One

Deryn held one blade to the man's throat and another against his abdomen. It would only take one quick movement and if piercing his carotid artery didn't kill him quickly, the stomach wound would kill him slowly. He was about five or six inches taller than Deryn and from their close proximity she immediately noticed his smell.

    Most people she encountered, including herself, smelled the same" earthy, sometimes a bit pungent, almost like pine. This man was different. He smelled clean. Fresh, even.

    "Move and you're dead."

    "Can I speak at least?"

    His voice was gruff and not what Deryn expected.

    "You'll answer my questions."

    "Fair enough."

    "Who are you?"

    "My name is Baen."

    "Why are you here?"

    The man shifted from one foot to the other. He tried to turn his head toward Deryn without moving his body. He succeeded and Deryn got a glimpse of his face.

    "I came here to find you."

    Deryn saw something in his eyes she had not seen for a long time...sincerity. His eyebrows arched toward each other above steel blue eyes. He tucked his bottom lip under his teeth.

    "Why?" The questions came out in a breath...not as forceful as Deryn had intended.

    "I can take you to a safe place."

    "Why?" Strength returned to Deryn's voice and she pushed the tips of her knives closer to his body.

    "It would be easier to explain..."

    Baen gasped and flinched as one of the blades pierced through his coat and broke skin near his hip.

    He let out a deep breath.

    "I'll explain then you'll let me go. If the answer is 'no' I'll walk away. Agreed?"

    "Agreed."

    "My name is Baen and I belong to an underground organization known as Ochrana. It's a protected facility and for a long time we've been studying the phenomena that is destroying this planet. We've been looking for hunters, people like you, to volunteer for an experiment, one that could end all this madness and restore peace."

    Baen drew in a breath and held it, unsure of how Deryn would react. Eventually she lowered the blades and Baen turned to face her.

    "No."

    Trying to read her expression, Baen could not help but focus on her eyes. While the rest of her face was stoic and expressionless, her deep green eyes conveyed anger and pain and sadness.

    "But..."

    "Walk away."

    Baen took a couple of steps back, hoping that in his hesitation Deryn would change her mind. She stood motionless, with no indications of saying another word.

    Reluctantly, Baen turned and walked away.

    Deryn returned her knives to their sheaths and as soon as the man was out of sight she began to pack up her camp quickly, almost frantically. She shoved her blankets and food into a tattered backpack. She pulled on her worn tan jacket and scabbard which housed a single sword. Throwing the backpack over her shoulder, Deryn surveyed the area to make sure she didn't forget anything. She never stayed in one place for too long so whoever this Baen was, he had to have been following her for a couple of days without her knowledge. This worried her.

    Satisfied that everything was packed, Deryn began to hike in the opposite direction Baen had left in. As she trudged along the outskirts of the forest, Deryn's thoughts kept wandering back to what the man had said. An experiment? Sounded like something that caused this chaos in the first place. An end? Half the world was still suffering nuclear fallout because someone had promised an end. No, there was no end or restoration of peace. Surviving was the goal and hope could get you killed.

    What he had told her was absurd and impossible. So why was she still thinking about it? In her world taking chances and making choices were one in the same. Every choice meant living or dying, and living was never a long term guarantee. She chose to say 'no' to the man but now she chanced being torn apart in the wilds. She could have taken a chance on a stranger and his promised protection but she would have chosen a path of which she could not predict the outcome.

    She had heard of Ochrana. Every remaining human had heard of these protected areas safe from attacks. It was also well known how strict admittance to such a place was and how many were turned away on a daily basis. And those who were allowed to enter never came back.

    Wild rumours always flew around about the true nature of Ochrana. Some said it was a paradise while others were convinced it was a human slaughterhouse. Deryn didn't pay much mind to what was being said. She had no intentions of seeking refuge there.

    Deryn couldn't help but notice how much she was thinking about what the stranger had said. Never had someone inspired so many thoughts and considerations.

    Deryn shielded her eyes and tilted her head back. Judging by the position of the sun, it was mid-afternoon. Nighttime would soon approach and that was the absolute worse time be out in the open. She had to move fast in order to make it to safety in time.

    Deryn never stayed in one place for long except a cabin she frequently visited owned by a man named Dion who lived there with his young son Fynn. It wasn't invincible to attacks but Dion had fortified it so it was safe enough for him and Fynn to survive for several months.

    Often Deryn visited the cabin in order to deliver whatever food or supplies she could find but sometimes she merely went there for a place to rest. She was always careful not to form bonds with any other survivors or hunters she encountered by Dion was different. If it wasn't for his kindness and hospitality Deryn would have been dead four months ago. She owed him her life.

    This is why she did what she could to help Dion and his son. Over the course of her visits she had come to feel something close to affection for Fynn. He was only eight years old but smart and keen. He was eager to learn how to hunt and Dery found some joy in teaching him. She showed hi how to fashion and bow and arrows and during this visit she was going to teach him how to use them.

    Without any incident she reached the cabin by sundown. As soon as the sole of her boot pressed against the familiar, worn path she knew something wasn't right. She pulled the sword from her scabbard and approached the cabin slowly.

    The door was wide open, spilling light onto the front porch. A fire burned in the fireplace but nothing moved on the inside.

    As she crept along the path she noticed a strong smell emanating from the direction of the cabin. It smelled metallic, like iron. A chill crept up Deryn's back. She knew that scent. A chill crept up her back.

She listened carefully for any indication of a creature but there was none. All was silent, except for the sound of her feet against the ground and the faint whisper of her breath. She could hear her heart pounding as each beat forced blood past her ears.

Moonlight filtered through the trees, illuminating the path just enough for Deryn to see where she was stepping. She stopped before her foot cracked a long, thin object laying on the ground. The pounding in her ears ceased and her breathing stopped as she bent down and picked up the roughly carved arrow. It was one of the any Fynn had carved on his own.

In that moment Deryn did not care about silence or stealth. She dropped her backpack and raced toward the cabin, running as fast as she could to its door. As she stumbled upon the horrific scene she held her hand to her mouth as bile rose from her stomach to her throat. The heat of the fire did nothing to quell the stench of blood and entrails that consumed the small space. It was impossible to distinguish who or what was strewn about the cabin but Deryn knew it was Dion and Fynn.

Deryn's entire being was engulfed in disgust and fear and sadness and anger. She let out a roar so primal and so pained that she did not care what heard her.

There was a rustle from outside. Her call was answered. Deryn turned toward the sound and faced one of the creatures.

There were a few different types of creatures but this one frightened Deryn the most. They were human-like with a head, limbs and a trunk but their structure was all wrong. Their limbs and joints were twisted and out of place, yet they moved with stealth and agility. Their skin was white and pallid and their eyes were pure black with a strange white pupil that reflected light, as if their eyes glowed. Only a ragged hole existed where a nose should have been and a large mouth housed equally ragged teeth.

Two more appeared from the bushes, each with blood and viscera dripping from their lips. They prowled along the edge of the path, watching Deryn with their lambent eyes. She had never faced three of them before. She always avoided confrontation with this creature when more than one was present. But these are the damned things that killed her friends.

Friends.

Anger overcame fear and Deryn lifted her sword into the air. She attacks and did not care where her blade fell, as long as it made contact with pale flesh. The creatures leapt out of the way while slicing at Deryn with their clawed hands. She twisted and rolled to avoid having her skin ripped from her body. She quickly returned to her feet each time and continued her attack. The entire scene was chaotic and Deryn soon lost track of where each creature was.

In an attempt to get her bearings, Deryn leapt back onto the porch. This placed the creatures in front of her in full view. She knew how these beings moved, how they defended and how they attacked but encountering three was going to pose a challenge.

The creatures returned to the peripheral of the path, slowing their movements and watching Deryn. They made soft purring and clicking noises to each other in order to communicate their attack pattern. Deryn had to move fast.

She jumped from the porch, landing on the path and surrounded by the creatures. She planted one foot against the ground and held her sword high above her shoulder. The creatures began their offensive attack individually. Deryn pivoted on the ball of her foot, swinging her sword as each creature jumped toward her.

One came too close and Deryn sliced through its throat. It collapsed to the ground, a light milky substance gurgling from the would. The remaining creatures began to howl and screech and attacked Deryn all at once.

Deryn did not have time to think about each movement before she made it. She slashed and swung but while she faced one creature the other knocked her from behind and jumped on top of her. She rolled in time and jabbed her sword upward, impaling the creature on its blade. Deryn pushed the creature off of her but did not have time to retrieve her sword. She pulled her daggers from their sheaths.

If she was going to down the last creatures with her knives she was going to have to get close. She approached the creature head on and tried to step to the side in time to plunge the knife into its neck. She missed and the creature pounced, slamming her back against the trunk of a large tree. Her breathing became laboured and her limbs felt weak. The adrenaline that had been fuelling her was beginning to dissipate.

Deryn was tired. She was tired of fighting and tired of running. She was tired of surviving. She didn't want to die but she didn't want to live like this anymore.

The creature charged and so did Deryn. It drove against her body and cracked her head against the same tree with such force that explosions of light danced in her vision. It raised its hand and raked its claws along her cheek, slicing through her skin. Pain burned through her face and she could feel her awareness slipping She brought her hand up and swung the knife toward the creature's neck but lost consciousness before she could make contact.

It was one thing for Deryn to face death with the chance of surviving yet another to believe herself dead. It had happened once before when Dion had saved her life and now it was happening again.

As she woke up she felt as if she was swimming through a foggy haze of gray and purple. Her eyes fluttered but the rest of her body was slower to react to her consciousness.

Panic jolted Deryn's heart. She thought she was still being mauled by the creature. As she struggled to get up she noticed not only was it calm but it was also daytime.

She looked around and first noticed the small fire smoldering a few feet away from her. The wounds she expected to be there were closed but the area still burned and was sore to the touch.

Someone had saved her. But who? Was she wrong about Dion and Fynn? Did they survive?

She pulled herself from the ground and snapped her head toward the sound of approaching footsteps. Before she could think of grabbing a weapon, Baen stepped out from the trees into the small clearing.

"You're awake."

He was holding an armful of sticks and dropped them by the fire.

"You came back."

"You're lucky I did."

Deryn noticed a pile of her belongings to her right and knelt by them. "Why?"

"Um, because I saved your life."

"No. Why did you come back?"

Baen smiled and sat down by the fire. "I'm stubborn. I was going to risk my liver to talk to you again."

"You'd be wasting your breath," said Deryn as she began to position her weapons about her person, "and your liver."

"What are your thoughts on faith?"

Deryn snickered. "Yeah, right. Listen, thanks for saving my life. Good luck."

She continued to pack her things.

"Seriously," Baen bent his legs and wrapped his arms around his knees. "Do you have faith?"

Deryn stopped. "In what? Death? Pain? There's no faith here."

"No? You must have faith in yourself to have survived on your own as long as you have. You must have faith in tomorrow since you fight so hard for today. This isn't a faithless world. Just a lost one."

Deryn finished with her weapons and paused before standing.

"It's a dying world." Sadness crept into her voice. "I see it everyday."

"And yet you live."

"Instincts."

"Animals have instincts."

"Are you calling me an animal?"

"No. Animals survive purely on instinct. They don't think about the future or hope. You do though. That's what makes you different."

"How is it that you know me at all?" Deryn asked as she began to walk away. Baen quickly stood.

"I can't expect you to trust me," he said. "But the funny thing about trust is that you can't build it without first trusting. Trust begins by taking a leap of faith."

Deryn stopped, tears rimming her eyelids. How was it that a complete stranger was making her react this way? She turned toward Baen.

"Do you want to talk about trust and faith?" She asked, her voice rising. "I found the only person I ever trusted and his son in pieces and puddles all over that cabin. They trusted me to protect them and I wasn't there! I'm a survivor, yes, but I am not living. I can't live, because there is nothing to live for." Deryn took a deep breath. "Tomorrow is just another day I'll have to spend running and fighting. So you can take all your faith and radical ideas about saving the world and crawl back to your comfortable safe haven and leave me the hell alone!"

Baen did not move and for a few moments nothing was said. Deryn took a deep breath, prepared to walk away but something stayed her feet and compelled her to stay. Baen held up his hands as if he had something to say but lowered them

"I'm sorry, Deryn."

There it was again. Sincerity. Deryn looked closely at Baen for the first time, noticing the deep lines under his eyes. These had nothing to do with age. She could tell that his worn complexion was testament to a life of stress and exhaustion. Whatever he had experienced, and wherever he came from, she knew he understood something of loss and pain.

A strong wind tunneled into the clearing and whipped through her long copper hair. She pointed her chin toward the sky.

"There's a storm coming."

"Will you come with me, Deryn?"

Deryn focused her attention on the dark, dismal clouds that loomed overhead. As a child she had always imagined flying above the clouds, toward the sun, and finding a happy paradise there.

Then she grew up.

Moving her gaze back to the ground, Deryn allowed Baen to lead her away from the small clearing.