“Galleries?” I had instantly labeled this place as a maze, not a museum of pictures. But then I realized that word had two meanings. It could also mean corridors. Long corridors. I glanced back out the gap I had entered through. The passageways stretched out there, seemingly endless. “Apt.” I nodded once, and placed my palm inside his.
“Tell Ben dat.” He winked, and shook my hand firmly. “He’s da one dat came up with it.”
“He the boss?” I asked, releasing myself from the handshake. I glanced around, taking stock of the clearing again. It wasn’t too big, and contained mostly just the shack I had seen earlier. There were also a few scraggly trees, and a small pond. It was walled in except for three other gaps similar to the one I was still standing inside.
“More or less.” Shammy shrugged. “We’re kind of a democracy.” He paused. “Really, there’s zippy-zilch government. We bear moar resemblance ta rebels.”
“Where is this Ben?” I asked, finishing up my survey of the territory. Kind of grim. Bare essentials to life here.
He shrugged. “Hard ta keep tabs on all da avvies, Know-Rank.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are a bunch of these clearings.” Shammy shrugged. “Spread out across da Galleries, they are. We’re in control of six of ‘em, the girls got five. There might be moar out there we ain’t found yet.” He shrugged again. “We travel back and forth through ‘em…Ben ain’t here, but I can’t tell ya moar, Know-Rank.”
“Why are you calling me that?”
He grinned at me as he turned to go back to whatever task he had been completing. “Ben made up da lingo, man. Ya should talk ta him…he’s an interesting avvie.”
“Did he make this place?” I glanced back out towards the Galleries as I followed Shammy towards the hut.
He turned on me, his face suddenly very serious, and very dark. “Know-Rank…if he brickin’ made this place, he wouldn’t be breathin’.’”
“Why?”
“WE’RE BRICKIN STUCK IN HERE!!!” He screamed, spit flying. I could sense a built-up frustration. He shook his head to clear it. “Sorry…avvie…it’s just…I’ve been here for two years now.” His tone was subdued…sad. He peered up at me through his mess of shaggy red hair. “We ain’t found nah way out. And if I do, da avvies that stuck us here will be payin’ a purty price.”
“You’ve explored all the corridors?” I pursued. This was my world now as well. I needed to know what I was up against. Despair was sinking in.
“Nah.” He shook his head. “Brick nah. This place is big. And there be monsters out there.” He grabbed a pair of bellows and pumped them hard, causing flames inside a furnace to burst to light, spilling out its door and heating the room up two degrees. He then moved over to an old-fashioned forge, and grabbing a bent knife, he placed it on the forge and started beating it flat with a heavy-looking hammer. “Know-Rank, we might well be har for life.” He glanced up at me again. “Get used ta it quick. Life ain’t sah bad if ya obey da guidelines.”
“And those are…?” I asked blankly.
“Stay inside after dark, don’t betray da brotherhood, and keep yar brickin’ knife ta yarself.” He listed ‘em off between hammer strikes. He paused mid-blow, glancing down at the now-subsided flames. “And do yar bit.” He pointed to the bellows.
A few more guys showed up as the day progressed, staggering in through the door. Shammy was keeping a weathered eye on them as they straggled in, searching among them for somebody. He finally spotted his man, and abandoning the forge he stalked off. I dropped the bellows, and followed at his heels.
“Boomer!” He yelled, motioning the guy over. “We gotta talk.”
“Hey Shammy.” The guy snarled his greeting. His voice was emitting from a skull mask, which scarily had a smile pasted on it.
“Keep yar insolence trapped up.” The user advanced on Boomer. “I showed up har this morning, and guess what? Da place was abandoned! It was E-M-P-T-Y!”
Boomer shrugged, obviously putting on a display of nonchalance. “Ya, so what?”
“Da girls could’ve claimed it, ya brick-brain!” Shammy shoved his face into the other guy’s. “Ya were in command har, if ya were leaving ya were supposed ta have some other avvie stay!”
“I told Ash to stick around…” Boomer tried too late to defend his case.
“Ya were going ta leave Ash in command?” Shammy rocked back on his heels. He suddenly burst out laughing. “Avvie…that’s hilarious.” Tears streamed down his face. He slapped his thighs, turning to me. “He was brickin’ gonna leave a newb in singular command of this post while he went and waltzed with da walls!”
He turned back to Boomer suddenly, his eyes spitting fire. “Ash just showed up a week ago. He’s nah eligible…and anyways, he’s nah here. Which proves my point, if ya actually did ask him ta ‘stick around.’” Shammy shook his head. “Boomer, shape up, or I’ll have Ben replace ya.”
“I could care less.” Boomer shot back. The grin on his skull mask seemed to be mocking this whole conversation.
“Say dat again.” Shammy grinned up at the user. “I dare ya, say it again. I’ll put this brickin’ Know-Rank in charge on da spot.”
“Not happening.” Boomer mumbled, and stalked off, giving me a glare of pure hate. I shivered. The mask just made things creepier.
Shammy shook his head, turning back to the forge. “Come on, Know-Rank. Sorry ‘bout dat.”
“Do you have a post?” I queried, running at his heels, feeling like a puppy dog. How’d I know what a dog was like?
“I left Captain Glubby in charge of my sector for da day while I came over har ta make weaponry repairs.” He grabbed up a smashed-up pitchfork, and eyed it. “Who tried pickin’ their teeth with this thing, avvie? Whoozie, I think I’m scrappin’ this one.” He tossed it to the side.
“I was trying to break down the wallers with it.” A small voice said.
Shammy stopped mid-step. “Ash?”
“Yeppers.” A user lounged out of the shadows. He was small, and wiry. His face was wreathed in a set of bunny ears, which flopped as he spoke. He was the user from the corridors earlier! “I was a-hopin’ to break a hole in da waller…if I got through, we could’ve just tunneled out way straight out!”
Shammy’s face lit up into a smile. “Ash, ya literally tried busting down those infinity-tall walls with a brickin’ pitchfork?”
“I refrained from borrowing your malleter.” He grinned a gap-toothed grin. “Figured ya would nah liker that.”
“Got that right.” Shammy turned back to the forge. “Take a turn on the bellows, will ya? Know-Rank, go get some rest. It’s been a big day for ya.”
I couldn’t argue with that assessment. I turned to leave. Ash winked at me. “Found yar way har withouter my help, I see.”
“Why’d you run?”
“Yar scary. Boo.” He grinned, and motioned me towards the bunks that were in the back of the forge room. “Wake up purtier.”
I awoke around midnight, slung on the ground amidst the crowd of guys that had formed tonight’s occupants of Pod #4, as this place was dubbed. My voice sounded a bit squeaky in the night as I voiced the question that had awoken me. “Monsters…?”
“Break a brick and sleep, Know-Rank.” Shammy grumbled.
“You said something about monsters!” I shot up.
He growled bad-temperedly, but stood up. “Come on, I sent ya ta sack too soon.” I followed him out the door, clutching my big green hat like a shield. I didn’t know why I was so scared.
We emerged into the darkness that formed the clearing. And I peered towards the opening. It…wasn’t there.
“Da place locks-down at night.” Shammy rubbed his eyes. “All da doors close.”
“Those were doors?”
He barked out a laugh. “They don’t look it, now do they?”
I shook my head mutely. “What happens if you don’t get inside before they close?”
“Nothin’ good.” Shammy turned around abruptly, and disappeared back inside. His voice floated back out. “G’night, avvie.”
I blinked. Sleep would be elusive after that.
“Ash, how would you take the line, ‘nothing good’?” I asked as we sat there, waiting for the gates to open. Ash had decided I need to watch after realizing I had missed the spectacle of them closing last night.
“I would taker it in context.” Ash cackled at his wit.
“How would you take it from…say…Shammy.”
“If he was talkerin’ about yar, I’d move sectors.” Ash gave me a sideways glance. “What ya do?”
“Nothing…he wasn’t talking about me.” I responded absent-mindedly. I got saved from more questions by the walls suddenly started to rumble open. I gaped at the walls seemed to split along invisible lines, and the infinity-tall walls just moved to the side, enveloping six feet of wall into nowhere it seemed.
“Okayer, now ya seen dat.” Ash stood up, businesslike. “I gotter get out der and scouter now.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do what?”
“Scouter.”
“What’s with the extra ‘er’s?” I raised an eyebrow.
He didn’t bat one. “Whatter extra ‘er’s?”
I just shook my head. He was either oblivious, or didn’t care. I kind of assumed he didn’t care he was oblivious.
“We scouters are an organized group of da fastest dat runner around da Galleries.” Ash puffed out his chest. “LEGO organized us upper.” He pulled a messy sheet of paper out of his pocket, and peered at it. “I’m supposed to runner along this area today.” He pointed to a set of squiggly lines drawn on what could either be part of a shirt or some melted paper.
“Can I come with you?” I asked. Sitting around all day today with Shammy or Boomer as company didn’t sound like fun.
“See no reason notter ya can.” Ash shrugged.
I tried to reason through his sentence. “That’s a yes?”
“Yeppers.” He seemed pleased with having confused me with his language.
“I’ll grabber my hat.” I said, imitating his speech.
“Okayer, might as well let yar know. I’m unofficial.” He held up his map. “Stoler this.”
I blinked. I was following a crazy kid on an illegal mission.
“But we do have a sectioner ta mapper out.” He said, a bit defensively. “One of der other avvies gotter sick. I took his slip.”
“Why not just join the corps?”
“Me too faster.” He kicked up his heels, taking off down the corridor. He called back over his shoulder. “See?”
I took off after him.
He finally gave up the charade two hours later. “Dat enough. We stop har, needer ta maker map.”
I grinned at him. “I see a nice, sunny corner ahead. Sure you don’t want to stop there?”
He peered forward. It was way down there still. His eyes widened, and he shook his head violently. “Sunner plenty bright har.” He squatted down on the ground, and produced another slip of paper. He started scribbling some lines on it. It looked rather haphazard, but I soon started to recognize some of the course we had just run.
Then I surprised myself. I reached out a finger, and plunked on a part he had just drawn. “The corridor turns right there.”
He blinked. Looked up at me, annoyed. “I da pro, da boss. Don’t contradict meh.”
“Check.” I huffed.
He dove back in to his memory, looking for that turn I assumed. He started. “Ya right. It right, not lefter.”
I smirked, all the way knowing I was being a little bit of a brat. “Tolder ya so.”
He sighed. “Know-Ranker, if ya want ta speak slang…at least comer up with it yarself.”
I resolved to leave his “er”s alone from now on. I’d have to put some thought into this making up my own slang deal.
“What’s yar namer?” Ash cocked his head.
“Uh…” This was unsettling. I hadn’t even really thought about this yet. I didn’t know my name. I had no identity. “I don’t know.”
“We’ll call ya Con.”
I mulled this over. “It has a ring to it.”
“See, cause I’m da Pro, and ya can be my Con.” His same gap-toothed grin. I groaned. This would be quite a hilarious joke to all the guys at the next sector, I could already tell.
It was high noontime when we stopped for lunch. I had been lugging a sack of food from Pod #4 this entire time, and now we emptied it of its contents. Ash had just finished off his third apple when a user appeared around a bend in the Galleries.
He gasped. She gasped.
“Asho!” She yelled, and advanced.
“Con! Protector meh!” He leapt behind me, brandishing his apple core.
“Hey, what’s wrong here?” I asked.
She just advanced silently. It made me wonder what mischief Ash had been up to. I decided to step to the side.
Ash launched his apple core, then took off. It bounced off the user’s foot, and she stifled a girly scream. She glared at his retreating back, then turned on me. “Petrified in fearo?”
I tried to duck out of the way, but she neatly tackled me. I landed face first in the dirt, and she sat on top me. She glanced towards my waist. “Heyo, boyo, it’s illegal to go outo without a tag.”
“Tag?”
“Ah. Welcome to the Gallerios.”
“What’s this all about?” I dumped her off my back and stood up, dusting myself off.
“It’s one of our customs.” She grinned. “When boyo meets girl, girl tries to stealo his tag, and he does likewise. Victor gets whato they want from other boyo or girlo, other person has to give it.”
“And in this case…?” I asked.
“Was there anything lefto in the rations packo?”
“Ash’s other apple core.”
“Got any maps?”
“Nope. Ash took those.”
“The rotter would take the map, and leavo the apple core, now wouldn’t he?” The girl grumbled. “Oh, by the way, name’s Essa.”
“I just got dubbed Con.” I glanced at the corridor Ash taken off down, and noticed his face peering back at me around a corner. He gestured for me to follow him, but I stayed put.
“Something tells me it wasn’t dubbed, more liko duped.”
I had to chuckle. She was perceptive. “So, what’s with all the bad feelings between the two groups?”
She shrugged. “I was a little late coming here, no realo idea. It just is.” She kicked up the dirt. “This is the longest, most intelligent conversation I’ve had with a boyo since I woke up.”
“Are you saying they’re all dumb?”
“No, I’m saying they’re hard to understand. Their slang is deplorable.” She stuck out a tongue in disgust. Ash did the same from where he was, blowing raspberries at Essa. She hadn’t noticed…yet.
I couldn’t help but notice hers wasn’t that much better. “Well, it was nice chatting Essa.”
“Yeah, samo.”
“I should come visit sometime.”
“The boyos will make you an outcast. That’d be breaking #2 of their propagandish guidelines.” She warned.
“In that case, maybe I won’t.” I waved. “See you later.”
“Stay safe, keep out of the darko.” She said, and then disappeared around a corner. The dark. Something bad lurked out in the wee hours, I knew it had to be so.
“Con.” Ash’s voice was low. “You are going ta beh in big troubler.”
“What?”
“Ya just fraternized with da enemy.”
I scoffed, slipping the sack back over my shoulder. “What are you guys going to do, slap me in prison?”
“For fraternizin’ with said villain, you are confined ta da Cooler for da night.”
I blinked. Ash s###ed. He hadn’t been real loyal, exaggerating a few details even. And I hadn’t been allowed to say a thing.
The judge slammed his blacksmith hammer once on the wood, leaving a dent. “Okay, we done bois? Cause I think dat went purty well, considerin’.” The user abandoned his post, totally ignoring the fact I was still just sitting in a chair over to the side, unconstrained. “First trial since Skul went brickers, and I aced it!” He pumped his fist, then straightened his cowboy hat. “Shammy, tell meh I did a purty job.”
“Ya did a good job.” Shammy said blandly, then turned to me. “Hands behind yar brickin’ globe-head.”
I stuck them up, verbalizing my opinion. “What’d I do? Talk to a girl for a few seconds, trying to find out what was going on between the two groups! This shouldn’t be a punishable offense!”
“Quit whining, avvie. I got stuck in the Cooler for three days for this same offense.” Shammy prodded me forward with his rescued hammer. “Skul liked dishing out prison sentences.”
“Who’s the Skul character?”
“He was our leader up ‘til six post-periods ago.” Shammy said in a tone of voice that was a warning not to ask.
I did so anyways. “So…why is he not anymore?”
“He did nah make it back from the Galleries in time.” Shammy said softly. “We found him on da doorstep da next morn. He was bonkers, man. Screaming, slobbering, brickin’ tried jumpin’ on Ben. We threw him back out. He’s nah come back…we’re nah sure if he’s even still alive.” Shammy shook his head slowly. “It tis turrible, really. Good avvie, just went bonkers. Something lurks out there at night, Know-Rank.” He turned to me, shadows playing on his features. “Ya da nah want to get caught out there.”
I shivered. I couldn’t help it, I shivered.
And then he tossed me in the Cooler.
The Cooler had turned to be just that. Cool. Very cool. It was their equivalent of an icebox, and I sat in there shivering the whole night, eyeing the food. If I wasn’t positive it was as stiff as I was getting, I would’ve tried some.
I awoke in the morning to a commotion outside the door. My teeth chattered as I walked up to the door and pounded my fist on the door. They were going to at least feed me breakfast, right?
The noise increased, and I couldn’t see what was causing it. I groaned, it coming out oddly between my shaking chompers. “Sham-m-my…c-c-c-come let m-m-me out!”
“Cool, avvie?” Shammy’s face peered through the door at me.
“V-v-v-v-very. Can I g-g-g-g-g-get out?”
“Oi.” Shammy opened the door wide. “Yar sentence is up, lucky avvie.”
I practically bolted out, and stood there in the sunshine, rubbing feeling back into my numb limbs. “How’d you survive three days?”
“I grabbed a woolen coat before meh trial.” Shammy grinned at me. “I had took da title more literally than ya did, luckily for meh.”
I shook my head. “What was the commotion about?”
“The Runners are gathering.” Shammy jerked a hand at the room I had been tried in last evening. “And they found out dat Ash had picked their pockets.”
“What happened?” Just at that moment, I noticed two burly users hustling a struggling figure inside the prison I had just exited.
“I don’t wanner go!” The prisoner called. “I didn’t doer it!” The door shut off his pleas.
“Yeah, actually, ya still had a couple hours on da sentence.” Shammy shrugged. “He deserved it moar than ya.”
I slipped into the runners’ meeting only twenty minutes later. I had bolted down some food, and raced over. I was intrigued with the whole concept of the runners. I wanted to help try and find a way out.
The council was held inside of another patchwork house. The light streamed through the holes in the ceiling and walls, flickering across features. The users were seated in a circle, some on rough seats formed out of tree stumps and logs, other just squatting on the ground. Other lounged around the edges, just leaning on the walls.
I ended up curled up in a corner, trying to look inconspicuous. The users here looked like a pretty tough crowd, most of them lean, but strong-looking.
The user standing in the center, talking, was no exception. He wore a loose suit of chain mesh, topped with a scarf wound around his neck. On his head was a green hat similar to mine. I fingered mine, unhooking it from around my neck.
“Well, now dat we’ve disposed of dat miniscule hombre, let’s get down ta business, amigos.” The leader motioned to all the sheets laid out on a table next to him. They were exactly like the one Ash had written up. I wondered if his was in there somewhere. “We had a fairly good week, got some good ground covered, amigos.”
“No findings?” Somebody called.
The user, I finally remembered his name being LEGO, shook his head. “Nah, but we explored some new regions. Bueno?”
“Bueno.” The chap agreed, settling back. He was wearing a red jacket, and a similar hat. In fact, a good part of the group inside here was wearing them. It made this feel almost like a club.
“I’ve decided ta switch up da routine this week.” LEGO announced. “We’re gonna all explore new areas, we need ta get da rest of this mapped out. Bueno?”
A chorus of agreement. One user spoke up, lounging out of the shadows. “Any particular reason?”
“Call it what ya like, but I’ve got a feeling in the pit of my stomach that life ain’t getting’ no easier.” LEGO stared levelly at the user, who nodded once and retreated back into the dark. “Is z-whales back up and ready for action?”
“Yep.” The user in question stood up.
“Bueno. We’ll need all the help we can get.”
That prompted me to stand up. “I’d like to help.”
LEGO eyed me. “Hola? What’s this? How’d ya get in har?”
“There’s no door.” I pointed to the empty space.
“Ah…” He eyed the hole, mentally adding a door, I assumed. “We don’t take new recruits, though, amigo.”
I pressed on. “How do you get the people, then? Trials? Picking a number from behind a back?”
“We choose those worthy. When they’re ready, we’ll be da first ta know.” He motioned to the user in the red jacket. “Grubbs, take him out.”
I stood up on my own, and escorted myself out before the other guy could help. I preferred my own company to this snobby band. I huffed off to go let off some steam.
“Hello avvie.” Shamrock was leaning against the post just outside the empty door frame. “They tell ya ta get lost?”
“Sort of.” I huffed, kicking at the ground. “What’s up with them? Why can’t I join?”
“They’re an elite group.” Shamrock shrugged. “Or at least, they’re dead-set sure they are.” He straightened up. “I’m a headin’ back ta mah sector…wanna come?”
“What’s my other options?”
“Driftin’, or stealin’ a map like Ash.”
Not much motivation to follow either of those course of actions. “Sure, I’ll come.”
“Grab ya stuff, Know-Rank. We gotta go run.” Shamrock eyed the sky. “We’ll be makin’ it just in time.”
“BRICKIN’ KIDDIN’ MEH.” Shamrock yelled from behind me.
I turned around, to see him sprawled out on the ground. “What happened?”
“Rock attacked meh.” Shamrock slowly stood up, gingerly sticking weight back onto his leg. “It hurts, avvie!” He whistled softly, his fist clenching and unclenching.
“You gonna be okay?” I asked, panic starting to mount.
He stared at me through his bangs. “If we get back ta da camp, sure. If we da not…well…” He started hobbling forward. I dropped into step behind him. I bit my lip as we ran, trying to think good things. My mind just kept coming back around to imagining monsters around every corner as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky.
I ended up supporting Shamrock on one side as we limped through the passages, him directing my steps with muttered instructions. We turned a corner, and the doors were in sight! I let out an exclamation, and Shamrock raised up his head laboriously from watching his steps.
Then I noticed all the users gathered about the entrance. I waved. “It’s okay, we’re okay guys!” We stepped forward at a renewed pace, me half-dragging Shamrock along.
And then I noticed the user laying curled up just outside the gates, up against the wall. It was a girl. And she was crying.
Shammy grunted at me to just keep going. In front of me, the gates creaked, and began to close. I glanced at them again, then back at the girl. Shammy lurched away from me and towards the closing gates. “C’mon avvie!”
I took a step forward. I was inches away, all I had to do was take one more step inside, and I’d be safe. All I’d have to do then is relearn how to live with myself. I took another step…this time backwards. The doors slammed closed, unsettling a large cloud of dust.
I could hear Shammy muttering expletives even from this side of the wall.
Well, before I saw this on here, I had literally just binge-read the MBer. Unfortunately, I didn't think to read the first two chapters of the Runner on the MBs. So I'm a bit lost until I go and read them. xD
Anyways, That chapter was really good! Despite the confusion from my lack of knowledge on the past two chapters, this one was very captivating. I'll be bookmarking this and reading it!
And upon reading the whole of The MBer, it brought back to my remembrance the fact that I'm your cousin. xD
Well, before I saw this on here, I had literally just binge-read the MBer. Unfortunately, I didn't think to read the first two chapters of the Runner on the MBs. So I'm a bit lost until I go and read them. xD
Anyways, That chapter was really good! Despite the confusion from my lack of knowledge on the past two chapters, this one was very captivating. I'll be bookmarking this and reading it!
And upon reading the whole of The MBer, it brought back to my remembrance the fact that I'm your cousin. xD
I slowly stepped away, just now what I had done, what I had committed to fully hitting me. I slowly walked up to the girl, and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey there.”
She peered up at me, then at the closed doors. “Whatk….?”
“What happened in there?” I peered at her.
“I gotk too far away fromk the camp…asked themk to shelter me for the nightk. They refused.” She wiped an arm across her face, unsuccessfully trying to rub her tears away. “Can’t blame ‘em, ya know? We girls would’ve done the same.”
“I can.” I gritted my teeth. “This ain’t right.”
She stood up, finishing wiping away her tears. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, over which was yet another of those green, wide-brimmed hats. “Well, whatk now?”
I blinked. “Eh…good question.”
“Any….plans?” She cocked her head to one side.
I flinched. “Not really…”
“That’s unfortunate.” She said bluntly. “Any idea whatk comes out at nightk, or at least assumably does, ya know?”
“No. You?” I asked hopefully.
“No.”
I glanced around. “I’m thinking our best bet may be finding some pointy sticks and carrots and hope we’re up against rabid bunny rabbits.”
“This looks like a good one.” I yanked on a stick imbedded in the ivy.
“This isn’t really goingk to help, ya know?” The girl leaned up against the nearby wall.
I yanked harder on the stick, and it came loose, dragging a strand of ivy down with it. We watched in silent awe the ivy kept descending, and kept descending, and kept descending… “This stuff is ridiculous long.” I blinked. “Well, anyways, I’m just trying to keep busy.”
“Well, I think you’re succeeding, whatk is this now? The sixteenth stick?”
“I think I finally got the good one.” I hoisted it high, and then started rubbing it on the wall.
She watched, intrigued. “Trying to startk a fire?”
“Sharpening the point.” The bark was now all rubbed off the tip, and the wood was starting to shave off.
She picked up two sticks and eyed them. “Fire mightk be a better defense.”
“And it might also attract the whatevers.” I pointed out.
She dropped the two sticks hastily, and rubbed her hands on her jacket. “Oh, yeah…thatk wouldn’t be good, now would it?”
“Not in the least.” I continued rubbing. “Wanna keep an eye out around the corner for anything that looks like a whatever?”
“Kind of already doing thatk.” She said. “Can’t helpk it…ya know.”
“Thanks.” I continued rubbing. “Name’s Con, by the way.”
“That’s an awfulk name.”
“Thanks.” I rolled my eyes.
“You’re welCON.” She punned. “My name’s Cosmic.”
“Don’t you mean CONsmic?”
Three sharpened sticks later, I had to stop and take a short break. My hands were getting too hot from the friction.
“Why do you needk three?” Cosmic asked, glancing down.
“Keeping busy.” I reached down, and picked up another stick. I set it against the wall, and was about to start spinning it as well, but Cosmic slowly reached over, and tapped me on the arm. I glanced at her. She noiselessly pointed down the corridor. I turned my head.
What I saw is frankly indescribable. It was obviously one of “them,” a title that automatically clicked into the back of my brain. The part that remembered. It was horrible, really. It’s enough to make you shudder so badly that you can’t run. It looked like a cross between a spider, mech and dragon. It had short, clipped wings, and talons. Its legs were numerous, I think I counted seven, and all the talons looked poisonous. Its face was set back a little, and its eyes were all roving around. The body and limbs were all tinted with metal, and odd gears were showing at spots.
“So that’s why we’re afraid of the dark…” I murmured.
Cosmic just stood beside me, mute.
It wheeled on us, as if sensing our presence. All of its eyes glowed in the darkness, forming that many little pricks of lights to scare the living daylights out of me.
But interestingly enough, I was calm. This was the foe. It had been revealed. Now I just had to deal with it. My fingers closed around one of my sharpened sticks. The beast slowly clicked forward, slinking in and out of the shadows.
I raised back my arm, and launched my homemade spear.
The thing tried dodging, but the spear managed to lodge itself in a leg. I had another in hand already. The thing kept coming, limping now.
I threw the second. The thing shrieked, but again, it couldn’t duck out of the way in time. This one seemed to disappear into the folds of its body.
I grabbed the third and final stick. The thing kept coming, dragging its rear end now. Scrape…click, click click…scrape…click, click, click….scrape…
I whirled my stick around my head once, spun it behind my back and caught it, all while my eyes were locked on the beast. I didn’t know where my skill came from, but my hands seemed to pick up on the feel of the weapon immediately.
Click, click, click…scrape.
It was closer now, and I finally picked up the scent I will never forget. Decomposing plastic mixed with burnt hair is the best way I can describe it.
Click, click, click…scrape.
I struck out at it, whacking at its face.
It hissed at me, and lun\rched forward and to the left. I backed up, yelling at Cosmic to get safely away. I hit out with the stick, and caught one of its legs. It stabbed at me with a different limb, and I had to roll out of the way. I got up into a crouch, and poked at its underside.
It tried lowering itself onto me, to squish me, but I threw myself out from underneath. I had to roll to avoid a couple rapid thrusts by one of the poisonous prongs on the end of one of its legs. I raised up my stick and smashed it into the leg. The talon snapped off, and the monster recoiled, squealing in horror.
I was breathing heavy already. I charged in again, stick braced in front of me. It tried to block me, but I put all my weight into that thrust, and slammed its bulk back against the wall. It flailed wildly as I held it pinned there. One of the prongs ripped along my pants leg, leaving a scrape.
I yelled out in pain, and Cosmic screamed. I put one last heave into my pole, and it went straight through the creature. I yanked it back out, and the beast went limp. I leaned on my pole, gasping for air.
Another of the creatures turned the corner just a little down corridor. I just blinked blearily at it. I was so not ready for another battle.
I staggered over to Cosmic, where she was braced against the wall, staring at the monster. “I’ve finally got a plan.”
“That’s goodk…” She said, her eyes not leaving the monster. “Whatk is it?”
I leaned up close to her. I took a deep breath. “Run.” I took off down a different corridor at a limping gallop. She emitted a little squeak, and turned to follow me.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Feet pounding the ground beneath me. Little puffs of gray dust thrown up behind us. Slipping on the plastic as it started to get wet with dew.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Cosmic was still behind me, surprisingly enough. We just kept running into more of the creatures, and we had two on our tail yet.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
My pole beat out a rhythm in front of me. I refused to let it go, it gave me a false sense of security. The security in knowing I could go down swinging.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Another creature on the left, dodging out of the corridors towards us. I whacked at with the pole, allowing Cosmic to scuttle past. I used my pole to vault over a stabbing limb, and to dash after my companion.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
My leg was starting to bother me. The throbbing wasn’t too bad, but it was starting to look pretty awful, dripping a gooey yellow substance out of the scrape. The doors had to be opening soon, but we were totally lost, so what did it matter?
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Suddenly up ahead, I glimpsed a long line leading up the wall up ahead. It had to be a gate! It had to be!
Breathe in and out, this time faster.
This was my last burst. I had been running almost non-stop for six hours now. Cosmic staggered behind me. I turned and yanked her back to her feet, hurrying her along. There was a monster not far behind us. It clicked along, hissing wickedly.
The gate was only a few feet away now. I screamed at the top of my lungs, for no real reason. Maybe my voice would stir the gates into action.
We reached it, and threw ourselves up against it. Cosmic beat at it with her hands. I slowly turned around, and faced the monster. It was still coming, and I could almost see a smile on its face. We could run no more.
I twirled my stick once. I faltered, my muscles stiff. I took a limping step forward.
Cosmic was crying behind me, still beating at the door.
My vision blurred momentarily, and I saw red. It cleared, and the beast was upon me! I whirled beneath it, and it was now between me and Cosmic. Between me and the gate.
Suddenly the door split along the line, and started to retreat back into the walls.
The beast took a quick glance at it, and scurried at me.
I raised up my stick, and slapped away a couple talons, ducked another and then lashed out at it in one last desperate attempt at saving my life. I was so close. The gate was almost fully open now.
The beast broke off, and dashed down the corridor.
Shamrock was suddenly over top me. “Avvie….wat in bricks was dat?”
I would’ve answered, but I was slipping into someplace between consciousness and unconsciousness, sanity and insanity.
At least briefly, unconsciousness and insanity got the upper hand.
Well, before I saw this on here, I had literally just binge-read the MBer. Unfortunately, I didn't think to read the first two chapters of the Runner on the MBs. So I'm a bit lost until I go and read them. xD
Anyways, That chapter was really good! Despite the confusion from my lack of knowledge on the past two chapters, this one was very captivating. I'll be bookmarking this and reading it!
And upon reading the whole of The MBer, it brought back to my remembrance the fact that I'm your cousin. xD
Wow, there was quite a bit of that to binge-read.
Thanks! By the way, how do you bookmark on here?
Weird, ain't it?
Yep, all 106 or so pages. But was a good read. xD
You're welcome. Ah, well, in the top of the topic on the same bar/line/whatever with the page numbers, there is a drop-down box with the word "actions" on it. Click it and you'll see "Bookmark" among other things.
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