11-27-2014, 04:04 PM
He gave her a wide grin at her comeback. A rat. Very clever. This was going to be fun. But the mood became serious quickly as she explained the rumors about what was going on in the tunnels. More than rumors, he found out, as she led him deeper in.
She must have incredible night-vision because it got really dark the further they went. "Wait a sec."
He pulled out a flashlight with a glow-end. It wasn't a lantern but did just as well. "Alright. Lead the way."
The went through one tunnel after another, a right here, and left there, and he quickly lost his sense of direction. Not that he had a great one. That had been one of the harder things to learn to do when he was in the academy. 'Know where you are at ALL times!' had been drilled into them. He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag. But he'd applied himself and gradually gotten better.
Down here though. He was glad he had switched the app in his wallet to 'crumb mode'. It would give him a way out if Xena tried to bail on him.
Truth was, though, the deeper they went, the more he could feel the weight of ground and buildings and world above. He was a bit claustrophobic. More than a bit, if he was being honest. He wasn't going to stop, of course. He was down here for a reason. But the unease and anxiety kept building in him. And, if he was being REALLY honest, so did the fear that somehow, while he was down here, the whole thing would crash down on them and bury him alive.
Strangely, the light that was the power seemed closer. Tentatively, he reached out to it. This time, a strand of it came to him. He grasped it- holding it only. He didn't want to frighten it away. Very carefully, he pulled on the strand and saw it stretch thinner and thinner and he was terrified that it was going to snap and he'd lose the connection. Somehow, though, it seemed to thicken and he felt the first touch of the power and gasped. Now he drew in much more and the connection seemed strong. He struggled with the power, forcing it to bend to his will and it soon quieted.
He breathed in a sigh of relief. He could see clearly now, Xena walking only one or two steps ahead of him. There was something about her movements that seemed off, though he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He kept following until she stopped, waiting. This was the place.
He looked around, raising his light. It was ok, but a lighted room was better. Curious, he wove fire and air and suddenly a light ball was above his hand, making the room as bright as if they were top-side. A part of him felt relief at the light. It seemed to push back the sense of pressure from being down so deep.
He switched off the flashlight and put it in his pocket. He saw the scratches on the walls, and the splotches of dried blood. He couldn't smell any blood so it had been a while ago. The rents in the walls were deep and angled. Whatever had done it had large claws.
He stood in the room, trying to let the impression of it wash over him. Without a body, there wasn't much he could see beyond the blood and dust scuffing on the ground, the marks in the wall.
"You think it was one of those things from the other night?"
He could imagine those things doing this. He walked to the largest pool of dried blood and knelt down. He could see hand prints in the dust surrounding it.
He looked closer. Odd. Unless they had moved around, he could see three sets of fully splayed hand prints. He frowned, trying to imagine how that would work. After a moment, he put his hands out- this was no crime scene that would ever be processed. He wasn't worried about contaminating it.- and put both his down in one set. As he did, he found himself leaning over the now dried pool, his head inches from it.
A memory came to him of drinking from the river as spring was just thawing things. He'd lean over like this to put his lips to the pure ice-cold water to drink.
He pushed himself up. "They drank her blood."
She must have incredible night-vision because it got really dark the further they went. "Wait a sec."
He pulled out a flashlight with a glow-end. It wasn't a lantern but did just as well. "Alright. Lead the way."
The went through one tunnel after another, a right here, and left there, and he quickly lost his sense of direction. Not that he had a great one. That had been one of the harder things to learn to do when he was in the academy. 'Know where you are at ALL times!' had been drilled into them. He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag. But he'd applied himself and gradually gotten better.
Down here though. He was glad he had switched the app in his wallet to 'crumb mode'. It would give him a way out if Xena tried to bail on him.
Truth was, though, the deeper they went, the more he could feel the weight of ground and buildings and world above. He was a bit claustrophobic. More than a bit, if he was being honest. He wasn't going to stop, of course. He was down here for a reason. But the unease and anxiety kept building in him. And, if he was being REALLY honest, so did the fear that somehow, while he was down here, the whole thing would crash down on them and bury him alive.
Strangely, the light that was the power seemed closer. Tentatively, he reached out to it. This time, a strand of it came to him. He grasped it- holding it only. He didn't want to frighten it away. Very carefully, he pulled on the strand and saw it stretch thinner and thinner and he was terrified that it was going to snap and he'd lose the connection. Somehow, though, it seemed to thicken and he felt the first touch of the power and gasped. Now he drew in much more and the connection seemed strong. He struggled with the power, forcing it to bend to his will and it soon quieted.
He breathed in a sigh of relief. He could see clearly now, Xena walking only one or two steps ahead of him. There was something about her movements that seemed off, though he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He kept following until she stopped, waiting. This was the place.
He looked around, raising his light. It was ok, but a lighted room was better. Curious, he wove fire and air and suddenly a light ball was above his hand, making the room as bright as if they were top-side. A part of him felt relief at the light. It seemed to push back the sense of pressure from being down so deep.
He switched off the flashlight and put it in his pocket. He saw the scratches on the walls, and the splotches of dried blood. He couldn't smell any blood so it had been a while ago. The rents in the walls were deep and angled. Whatever had done it had large claws.
He stood in the room, trying to let the impression of it wash over him. Without a body, there wasn't much he could see beyond the blood and dust scuffing on the ground, the marks in the wall.
"You think it was one of those things from the other night?"
He could imagine those things doing this. He walked to the largest pool of dried blood and knelt down. He could see hand prints in the dust surrounding it.
He looked closer. Odd. Unless they had moved around, he could see three sets of fully splayed hand prints. He frowned, trying to imagine how that would work. After a moment, he put his hands out- this was no crime scene that would ever be processed. He wasn't worried about contaminating it.- and put both his down in one set. As he did, he found himself leaning over the now dried pool, his head inches from it.
A memory came to him of drinking from the river as spring was just thawing things. He'd lean over like this to put his lips to the pure ice-cold water to drink.
He pushed himself up. "They drank her blood."