In restless dreams, she saw it all again. The monster on the screens, tearing her home apart while snatching her kin from the waters - bringing the men, women and children into its body.
She stood next to Mars, his lips contorted into a peaceful smile - as if he had waited for this moment for years. It was the catharsis of their work; the crescendo to their reign of heresy against the system. She thought it’d end there - she was expecting it to. She was ready for it.
But as the control room disappeared in front of her eyes, she was out in the water, tumbling through the darkness while clinging to her last breath of air.
Despite having accepted her fate, despite swearing she was ready for her end, she still clung to life like her fiendish people in the waters, flailing to stay alive; an irresistible urge to just breathe one more breath.
Finally, she could stomach it no longer. With a desperate heave, she filled her lungs with water, coughing and retching as she watched the darkness of the abyss creep closer and closer.
She shot up in a startled haze to see the masked stranger again - staring at her from a relaxed stance across from her. She lay on the floor of a beige canton. But the light was all wrong, so warm and bright - peering in through millions of holes in the fabric shielding them from what she had gathered to be the sun. It was airy - a freshness not unlike what the beach’s air had provided her with.
Grunting, she touched her chest to verify that her clothing was no longer torn nor wet, but far different. She wore a loose, black shirt and equally loose, black pants under a thin blanket of a material that stung her wrists with itching intensity.
“My boys are out in the forest. I’ve given them a task that’ll keep them busy until sundown. I’m taking it you must be confused, but I have to insist… tell me how you got here.” She grunted and writhed, attempting to sort her mind.
“I… I don’t know. I shouldn’t be here- it shouldn’t be possible…” The figure nodded its white-stone fae and reached into its pockets for a flask and a long, brown piece of something wrapped in paper.
As he prepared the items, he spoke: “The symbiote can do amazing things when the host is in danger. I’m assuming that’s how you survived all this time.” She’d never heard that term before, “symbiote”. She winced with pain as she cocked her head questioningly. His hands froze, as if realizing he had made a mistake - this wasn’t the time for it, if she was still unaware.
“You’re in a place called Cradle. Your kind are deep underwater - I’ve found bodies before, but no live children of Logos. I’m sorry - I let my curiosity get the best of me… I suspect we’ll get to know one-another with time.” As soon as he extended the flask, she grabbed it and held it up high, draining the contents with greedy gulps - another sign he'd have another he would have to teach in the art of survival.
Next, he extended the fat, dried sausage and watched her sniff it and inspect the log. After an insistent urge, she brought it close to her mouth to lick at it. As expected, the ravenous hunger took hold of her and before she had even finished unwrapping the last of the paper, she had taken the first bite, chomping as fast as she could.
“They live in the mountains. It’s safe there - we’ll take you. I’m assuming you don’t have a plan if you didn’t expect to live through the journey?” She did not respond, only in the form of a suspicious glare before she continued to consume the meat.
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He didn’t need an answer to know that she was a lost lamb.
“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. As it happens, I enjoy talking for the both of us. I’m sure you must be wondering where you are and if we’re having the same problem with the Monstrum that you do, yes?” She hesitated before nodding.
“This place is called Cradle. The name comes from the chain of mountains protecting what is essentially our entire civilization. The Monstrum, Hellspawn or whatever you call them - we’ve killed most of them, except from some of the biggest hives. The ones we met by the water are probably from this sector… the question of where they were going is up there with pretty much everything about them.” Her skepticism softened for but a moment as she spat: “They were trying to kill me.” Logan smiled as he heard that her voice was, indeed, beautiful. But he raised a gloved finger to correct her.
“One thing you and the boys could all learn from the Monstrum is how they are always suited for their environment. Perfect adaptations for their functions… I suppose you don’t have ants under the sea, but it’s a lot like how they differentiate in size and roles. They have many different shapes and always seem to choose the perfect one for what they’re doing. These ones weren’t meant to fight or hunt - killing them was far too easy. No, these were meant for labor…” He trailed off in deep musings. She felt nauseous, disgusted with what sounded like fascination with the horrors. Perhaps even disappointment with how “easy” it had been to deal with them.
Then again, he looked like a monster himself with his furious face of stone. But the man could kill Monstrum; a feat she had thought impossible until she saw it for herself.
Luna’s face contorted into a mellow frown as the dreadful realization struck her. The people of Sitabee - her uncle, the only living relative she had left, had likely all perished in the monster’s assault. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been so painful if she hadn’t wished it so, but she had. Save from Mars, she had wanted all of them dead, but seeing them killed…
“You’re sad.” The stone-faced man said as he saw her frown.
“No shit, everything I knew was just destroyed in front of me. I don’t even know why…” As soon as she had muttered the words, it struck her that she did know why. Because of the waste - because they had broken the system. She hung her head and stared at the meat in her hand, suddenly disgusted with how she could eat at a time such as this; when she had directly caused the death of her people.
“Yet you’re already recovering. Sort of.” He spoke. She wanted to reach out and slap him, but the likelihood she’d actually hit, after seeing the speed of his movements, were low at best. Even if she were to hit, she imagined the white stone would hurt.
He continued: “Sorry. You said it was destroyed. You’re not wasting time worrying about if someone’s still alive out there. Good.”
He spoke so coldly of her plight. Of her people. She imagined he had little love for her people - according to what he had said, the Logoruum were hated, after all. Perhaps even feared. This wasn’t new to her, as she had read the historical accounts, but she had sheltered a minor hope that time would heal those wounds. Then again, it hadn’t healed hers… what more could she expect? That they’d be better than her?
He continued:
“When you’re ready to talk, I’m ready to listen. My offer stands regardless if you do or don’t.” He rose from his seat and reached inside his pocket to retrieve another one of the mysterious, delicious sausages - extending it her way. She turned her head with a low brow and gritted teeth, determined not to take it, only for him to drop it in her lap and promise:
“You’ll need it.”