think that all you've been through with Vash you would know better." He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
"I am not a stray!" Vash and Maria replied angrily. Maria griped her necklace hard enough to cut right through her skin. Biting back a scream, she glared at Wolf Wood. I've changed my mind, Milly, you are free to live after all…you're mine Brother Wolf Wood, as her eyes spoke.
"I really wished he would kick that awful habit of his." Milly whispered to Maria.
"You should be more careful, Sister, those crosses are sharp." Maria looked down at her bleeding hand.
"You two are related? I knew it!" Vash gave another triumphant yell. Wolf Wood took a drag of his smoke.
"It's a church thing. I've never met this woman before." Milly grabbed Maria's hand and begun to wrap it.
"This is Maria Ash Wood, Mr. Wolf Wood."
"There is a wolf in your flock, Abel."
"It doesn't matter. Wolves became dogs. So will she in the end."
Maria felt dizzy. It must be the sun, she said to herself. She usually only travel by night. It had to be the heat getting to her. She leaned on Milly for support.
"Is there something wrong, Maria?" She forced her self away from Milly.
"I'm fine, it's just the heat." Milly helped Maria mount the bird.
"We're really close to the next town. Are you coming with us?" Meryl looked at Wolf Wood.
"Well, I have nothing better to do but follow two cute ladies, a goofball, and a sick kid, I might as well." Vash looked annoyed but relieved at the same time. Milly was just beaming in happiness.
"I'm not a kid…" She glared at the bleached sand below her
"That means we're going to have to make room for you some how. It was hard enough to fit Vash up here as it is."
Wolf Wood only yawned. "I'll just walk beside you young ladies, if you'll wait up for me that is." He dropped his butt and crushed it under his foot, and flashed a charming smile toward Milly.
"We don't mind, if we hurry, we'll be there before dark." Meryl said and Vash nodded. They left with out another word. They were right, it didn't take much longer to reach their destination. It had been a quiet ride. Maria was beginning to feel out of place. Just till he's dead, she thought, then I can leave them. She took a look at her bandage hand. I hurt my best hand because of you preacher, she thought scornfully. They rode up to the town's entrance. It was a small place, but it seemed to be full of happy people. They tethered their birds at the bar and walked inside. Maria hugged her brief case. Ignoring the group of people watching her, she slammed the case on the counter.
"People! I bring you hope!" She pulled out a flier. "On this piece of paper I give to you; has the location of all the churches on this planet. Please look one up nearest you!" Wolf Wood look shocked.
"That's my job, kid!" He stormed up to face Maria.
"I am not a kid!" She shouted this time, truly annoyed."And now, my assistant, Brother Wolf Wood, will gladly give you a confessional for a very low fee." His face went red.
"I am not you assistant! And I'm going to hurt you if you don't shut up!" Maria smiled viciously.
"What's the matter Wolf Wood? Mad that a 'kid' can do your job just as well as you?" Wolf Wood was fuming.
"Hey, street preachers should stay on the streets and stay out of our bars!" A man shouted.
"I'm sick and tired of hearing them." A second person shouted.
"Kick 'em out!" A third replied. The bar tender looked helplessly as a bar fight broke out. It was an old fashion brawl with fists only. The mob advance on Maria first. Not used to this kind of fighting, she backed away to the wall. There have never been so many people who wanted her hurt before. Terrified by the numbers, she cried for help. Wolf Wood leapt into the circle of men and then, one by one, he took them out.
Maria watched as the last man had fallen. She could feel a small pang of guilt within. The man she wanted dead had possibly saved her life.
"Do you always cause this much trouble, or is today a special occasion?" He asked, watching Maria's startled expression. She only shook her head and walked away.
By the end of the fight, the sun had set. Maria liked the coolness the night always brought. It was too bright and hot in the day to have any fun. A black cat sat on the bottom step. She reached for it but it only ran away.
"That's what I should do, run away before they know…" She held up her hand as a shield and looked at the bigger of the two moons. The town was quiet. News always traveled fast in small, nameless, towns like these. It must have gotten out that Vash and a couple of manic street preachers were here.
"Decided to get some fresh air?" Meryl appeared behind Maria. She could only nod.
"So, what going on in there?" Her voice sounded foreign in the night air.
"Well, Milly is yelling at Wolf Wood and Vash is trying to get a free drink from the bar tender." She sighed.
"And the people?" Meryl just shrugged.
"Well, a few woke up, took one look around, and then they did the smart thing and took the back door." She shuddered. Even if she was armed, she could never face that many people at once and hoped to live.
"It's kind of chili to night. How about we go back in? Don't worry, I think Wolf Wood has had enough today."
Maria took in a deep breath and walked back into the bar.
There were only a few people left on the floor. Vash leaned against the counter, a drink in one hand. Wolf Wood was nursing a bump Milly had given while she continued to yell. The bar keep only looked away when she entered. Maria closed her fist. Then stopped when she heard the fresh scab of her early wound break open. Upset about bleeding for the second time today, she hid her hand behind her back. The pain and the blood throbbed in her hand, and then slowly subsided. She looked at the imprint the blood made on her bandage.
It was shaped like a cross.
"When you see the cross, then you shall know that it is your turn to become a sacrificial offering to our god."
Maria stumbled toward Milly and Wolf Wood. Her hand was numb now but it didn't matter. She could still throw as well with her left hand. The pain that had been in her hand was now in her head.
"Kill him"
"Kill who?"
They seemed so far away in her blurry vision. She pulled herself along. The voice in her head would turn to a whisper, then shout, and then fade away to only return. It hurt to breath. What's happening to me? Her inner voice cried out. She was no longer in a room full of nice people. She watched, as Wolf Wood turned into a savaging beast, and in his jaws was Milly's head.
She pulled out her left side dagger and waved it in the air in front of Wolf Wood.
"What the hell are you?" Maria fell to her knees. "You ate Milly" She saw a flare of sliver and a sickening sound as she fell to the floor.
"Maria! What's wrong with her?" Milly raced to unconscious Maria side, her dagger falling away, barely missing falling right on tip of it's edge.
"You would think that she would have taken the anti-toxin by now." Wolf Wood lit up another cigarette.
"What do you mean?" Meryl ran over to Maria's other side. Maria shook with spasm of pain. She kept muttering about a wolf. Wolf Wood walked over and picked up her cross by the chain.
"The churches started making these to protect travelers, mainly women. The edge is coated in poison. A scratch could kill." He picked up her bloody hand. "And she's had more then a scratch's worth…" He pulled out a small vile. "Hold her up and open her mouth, then get her to drink this, but hear me out, when they start to hallucinate, it means they might be too far-gone. She seems to be at death's door…"
Milly didn't even bother to let him finish. She popped off the plug and poured the contents down Maria's throat.
"If you die, I'm going to be very upset…Please don't go…"
"Such fighting spirit you two have. You are your father's children after all. Maybe when you get older, you won't want to fight with you brother anymore." Maria's mother said as she put a band-aid on Maria's scratch. "You two should try to be more careful, it's all I ask." She patted Maria's head and sent her off.
"I'm coming…brother…"