Page 18 of Ragnar

“Monster got your tongue? Must say, you are looking good Slim, the apocalypse has done you well.” Elijah jokes, his voice as slimy as I remember. It matches his appearance. Short, stout and ugly. Ignoring Sam, I whirl to Elijah, the knowledge that Ragnar is hiding a few feet away emboldening me.

“If only the monsters had done us all a favor and eaten your ugly ass. Shut the fuck up.” Shock registers on a few faces but I only shrug, not willing to take the words back. Not when they have been festering inside of me for far too long.

“Now Reggie let’s keep pea….” Sam starts to say but Elijah cuts him off.

“You frigid bitch, we can turn around right now and leave you here. Crawl back into whatever hole you came from. This shiny new backbone is as useless now as it was then.” As always, he compensates his wrongness with loudness. Before the attack, I used to think he was just forceful. Now I see it for what it is. Weakness.

“As useless as the word no was?” I shoot back, my heart picking up the pace as fear threatens to creep in. A confrontation wasn’t my original intention, but it has distracted them from their hunt, Ragnar almost forgotten in the heat of our words. Almost as if he is mocking my words, a vibration rattles through the wall into me. It heats me up and my fear is washed away in its wake. I wait for someone to comment on it, but only I am aware that it happened.

Distracted, I am caught off guard when Elijah lunges for me. Strong hands hold him back, dragging him away from me. Sam shakes his head, his handsome face lined and haggard from stress. Guilt eats at me, but I have a mission here. Two missions, actually. Save my sister and save Ragnar. These men didn’t factor in my future before the world went to shit and they don’t factor in now.

It crosses my mind to ask them if they have any antibiotics, but I refuse to be beholden to these people. She has enough medicine to last her as I search. It isn’t a dire situation…yet.

“Let the past be the past. We must move forward; humans have to band together. We followed a creature into this building, and it dove into the room you just came from. Did you happen to see one?” Sam questions, too smart for his own good. Scrambling, I try to think of a way to divert him. With Elijah contained, there is no obvious avenue of distraction. Though he chose to ignore justice in my case, he was always good at his job.

“You didn’t give a fuck then, you sure as hell don’t give a fuck now. If there were a monster in here, I would be dead. Besides, your damn weapons did more damage than any monster I saw.” I gesture towards the scorched proof. Sam shrugs as if it is of no consequence, following my gaze before turning back to me.

“The alien invaders decided to give us a few gifts in exchange for our help with the monsters.” He shrugs again, as if he didn’t just say the biggest red flag I’ve ever heard. Dread trickles down my spine, my mind switching directions.

“Your help with the monsters? Why would they need help with the creatures they brought here?” I demand, not letting up on my confrontational attitude even though internally I feel like a fraud. My insides are practically jello with fear. Fear that I will fail. Fear that they will demand to check the back for themselves. Almost out of habit, I palm the butt of my pistol. Collectively their eyes flash downward, watching my movements with wariness in their eyes. Shit.

“That is none of your concern.” Sam mutters after clearing his throat, his eyes glued to the gun at my waist. A creeping sense of satisfaction sweeps through me. Good. Let him stew over the memories of all the training we completed together, of how good of a shot I am. A heady feeling of power briefly makes a cocky grin ghost across my lips.

In Ragnar’s version of Earth, I am useless. Powerless against the beasts that roam the world. In Before Earth? I was a badass and not even the vile excuses for men before me could take that from me. I was a damn good deputy. A damn good shot. It feels good to be reminded of that, even if only for a moment. I haven’t felt that comforting confidence since the day I was attacked, when my view of the world and my view of myself shifted.

“It becomes my concern when you carelessly blast through the town. You could have killed me.” I snarl, letting the small shock of confidence lend a bite to my words. Guilt flashes across his face before it hardens. Casting a look around to his men, he nods to them before facing me once more.

“Damage is a price I’m willing to pay for the destruction of the beasts that run rampant. Regardless of what weapons were used, we came in here for a reason. Your presence doesn’t change that. Move her.” Like his words are law, two of the men surge forward with outstretched arms. Dodging their grasp, I back up quickly until I am almost plastered to the broken-down door. Quick as a flash, I draw my weapon and point it straight at the nearest man.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I mutter, not even registering who it is in fear that I might hesitate when it really counts. Because a decision is before me. Do I defend the monster behind me or do I accept the presence of the monsters in front of me. My promise to Ragnar weighs heavily on me, settling deep into my core until it almost throbs with fear and want. So many thoughts war within me until I grasp at the only thread of sanity that I have. Safety.

Ragnar has made me feel safe more than just physically. In our short time together, he has shown me his heart. Our words are limited but in their place is action and every action has told me that Ragnar would burn the world for me if I only asked him. The men before me burned me. There is really no debate. Hardening my heart, I steady my gun. To their credit, the men back up. Instead of a nuisance from their past they are looking at me as if I am to be feared. An unpredictable animal caught in their traps.

“What the fuck Reggie? Move. We have to check the back, if it is in there it could kill us all.” Sam shouts, anger twisting his handsome face into something ugly.

“Let me at the bitch! She is going to get us killed.” Elijah growls, renewing his attempts to get to me. My heart hammers in my chest. The jig is up. Swiftly I change tactics, going on the defense.

“If any of you take a step forward, I will shoot. How many of you do you think will die before you can get to me?” I snark, glaring each man down so that they can see my resolve. A thunderous growl shakes the ground beneath our feet, amping up the tension until I’m afraid one or more of the men will snap.

“She’s fucking protecting it!” A man says, his voice shaking with disbelief and anger. I don’t look their way, uncaring who said it. It is the truth.

“You’re damn right I am, and I’ll kill every single one of you if it means he lives.” I respond, watching the shock register on each face. Most are blinded by their anger. Disbelieving hat I would dare protect a monster, but Sam only stares. I can practically see the cogs turning in his brain.

“What are you doing Reggie? That beast has helped destroyed this world. It and its kind have killed the very people you took an oath to protect. Move aside.” I could almost roll my eyes as Sam tries to play mind games, using guilt as a tool.

“I’m doing exactly what I promised him. I’m keeping you at bay. You should really be thanking me. We both know that a cornered predator will strike out. I’ve practically saved your lives.” I keep my voice light, playing mental chess as I try to guess his next tactic. Almost predictably, he turns to his men and nods before making a quick jerking motion.

“Just because I was fired doesn’t mean I don’t remember the signals. If you take a single step forward, you will die. Turn around and leave. I don’t need your help and I sure as hell don’t want you here. Go back to patrolling until you find someone who wants or needs you.” Sam curses at my words, signally for the men to fall back instead. All comply but Elijah. He practically bristles with anger as he takes a step forward.

My finger twitches on the trigger as I debate shooting him anyways. As desperately as I want to, any sign of danger will bring Ragnar out of hiding and I’m trying to save him, not draw him to action. Another thought strikes me. Maybe they need to see how close they are to danger.

Letting my intrusive thoughts win, I press the trigger. Elijah gives a cry of pain as he drops to the ground, clutching his leg. It isn’t a fatal wound, but my point is made.

“If any of you try to harm us, I won’t hesitate to shoot. We are leaving and if you follow, I will let him loose upon you. Your big weapons are useless with you standing in the way. Let it be known that next time, my aim will be on the thoracic triangle, not your thigh.” I glare at them, challenging them to move. For every step I take towards them, they hastily take one back. Elijah doesn’t move from his spot upon the ground. “Ragnar, come here please.” I say, almost grinning at the fear that strikes them all.

The sound of scraping claws is loud in the otherwise silent store. Their gasps are loud as he emerges, his eyes filled with menace as he absorbs the space with his size and the promise of violence. Without taking my eyes off the men, I back up until I am beneath his snout, eclipsed by him but unafraid. An eerie snarl splits his maw as he hovers above me.

“Fuuuck.” Sam mutters, his eyes glued to the beast. I can’t blame them for their reactions. They are a mirror of the way I reacted the first time I saw Ragnar, but now I know. I know that actions speak louder than appearance does. I was never shallow, but I came from a world that very rarely considered what was beyond the stars. Humans have a terrible habit of considering themselves superior to everything. How wrong we were.

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