Chapter 47

Arya winced and she got up, brushing the dirt off her pants.

"Sorry, not interested."

She walked past him, intending giving him the hint that she was not interested in any way.

She felt someone grabbing her arm before throwing her onto the ground harshly. She was caught off guard and was in shock for about three seconds before her eyes snapped back to the ugly boy with anger and a hint of animalistic lust in his eyes.

He kneeled down in front of her until his face was in her face and Arya could smell his bad breath and she resisted the urge to vomit up the food she ate just seconds ago into his ugly face. One hand was touching her thigh and the other was on the chest in a very improper way.

"How dare you reject me? You think that just because you're pretty that you can treat me like this?"

He tugged at her shirt, trying to rip it up and Arya's anger flashed and she gave him a good hard punch in the face, so hard that she knocked out two of his teeth and he collapsed onto the grass like a rag doll, the markings of a bruise starting to form on his left cheek. Arya heard bone crack and she was pretty sure that she broke his jaw.

Arya got up, mentally cursing that she needed to take another bath now, before she left, leaving the boy all alone.

He deserves it, Arya thought, and he looks to be the kind of scumbag who harassed lots of girls and never feels any guilt for his actions.

…..

Arya was summoned to Baron Pax's "office" by Owen who guided her to said "office".

The "office" was just an old two-story cottage that probably belonged to a wealthy farmer before it was abandoned by its owners.

Arya saw Baron Pax sitting on a chair with Ezekiel by his side.

That pig boy was there and Arya took some stratification seeing the bruise-all red, purple and yellow-form on his cheek. If looks could kill, Ara would be 6 feet under by now.

Baron Pax gave Arya a warm smile and Arya wondered where his family was. Maybe they are also living in this small camp or…no, don't think about it, Arya thought.

Ezekiel cleared his throat and addressed Arya with formality and properness, no affection or casualness in his voice right now.

"Arya, my little sister, this young man here claims you assaulted him by punching him in the face. His jaw is broken and he's now missing two of his teeth. You care to explain why?"

"He touched me-inappropriately."

Arya shot the piggy boy a glare.

Ezekiel looked like he was going to kill that boy and Baron Pax did as well.

Ezekiel told Arya she could leave now.

Arya knew that boy was cooked now.

….

There was no laughter or much talking in the camp. Other than a few hushed exchanges that ended as quickly as they started, the refugees were crying or muttering to themselves.

There were more refugees than there were beds so priority was given to those with young children or the sick and injured. Those without beds were given blankets and pillows and they had to find any place they could to sleep in: on the floor, in the barns that once housed animals and in makeshift tents.

Arya made her slow way around the camp, noting how there didn't seem to be a lot of injured people. She thought back to the medical ward and how there were so many beds but only a fraction of them are used.

It's because most people were killed off, Arya thought, her stomach twisting itself into knots, and there weren't many survivors left to tend to.

A ball rolled over to Arya's feet and she knelt down to pick it up.

A small girl-maybe only 7 or 8 years old-came running over to Arya. Her bright eyes and playful aura was a bright spot among this sea of gloom and pessimism.

She looked clean and tidy in a brown and white dress and her black hair neatly pulled back into a braid.

"Hi!!! Can you please give me back my ball? Me and my friends were playing with it!"

Arya gladly obliged and the little girl went back to where her friends were.

Good, Arya thought, kids need to remain innocent and protected from death and cruelty. I just hope she doesn't have to witness the ugly side of the reality of our lives anytime soon.

There were a few kids playing and running around, giggling and oblivious to the danger and violence going on around them but they were the only ones happy or smiling around here.

They were the exceptions.

Everyone else Arya saw wore faces of gloominess and hopeless, of trauma and grief.

She felt like she was venturing into a part of the camp she didn't visit before.

She wondered how Owen and his little sister were doing.

Fine, hopefully. This camp may not be a luxury hotel but it beats wandering around outside with monsters and beasts ready to tear out your throat.

Arya snapped out of her thoughts and saw she was wandering off into the outskirts of the camp. No, she went far beyond it with the village just an outline now in her vision.

Damnit, I wandered off too far, Arya thought.

A woman was watching Arya as she made her way back to camp.

Her bright red eyes gleamed and shone and a big smile broke across her face.

Her teeth were sharp and pointed like those of a shark's.

"Time to hunt down the prey. Leave no survivors."