WANWEIRD – (n) an unhappy fate

The ebony Witch stared out of an open window as she sat on the floor, a pile of clothing her cushion. The sun was wrapped in a vicious cloak of gray clouds that showed no chance of opening and allowing the warm ball of light to shine on her face.

The Immune had recently braided her hair down to her hip before leaving the room to do other things. From the sounds and smells, it probably had something to do with food. It made her nauseous, all the different spices and flavors in the air. She ran her fingers over her exposed skin, the shirt-capris combination of clothing Mario had dressed her in having been reduced to a makeshift sports bra and shorts.

The door behind her swung open with a telltale creak. Silence followed, and then the new inhabitant sighed.

"Avarice…why did you…" Mario's voice fell. His bare footsteps came closer before stopping just behind her. His body fell behind her and he leaned towards her, resting his chin on her shoulder and snaking his arms around her waist. She shivered. "If you wanted smaller clothing, I could've just given you some. You didn't have to shred them, you know."

She sighed and continued to stare out of the window. The cloud cover made her sad. It sent a terrible feeling through her heart as thunder cracked like a whip in the distance. Mario's grip grew tighter around her waist and one of his hands ran down her thigh over and over. She shuffled uncomfortably.

Avarice tried to take a deep breath and calm her nerves when a strange scent found her. Under all of the spices laden on his breath, raw meat was strong. The stench of iron brought out a feral need for a fresh kill. After a moment longer of indulging her id with the aroma, she noticed a rather familiar smell. Immune…and Hunter. Her heart skipped a beat. There were no Infected here…

His icy grip grew around her midsection, his fingers skirting dangerously close to her "honey pot", as he called it. She grabbed his wrists with her hands and tried to pry them away with a disapproving "no".

"Just relax, sweetie," he purred in her ear, moving around her to kneel above her lap. He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned away. He glowered at her with red eyes. They were supposed to be brown… "Avarice, I'm not in the mood."

"No," she said sternly, pushing at him with her palms as to avoid tearing into him.

Mario's hands took a hold of her shoulders and he forced her onto her back, knees locked on her hips. She yelped and tensed, shocked at the pain that blossomed from her shoulders as his fingers dug in. He leaned forward, forcing a kiss on her. She thrashed wildly underneath him, her claws piercing the sides of his chest experimentally, with no real fight behind her attack. He growled, but his power on her body only grew stronger.

He snatched her arms above her head, slicing decent markings along her wrists. He licked up the side of her face, one hand groping at her through her clothing. A crooked grin drew across Mario's face as he slipped a hand beneath her shirt. She thrashed and wailed, her cry escalating to a dangerous pitch.

His weight shifted slightly, giving her just enough space. Avarice bucked up into a sitting position, throwing this creature that resembled her friend and lover onto his back. She threw down her hand, stabbing him in his stomach a few inches. He roared and swiped at her, catching her right below her eyes. She stabbed again, scraping down to the bone along his arm. His howl rang in her ears, paralyzing her temporarily.

He pushed her down on her back and tore at her shirt, painting her chest in blood as he stripped her. His maw went down to tear into her neck again, this time aiming for her jugular. Her primal, self-preservation instincts took full control.

The ebony Witch gave a single, heartbroken cry as she jammed her talons into his neck and pulled up, effectively decapitating her assailant. Blood jetted onto her face and mixed with her tears as she bawled. Everything around her was faded and melting, and noises that she hadn't comprehended earlier filled her ears. There was a cry of pain, and sounds of anger. Laughter and screams. Gunshots.

She thrashed her head back and forth, her palms at her ears and claws mere inches from her scalp. Her entire body was racked with tremors as she curled into the fetal position. 'Make it stop', she thought softly to herself as the noises got louder. 'Make it stop. Stop. Stop! STOP!'

Her eyes flew open and they seemed to take forever to focus on what was before her. A larger, fuzzy pink blob became a smaller, bumpy thing that soon was recognizable as a Jockey. The soft whimper of worry that came from his lips was comforting, and dearly missed. He raised his hand and brushed an errant strand of hair off to the side, another sad and confused sound coming from him.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and gave a small, relieved grin. The Jockey smiled back, though his eyes continued to trace her. She could feel the scars on her body, and her chest was barely covered by…was this a jacket? She could smell Mario on it and it turned her stomach into a pretzel.

Avarice glanced at her claws in dismay. They were painted in tainted blood, and the flesh stuck on her nails bugged her. She flicked her wrist in disapproval, but the skin and muscle remained. She looked to her side and anger bloomed.

A Hunter, or what was left of the beast, was beside her, head missing from its torso. In its claws were parts of her attire. She wanted to stab the thing again for good measure when a thought ran across her mind.

Mario…

She scurried to her feet rather quickly. The Immune was nowhere in sight. At least three more dead leapers were sprawled around their makeshift home, but nothing pointed her in the direction of her…she didn't even know what to call him.

She looked at the hunchback below her and watched as he scurried off at a normal pace, no urgency in his scamper. Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She followed behind slowly, fighting back tears as they stepped into the sunlight. To feel the warm glow of that giant cosmic ball made her sigh contently, but the fuzzy feeling left soon after.

Avarice followed the Jockey along a trail of corpses, blood smears, and disturbed flora, her eyes scanning every face. Mario was, thankfully, not among those she had seen, but the distance the pair was having to travel made her stomach sick. If she had not been injured, she could've helped. Maybe he…she stopped her thoughts as the pink Infected paused.

Mario's body was near a river, unmoving. She rushed over and stared down at her fallen friend, her knees buckling beneath her. She dropped to her knees, tears already dotting his chest. No. No. This can't be. Her body trembled as she sobbed, face buried in the scarred chest beneath her.

The last feeling she felt towards the reminder of him was anger. She didn't get to apologize. She didn't get to say anything to him. Her voice was stolen from her. She carefully took the pads of her palms and caressed the sides of his face, wiping away drying blood and mud. She gave a small smile at an almost peaceful look beneath all the grime.

"Mmmmmaaaaarrrriiiioooo" she spoke, the syllables harder to get out now that she was conscious. The ebon crier bent low and touched her lips to the cold, purple ones below her. Their noses touched and she sat there, rocking, her tears finally gone.

The Jockey was silent, Avarice noticed, and looked up at the miniature creature she came to love as a child. She gave the body one final kiss and stood when something stopped her. Her wrist was being held by Mario's hand. A puzzled look etched her face as she tried to move again.

The grip tightened.

Mario opened his eyes and they found her face immediately. She took notice of his eyes. One was the normal, rich oak brown, but the other was a fierce fire red. The Jockey gave a chortle of joy as the half-breed rose into the sitting position with ease, still focused on the Witch. He scurried over and hugged his male companion.

Mario didn't speak. He pulled her close in a flash and kissed her gently.

"Avarice," he said in almost perfect Infected tongue. "You are okay."

She nodded and kissed him once more fiercely before hugging him and their "child" tight. A group of planes flew overhead, but she didn't care. The two creatures she had come to love were safe. That was all that mattered.