Dec 3, 2003
CHAPTER (currently) 3
I jerked awake suddenly. I couldn't remember what it was that had been so startling that I had actually jerked awake, but it was at the back of my mind somewhere, scrabbling around, like a mouse that should have been caught by a mousetrap, but wasn't.
Outside Finder was walking around the camp fire, keeping it going. In the sleeping bag next to me, Ser twitched. her eyes still glowed that faint-white glow, unblinking, unmoving. I reached out a hand, wondering if I could somehow ease her pain. lately I had been doing strange things. I touched her arm-
Fire flashes in the night, an inferno of a burning town, a little girl with fiery red hair and eyes glowing the color of fire cries in the middle of the destruction.
I jerked my hand back. I felt as if I was burning, and I shivered. Determination rose within me, and I reached out again, and touched her warm arm. a whisp of her blonde hair fell across my hand.
The little girl was sobbing uncontrollably, rocking back and forth. The timbers of a nearby building collapsed, sending a coulmn of sparks careening into the cold night air. I walked up to the girl. "What's wrong?" I asked.
She looked up at me. "I did this," she said. "I did this!"
I knelt down beside her, reached out and touched her arm. a whisp of her fiery hair fell across my hand. The image was too much, too real, and her hair seemed to quiver between fiery and blonde.
"What happened?" my voice was gentle, soothing. The sound I remembered when my mother had comforted me as a child. Her hand reached out blindly and grasped mine. "It was an accident!" she cried.
I slipped out of the image, slowly letting the focus of the room come back into view. The fire outside of the tent cast its wicked shadows onto the inside walls, and they danced eagerly, talking to one another of the horrors they had seen. I looked down at Saryn. her eyes seemed to have lost some of the white glow, and looked more orange then before. she twitched once, more peacfully than before.
I stepped out into the cool night air. It flowed around me, the smells of smoke and pollen mixing together. "Something is coming," I said.
Finder jumped. Then he turned slowly. "I don't know how you do that. Never has anyone been able to sneak up on me, like they were my own shadow."
He glared at me, his eyes twinkling merrily in his face. I could almost hear his voice, laughing in a spring field as a child.
I shivered. the comparison to the shadow reminded me of my thoughts, right outside of my reach.
"Friend or foe?" Finder asked.
I looked for a moment, and then turned my brown gold-flecked eyes towards him. "Neither, I think. but it heralds greater danger to come."
Finder looked into the night sky. Through the gentle smoke, all of the stars could be seen. They were cold, and lent no warmth, no help.
I looked at the fire. It formed into the image of a little girl in front of me, dancing and playing. Her red/blonde hair bounced merrily on her shoulders as she ran after something. I could almost see the thing she was chasing.
"Did you see that??" Finder's voice was hoarse. "I've never seen a fire do that before!"
I turned away. I didn't know what was going on.
"Did you do that? What the hell is going on? when we first got into this, all you had were general ideas of what looked bad and what looked good. lately... both of you guys are scaring me! I didn't even know Saryn couuld do that with her eyes, and now you..." he trailed off.
What is happening to me??
"You mean you don't know?"
I could feel Finder's hand swooping down on my right shoulder. I couldn't let him touch me. I spun around, stepping aside, letting his hand fall through the air. He looked startled.
I took a deep breath. "Look, I don't know what is happening! It used to be only feelings, but now.. I felt that creature in the cave! It was clawing in my mind! and just now, I didn't say anything! and the fire, I," I stopped in mid sentence.
Finder raised an eyebrow, and pulled out a cigarette. The lighter appeared from nowhere, and just like that was gone. He exhaled a fine column of smoke into the air.
I knew he was going to speak. He had a long speach planned out.
Finder sighed. "I was going to say something long winded, but, it doesn't matter. I just hope we all figure out what is happening to us."
I could see myself shrug, so I stopped. the shrug that should have happened echoed out into the night, shattering like some unfullfilled desire. Finder jumped.
"Saryn should be sleeping better. I checked on her, and her eyes and breathing were more normal."
Finder grinned. "that's good to hear."
I felt something liquid behind my eyes. "Our visitor is here," I said. "Don't worry, it isn't a threat."
Right outside the field of light cast by the campfire, I could feel a predator walking around, examining us, snuffling to itself softly. Don't be afraid, you can have some of our rabbit stew, I thought at it, knowing that this was the way.
A Taramote moved slowly into view. Finder had a pistol in his hand. I swear I hadn't seen him move.
"Stop." I said. Finder didn't move.
"You know what that is, don't you?" he said.
"Yeah, vaguely. I have only seen pictures, but it's supposed to be the herald for the end of the world. I thought they were bigger."
Finder snorted. "If you say it's allright, I guess I will believe it. They don't have to be any bigger. I've never seen one myself, except in the Smithsonian. and it was a fossilized skeleton."
Finder turned around, and the pistol was gone. He walked back towards the fire, his back towards the creature. it walked closer. It was completely unafraid.
It resembled a large coyote, except that it had 6 legs and a brownish-tan armored carapace. It had nothing but pupils in it's eyes, and those were flecked with the white of starlight, as if it were not from here. It looked strong.
I looked at Finder, he shrugged. "It's your pet." answering my unspoken question, he continued, "There's some more stew in the pot. help yourself. I'm going to go to sleep."
He moved toards the tent, and then stopped.
"Why I trust you is beyond me," he said. he unzipped the tent slowly and went inside. I turned towards the beast. It looked up at me, hopeful for a meal that did not require violence. It was tired. I knew that as the time drew closer, It would get less friendly and more vicious, until it would finally attack anything in sight that resembled a person. But for now, it was almost as friendly as a domestic dog.
The fire danced in front of me, and the secret gnawed itself a hole in my head where it could hide. I put some stew on a pot lid and the Taramote plopped down, it's shaggy paws only a foot from my feet. I stared into the fire, willing anything to jump from the flames. Nothing did. Mice skurried through my skull, trying to rearrange my insides. I couldn't do anything. I turned back towards the taramote, but it was gone, moving back thorugh the trees towards it's next meal.
I turned back towards the tent, and again the images of the shadows played through my head. One of us is growing inside you, they seemed to say. I could hear them laughing, could feel something gnawing at my brains. I wonderd what it was trying to do. I didn't even grab my head.
I stepped into the tent, looking down at my warm sleeping bag. Saryn rolled over, seemingly in normal sleep. Finder was deathly still on the other side. images of vehicles moved through his mind. I settled down into my bag. Orange yellow light seemed to drift like colored smoke up from Saryn's eyes, and I reached my hand out, trying to touch it. It moved around my hand, avoiding my touch. I settled down to sleep.
Even the mice inside my head seemed to still their rummaging, as if even they were tired. The wind whispered outside, and I closed my eyes.
I jerked awake suddenly. I couldn't remember what it was that had been so startling that I had actually jerked awake, but it was at the back of my mind somewhere, scrabbling around, like a mouse that should have been caught by a mousetrap, but wasn't.
Outside Finder was walking around the camp fire, keeping it going. In the sleeping bag next to me, Ser twitched. her eyes still glowed that faint-white glow, unblinking, unmoving. I reached out a hand, wondering if I could somehow ease her pain. lately I had been doing strange things. I touched her arm-
Fire flashes in the night, an inferno of a burning town, a little girl with fiery red hair and eyes glowing the color of fire cries in the middle of the destruction.
I jerked my hand back. I felt as if I was burning, and I shivered. Determination rose within me, and I reached out again, and touched her warm arm. a whisp of her blonde hair fell across my hand.
The little girl was sobbing uncontrollably, rocking back and forth. The timbers of a nearby building collapsed, sending a coulmn of sparks careening into the cold night air. I walked up to the girl. "What's wrong?" I asked.
She looked up at me. "I did this," she said. "I did this!"
I knelt down beside her, reached out and touched her arm. a whisp of her fiery hair fell across my hand. The image was too much, too real, and her hair seemed to quiver between fiery and blonde.
"What happened?" my voice was gentle, soothing. The sound I remembered when my mother had comforted me as a child. Her hand reached out blindly and grasped mine. "It was an accident!" she cried.
I slipped out of the image, slowly letting the focus of the room come back into view. The fire outside of the tent cast its wicked shadows onto the inside walls, and they danced eagerly, talking to one another of the horrors they had seen. I looked down at Saryn. her eyes seemed to have lost some of the white glow, and looked more orange then before. she twitched once, more peacfully than before.
I stepped out into the cool night air. It flowed around me, the smells of smoke and pollen mixing together. "Something is coming," I said.
Finder jumped. Then he turned slowly. "I don't know how you do that. Never has anyone been able to sneak up on me, like they were my own shadow."
He glared at me, his eyes twinkling merrily in his face. I could almost hear his voice, laughing in a spring field as a child.
I shivered. the comparison to the shadow reminded me of my thoughts, right outside of my reach.
"Friend or foe?" Finder asked.
I looked for a moment, and then turned my brown gold-flecked eyes towards him. "Neither, I think. but it heralds greater danger to come."
Finder looked into the night sky. Through the gentle smoke, all of the stars could be seen. They were cold, and lent no warmth, no help.
I looked at the fire. It formed into the image of a little girl in front of me, dancing and playing. Her red/blonde hair bounced merrily on her shoulders as she ran after something. I could almost see the thing she was chasing.
"Did you see that??" Finder's voice was hoarse. "I've never seen a fire do that before!"
I turned away. I didn't know what was going on.
"Did you do that? What the hell is going on? when we first got into this, all you had were general ideas of what looked bad and what looked good. lately... both of you guys are scaring me! I didn't even know Saryn couuld do that with her eyes, and now you..." he trailed off.
What is happening to me??
"You mean you don't know?"
I could feel Finder's hand swooping down on my right shoulder. I couldn't let him touch me. I spun around, stepping aside, letting his hand fall through the air. He looked startled.
I took a deep breath. "Look, I don't know what is happening! It used to be only feelings, but now.. I felt that creature in the cave! It was clawing in my mind! and just now, I didn't say anything! and the fire, I," I stopped in mid sentence.
Finder raised an eyebrow, and pulled out a cigarette. The lighter appeared from nowhere, and just like that was gone. He exhaled a fine column of smoke into the air.
I knew he was going to speak. He had a long speach planned out.
Finder sighed. "I was going to say something long winded, but, it doesn't matter. I just hope we all figure out what is happening to us."
I could see myself shrug, so I stopped. the shrug that should have happened echoed out into the night, shattering like some unfullfilled desire. Finder jumped.
"Saryn should be sleeping better. I checked on her, and her eyes and breathing were more normal."
Finder grinned. "that's good to hear."
I felt something liquid behind my eyes. "Our visitor is here," I said. "Don't worry, it isn't a threat."
Right outside the field of light cast by the campfire, I could feel a predator walking around, examining us, snuffling to itself softly. Don't be afraid, you can have some of our rabbit stew, I thought at it, knowing that this was the way.
A Taramote moved slowly into view. Finder had a pistol in his hand. I swear I hadn't seen him move.
"Stop." I said. Finder didn't move.
"You know what that is, don't you?" he said.
"Yeah, vaguely. I have only seen pictures, but it's supposed to be the herald for the end of the world. I thought they were bigger."
Finder snorted. "If you say it's allright, I guess I will believe it. They don't have to be any bigger. I've never seen one myself, except in the Smithsonian. and it was a fossilized skeleton."
Finder turned around, and the pistol was gone. He walked back towards the fire, his back towards the creature. it walked closer. It was completely unafraid.
It resembled a large coyote, except that it had 6 legs and a brownish-tan armored carapace. It had nothing but pupils in it's eyes, and those were flecked with the white of starlight, as if it were not from here. It looked strong.
I looked at Finder, he shrugged. "It's your pet." answering my unspoken question, he continued, "There's some more stew in the pot. help yourself. I'm going to go to sleep."
He moved toards the tent, and then stopped.
"Why I trust you is beyond me," he said. he unzipped the tent slowly and went inside. I turned towards the beast. It looked up at me, hopeful for a meal that did not require violence. It was tired. I knew that as the time drew closer, It would get less friendly and more vicious, until it would finally attack anything in sight that resembled a person. But for now, it was almost as friendly as a domestic dog.
The fire danced in front of me, and the secret gnawed itself a hole in my head where it could hide. I put some stew on a pot lid and the Taramote plopped down, it's shaggy paws only a foot from my feet. I stared into the fire, willing anything to jump from the flames. Nothing did. Mice skurried through my skull, trying to rearrange my insides. I couldn't do anything. I turned back towards the taramote, but it was gone, moving back thorugh the trees towards it's next meal.
I turned back towards the tent, and again the images of the shadows played through my head. One of us is growing inside you, they seemed to say. I could hear them laughing, could feel something gnawing at my brains. I wonderd what it was trying to do. I didn't even grab my head.
I stepped into the tent, looking down at my warm sleeping bag. Saryn rolled over, seemingly in normal sleep. Finder was deathly still on the other side. images of vehicles moved through his mind. I settled down into my bag. Orange yellow light seemed to drift like colored smoke up from Saryn's eyes, and I reached my hand out, trying to touch it. It moved around my hand, avoiding my touch. I settled down to sleep.
Even the mice inside my head seemed to still their rummaging, as if even they were tired. The wind whispered outside, and I closed my eyes.
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