That is so me shivering in that room..

Some how reminds me of the little red riding hood o.o

and is there a pun on “host”?

There is. I can’t often refuse a pun in my titles.

Tee hee… I do love puns. This is intriguing! I wonder what happened before this, and what will happen next?

There could be multiple puns on Host if the man was only a scout or a hired hand that secured food and “entertainment” for others. He won’t do the things mentioned but that’s because he is going to get paid. At least that is ONE route… Great writing though, the characters were realistic and their dialog, natural.

My first impression was of Beauty and the Beast. The rifle broke that notion for some reason. The brief mention of “the times” intrigues me most, as it conveys a sense of the greater world beyond that barricade of a front door.

What’s wrong with a little rape, torture, murder? She’s sooo uptight.

Totally kidding.

The dialogue brings out your character’s personalities well. I even started to care about them a little by the end. That’s hard to accomplish in such a short form. It’s humorous too. The ‘qualification’ part is funny, especially because the guy is a decent person, and her fears and reluctance to trust him seem natural given the circumstance.

Congrats again on the feature!

Thanks, Winslow! And everyone else, too!

Please tell me you are going to write more of this?