Murky Waters

chapter fourteen

Wit

Several days passed of monotonous travel. A tedious repetition formed: find a place to sleep, wake up, eat some weird foods, drag Jax, and find a place to sleep again. Nothing changed the next three days besides the weather, Jax's BMI, which I'd tried to sustain with fruit juices - but I'm pretty sure was looking pretty bad - and my ability to manipulate and control aura.

Slogging through the muddy mush, developing with the help of several hours worth of rain, I decided it wasn't safe enough to pull Jax through the rising water level.

I'm not sure what enclosed the area in a way that could create flooding, but the water was reaching to a point just below my ankles, and Jax's plank didn't rise much higher than that. I wish it could float, but it was pretty worn down and Jax was heavy as hell.

Careful to wade through the water as to prevent a wave from rising into Jax's mouth, I led him to a small incline that rose off the ground maybe less than a foot high, but hopefully, the water level didn't get to that point.

There. He should be good for the next...you know I don't really know how long it takes to flood...but he should be good long enough for me to enjoy some sweet fruitiness.

I left him on the incline and walked to a nearby bushel of glowing green berries. They hung like cherries but had the texture of gummy bears. And you know what, I used to be ashamed of eating random foods like some animal, but I can't help myself anymore.

A guy's gotta eat.

Plucking a few berries and popping them into my mouth, I enjoyed the burst of sweet, savory, liquid that spread into every inch of my taste buds. I let out a long and exaggerated moan. "Oh my god. This is amazing!"

Rustle~

"Ahh!"

Startled by a noise, my teeth clenched and my muscles tightened. I looked over the bush to see something I'd been lucky enough to avoid the last few days: a creature - probably a hundred feet away - had heard me and, like me, was staring, stock still, with its muscles bound. Its display of strength far more impressive as its muscles practically popped from its thin frame.

Shaped like a great Dane, it was a similar size and just as skinny, but built upward rather than outward like a dog would be. It was like the grey, long-legged, animal had a hunch back that arched its body upwards. Another noticeable feature was the layer of bone surrounding its head like another skull on the outside, leaving only four beady eyes open.

Both heaving taught breaths into the cold rain, we stared at each other, mist smoldering from our lips as we gauged one another.

"Stay away, please. Thank you. I'm really a nice guy when you get to know me, so...ya know. Leave me alone, yeah?"

Decidedly ignoring my pleas, the creature must have somehow figured out I was about to piss myself, because it took a single step towards me. And then I guess getting scared and backing up was a sign of weakness or something, because as soon as I did that, it took several more slow steps toward me, that a few steps later turned into a hopping gallop; it was plowing through the flood water, kicking up a maelstrom of mud and muck into the air.

I looked around for somewhere to run away but found nowhere suitable. I'd dragged Jax over to a semi-open area, where trees jutted from the ground every ten or twenty feet. It was basically an open field between me and the stampeding quadruped.

Sorting out my non-existent options had allowed the animal nearly half the distance between us, and that's when I knew...I fucked up.

It closed in faster and faster. My legs locked up and my muscles stiffened. "C'mon, dude. Don't be like this." I've never been in a fight before. As it came within five feet, it reared its skeletal head back and closed in with a headbutt.

"Shit." Sidestepping too late, the bonehead slammed into my left shoulder and sent me spinning on my feet. I let out a grunt and tried to roll my shoulder but felt biting pain. Reaching across my chest I felt a dislocation. My shoulder had slipped out of place.

While the animal slid through the mud, trying to stop and turn around, I tried to think, and then slapped my head. Aura. Duh. Spiraling the energy, I'd come used to using, around my right arm, I took to a boxer's stance: jumping toe-to-toe, side-to-side. Taunting the recovered beast with a hand gesture, I took a ready to move stance.

If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna do it like a badass at least.

Gaining traction, the animal began its raging gallop with a roar. Storming towards me, I readied myself to jump to the side, but as it approached it rose on its rear haunches and slashed downward as I jumped back, creating a splash right where I was standing with its tri-clawed talons. I grew a little more nervous. It can do that too?

Irate at the smooth moves on display, the creature roared and raised itself again, preparing for another slash. A little more prepared this time, I stepped to the side faster than it rose up. Catching its upper body still in mid-air, I just went with the flow and punched it. I freakin' punched it right in its side with an aura laden fist.

Watching a lump of bile rise up in its lungs from the point of impact, I leaped back in time to avoid a spray of blood and undigested animal parts - the same animal I'd seen in the tree-home, a few days ago, actually. That's weird; I remember the claw marks looking the same, but the size of the feet didn't match. The one in the tree must have been a lot bigger.

Reeling back, the creature toppled into the water, hacking away and struggling to its feet.

Taking the chance to back up and create some space, I stepped on an errant rock. My eyes popped open. Light bulb. Looking around for a fist-sized stone, I ran towards one and reached down to pick it up. I could throw this mother at that stupid beast. A bit of range would be nice, to be honest.

With that idea in mind, I tugged and twisted, but it was stuck. Struggling to pry the rock out of the mud, at some point the creature had snuck up behind me, because I heard the water splash as it took a talon out of the water and slashed across the right side of my back as I was running away.

"Ahh!" Screaming in pain, I flew, face-first, into the mud and slid for five to ten feet on my stomach. Water tunneled into my mouth, as I criticized my own ignorance.

Am I stupid?! How many times have I heard the same advice in movies? 'Never turn your back on your enemy.' How could I forget?! Damn, that hurts!

Bemoaning my fighting inexperience, I heard a victorious roar behind me and the water began to shift again. "Shit." Desperate, I reached for a large rock I'd landed next to and rolled onto my butt with a pained grunt.

The beast galavanted toward me, with the intention of no doubt doing another freakin' karate chop. I wound my arm back, and as it got within a range I thought I wouldn't miss at, I hurled the stone. Watching it sail through the air, I was worried the weight of the rock might've been too much for me to throw it well. But contrary to my concern, either because I was stronger than I was a few days ago or because the creature was also running toward me, the stone embedded itself into the animal's skull, breaking the outside bone as it lodged itself snuggly next to the beast's brain.

Falling down, but still propelled forward by its speed, the creature rolled into my feet and forced my knees to my chest. It got closer and I was absolutely terrified. Like with Kane, blood pounded inside my body, deafening my ears and clouding my vision in a haze of red. When I felt the beast twitch, something in me snapped, and I was so taken by fear, I couldn't control myself; it was like my mind blanked and a primal instinct took my body.

I had turned into a barbarian.

Breathing heavy hot mist, I jumped on top of the creature and began beating into it. I broke the exoskeleton into pieces and slammed into its head. Hitting both the lodged rock and mashed flesh, I couldn't stop my arm. Blood sprayed into my eyes, but I couldn't close them. So absorbed by terror, I didn't stop.

I kept slamming my fist into its head until my adrenaline died and I could finally feel again. Intaking a sharp breath, lightning ran through my nerves as I felt the pain in my back, throbbing along with the rushing blood that poured out.

Rolling onto my stomach, I screamed, almost drowning as the murky water filled my lungs. Bobbing my mouth out of the water by propping my chin into the mud, I sputtered out mired exhales like whooping coughs.

Without even turning around to check, I knew the scratch was bad. If you could even call this a scratch. Blood poured out enough for the water to take it upstream as it passed right under my chin.

I was shaking. My vision dwindled and images distorted like abstract art. Is this shock?

Seizing handfuls of mud, I dragged my body to a small incline just above the water level. If I was going into shock, I wanted to make sure I wouldn't drown to death.

That'd be a shitty way to go.

Lying atop a blanket of sludge, I dozed in and out of consciousness. Unsure anymore of what was reality and what was fantasy.

For example, I'm sure I heard a thundering roar in the distance, followed by earth-rumbling steps that seemed to be moving towards me.

I heard a bird caw and looked up to see a crow jump off its perch on a branch above me. It's intelligent brown eyes glancing from me to the stomping off in the distance.

Isn't that thing that blind guy's bird? What is it doin' out here? Curious, but brain addled, I gave up on trying to unravel a reason. Whatever it was, the bird cawed again, as the rumbling grew stronger, and dipped off into another direction.

God, what a weird bird. Where is it going?

Distracted by the vibration on my cheeks, I finally turned my head to see the source of all the noise...and laid my head back down.

Yup, I must be dreaming.

A huge beast stomped through the water in some hurry. It looked just like the creature I killed, but instead of just the head, its entire body was covered in an outer layer of bone, and it must have been at least four times the size as the one I stoned to death. Rushing through the mud, it galloped - they all seem to gallop - to the smaller one and smelled the body.

Uh-oh.

Recognizing the corpse, it brought its head back and screeched a grieving cry. That's not good...must be a relative. Smelling around the cadaver further, the beast must have found foul-play along the mushed head, because instead of a grieving cry it let loose a furious howl.

Growling, the beast smelled even further - God, use your eyes - and followed whatever scent it caught with its eyes. Wait. Ignore me, I was kidding.

I really hope this is still a dream. It might be. My eyes were growing heavy again.

Struggling to stay awake, I almost forgot about the creature as it took a step toward me and stomped puddles into the air. Gaining momentum, it began running at me with a guttural roar.

My eyes drooped shut, and this is the part where I think I was dreaming.

Just as quickly as my eyes closed, I opened them to the sight of blood spraying harder than the rain, and clumps of viscera landing in the flood with loud plops.

Inexpressive, due either to bodily shock or immense emotional shock, I stared vacantly into the mist of what used to be a terrifying creature. What just happened? I was keen to find out, but my eyes had other plans, closing without my consent.

Eyes closed, I heard the patter of enclosing footsteps, splashing water aside as they approached.

"Tch. Stupid, stupid thing." A familiar voice spat. Water splashed onto my face as a foot landed beside my head and continued past me into Jax's direction, totally indifferent to my wellbeing.

I heard a crow caw again. It came back? Seeming to understand the meaning behind the bird call, the first voice gave a blase response. "Yeah, the young lord's alright." Chuckling, "Thank the name, or we'd be dead men walking if the Lord found out." The crow cawed an agreeance.

...Yeah, I'm just dreaming. Peope don't talk to birds. That would be weird.

Caw.

"People? How far away?"

Caw.

"Hmm. Let's clean this place up and get out of here. My shoes are getting dirty." The man said behind the sound of unsheathed metal. Only a moment later, a massive gush of air launched me into a roll across the ground and pried my unresponsive eyelids open.

Yup, still dreaming.

I saw the two men I'd met a few days prior. While the blind man stood still, his crow flew back from the direction I'd been traveling towards. On the other hand, the man with the terrifying aura was hefting his inscribed white sword with a hand covered in gleaming black rings. With just a single swing, he sent another wave of pressure through the area, sending the falling rain back up and evaporating the pool of viscera and blood. It all just disappeared as the flooding shrunk to a thin layer of water, that slowly rose again as the repelled rain made it's way back down.

Before my eyes crammed shut again, I saw one last image.

"Whoop." The man bent over to pick up a red cloth that fell from his bag along with the raging winds. It was a red hood, not too dissimilar to klansman's attire. Triangular in shape, the only difference was the color and the writing on it. What did it say?

Slipping into the dark haze of unconsciousness, I heard the clatter of many footsteps approaching.

"They're coming. It's time to go." The voice grew quiet as the men left. "Use your eyes to find the gi-"

Senses finally failing me, I couldn't make out the rest of what he said. Growing darker and darker, my mind swirled as it laid itself to rest, and I really did begin to dream.