Crystal realized someone was shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes and stared up at Jake, puzzled. "If you fall asleep here, you might fall into that river of poop and drown!"
"What? Oh, yes! Sorry."
Jake helped her back up to her feet. "Come on," he said. Jake picked up both torches from the ground and handed Crystal hers. "It will soon be light, and the city will wake up."
Crystal nodded, and with one hand clasped over her nose and mouth, the two companions pressed on into dark and stinky passage.
Kaze
"I don't think my mom's Wally World economy washing detergent is ever gonna get this stink out of my clothes," Crystal said.
"You have traveled to many worlds then? Not just this one?" Jake asked.
Crystal opened her mouth to explain what Walmart was, but then thought better of it. "Never mind."
Her hands were itching. Small scabs were forming on the abrasions and were screaming for attention. She dared not scratch them down here in the sewer. Who knew what kind of nasty infection she might get? Talking kept her mind off the pain. At least she'd stopped yawning.
"Do you have any idea where we are going?" she asked.
"No. I have never been inside the city before, and definitely not under it. But I have heard stories...."
"Oh Jesus, really? Like the last lot?" She remembered the acid monster and her itchy skin shriveled even more. "I have to say, I'm not a big fan of your stories." She sighed. "So, tell me first, is this another scary one?"
"It would pass the time."
"I can think of better ways."
She looked behind her. The path back was now as dark as the path before them. For a minute or so, they continued in silence. The only sounds were their own footfalls, the dull slosh of sludgy water, and the ever-constant drip of filthy mildew as if came off the walls. There was a short gust of wind as a slurry of fresh poop drove the water forward. For a brief second, her torch flickered. What if they burn out?
"How long do you think these torches will last?"
"A few hours."
"I hope it'll be enough for us to get us out of here. I don't fancy groping about this place in the dark."
"I don't know, really. I would think so. We should find an exit, sooner or later. This poop is coming down from somewhere." Jake pointed at the constant flow of effluent just inches away.
She sighed, and hoped he wasn't expecting her to climb through a toilet bowl. God, that was a depressing thought. Better to think about something else. "So, go on, tell me what you were gonna tell me."
"It's more legend than story."
Crystal laughed, ironically. "So was the last and that was real enough."
"There are many legends about the monsters in the city. And I've heard of at least three in the sewers. The greatest of all is the story of Kaze."
"That doesn't sound too fearsome."
Jake waved his torch ahead, as if looking for the thing before him. "They say she lives in the walls; some say on them. Kaze is a myriapod, about ten-feet long, who lives on excrement and anything unfortunate enough to stray into her path. She lurks in the sewers 'cause she hates the light, and one bite is all it takes and you're gone."
"Gone? Like... dead?" she asked.
"Exactly."
"Okaaay.” Crystal half-expected the monster to pop up out of nowhere. "I don't suppose it ever occurs to you to warn me about this shit in advance?"
"And that would change... what exactly? Would you have not tried rescuing your friend if you knew?"
"I'd sure as hell've tried to find another way." She wondered what other surprises Jake hadn't told her about. So, what's a myriapod? Is that like a millipede?"
"Yes, but larger than any millipede you've ever seen I suspect," Jake said.
Her skin crawled for the umpteenth time. She really detested anything creepy crawly. "Like, how big? As big as a dog, perhaps?"
"Try a pony" he said.
And now giant millipedes! For some reason she found herself thinking about Mr. Cecil's English class. "Oh shit. Well, with a bit of luck it is just a legend after all. And you know, this is a big city. Even if it does exist, we probably won't run into it, right? I mean, she's only one insect."
Jake's reply didn't exactly calm her. "I heard a rumor once that she was breeding."
"Umm, I'm no expert but doesn't that mean there has to be a Mr. Kaze someplace?"
"I guess so."
Her heart skipped a beat and she stared harder than ever into the darkness. "Great. So, there could be a whole tribe of these suckers."
They fell into silence again as they walked on and on. The sewer seemed endless, without a single grille or outlet to illuminate their way. Crystal was just thinking this had been a bad idea from start to finish, when she felt the crunch of something soft beneath her shoes.
"Uh, what is that?" She looked down. "More guano? Shit."
As she looked down, she saw Jake look up. He raised his torch arm high in the air. "Yep. Bats. Look."
Sure enough, hundreds of silent bats were hanging from sewer's curved ceiling. Could today get any worse?
"Wow, they're spooky quiet," she whispered.
"Sleeping," Jake whispered back. "We best not disturb them. That many bats would make a god-awful racket if they all took flight at once."
She nodded.
They trod carefully, conscious of the crackling pops of the torches which they both held down as low as possible. She could not take her eyes off the hanging creatures, terrified they would wake and give their position away. Or fly right into her and knock her off the walkway and into the unspeakable filth below. She was so focused on the tiny creatures, that she walked a little too close to the edge.
"Whooaaa...!"
Jake grabbed her arm just in time, and seeing no harm done, heaved an enormous sigh of relief.
She smiled and was about to whisper her thanks, when she felt another gust of wind blow through the tunnel, heralding another slush of poop.
"Here comes the guano express," she whispered.
"Look at this."
Jake held his torch low to the walkway. At first, she couldn't make out what he had seen, it was so dark. And then she realized there was a hole where the wall met the walkway, and inside were some very bumpy looking stones. Why is he showing me these?
"Pretty," she said.
"Look again."
We don't have time for sight-seeing. Still, he had brought her this far, and asked for little in return. She knelt down for a closer look. The rocks were about the size of footballs, and were the color of tree trunks, or something very like them, it was hard to see in the dark. Looking closer she could see they were dappled and a little bit shiny, and without thinking, she stretched out her hand to touch one.
Suddenly, one of them twitched. "What the!" She jumped back, almost falling into the sludge again, though again, Jake caught her in the nick of time. "Oh my god, they're alive!"
"Yes, they are."
"What are they?"
"Millipedes."
"They're the biggest god-damned millipedes I've ever seen!"
Jake put his finger to his lips and pointed to the ceiling with his free hand. "Shush, lower your voice."
"Oh yeah, sorry. Forgot about those," she said, sarcastically, looking up at the bats. "I was more worried by the giant millipedes about to eat my fingers."
Jake shook his head and motioned for her to move on.
They both backed away and continued a few feet along the pathway, away from the sleeping bats. "Do you think those are the monsters of legend? Legends are sometimes exaggerated you know. They were big, but not that big, ya know?"
"No," whispered Jake. "I don't think you understand. That was just the nursery."
"Those boulders were babies??? Christ, I hope to God we don't meet mom or dad then."
As soon as the words escaped her lips another whoosh of foul air gushed through the sewer. Only this time it wasn't followed by the familiar wave of water. For a
split second, the two held their breath, expecting a strong rush of stench like every time before, but then all hell broke loose. Though Crystal couldn't see what had disturbed them, something did, for all the bats took flight at once, and their high-pitched shrieks filled the sewer. Round and around in a fury they flew, and she covered her ears and closed her eyes, afraid the noise would drive her mad. But they were flying all around her.
"Get away, get away," she cried, her arms flailing this way and that as she tried to defend herself.
And soon enough they did, for the sound of wings diminished as they flew back along the sewer toward the exit. Crystal stood, mouth gaping as she caught her breath, looking after them.
“Nasty little critters. What set them off do you think?"
At first, Jake didn't answer. But then she felt a wet glob of something cold plop on her shoulder. "What the?" She reached up to wipe it off. Whatever it was looked like Vaseline. "Ewww, nasty." Worse was to come. "A loud and distinctive hissss set her blood to ice.
Jake was frozen to the spot. Ever so slowly, he raised his hand and as carefully as he could, pointed up to the roof of the sewer. "I could be wrong, but I think Mom just came home to check her babies.”
Ever so slowly, she looked up. Hovering just above her and clinging to the walls of the sewer was the largest, most disgusting insect she had ever seen. Snot and primeval funk oozed out of its transparent skin, and the nasty goop she'd just wiped away was dripping in patches all over the place. And there were legs, so many legs, wriggling about as the creature sought endless foot-holes in the wall. There were no eyes, just an army of feelers, inching forward, ever closer, just a few feet away from her face. Hissssss. Slowly the great head turned towards her and slithered down and down.
Oh my God! It's gonna kill me! I'm standing right by her babies. Stay calm! How am I gonna do that? Jesus!
The creature, which she presumed was the Kaze, hovered, inches from her face. Crystal's eyes closed as she waited for it to strike. And she waited. But the strike never came. Slowly, fighting every impulse to keep them closed, she opened them a fraction. It was still there, just above her, the great head writhing cautiously about, dropping more snot everywhere. For some reason, though, it chose not to strike. Carefully, she raised her torch a little higher, to see what was wrong.
There! It moved. Just a fraction. The sightless beast pulled back, away from the burning flame. She raised the torch higher still.
"It doesn't like fire," she whispered through clenched teeth, still afraid to move. Slowly, she held the torch even higher, and the monster flinched and recoiled. The great legs moved en masse, as the thing curled up in a tight ring out of the reach of the flame. Slowly, Crystal edged along the rim of the pathway. She dared not take her eyes off the creature above her. One wrong foot and she would fall in the sludge, her torch would go out, and all would be lost. Nic, Stu and John, would remain imprisoned forever and it would be all her fault.
"Slowly, slowly," Jake encouraged. He kept his own flame high, waving it from side to side, keeping Kaze at bay. From the corner of her eye Crystal spied his free hand stretched out toward her, motioning her to come on. Her own strained to reach him, and she was never so glad as when his fingers entwined in her own. Ever so slowly, she stepped sideways, moving further away from the monster and toward safety.
"Come on, let's get the hell out of here," he said.
"You bet!"
Slowly, they backed away. As the flames became more distant, the monster uncoiled, slowly slid down the sewer wall, and was soon lost in the crack in the rock. Crystal looked at Jake, and without uttering a single word, they set off at a sprint along the pathway. Nothing in this world would make her look back now.
Somnia By Day
The torches were beginning to flicker, and Crystal knew if they didn't find a way out soon, they would be at the mercy of any other creature lurking in the sewer. She wished Dad was here. He'd know what to do. But he wasn’t. It was just her and Jake.
Her belly growled at her. She had never been so hungry in her life. But there was nothing to eat here, and even if there had been, who would want to eat it?
"Jake. I don't want to die down here."
"Neither do I," he replied. "So, thank God. Look ahead."
A way off in the distance she saw what looked like a linear series of white dots.
"Is that...?"
"Light. Some kind of outlets. Maybe more grilles."
"About time. Let's hope they're not locked or sealed as tight as the last one. I don't think I'd have the strength to fight my way out."
"We'll worry about that when we reach them. Just remember, we've no idea where this thing leads, so make as little noise as possible until we get our bearings.
They picked up the pace, and with every step, Crystal prayed a way out would be open to them. As they got closer, she could see Jake was right. A series of grilles were perfectly aligned above their heads. It was odd they hadn't encountered any sooner, but that didn't matter now, all that mattered was they get out of this wretched place.
"You know what? I'd give anything for a hot bath right now. And a donut. A jam donut, with sprinkles. Mmm." Just thinking about it made her salivate.
"A donut?"
"You've never had a donut? Well heck, Jake, you really haven't lived, have you!"
In the growing light she could see him shrug. She wished she could make him smile instead. He was only here because of her. Risking his life, because of her. She sucked.
In a little while they came to the first of the grilles. A small ladder led to the top, and after handing her his torch, Jake quickly climbed it, and pushed hard against the metal grating. It gave a little, then dropped back down with a metallic thunk. They both cowered at the sound, afraid it might alert someone to their arrival. Or something. But after listening hard for a moment, nothing happened.
Jake was the first to breathe normally again. "We're in luck, this one's heavy but it's open."
He craned his neck as much as he could to check the coast above was clear, then slowly, using all his strength, he pushed just enough of the grille aside to allow his head to pass through. He turned his head left and then right.
"Is there anything up there?" whispered Crystal from below.
"Well, it's a street, but it looks abandoned. I think we can get out here if we hurry. There's a wall just a little way away with a little nook. Once you're up here, make a run for the recess, okay?" Without another word, he hoisted himself up and disappeared.
The torches flickered, and then both died at the same time. She tossed them down into the murky sewage, and after a final gloop, both disappeared into the nasty sludge.
"You don't have to tell me twice," she said, more to herself. Crystal put her hand on the cold bottom rung and climbed up as fast as she could. She took a welcome gasp of clean, fresh air, but then squinted. The sun was uncommonly bright on the surface, and she had to cover her eyes for a second while they adjusted.
A few seconds later she could see the nook Jake had referred to, and he was standing in it now, beckoning her to make a run for it. She pushed herself out through the grille, and sprinted as fast as she could to his side. Halfway there, she skidded to a stop as a sudden thought struck her. She turned and ran back to the opening and with a titanic effort, pushed the grille until it clunked back into place, so no one who happened along would see it and realize intruders had emerged out of the sewers.
"God, am I ever glad to be out of that place!" she gasped. "I don't even want to think about how bad we smell!"
Jake shrugged, and Crystal gazed at the great wall that surrounded the city. The wall loomed high on the horizon, and was perhaps two, maybe three miles or more away. But something was remarkably different.
"Wasn't that wall black before?"
"Yes, it was."
"But now it's pure white?"
"Yes, it is. It's day time."
This didn't seem odd to Jake, but though it was clearly freaky to
her, she was getting used to this bizarre, Alice in Wonderland-like world. Plus, there were more important things to worry about. Like finding the others and getting everyone safely back home.
So where to begin? She scoured the street up and down. It reminded her of a classic street in New York, with tall, almost uniform skyscrapers. Only here everything was made from the same white marble. In spite of the warm sun, she suddenly felt cold, and wrapped her arms protectively around herself.
"Where is everyone in this city?" There was not a soul in sight. Not a street sign. Nothing. Perhaps it was just as well. It's not as if I can just go up to anyone and say, hey, where are the dungeons? "Soooo, what's the plan? Do we have one?"
"The plan?"
"You know. Storm the castle, rescue the maiden. Where do you think they can be keeping them?"
"I've no idea. In the palace?"
"The palace?"
"Yes. Prisoners are usually taken there for questioning. It's in the center of the city. We should be able to find it easily enough."
She looked up at the tall, monolithic-like structures. The streets were uniformly straight, with intersecting roads, that seemed to continue for miles and miles in all directions. "Buildings with no windows. How bizarre."
"There are windows."
She looked again. Before her very eyes some of the marble seemed to liquefy, churning quickly to form the shape of a thousand window frames. But unlike back home, the windows were not made of glass, instead more like opaque-marble crystals, which she couldn't see into, but imagined could be seen through from the other side.
"Woooah. That's seriously crazy. Funny they weren't there before though."
"They weren't?"
"No. Not until I mentioned them."
"Oh."
An idea occurred to her. "Wouldn't it be good if we could find something to eat?"
"Excuse me?"
She stopped in her tracks and she cupped her hand to her ear to listen. Off in the distance she could now hear the faint murmurings of something new. "Listen."
Jake could hear it too. "What is it do you think?"
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