—✵—

Dawn was coming, pushing away the dark colours for the refreshing hues of orange and blue. 

Birds were twittering loudly. There weren’t many people up yet, making their walk around the lake a refreshing change.

At most, they would find an elderly couple, morning joggers or someone walking their dog, which Maya was glad about. Val was too much of an early morning surprise, one which Maya still wasn’t used to.

“So early; I hate mornings,” grumbled Maya, downing her cup of instant coffee and dumping it into a nearby trash can. 

She barely got a wink of sleep from working on her paper and talking with Val.

The Valkyrie, however, was wide awake, barely affected by her previous wounds or fatigue. She walked close behind Maya like an off-duty guard in leggings and sneakers, enjoying her morning after a run. 

Still, her presence was undeniably potent, and even if Maya didn’t look behind her or hear her, she knew Val was there.

She carried herself with an aura of grace and confidence.

“This is the place.” Maya pointed to the familiar bushes. “I’ve found you crash-landing here.”

Leaves still held pieces of cloth hanging from their thorns or splatters of blood on the foliage, which would soon be washed away by the rain. 

“Thank goodness we are still in the rainy season—and that it’s keeping the heat at bay still.”

Maya had found Val injured, with barely anything on her. She didn’t have her hopes up to find anything or much at all. 

Valkyries were warrior women; close to demigods. While Val certainly had the physique for it, there wasn’t anything else on her, like a weapon or armour. 

Bending down, Val scanned the scene by touching the wet ground, the plants, trees, or just standing there. 

“If there are no clues here, what should we do then?”

Maya didn’t have much of an idea what to do except wait for Val to remember something or maybe look around until they found something that stuck out—like trash cans, littered week-old newspapers, or random items like old running shoes. 

“I bet she didn’t lose one of these, huh?” Maya snickered and glanced over to Val, who was watching her laugh. Maya quickly stopped and coughed. “Ahem, did you find something?” 

Val pointed to the sky, and Maya squinted to find where she was pointing at. 

“Crashed. 543 Meters. North-East,” explained Val in her usual broken sentences. “Bend. Treetops. Might. Find. Something.”

Maya gave a thumbs up. “Good work, detective. Let’s go and look.” 

A grumble suddenly befell Maya, and she turned red, clutching her stomach. “How about breakfast first? There’s a small market nearby with sandwiches.” 

Val nodded. “Yes. Hungry. Me. Too.” 

Armed with sandwiches and a bag filled with more—because Maya was too lazy to cook later—they ventured into the nearby forest and back on the trail to find Valkyrie gear. 

Val led the way, scanning the surroundings left and right with a vigilant posture and the focus of an eagle. The clothes she was wearing made her stand out so much, the cashier and other customers were staring at her.

Maya couldn’t help but grumble and think how much they started to fit her. 

In a fashion sense, that was. Making Maya slightly jealous.

“Place. Strange. Sensing. Something.” Val furrowed her brow with a stern gaze.

“Maybe it’s the weather? It’s supposed to rain later, and summer’s coming.” Maya waved her hand before her face and sat down on a tree trunk. 

She unwrapped another sandwich and took a bite. 

“Here. Yet. Not. Here. Strange.” Val wracked her head, ruffling up her hair as she massaged her temples with the back of her hands. “Something. Here. Where?” 

Maya snickered and suggested, "Maybe your Valkyrie senses aren’t fully charged yet? Care for another snack?" Val spun her head in her direction. 

Maya gulped down her food and apologised, “Sorry.” 

Val shook her head. “No. Need. Love. Your. Laugh.” 

“You do?” smirked Maya, getting a slight blush. “I am full of terrible jokes, you know?” 

“Really?” Val put a hand on her hip. “Tell. One.”

“Fine, ok, ehm, lemme think.” Maya put a hand on her chin. Suddenly, she was out of ideas. Then she noticed a silver rim from a car lying next to the trunk she sat on. She picked it up and turned it before her. “Question: What do you call an animal you keep in your car? A Carpet!” 

Maya chortled at her own joke and clapped her hand against her thigh. Val wasn’t laughing, though. 

“Come on, that one was Holden, eh? Eh?” Still no reaction. “Poor audience today. No one appreciates a good pun nowadays—” 

“Maya. In. Hand. What?” 

“Hm? This?” Maya flipped the car rim. “It’s just a— HOLY!” 

Right in front of her eyes, the car rim transformed and expanded into a round silver shield, rimmed with runes and battle marks on the surface. 

Maya instantly shot up to her feet, startled by the revelation. 

“Shield. Mine.” 

“I CAN SEE THAT!” Maya exclaimed, examining the piece of weaponry. “Why was it—” 

Maya felt a cold and muddy grip on her ankle. Looking down, she was faced with the grey and decaying face of a zombified man crawling out of the ground. 

Maya shrieked.